The Biggest Lesson in Running Your (My) Interior Design Business

I feel like I want to make this post red. The story I'm about to tell you JUST happened, and while it's not my first rodeo with a situation like this, it still shakes me up. I'm sharing it here with you because your journeys in design (or really any career path) will likely encounter this at some stage, and I want you to be prepared. I was prepared and STILL broke my own rules.

The Unexpected Situation

As you know, if you've been following social media or the blog, I haven't been actively designing in a couple of years. I was blessed with the success of having built a national commercial interior design firm, started ten years ago, and set it aside about two years ago to work on my software, which launches in a few weeks! The only design in my life, for the most part these past couple of years, is what I come online to teach all of you.

A couple of months ago, a minor potential investor in my software asked me to help him with a healthcare business he was involved in. Things hadn't worked out with the original designer, who had no healthcare experience. I will do another post on why this shouldn't have mattered for her. If she'd taken my Crash Course and followed Degree-less Design, she should have known why her designs made ZERO sense for the property and business. So make sure you're subscribed to the emails to get a heads-up when that blog drops.

The Proposal

I agreed to help him, knowing their budget was much lower than what I would normally charge. They sent me all of the existing documents and drawings, and I started to draft a rough scope of work and estimate for my services. I knew the budget range and showed him that normally, I'd be charging double. However, I was interested in him as an investor for the software, and the cash would be helpful in our bootstrap stage of the new software startup. Frankly, I kind of miss designing, and this property fits SO many of my happy zones of design. It would have been a fulfilling project to be a part of.

Red Flags

Red Flag 1

He kept telling me he was giving me this job to help me. This individual is HUGELY ego-driven, so I let it go repeatedly. He did not actually know where we were with funding or the business or my personal finances, so it was a bit of a silly statement, but it fit his "type."

He needed to go to his partners to get my (heavily discounted) fee approved, as they were the main cash investors of this healthcare project. They apparently wanted me onsite first and would approve the fee after.

Broken Rule

Back when I was "open" for business with Charles Interior LLC, I would NEVER do a site visit, let alone a travel-related, mostly full-day one, without charging for it. This consultation would have cost close to $2k. Sometimes I'd agree to deduct it from the final project cost, but it would need to be paid in advance of my site visit. I waved that here as a favor, breaking one of my biggest rules.

The reason I have always been strict on this is simple: it weeds out non-serious potential customers and those who will likely be stingier with the budget or troublesome paying. This works for commercial large-budget projects, but I don't necessarily preach this for all design business niches. I don't not preach it, but I want to call out that there are other variables.

The Site Visit

I went and fell more in love with the project. Gosh, was that building/business neglected! A new, correct design would do so much for patient care and staff appreciation. I completed photo documentation and realized the project was bigger than what he had initially said. So when I formalized the scope of work and proposal, I updated it to reflect what I normally would charge, knowing that I would take the job closer to their budget anyway. I wanted them to understand what the scope of work actually was. It was about another $15k more than what I'd thought.

I sent it over to him, and he said he would try to raise their budget to get a bit closer to what I would normally charge. During all of this back and forth, I put together the Winter "Internship" so that you guys could have a real experience designing behind the scenes with me! The ultimate education I could give you. He tells me he's going to discuss with the main partners and get back to me. A couple of days later, he calls me.

Red Flag 2

He says, "I'm going to get you $X, but you're going to need to do something for me."

What? I knew he knew me well enough to know I don't tolerate 'funny business' from men, so what in heavens could he mean? He says, you'll get your $X, but you'll have the contract say $Y and write me a check for $10k.

Red Flag 3

This man wanted to use me to cheat his PARTNERS out of $10k. This man who flies his family around in private jets.

I push back in disbelief. "Is this even legal?" He says, "You know I'd never steer you wrong." No, in fact, that is not something I know. He doesn't speak in full sentences, says a lot of nothing, clarifying nothing, but continues to talk. He then tells me it's not for him; it's for the other guy I know who works with him running the business. As if that makes a difference. He brushes the whole thing off as a "don't worry" kind of thing, and I hang up.

The Aftermath

The next 24 hours, I'm distraught. I had reasons for taking this job. I was setting up the internship workshop for you guys and was so excited about the teaching opportunity it would bring for me to help with your journeys. But this was not how I was raised, and this is not who I am. Is it normal in business? Was I making a big deal out of something standard? Should I consult with my lawyer? Ask Chat GPT? No. I knew how I felt, and this did not align.

This is NOT the kind of energy I want to see in life, let alone be a part of putting out. No matter what his reasons were, he was using me and my contract as a tool for dishonesty with his partners, and I wanted NO part in that. I texted him then and there and said, "Legal or not, it's dishonest, and I am not comfortable with it."

He said, "Okay, maybe we can work something out with the contractor paying you." (Aka - the contractor would lie about the cost and wrap in that $10k for him.) I said as long as my contract says $X and I get paid $X, what you or your contractor do is not my business. Yet, I made a mental note that I was no longer sure I wanted this man as an investor in my company on any level.

The next day, he texts me that he wasn't happy about my "Legal or not, it's dishonest, and I am not comfortable with it" text and that his other guy was going to call me. Suffice it to say, the project fell through around here. I did have the call with the other guy but doubled down that I wouldn't do it under those circumstances. "For the sake of keeping the peace," he said it's best we don't move forward. I couldn't agree more.

PS He claimed I misunderstood him, and the money was for the bank, etc., which makes zero sense as there's never a good or legal or straight reason to need to fake a number on a contract and give the difference to anyone.

Lessons Learned

Normally, I would not share a story like this in such detail and not so close to when it happened. I don't like to stir the pot, which is why you won't see me making a video on it. Something that could potentially get back to them. The chances of them reading this blog are slim to say the least. But I share it for YOU because I'm here to pull the veil on all things interior design and starting your own interior design business.

Please use my story as a reminder: your policies are there to protect you. They are more important than ANYTHING you do in your interior design career. Think about all scenarios you can—learn from mine here and others I share in the Crash Course and set them in stone. DO NOT waver from them. Not for friends or people you want business from. The ONLY time I would green-light wavering is with a great repeat client. One that always respects you, pays on time, etc. Even then, I don't recommend it, as blurring those lines can lead to problems.

Most of all, remember that your business and success will come, and you do not need shady deals or compromising situations to attain it. Be untouchable in that way. The universe will see that and match your energy.

Future Plans

I am sad that I can't give you that behind-the-scenes internship at this time. However, I actually plan to use this "project" as a case study in a non-live workshop soon. The silver lining is that it inspired me to create a second course. The Crash Course takes you through the basics, technical and business education, and steps. But this next course will mimic a real design project and be your next step in readying yourself for your design career.

It will be a step-by-step, play-by-play of every step I would take in a healthcare design project, including templates. The tools and processes you need to complete each step, like purchasing, project management, budgeting, etc. It's going to take me some time to put this together, especially with my software launch imminent and my focus needing to be there and on sales for it.

BUT knowing that you want this course will help propel me to do it faster! I may put it up and release a new lesson a week. This course will likely be closer to $599, given the tools included. So, if you think this is something you want and are ready for, email me at *hello@degreelessdesign.com saying "COURSE #2 Please!!" And I will send you a 50% code to preorder it!* Once I put the course up, that won't be available anymore. I'm also going to limit that to the first 26 of you (because it's going to be 2026...I'm sentimental like that). If you have not done the Crash Course and do not have the design education background, you really need to do that first, or Course #2 will be too advanced for you.

XO

Shira