Online Interior Design Business Building Tips

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The solution could be as simple as paint colors for a home. Or an inspiration board and shopping list for sprucing up a tired space. Or a room review to give your clients the top items they can change in their home today.

Or maybe it’s a bit more complicated. Perhaps you create design plans that transform a house from fugly to fabulous. Or you plan and execute your client’s entire home, including changing the energy in the space from negative to positive. Or you help someone take their vacation rental from empty to booked out.

Whatever your business offers in exchange for cold, hard cash, you must realize what your unique solution is and more importantly, WHO needs your help. That answer is not everyone, which we will touch on shortly.

Beyond your ideal client, we need to talk about your brand because THAT is what is going to keep your business growing for years to come. Let’s go!

Define who you actually want to work with first, so you aren’t a desperate little entrepreneur.

If you’ve done any research on trying to decide between virtual interior design vs. full-service local interior design, let me share this.

I couldn’t even count on one hand how many people are still drafting their design projects and putting together physical mood boards. At this point, it’s somewhat cost-prohibitive. That’s not to say that a hand rendering doesn’t still kick ass. But, generally, all of your design work will be done electronically i.e., virtually. At this point, it is a method of delivery, not an either-or situation.

If you’d like to do local projects, you’ll still be sharing your work online through various platforms during the design process. When it comes to meeting with clients, measuring their space and installing the project - if that floats your boat, you can focus on that.

In terms of offering DIY services, sharing the design will be the same as a local designer. However, you won’t be there to measure their space or shop with or order for clients.

Choosing whether one or the other is better for you will depend on what you want to do, and you may find that you want to offer a hybrid of both types of services where you can meet local clients, measure their space and then deliver the rest of the design online. It merely comes down to what you want to do and don’t base it on what others are offering. Offer what you want to, not what you think you should.

When it comes to picking the perfect name for your interior design business, please don’t get stuck on the cul-de-sac of confusion 🤔 lamenting for days (or even weeks) on finding one. You can use your own name and be done with it because a name doesn’t make a business.

With that being said, if you want a name for your business that isn’t your own name do some research. Make sure the names you’re mulling over aren’t similar to other companies, aren’t easily misspelled and reflect what you do. You’ll probably find that getting the perfect domain name can be harder than opening a box of mac ‘n cheese but don’t make this the thing that keeps you from building your online interior design business.

When it comes to coming up with the kinds of services you offer, make sure that they solve a problem. Providing a list of things that you can do on your website doesn’t help your clients to understand your value.

When it comes to selling your services, you will want to have a sales page on your interior design website that tells them about the features and benefits of working with you.

I suggest you pick either start with one signature service or create three packages in the beginning. No more than that.

When a potential client comes to your services page after mulling over hiring you, the package structure and pricing will guide them to choose the middle option if you have three packages to sell them.

It’s called anchoring. You see, you have to set the stage for pricing. When a potential client comes to your packages page after mulling over hiring you, the pricing stage will be set. Your lowest priced offering will be the anchor.

When I see your first design package is priced at say, $1000, I think to myself okay, that’s not too out of line. Your next package is at $1300. Well, it is a little bit more, but not too bad — just a few more hundred out of my pocket. Your last package at $1700, and that is just a little too much for me.  It’s $700 more than your base package, and I can’t do that.

We all do this when we are considering a purchase. And by having these three packages, it helps us to justify and rationalize the purchase we already wanted to make with our heart.

Package 1 is your super awesome most expensive package and priced 40% more than your Package 3. This is the package where you could pull out all the stops. Add in the nicest version of your service. You could partner up with a colleague to add in an organizing service. Maybe you decide to offer a catered dinner party when the project is complete. Whatever you can dream to provide in this package that will make your clients gush over you is what you want it to have.

Package 2 is meeting most client’s requirements and priced 20% more than your Package 3 package. It includes all of Package 3 services plus some more.

Package 3 is supposed to be below their budget. This is your basic package of services. It should be decent, but not too enticing.

