Interior Decorating Business?

Natalya Sydney: You cannot hold yourself out as an interior designer unless you are certified by the ASID. I would recommend starting a "House Staging" business. This uses many of the skills of interior decorators but does not involve electrical, plumbing, or mechanical modifications. You can start by staging homes for sale. Work with realtors or directly with homeowners. Once you get a bit of a reputation, advertise that you will "stage" homes for active living, entertaining, relaxing, etc. That way you get to use your talent without the long schooling that is required to be an interior designer. By the way, there are courses for home stagers that last weeks rather than months. Good Luck!...Show more

Mitsuko Manne: patience and persistance. Study all the products that you are planning to work with, Know your space and who you are working for. Patience is the key to any successful task.Good luck and keep in touchJanie P

Joni Ziak: Are you a qualified interior ! decorator? Have you taken the course, gotten the diploma and all that? If not, you'll have a difficult time. If so, email me and I'll give you some help.

Damaris Weiler: For aspiring decorators just beginning to dip their toes into the industry my recommendation is to start by working for a successful designer and begin to build the experience required to exceed your clients expectations. In addition to the educational experience and industry contacts you'll make there are many disciplines within the design industry (decorating, staging, lighting, corporate, hospitality, etc.) and through experience you'd be able to narrow down your interests, identify your passions and better focus your educational pursuits.If your beyond that and now seeking to launch, market and grow your own business there are tremendous resources available from SCORE (Service Corp of Retired Executives) at www.score.org.Success in the design/decorating industry can come from a focus on building ! your own personal brand. Whether that's using online marketin! g, with a PR rep or even in your local community through volunteerism and relationship building.One more option (shameless plug alert!) decorators, designers and resellers can partner with established firms, like Homemade Design, a national online interior design firm serving clients in all 50 states. Involvement with firms like HMD provides free exposure to potential clients, industry experience and really effective free business building tools. For more information on Homemade Design visit www.HMDhome.com and click on the Partner link at the top of the page....Show more

Benny Stehno: definitely create a stylish website and include photos of your previous work, as possible clients would then be able to see your work, and feel more comfortable knowing that your exactly what they need and that you are worth their every cent. word of mouth is the very best way to get clients so make sure that for your first few jobs, your clients are left happy and satisfied. always t! ake time to explain your iideasand reasons behind them. show plenty of samples and perhaps create a small sample/mood/inspiration board to show them exactly what you hope to achieve in their interior.good luck :)...Show more