Your Interior Design Business + The Recession

eDesign

Apr 2

Maybe you aren't exactly sure what day it is. Your daytime PJs have also become your nighttime PJs. And if cursing “Carole Fuckin' Baskin” has become a favorite past time because you're feeling nervous about the future of your interior design business, then you're in the right place.

And if you're new here, there's a lot of cursing here which offends the pearl clutchers. If you're offended after that opening paragraph, you can expect more of that in the rest of this post. So you can close this browser tab now.

Now, let's get real... your interior design business will be affected by this recession.

In July 2019, I created a video about how you can prepare your design business for the next recession.

Now What?

Over the next days and weeks, you're going to have loads of opportunities to sit through free webinars that will share with you the information that they say will help your business survive once this pandemic is over.

Maybe the news will be good and the economic downturn won’t last too long, or perhaps it's shit, nevertheless...

75% of the people that attend these free webinars will not take any of the advice. 20% of the attendees will listen, take notes, and do a few things. The last 5% are the ones who will do the work and have a business by the time this recession ends.

How do I know this? Am I Miss Cleo reincarnated?

No, I'm not. I just saw the writing on the wall last summer and thought back to 2009.

I don’t know how quickly we will rebound - it may be a temporary shit show or a long term one. Either way, this will be another one of those crazy times for the interior design industry no matter the duration.

But before you read any more, don't read this if you want someone to blow smoke up your ass about how easy this will be. It's not going to be easy if we’re looking at a long term recession, and you must take this advice if you're serious about staying in business.

And say we’re beyond lucky, whatever you failed to do before now for your interior design business should still be done.

The Recession That Killed Interior Design Businesses The Last Time

The US housing bubble burst in 2008 like an infected carbuncle affecting anyone and everyone in the home improvement category. By the time the recession was officially over, everyone was fully feeling the effects.

Many a designer turned to the elders in the industry to see what wisdom they could impart.

At that time, virtual interior design (aka e-decorating aka e-design) was akin to snapping a photo of a sasquatch in nature. The arrogant design elders thumped their chests as they laughed and scoffed at the notion that interior design could be done virtually. Impossible, they said.

I didn't care and started my eDesign business in 2009.

And look where we are now. eDesign is totally a thing now, and you will be encouraged to add this service or transition to these services in these times when you hop onto the free webinars.

Obviously, this is as good as time as any to offer virtual interior design services because you literally can't go to people's homes for a while. But merely slapping up eDesign services on your website isn't going to bring you, clients, instantly.

Here's What Nobody Wants To Hear

There are tens of thousands of interior design businesses that are hanging on by a thread - even before this.

Few will survive.

But if you're still reading this, I know you don't want to be one of the design business casualties.

That means that you need to take this time to get serious about your business. Yeah, no more "Tiger King" or Carole fucking Baskins for you!

How The Recession Changed Interior Design

Time for a history recap in case you're a whippersnapper and missed the last recession, or you tried to forget that awful time.

Here's what we learned from that recession:

Clients buy less
Clients do smaller jobs
Clients want to know how much they are paying you (flat fees become in vogue again!)
The DIY movement became a big-ass make-anything-and-everything-out-of-fucking-wood-pallets trend
Pinterest became a HUGE thing

We saw two distinct groups of designers emerge during this time. One set of designers that didn't evolve and those who saw an opportunity in an uncertain future.

The designers who wanted to keep things status quo didn't want to offer flat fees, wanted to continue to make commissions off furniture sales that padded their bank accounts and guffawed at the notion that anyone could design a room virtually.

Shit, there are still some people who don't believe it is possible - and maybe they don't have that skill, but it doesn't make it impossible just because they can't do it.

Then we had DIY bloggers and the rising eDecorators. And guess who was pissed?

Designers.

The counterpart to the industry was the ever-important client. So, what happened there?

Many families lost their homes, construction practically stopped, and budget materials/ furnishings found their place at the top of the consumer's discretionary spending list.

Clients still hired design firms for small projects, and that's where designers had a choice to make. Either focus on high-end or budget clients - and many designers wanted to poo-poo those stinky budget clients or take on the budget clients.

Guess who, by and large, got those budget dollars and budget clients?

Cue The End Of The Last Recession

Anyhow, after a few years of that shit, money started to flow again, but clients weren't going to go back to the way interior design was done.

By this point, social media was blowing up. Anyone and everyone was a decorating maven, or a wannabe started sharing their latest project online. And direct-to-home businesses popped up, making it easy to buy a sofa, a mattress, tableware, practically anything, and everything for the home without the need for a designer.