The important thing I need you to remember is that there is not one specific formula or one right fee for pricing your interior design services. Figure out how much time it takes you to offer your design service and then add a small percentage on top. Just don’t ever base your price on what someone else is charging. Their fee is not your fee. You have no idea if they are profitable and if they are selling for that fee.

When it comes to starting your interior design business, and not starting an expensive hobby, you need to figure out what you want to offer, how long it will take you to deliver it and how it fits into your income goals.

Let me get this out of the way. Do not target a “price shopper” client. They have zero loyalty, are the biggest pains in the ass, and when they find a lower price, they will dump you in a hot minute.

I have always charged a flat fee for my design services online. If you are looking to get a really good overview on flat fees check out Value Based Fees Book by Alan Weiss.

Clients want to know how much it will cost. Total. No extras or hidden fees later. They hate seeing a bill come to them then and will not buy anything from you if they do not know the costs of your entire design service or think there is a surprise coming down the road later. 

So, flat fees always, but that isn’t to say you should shortchange yourself. Be honest with yourself in terms of hours and your expertise. If you are fast and good, you can charge a premium. If you are a beginner, you can’t charge as much. And you certainly can’t charge your clients for the time it takes you to learn how to do things, either.

Lastly, you need to add in a buffer. Either your client will need hand holding or is a pain in the arse, or some issue came up you couldn’t foresee. So you need to cover your extra time. If it gets out of hand, stop it and let the clients know nicely. You must be in control at all times with your time during a project.

When it comes to the actual pricing of services and the “competition.” First, let’s vow not to worry about the competition. You will not be them, and they will never be you. Deal?

Now, I’m sure you want to know what they are charging and offering.  Let me save you some time and unnecessary comparing of yourself, okay?

First, they are not you. You have your own design style that no one else could ever copy or mimic you without it looking like a total knockoff.

Second, remember you are the brand and more than just your design work, clients are buying YOU. Really, darling, they are. So be the best and brightest design star that you can be.

With that being said, every company is different, and what they offer will be unique to them, their skillset, and income goals.

Don’t start off super cheap because when you go to raise your prices in the range of average designer fees (because you are starting to feel like a cheap hussy), you’ll lose the clientele you were attracting when you first started off. It’s easier to come down than to go up.

However, that doesn’t mean you should turn into the instant discount queen if the business isn’t coming in like gangbusters when you first start.

So maybe you just need to answer this question… What fee per package would make you happy? No, really. Answer it. If you choose a number and you don’t feel good about it, you won’t be able to sell that price to your client.

And while you mull that over you could also start thinking about what you want to offer to get that fee.

At the same time, answer these questions:

• What’s your yearly income goal?

• Divide your yearly income goal down by 12 to discover your monthly income goal.

• How many hours do you have available to work on client projects each month?

• Divide your monthly hours available to work on projects by 4 to discover how many hours per week you have to design.

• Divide your hours per week available to work by the hours it takes you to complete the design service here. How many design clients do you want to work with every month?

When you understand the numbers, you take the emotion out of the “money number” and realize this is about business, the job you need to do so you can continue to be in business and help other people. You’re not running a charity.

Because you need to create a portfolio to show on your website, you need to have something to show off. Maybe this means you offer your skills to a family member or friend in exchange for the opportunity to photograph the project and get a testimonial on your website.

You may want to sign up and design for one of those online interior design websites where you put in a lot of hours for a not a lot of money. It’s not a long term strategy, and it will not pay the bills, but you will get experience, and that’s pretty valuable in itself.

Whatever way you go, make sure to document how long every part of the project takes you. You will want to come back to this information later to see if you’re charging enough for the hours you’re putting in.

What does your interior design process look like? Your signature design process will keep you sane, keep you profitable and stop you from reinventing the wheel with every project. Nailing down what this looks like for your business will unique to you and the services you offer.

Once you figure this out, you will want to document it so you can keep yourself on track with every project and deliver the same stellar service every time.

