| Interior decorating has grown 11% in the last five years | | | | for your cost of the products plus the twenty percent |
| and will continue to grow as more people are working | | | | going rate. |
| outside the home and acquiring more money. If you | | | | Now that you have decided what services you will |
| are constantly being asked for your interior design | | | | provide and the cost for each, it is time to advertise. |
| ideas, this could be an incredible opportunity for you. All | | | | Since you have contacted suppliers, ask them if you |
| you need to do is make a few decisions and love to | | | | can leave interior decorating flyers and business cards |
| create beautiful home interiors. | | | | at their locations. If these suppliers have seen your |
| The first thing to decide is if you want to be an interior | | | | work, and make sure they do, they may also refer |
| designer or just do interior decorating. It may not seem | | | | their customers to you. |
| like a big difference, but it actually is. An Interior | | | | You should also contact realtors, new homebuilders, |
| Designer has to graduate from an accredited Interior | | | | business offices, stores, hotels and just about |
| Design program, and in many States, the person must | | | | anywhere that uses an interior that needs to be |
| take an exam and are licensed. However, if you don't | | | | decorated. Send each a letter announcing the opening |
| want to attend school right now or ever, you can opt | | | | of your business, make sure there is a name on the |
| to be an interior decorator instead. | | | | letter and envelope, and not a generic "Business |
| Before selling your interior decorating services, you | | | | Owner" opening. Follow up with a phone call and try to |
| must practice. Learn some of the tricks to decorating | | | | get an appointment to present them with information |
| on a budget, and get ideas about what services you | | | | about you and your interior decorating business. Even |
| want to provide to your customers. Try these | | | | if they are not interested right now, they will be in the |
| services out in your own home, and offer them for | | | | future, and you want to make sure they remember |
| free in the homes of your family and friends. It is great | | | | you. |
| practice and can help to build your portfolio. | | | | You can also offer services in the way of teaching a |
| To build your portfolio take before and after pictures | | | | class on home interior decorating. Many community |
| of each project you do, whether it is large or small. | | | | colleges offer personal enrichment classes for |
| You should have fifteen to twenty pictures in your | | | | everyone in the community. In the class have each |
| portfolio and letters of recommendation from happy | | | | person pick a room in their home they want to |
| clients. It is also a good practice to create design | | | | redecorate. By the end of the class, their room should |
| boards for each project, and keep them with your | | | | be complete and you will have more happy customers |
| portfolio. | | | | to spread the word about you and your business. |
| Once you have decided on opening an interior | | | | Once you have started your business, you should |
| decorating business, you should call around to different | | | | subscribe to trade periodicals, and visit websites to get |
| competitors to get an idea of the services they | | | | interior decorating tips and ideas from others in the |
| provide and the fees they charge for their services. | | | | industry. You should purchase books about different |
| This is a great way to decide on how to charge your | | | | areas of decorating and techniques you can use. |
| clients. | | | | Many of the industry associations will only accept |
| There are several ways to price your interior | | | | members that are licensed Interior Designers. Keep this |
| decorating services. They include using a flat fee, | | | | in mind when you are planning your future goals, but |
| hourly fee, percentage fee, cost plus, retail cost or per | | | | remember there are also many successful interior |
| square foot fee. Most interior decorating businesses | | | | designers who are not licensed. |
| use the cost plus method for their fees. | | | | With your thoughts now racing about interior |
| To use the cost plus method, you must contact | | | | decorating, costs, marketing and keeping up with |
| wholesalers and retailers who offer interior decorating | | | | trends, you seem to have made your decision. Start |
| businesses discounts. This way you purchase | | | | calling competitors, and decorating friends and family's |
| everything for the project from paint to furniture. You | | | | homes. Open your own interior designing business now. |
| then, sell the products and your services to the client | | | | |