So you wanna start a decorating business? Maybe you've recently graduated. Maybe this is a second career. However you've found this, I want you to know one thing. Starting a decorating business isn't easy, but if you're determined, you can do it.

Niche It

Decide what you're going to be known for. You'll hear all the experts tell you that you need to pick a niche and that can be really hard when you're first starting out. Picking a niche is tied to picking out who your dream client is. And if you haven't had a job yet, how can you possibly do this?

Take a deep breath and imagine what your business is going to look like a few years from now. Will you love to decorate nurseries? Then that would tell you young families would be your ideal client.

Would you love to do home office design for entrepreneurs? Then that's your ideal client. And maybe beyond that, you pick an entrepreneur who is a fashion blogger? Think about the types of entrepreneurs you'd like to collaborate with.

Think about the types of decorating you want to do, and you should be able to figure out who needs your brilliance. One other note, don't let this feel constrictive because when you're starting out it is easier to market your business to one group of people, not the world.

Name Your Business

Don't get hung up on your name. As business evolves things have changed. It used to be widely accepted that you should name your business with what you do like: Donna's Decorating or Sally Smith Interiors. Then you'd go out and get a domain to match (www.sallysmithinteriors.com) just for search engine optimization.

That doesn't matter as much these days. Search engines are exploring the content you have on your website that is optimized for your keywords. You could call your business "Sugar Boogers". Not that that name is awesome by any means, but you'll be building a brand around it. So don't get hung up on a name. Use your name, a made-up name, but make it easy to share with peeps.

Create Services Clients Want

Because you're in business to make money, you need to focus on the result your client wants. Instead, you might find some decorators focusing on the features. Clients don't care about a mood board, but what this newly designed space will do for them.

Your design services need to clearly communicate to your clients exactly what they want to hear so they know they must hire you and not to would be an epic fail.

Invest In A Website

Your website is super important for your business. Whether you want to do decorating locally or virtually - you must have a website. You need to be specific about the action you want your client to take once they land on your website. You also need to make sure that your website has the right ingredients. Each page of your website has an important part to play in getting you clients.

Communicate

Beyond the website, you need a communication plan in place to spread the word about your business. You do this through blogging and social media. The old "brochure websites" of long ago aren't a successful strategy to follow anymore. Your website must have content. You'll be using your content posted on social media platforms to bring traffic back to your website along with your optimized blog posts to get traffic to your site. It's a 2-part approach that you can't afford to ignore.

Starting a decorating business is so much more than just doing the fun decorating part.

You need to get a plan in place so you can make sure you've got everything in place and then start measuring your results so when success shows up, you'll know you've arrived. 

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.