Do you need an interior design contract? Yes. A contract is essential and one of the most important ways to protect yourself. A Letter of Agreement works, too. And consult a lawyer, because I’m not one. Obviously.

Your legal agreement with your client will protect both of you, and both parties will know what to expect during this process. Because when scope creep rears its ugly head for the first time, you will have wished you had a contract of some sort in place. Trust.

Listen up, my love. YOU are your brand. Every carefully chosen piece of your business puzzle is part of your brand. When you write the copy to put on your website or select the colors on your 'Thank You' cards, you are making choices that create your unique, specific flavor – the brand of you. A brand is a promise of an experience and that, more than anything else, is what most clients are buying from you.

Yes, they want a beautiful home, too. But the most significant factor in choosing who they want to work with is first based on YOU and how you present your personality to them online. Then they buy a solution, not a service.

Please, please, please be yourself when you start your interior design business.

Clients like to get a sense of who you are really on your website and through your social media platforms. Clients won't hire you if you project that you are better than them.

I can't begin to tell you how many clients said to me that they had worked with another designer and chose not to work with them again because of the "snob" vibe they got.

Just be you.

If you like something (even if you think it may be "uncool") share it with your audience on social media or your blog no matter if you think someone won't like it. You are going to attract what you project.

What's the difference between that identity-crisis brand and the sticky sweet brand that every business wants? A captivating brand has an identity, a message, and a budget for professional help. Not Courtney Love professional help, but that other kind of professional help.

So what does that mean for you?

If you don’t have an interior design brand identity to grab your dream clients attention, you’re gonna find it extremely hard to stake your place as the go-to designer.

Branding is where the visual parts of your business and the message part of your business merge to create the promise of an experience that your client will have with you.

• Brand = Promise of the experience of working with you.

• Identity = How you visually show up online.

• Logo = Simplest way to identify your company online.

• Website = Your online space to connect with dream clients.

Once you know where you fit into the categories, it becomes easier to figure out what pieces are missing from your brand.

Now, onto the straight dope. By dope, I don’t mean drugs. Drugs are bad.

Your brand is supposed to be a natural extension of you, so it is vitally important that you represent what that client experience of working with you will be with your online space.

When your online presence isn’t consistent all over, you don’t gain traction, and your brand is dust in the wind. Subject to whichever the way the wind blows.

Your interior design brand identity needs to start with YOU.

The days of being pushy are gone, and the days of being captivating are here to stay. Be the straight-talking designer who is the person your clients want to get to know better.

Your interior design website is one of the most valuable assets you will ever own. Your email list would be number two on that list, but your site will become an essential part of your interior design business foundation that you must invest in.

You should never be all in on any platform that you don't control. 

When the algorithms of social media platforms decide to do something else, your website should have your back. It is the one thing that you should tend to like a garden. Giving it love and tending to it all the time. Because when you help it grow, it will help your business grow.

Your website is your 24/7 salesperson that should be pulling in your perfect prospects so that your sales funnel can convert them into clients. And in a world where everything seems to turn upside down on a moment’s notice, investing your time and energy into your website will be the best thing you could ever do for your business.

I’d strongly recommend you start with Squarespace, but if you’re still weighing your options here’s the 411 on the process of choosing one or the other. Squarespace has a lot of the functionality built into it that you will need to add to a Wordpress website through the use of plugins (which you can think of as apps that you add to the website).

First things first, you will need a domain and hosting. If you are new to this entire online world, you should pick a hosting company, and they can hook you up with your domain name (URL) of choice.

For this website I use Squarespace and I love it more than a fat kid loves cake. I think that it is one of the easiest platforms to get started with. If you choose to go with Squarespace, the hosting is included with any package you buy with them.

If you’re interested in using the Wordpress platform (wordpress.org not the wordpress.com version which is hosted on their servers) then you’ll want to check out Bluehost. I use Bluehost for the Society website and community. I’ve been with them for years and after trying some other hosts, they are the only ones that I trust.