Many To-The-Trade resources said Eff You to the interior design industry and went direct to consumers. They saw the opportunity.

All of this infuriated the degreed and old school design community. They felt they were getting pushed out of a kingdom one they thought they ruled securely.

They just chose not to adapt.

The Future of the Interior Design Industry

Much like Meghan Markle trying to find a way to monetize an old monarchy to her benefit, designers once again find themselves in a pinch. Their titles are being stripped, their cash dwindling, and a new world order is glaring at them as the Queen did after watching "The Crown" on Netflix and discovering that Princess Margaret was a sexy superstar.

While we can wax philosophical about the various trends that may emerge from this period of time, I want you to ignore trends. Trends come and go like Prince Harry and his wife trying on new countries every few months.

While I do believe that holistic interior design is going to be a humongous thing, more so than the green movement of the last recession, other items can be focused on. Whatever you choose to focus on should be something that you love to do, not something you do because it's the next trendy thing to snag a client.

No One Wakes Up And Decides To Hire A Designer Out Of The Blue

Unless they're some rich person with nothing else to blow their money on (and believe me, they would still rather buy some Birkin bag before hiring a designer).

Interior design has always been something that's been considered non-essential. That hasn't changed.

What doesn't change is that people still live their lives. Imagine how many babies are coming (quarantine babies aplenty!), how many people are going to get divorced (the quarantine that broke the camel's back), how many people are going to relocate and down-size, etc.

Life still happens, and while interior design services may never really be an "essential" item that people want to budget for, it becomes an essential they have to address when their life changes.

To be clear - people with no budget will never ever hire an interior designer - even if you offer your services for pennies on a dollar. They would love to, and many times they are what many call the "tire kickers," just dreaming about better times. Commit yourself that you will either respect your value or close your doors now if you feel the urge to become a discount queen.

Remember your value during these interesting times: Interior designers and home stagers do help people sell their homes faster and for a better price. Interior designers do make unusable space usable. Interior designers help people going through rough times, get a hold of the situation, and see how to design a new life experience for themselves. Most people in this industry are valuable and have skills that are needed; we just don't need you to devalue yourself because you're coming from a place of panic.

Looking For Untapped Design Markets

You never want to have all of your eggs in one basket, no matter what the state of the economy is in. And when you live through times like these, you have an opportunity to them where others see none.

Trust me when I tell you that: this recession is going to be filled with opportunity if you choose to look for it.

Think about how you can combine your passions with being unique in the marketplace. You can be the DIY guru that also offers help for when their DIY projects go down the shitter.

Think about this one. We've never been in a time where so many could work from home. Many companies have their employees working from home and doing video conferencing. I'd bet that once the technical kinks get worked out by various larger corporations and small businesses alike, that many companies may choose to reduce their building costs and allow an even higher percentage of employees to continue working from home.

For some people, they've found themselves working at a dining room table or hiding in a corner because they don't have a functional home office space to work in.

They are finding it hard to separate work time from non-work time. Employees now see that while the organization may not be such a big deal, ergonomics is, and finding a way to cut down on the noise of a conference call from another partner also stuck working from the same house to be a challenge. I think that once everyone is released from lockdown, we'll see a change that you could tap in to.

Then there are the people out there that you could be targeting like Youtubers, Twitch game players, brand influencers, people looking to reduce their carbon footprint, independent funeral homes (I mean that's the one I'd go after). Hell, I'd even reach out to those TV personalities that are going on live from their poorly decorated homes, too.

Then there’s passive income to think about. You could be a design mentor to your clients. Teach them how to update their homes, create a paid community to get access to you, sell them a la carte help.

Or you could start virtual consulting via Zoom getting paid by the hour.

One other idea is to sell your services like space planning, rendering, sourcing to another design firm that may not have the design skills you have.

You Need A Niche, Seriously

If you don't have a niche, now is the time to get one. And part of your niche is about being the best when it comes to helping your specific client solve a problem.

AKA = You help a specific type of client solve a specific kind of problem.

Marketing to a bachelor and marketing to a mom is not the same thing. And when you don't know who your specific client is, then you will find it to be challenging to market yourself. You will not know what your client's pain point is or how to sell your solution.

A bachelor wants to knock da boots (or whatever they call it these days), and that is about the last thing on a mom's mind, most days.

I don't care if your niche is designing vacation rentals or holistic interior design - if you don't solve a problem and articulate that, you will not have a business.

Packaging eDesign Services

Solving a problem is key - create an eDesign package (or three) that solves your client's problem.

Don't create a Bronze, Gold, and Platinum packages - what does that even mean?

