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"Interior Decorator Business": A Guide To Help You Get Started

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The interior design industry is in such a great condition, and maybe the most popular ones nowadays. Whether its home design or more commercial ones like restaurants, hotels, apartments, and many other venues, there's a huge market for the industry, and with that, a huge opportunity for you to delve in.

One of the opportunity is to be an interior designer, one thing, though, to call yourself as such, almost half of the states in the U.S. will require you to get a certification from National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ), which only can be applied after six years of experience in the field and a degree from accredited university or college.

But that kind of constraint shouldn't stop you, you can call yourself a 'decorator' or another title you want while doing all the business of an interior designer, and you will still fulfill your legal duty. Many top class decorators are without college degrees or certifications, and can still attract a large customer base. In a design related field, your portfolio will matter more than certification in the long run.

If you think you have the knack and the taste for interior design, this might be the right business for you. And here are some pointers to help you get started.

1. Startup Investment
The investment, monetary wise, is very low for this business, expenses that may be included are a computer, a vehicle for your transportation, business cards, interior design and 3D software, and working capital. Assuming you already got a computer and a vehicle, you can start with as low as $2,000.

2. Build Your Portfolio
Nowadays, you don't need to actually build a house or a restaurant to have a portfolio. To show off your design direction and your overall taste, you can create your portfolio by using a 3D software. A 3D software might have some technical barrier, though, so if necessary, you can find a 3D artist to do the job while you gave the directions. If you find someone capable and suitable to work with, you might need to consider partnering up with the 3D artist in the long run.

3. Perfect The Art of Estimation
One of the biggest considerations for your client will be your pricing. If you are too expensive, you won't get any clients. However, if you're too cheap, people will think that you're indeed cheap, and also avoid your business, besides, you won't generate enough profit that way.

That is why estimation is very important when pitching clients. You should consider carefully about the cost of the items needed, the installation fees, the size of the house/venue, the deadline, and many other factors. This will come by experience, the more projects you do, the better you will be at estimating. However, estimating right at the beginning of your business will also make or break you.

4. Build Your Network Of Vendors
The easiest way to do this, and also to kickstart your business is to partner up with an established builder/contractor, and offer them your design services while they do the building, however, with many competitors and you being a beginner, this might be hard to do.

If you plan on going solo, you'll need to do enough research about the vendors you'll need. Find the right balance of cost and quality, which ones will allow you enough markups (preferably 15% and above) while still being attractive, pricing and quality wise, for enough business.

The more diversity you have, the more options you can show your clients. However, it's also good to have some kind of niche to focus to. Like the old saying: niche first, the world later.

Earning Potential

According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for a (certified) interior designer is $48,840 per year or $23.48 per hour (!), with the top designers, can make hundreds of thousands annually.

There are many ways to charge your clients being an interior designer. You can charge the hourly fee like the median above, but the rate of a new designer can vary from $20 to $125 an hour, remember, it's sometimes good to charge more if you're confident with your quality, since it will create a better perception of value.

You can also charge a flat fee, by multiplying the hourly fee to your estimation of the length of the project. However without enough experience, you can miss estimate and hurt your earning.

If you are also in charge of buying the products from your vendors or subcontractors, you can charge by 'cost-plus' method, opening your item costs to the clients and adding a certain percentage of your profit. Commonly, the markup is around 20% for beginners, however, it can be as high as 50-100% markup.

The last way is to negotiate a wholesale price from your vendors, and charging the retail price to the clients. This way, you can make profits from the difference.