Hosting averages about $8-10 a month. Most companies expect you to pay them for the entire year, not monthly, to get the lower rate. So be prepared to spend 💸 the hundred or so bucks right away (and don’t forget the cost of the domain).

When you are looking to selecting a hosting company, make sure they support Wordpress sites (not the dot com version).

However I 🚨caution 🚨you NOT to register a domain at Wordpress.com – it is totally different and not very portable if you want to move your site at a later time (because you will find out that Wordpress.com doesn’t allow you to do everything that you want to do). Stay away!

Once you decide who will host your website, you need a domain. When you pick a domain name try finding some that you love.

Here are some tips to avoid when picking your domain name:

• Do a Google Search before you register your domain name

• Spellcheck your domain name (a few times just to make sure!)

• Choose a name that is not the same or too similar to another site out there. You’ll look like a copycat, and you could be sued

• Make sure it isn’t super long because people will misspell it.

• Get a ‘.com’ – it is still the best. If you can’t get that, only choose a ‘.net’ ‘.org’ or ‘.biz’ as an alternative but know that most people will still assume your domain ends in ‘.com’ and may never make it to your site if you choose the alternatives.

• Pick names that say what you do… like www.DreamBedroomDesigner.com, so people know what to expect when they come to your site. It’s also easy for them to tell their friends.

• Don’t use hyphens or numbers. They make it hard to tell people verbally where your site is located.

• When all else fails, use your name for the domain.

What if they don’t have the domain name you want? How about combining your name and design, like AlyciaWickerDesign.com? Or you could go the EastvaleDesignerAlycia.com where you are using your city in the domain. Just do some brainstorming. Get your thesaurus out and go to town. Set aside an hour to find a catchy good name.

One more word on domains.

You might become a domain whore buying all sorts of domains for your business, which is fine. Pick your main website and use a 301 redirect for all of your other domains to point back to your main website domain. It merely points anyone who comes upon one of those other domains straight over to your primary domain URL.

Why would you become a domain buying whore? Say you buy www.DreamBedroomDesigner.com. Then you also buy www.blackbedroomfurniture.com and www.dreambedroom.com and have them redirect (a 301 redirect) to your main site. These become other entries to your main website.

Or if you get a domain like www.allisonsmith.com you might also want to get www.theallisonsmith.com, www.alisonsmithdesigner.com. Have them all redirect to your main site. It is a strategy many people use.

Worst case, if you become the domain buying whore is you could later resell these domains to someone who wants them or someone named Allison 😉

The pages of your interior design website need to lead your prospects on a path to hiring you. I like to think of your prospects much like you would the guests in your home. You show them where the bathroom is, where to grab a glass of wine, where they’ll be sleeping, etc. You should be doing that on your website. At the end of every page, you should be directing your peep to the next page or asking them to do something (like sign up for your email list).

The basic pages you need for your interior design website are:

Home Page // About Page // Portfolio Page // Services Page // Blog // Contact

At some point you may choose to hire a copywriter to help you with the words on the pages but when you’re first getting started, you can have a stab at adding the words to your website.

🚦Please trust that when you launch your website that everyone on this planet is not holding their breath for this monumental event in your life. They have their own lives and shit going on. Launch your website as soon as possible so it can start “aging” and know that you can update, correct and change things on it. 😏

Ahhh, software. Everyone’s favorite topic… not. Here’s the thing, there’s not just one piece of software that will do everything you want. You’ll find that one piece of software is excellent at creating renderings and another is needed for mood boards while another is necessary for creating a shopping list.

If I could design my own software for us, it would be epic, but sadly I don’t know how to do that and those I have spoken to those who do know how and they tell me it is tough. So, on to what you may want to check out for yourself.

I share with you software that I have experience with, but that’s not to say there aren’t other solutions. There is software out there that I have no desire to learn (sorry!) to share the pros and cons of with you… like Sketchup. Not gonna happen here so you will need to do some research on your own.

