What is an Interior Design Business Coach & Why You Need One

You love design, that part’s easy. You can walk into a room and instantly see the possibilities. But when it comes to running the business side of things? That’s where it gets tricky. Suddenly, you’re not just designing… you’re trying to figure out how much to charge, trying to get new clients, and a hundred other tasks you never signed up for. 

I’m going to be honest with you: being a great designer doesn’t automatically mean you’ll have a successful business. You also need to be aware of the business side of things. That’s where coaching for interior designers comes in. An interior design coach helps you learn how to master running your interior design business so you can make your passion for interior design profitable. 

You don’t have to keep spinning your wheels or trying to figure it all out on your own. Interior design coaching gives you the clarity, tools, and support to run a business that feels good and is profitable. Book a complimentary discovery call to see if interior design business coaching is right for you. 

What is an Interior Design Business Coach? 

First, let’s clear something up: coaching and consulting aren’t the same thing. 

• Coaching is about asking the right questions, helping you see your blind spots, and guiding you to find your own answers about how you want to run your business.
• Consulting is about getting advice. An interior design business consultant gives you strategies, tools, and recommendations based on their experience. 

The truth is, most designers need both. That’s why when you work with me, you get the best of both worlds. I coach you to achieve the clarity and mindset shifts you need, and I consult on the business of interior design so you have the strategy to create a successful business.

You could hire a general business coach, but they won’t understand the complexities and nuances of interior design and business. An interior design business coach who has been where you are, has led her own firm for over two decades, and who knows the unique challenges you face every day as a designer will be able to give you solutions that will actually work. 

Topics an Interior Design Business Coach Helps With

Business coaches for interior designers all do things differently. If you’re curious about interior design coaching but not sure what it actually covers, here’s a look at the things I work on with my clients:

• Business Foundations: Get clear on your goals, figure out your ideal target market, and package your services in a way that makes it easy for your future clients to say “yes” to working with you. 
• Rates & Fees: Learn how to calculate your fees, raise your rates without losing clients, and incorporate a pricing strategy that makes you finally feel confident charging what you’re worth. 
• Marketing & Sales: Attract clients with simple marketing strategies that help you capture interior design clients. From Instagram tips, referral strategies, and creating content that sells, you’ll learn how to sell without feeling salesy. 
• Systems & Scaling: Simply your business, get your time back, and learn how to scale through hiring, outsourcing, delegation, and passive income revenue streams. 
• Mindset & Leadership: Overcome impostor syndrome and self-sabotage to become more confident in yourself and your business. The more confident you are, the more successful you will be. 

These are the core pillars every successful interior design business is built on. If you want a profitable and sustainable business, hiring an interior design coach will help you make sure you have each of these foundations in place. 

When to Hire a Business Coach for Interior Designers

So, how do you know if it’s time to hire a business coach for interior designers? Here are some of the most common signs it’s time to hire an interior design business coach:

• Your income has hit a wall, and you’re tired of spinning your wheels
• You’re booked solid but somehow your business still isn’t as profitable as you’d like
• You’re either drowning in projects or wondering where the heck the clients went
• The “business stuff” feels stressful, confusing, and honestly not what you signed up for
• You’re overworked, burning out, and wondering if you’re even enjoying this anymore
• Marketing and pricing make your head spin, so you just avoid them
• You want higher-end projects, but don’t know how to break into the next level of the market
• You know you want to grow your business, but you have no idea what that looks like or how to get there

If you’re reading this and thinking, “absolutely, that’s me,” consider this your sign to book a complimentary discovery call to see if coaching really is what you need right now. 

What to Look For in an Interior Design Business Coach

Not all coaches are the same, and not all are effective. Some will offer one-size-fits-all solutions when every design practice is as unique as the principal designer. Others offer generic advice that won’t help you move forward. You deserve better.

