The Best Interior Designers are "Type C"
I have a personal question for you…
Are you a type A personality?
Nope, me neither.
In fact the best interior designers don’t fit into any of the typical “inside the box” personality groups, because those of us with a passion for interior design are in our own unique class.
I like to call it “Type C”.
C for Creative!
We don’t feel truly content unless we’re flexing our creative muscles. Even setting up my office involved picking out just the right colorful file folders and push-pins for the cork board.
We have a knack for seeing the good in most situations. That’s because the entire interior design career is based on looking at a space and imagining the possibilities.
We’re good listeners and empathetic. Let’s face it, most design projects are ⅓ design, ⅓ sales, and ⅓ marriage counselor. The better you are at putting yourself in your clients shoes, the happier that client will be in the end.
We’re emotionally affected by beauty and color. A beautiful sunset over the ocean, a luscious green tree rustling in the wind, or a gorgeous piece of upholstery fabric will literally bring tears to my eyes.
The worst thing you could ever do to a Type C person is to try and put them into a “box”! I’m not into conformity, I don’t like to do the same thing everyday, I love to dream and invent, and above all, I want to have control of my life!
If this sounds like you my friend, then you’re going to make a GREAT Interior Designer!
It doesn’t mean that we can’t be organized, or run a profitable business. It does mean however that we have to know our strengths, and be honest about our weaknesses, in order to design our best interior design business.
Here are some tips for creating an amazing business as a Type C person:
Take the time to make your office, (or desk in the corner of the living room) beautiful, organized, and functional. Put your best space planning skills to work and design your work space.
Keep moving forward towards completing your goals. At first that’s going to be to set up your design business basics, decide how your going charge for your amazing talent, then find your first design client...etc. Just keep moving forward! Don’t spend a month creating the perfect office and forget about the “making money” part of designing.
Have a system for working with your design clients. If you have a set timeline, a process, and checklists for working with your new clients then you’ll free up the rest of your time for creating.
Every day as an interior designer will bring you new challenges, so have your business bases covered first, and then just go with the flow. Be ready to deal with returning damaged furniture one day, and creating a magical installation day for your client the next.
If you hate doing paperwork, (or any other task that makes your stomach hurt when you think about it) then get help! Use a bookkeeping system for designers like My Doma Studio, or Quickbooks for Self Employed. There are even bookkeepers who specialize in working with interior designers. You just need to do a little research.
Don’t be so hard on yourself. Running your own business is a challenge for ANYONE! Take a deep breath and remember, there’s no such thing as a furniture emergency.
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