Get rid of the word salad list of things that you can do for people. You know what I mean... someone comes to your service page, and there is a list 50 items long. Nobody wants that.

It's like going to McDonald's and not seeing the Big Mac combo. All you see is every ingredient they have listed, and you get to pick your own adventure. Some people like that when it comes to ordering food, but when it comes to hiring a designer? Most people don't know what they need to complete a project, so package it up and make it simple.

Create a package like "Booked Out AirBNB" or "New Home Decor Package." Creating a packaged solution (where it is named speaking to the result your client wants) makes it easier for your clients to buy.

Can't Escape Marketing

Designers just wanna design. Except that when you're in business, that's not an option because you wear every hat.

Marketing is important all day, every day. And it takes time to build a following. So it's time to get to it.

And I will be candid here... if you're starting at ground zero today when it comes to building an audience - it will not be easy, and it will take time like many months, if not a year. HOWEVER, if you do not start now, you will still be at ground zero when the recession ends.

The best thing that you can do is create interesting, heartfelt, authentic content for your website that your clients care about. That should be your first step.

Don't pay for ads on Pinterest or Instagram or Facebook right now. Invest in your website by creating content for it. That will be a better long-term investment for your business.

Yes, it means you need to do SEO research, create content, and share it. And yeah, it's a lot of fucking work.

Share your content on your website, pin it, share it wherever you want to share it. But creating great content when others don't (and most won't trust me), is how you connect with your clients on an honest, authentic and emotional level is an invaluable asset for your business.

Sell That Which You Wouldn't Normally Sell

Another opportunity is to sell that which you may not normally do. For instance, you may only sell complete room design packages. But here comes Carol Fuckin' Baskin wondering if you can just give her paint colors. That's ALL she needs.

My advice? Sell her paint colors. Do what you need to do to make ends meet, if necessary. Or maybe that's your next income stream... paint is affordable, and you can create palettes based history, inspired by historical or famous cultural figures, etc. that are pre-made and ready to download.

Opportunities are all around if you pay attention.

How DARE You Sell At A Time Like This?!

Yes, there will be those people that clutch their pearls and are so offended that you should think to sell at a time like this. To them, I would channel my inner Joe Exotic and tell them:

"Listen here, you stupid motherfuckers. You're not paying my fucking bills."

We all know there are snobs in this industry, and they will look down their nose at anyone trying to make an honest buck if it doesn't jive with their way of doing business.

Anyone who tells you that now is not the time to sell isn't feeling the fire yet. And frankly, who cares? Delete, block, and move on from those people.

Times Like These Thin The Herds

If you've been blaming the competition for keeping you from profiting... well now you won't have any excuse, right?

Blaming the competition (or the economy) is NOT the way to survive, thrive, and dominate.

But, many, many, many designers, aka "the competition," will be going out of business. The interior design businesses that come out of this recession survive because of their determination.

Steps For Your Interior Design Business To Survive + Thrive During This Recession

Move your operations online

Let me say this first... not everyone is cut out to move their interior design business online. Not because I don't think there's some unique talent that's needed except for the desire to learn. However, if you have any resistance to the idea of designing online or feel that it's impossible, there's no need to move your operations online. You will hate it, and that's akin to putting a square peg in a round hole.

Much like if someone told me that the internet was no more. Would I go around and do my business in person? Hell no! I don't want to go out into the world and teach people how to market their business in traditional ways. I'd instead go work at a pet store as I did in college.

If you're ready to move your operations online, then I'm here for you. I've got practically everything you'll need to learn inside the Society and in the Shop. If you want to bootstrap it, then grab the Roadmap - a free step-by-step guide that will help you do this.

Learn the skills you need

Put it on your calendar to spend an hour, five days a week, to learn what you need to learn for your business to survive.

Do what others won't.

7 Critical Things To Do Right Fuckin' Now

Figure out your niche
Research your specific client
Research the competition
Do your SEO research and optimize your website
Create content, lots of it
Start sharing said content on Pinterest
Learn new things to grow your business

Running an interior design business in a recession is not a walk in the park (even if we could walk in the park). Yet, if you have the intention to serve people by using the talents God gave you and make a commitment to follow through, then you will be miles ahead of the pack when we come out on the other side.

And yes, we will come out of this.

*Hola! I'm Alycia Wicker and I help online interior designers grow their business.*

Disclaimer: The Blog posts contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I will earn a commission (at no additional cost to you). I only recommend products and services that I have found to be helpful and trustworthy. For more information, see my terms + conditions page here. Thanks for your support.