Do you know what’s crazy? I figured by this time in history we’d have some piece of software that could do practically everything and we don’t have that 😢

What we do have for interior design software choices are a bunch of different things that you will have to use to deliver your designs to your happy clients.

Know that there are more options than I am sharing here with you and it’s up to you to find the right software for you. I don’t have the time (nor the inclination) to become an interior design software reviewing goddess. I share with you the ones that I have tried and didn’t pull my hair out over. If you don’t see something on the list, get a trial for yourself, and see how it goes for you and your process.

Studio by Minutes Matter

Cute software for drawing space plans and elevations. While you have to draw each part of your project separately (draw a floor plan, drawn an elevation of the west wall, draw an elevation of the east wall, etc.) the ways that you can make your drawings stand out is pretty damn cool to me.

Chief Architect Home Designer Architectural

Affordable software for 2D + 3D.The Home Designer Versions are more affordable and will work for most designer's needs. For a couple hundy it’s a pretty damn good piece of software for designing. Once you build your floor plan your walls are already built ready for you to go to 3D land. Sweet, right?

DesignFiles

2D and 3D design, online mood board, shopping list and project collaboration for interior designers. They are adding features all the time so you’ll definitely want to check them out.

If you’re still not sure where to start, read this.

I want you to think about whatever interior design software that you choose as an investment. This software will help you to get clients and translate your design vision to those same clients.

Before you choose any software, make sure that you understand what your design process is and what your deliverables are.

If you need to, run through a practice project with whichever software trials you are experimenting with.

Also, read the reviews. Not just on the manufacturer’s website but from anywhere you can find. Ask your design friends and even check out the people who wrote the reviews. Sometimes those who leave the reviews aren’t actually using the software; they happen to be good friends with the owner of that company.

Finally, know that even if Susie tells you that Sketchup is the ONLY one you should use, remember that Julie, Danny, and Darlene hate it. My point is that we each have our own strengths and capacities when it comes to software and if they love something and you don’t, don’t buy into it. I know that some people like to insinuate that there are certain “industry standards” when it comes to software but if it gets the job done and you want it, who cares if the rest of the world did or didn’t put their seal of approval on it?

Let's talk about building a portfolio. Your portfolio matters, and as I previously touched on, even if you haven’t had your first client, you’ll want to create something to share.

You can make up a client, call him Dylan McKay (RIP 🙏Luke Perry!) and do work for him. Does Dylan McKay need his office decorated? Do an office for him. Whatever your dream client Dylan McKay wants, then showcase it on your website so people can see what you can do.

Even when you start getting clients, you may find getting 📸photos of the space difficult. Especially with virtual interior design. But, have no fear, you can always share your design work because clients are looking for your creativity and if you’ve got better taste than they do 😉

What does the future of the interior design profession look like?

Without being a 21st century 🔮Nostradamus, no one can be for sure. Many will vacillate and wring their hands over what they think the future of this industry will look like when it comes to AR/VR and everything else. We’re already seeing the AR/VR happen when it comes to the big boys like Amazon starting to implement the technology where you can see what a piece of furniture in the home looks like.

Beyond the privacy concerns that I have that could come with using AR/VR (as Facebook gets into the game) on an even bigger scale than it currently is, I’m going to take a wild stab at it the future here. I will assume that if designers want to use that kind of software for projects, they will have to also get into bed with the dirty birds of the industry to do so. And along with it also spec their products.

Does this mean that the entire interior design profession is on its last legs? No. I think creativity and experience will be what consumers are looking for when it comes to working with a design pro in the future. Beyond that, I’m team holistic interior design over here and think that’s really where the brightest future is at.

Learn All About Growing Your Interior Design Business

Are you ready to dive in and skip the endless hours of googling? I’m here to help you cut out all of the confusion when it comes to starting and growing your online interior design business with tons of on-demand courses, checklists and other valuable resources inside the Society.