Here is what you need to look out for to find the best design business coach for you: 

1. Industry Knowledge & Experience: Don’t waste your time with someone who doesn’t understand design. You need a coach who doesn’t just get the business side, but can offer business knowledge about how the design industry works and how to succeed. 
2. Proven Results: Ask for proof of their work. If they can’t show you testimonials or success stories from other designers, that’s a huge red flag, and you should think twice
3. Coaching Style & Fit: This one’s huge. You can find a business coach for creative professionals who has incredible testimonials, but if their coaching style doesn’t match you, it won’t help. That’s why a discovery consultation is a non-negotiable. As soon as you get on the call, you’ll know if it’s a good fit. 

What to Expect in Interior Design Business Coaching

Every interior design business coaching program is different. Some are super general, some are mostly mindset, and some are all strategy. My Design Business Freedom™ Program is designed to give you both the mindset shifts and the business strategies you need to make your dream design business a reality.

Here’s how interior design business coaching with me works:

1. Create Your Design Business Assessment: What’s the first thing we do? Pull back the curtain on your business. We’ll dive into what’s working, what’s not, and figure out what the gaps are. Then we create an interior design business plan so you know exactly what to do next. 

2. Identify Your Strategic Solutions: This is where I get into the weeds with you. We’re talking client attraction, pricing that actually pays you, tightening up your processes, and even building out your winning team so your business can have less chaos and more profit.

3. Get Proven Processes: You started this business for your love of design, so stop spending hours spinning your wheels and trying to figure it all out from scratch. You’ll get my proven scripts, templates, and tools that have been proven to work.

4. Have Consistent Support & Accountability: No more “I’ll do this later” and then never getting around to it. You get weekly expert accountability so you stay on track, make progress, and achieve your goals.

5. Access Vetted Resources: Say goodbye to endless Google rabbit holes trying to find reliable vendors. I’ll teach you how to build your own trusted network of contractors, vendors, and service providers so you don’t end up with the overpromise, underdeliver crowd.

When we work together, you don’t get generic business coaching. You get business coaching built specifically for when you want more freedom and profit in your business without the sacrifice you’ve been making. If that sounds like you, let’s talk. You can book a complimentary discovery call to learn more about the program and see if it is a fit. 

How Interior Design Business Coaching Can Explode Your Income

I can tell you how powerful coaching is all day long, but the proof is in the results. And you know I’ve got them with past clients! So with that, let me introduce you to one of my clients, Missi. 

When Missi came to me, she was charging way less than her work was worth. Even her clients were telling her she should charge more! She was constantly second-guessing herself (something I see happen all the time in business coaching for interior designers, by the way). With the right support, she completely shifted how she saw herself and her offers: 

“I went from severely undervaluing myself to charging premium prices and crossing $1M in revenue in less than 12 months” – Missi Youngblood.

Of course, the money was amazing, but that wasn’t the only win. For Missi, the real game changer was the support: 

“Melissa is my business partner, as far as I’m concerned. She is there, shoulder to shoulder with me. I know she has my best interest at heart, and I never had anyone who was my coach and my cheerleader at the same time. It’s invaluable. Best decision that I ever made” 

Missi’s story is a fantastic example of what business coaching for interior design professionals can do for your business. And in the year following our coaching, Missi continued her growth, tripling her revenue, her profit, adding a second location in another state, and a second team. That’s the result of the right coaching and a big vision.

The results are amazing, but honestly, they don’t surprise me anymore. That’s what happens when you have a business coach for interior design in your corner who understands both the business and design aspects. Wins like this become inevitable. 

Work with Melissa To Grow Your Interior Design Business

You already have the design talent. Now it’s time to build the business that gives you the dream clients, income, and time to live your extraordinary life. When you work with me, you get an interior designer business coach who knows the ins and outs of the interior design business and is in your corner every step of the way. 

Book Your Complimentary Design Business Assessment to learn more about coaching for interior designers and to see if it’s a good fit for you.