The Reality of Starting an Interior Design Firm

Starting my interior design firm about nine years ago was a pretty big leap of faith.

For context, I didn’t have a high school diploma. I didn’t have a college degree. And the only real experience I had was about six months of loosely project managing for a healthcare company that worked with designers. That was it.

Looking back now, after building a national commercial design firm from scratch, I can tell you this: the reality of starting an interior design firm is very different from what most people imagine.

From the outside, people picture the creative side: designing spaces, choosing materials, and bringing ideas to life, but what most people don’t see are the systems, relationships, and learning curves behind the scenes that actually make the business work.

The Systems You Don’t Realize You Need

One of the first things I learned the hard way was how important it is to have structure behind your projects.

Early on, I was keeping track of specifications and project details in whatever way seemed easiest at the moment. As projects became larger and more complex, that approach stopped working pretty quickly.

Eventually, I began creating my own templates. Documents that list every detail that needs to be specified for different types of projects. Materials, finishes, dimensions, installation notes, vendor information. Once those systems were in place, the entire process became smoother and far more efficient.

If I were starting again today, creating those templates would honestly be one of the first things I would focus on.

You Don’t Have to Do Everything Yourself

Another lesson I learned over time is how much easier it becomes when you build the right support around your business.

When I first started my firm, I spent a lot of money trying to hire people locally who weren’t always the right fit for what I needed. At the time, I didn't realize how many tasks virtual assistants could handle: research, administrative work, customer service, and even certain project management tasks.

Looking back, I could have saved a lot of money and stress by outsourcing some of those responsibilities much earlier.

Honesty Builds Stronger Relationships

When you start a design business without traditional credentials, it’s very easy to feel like a fraud. I definitely had moments where I felt that way in the beginning.

But one of the biggest mindset shifts I had was realizing that clients and vendors care far more about honesty than about whether you know everything right away.

If someone asked me a question I didn’t know the answer to, I would simply say, “That’s a great question. Let me look into that and get back to you.” Then I would research it or ask someone in the industry with more experience.

That approach built far more trust than pretending to have every answer.

Some of the strongest relationships I built early on actually came from those moments. For example, I worked with the same flooring and tile expert for nearly nine years. When I first started working with him, I didn’t even know how to calculate the square footage of tile needed for a bathroom. I told him that.

Instead of brushing me off, he walked me through the process step by step. He helped me learn how to calculate quantities and understand what I needed to order. At that point, I was bringing him almost no business, but he still took the time to help.

As my firm grew, that relationship grew with it.

Self-Education Changes Everything

The last thing I wish I had understood earlier is how powerful self-education can be.

When I first started designing projects, I knew the end result I wanted to achieve, but I didn’t always fully understand the entire process required to get there. I was essentially figuring it out step by step as I went along.

That approach eventually worked, but it slowed me down and affected my confidence early on.

When you understand the overall scope of a design project, the technical steps, the project management side, and the language used with contractors and vendors, everything becomes easier. You walk into consultations with more confidence, and conversations with contractors and subs become far less intimidating.

That’s actually one of the reasons I created the Degree-less Design Crash Course. It gives designers the overview of the entire process that I wish I had understood much earlier in my own journey.

Starting a design firm, or any business, will always involve a learning curve, but the things that helped me the most had nothing to do with credentials. They were curiosity, honesty, strong relationships, and the willingness to keep learning as I went!

XOXO

Shira