From Fired To Multiple 6-Figure CEO: My Story As An Interior Design Business Owner
On this platform, I typically share interior design business tips and advice. I love doing this because I’ve built my own 6-figure interior design business from scratch with no formal degree, and now I get to teach hundreds of other women how to do the same thing. But when people ask how I got started, I don’t always give the full story.
So today, I want to dive deeper into my personal journey of how I got started as an entrepreneur. I’m sharing all about my college experience, my first interior design job, getting fired, and having to start my business from nothing.
My hope is that if you can relate to something along my journey, you can see what’s possible at the end. If you’re currently in school getting your interior design degree, or you’ve been working at the same company for 30 years, or anything in between - I hope that my story sheds light on what’s possible if you want to build your dream life as an interior design business owner.
My College Experience
After high school, I went to the Art Institute in Indianapolis, IN with the intention of getting my interior design degree. About halfway through my program, my school unexpectedly shut down! It was shocking and left me feeling totally unsure about my future. Basically, I had two options if I wanted to finish college to get my interior design degree - I could move across the country to another art institute, or I could enroll in any other college, but none of my credits would have transferred.
So I was left to decide if I wanted to move multiple states away or if I was alright with losing two years of schooling just to attend a closer college. Neither of these options were okay with me. Plus, I had a local interior design internship that I was loving and I was getting a ton of experience at. So ultimately, I decided just to work and get hands-on experience instead of getting my formal degree.
My First Interior Design Job
I worked at the same company for almost three years - starting as an intern and evolving into a design assistant. As I grew and learned more, I was given more responsibilities. I was given more projects to handle on my own and I was pretty much completing the same amount of work as my superiors.
However, as time went on, I was actually more and more unhappy. Even though I was getting more freedom and being trusted to take on more advanced work, I realized that I wasn’t actually free to make my own choices.
I was forced to attend a lot of in person networking events (which I hated because I’m a true introvert), and my personal design style didn’t align with a lot of the projects I was given. I was also feeling really burnt out with the other busy work that came with working at a typical office job. Plus, I was barely earning any money (I had literally no idea how much money I could make on my own at the time).
I was actually planning on quitting my job to pursue something else, but I was taking a while to muster up the courage to do it. Around that time, my boss actually fired me unexpectedly. It was all a big mess - lots of unprofessional behavior and lack of communication on their end.
The point is, I was out of a job and left with nothing.
The Turning Point To Launching An Interior Design Business
To be honest, I could have just given up on interior design. I felt like the universe was against me with all that had happened recently. But instead of letting this get me down, I reflected on what I actually wanted to do with my life…
Did I want to design beautiful homes for people who actually appreciate the art of interior design? Yes.
Did I want to work my life away just to make chump change and benefit someone else in the long run? Absolutely not.
So I knew I was at a crossroad at that moment, and I had to make a decision. What could I do that would allow me to fulfill my passion for designing homes but also give me the freedom to work on my own terms and choose which projects to accept?
I quickly realized that the answer was starting my own interior design business.
What It Was Like To Start A Business With No Degree
Frankly, I was terrified at first. I had no formal degree, just a couple years of experience designing, and literally no knowledge of how to create my own business.
Luckily, I had my husband (boyfriend at the time) there to support me. He had owned multiple businesses at that point, so he could guide me with starting my business - things like setting up my legal entity, taxes, bookkeeping, and marketing. He truly helped me see the possibilities of owning my own business.
Even though I was full of nerves and uncertainty in the beginning, my husband built my confidence with each new step my business took. My business officially launched in January of 2020. I started getting clients slowly and building up my portfolio to get higher quality projects.
Key takeaway here: Relying on someone who has done it before is an absolute gamechanger. Someone to give advice on all the things you don’t know and provide encouragement when things get tough. If you’re in need of this for your own business, check out the ways I can support you here.
What I’ve Learned From All Of This
As I think back to my old job, I can’t help but laugh when I remember how little control I had. I was barely making any money and I was just doing whatever tasks my boss told me to do.
Sure, I was gaining more responsibility as I worked my way up (at one point, my boss even took my advice on using 3D Renderings during the design process, and the company began doing this for all projects moving forward), but that little taste of freedom was absolutely nothing compared to what I have now as an entrepreneur.
Now, I get to choose exactly when I work, which clients I work with, how I complete my design process, and how much money I make.
Was the beginning a little scary and overwhelming? Of course. But once I got those first few projects completed on my own, I realized that I was putting together new systems and processes that were making me even better than before. My confidence quickly grew, and I knew I had to share this experience with other women looking to start an interior design business.
How I Can Support You On Your Interior Design Business Journey
So over the past few years, I’ve made it my goal to demystify the whole process of starting an interior design business. I created my signature mentorship program The Profitable Designer Blueprint to provide everything you could possibly need to start and scale your own business. Seriously, nothing is left unanswered.
And for those who need a little less support (but still priority coaching directly from me), I created my group for interior designers, Design Business Secrets+ where I provide tons of courses, templates, and other resources that you can use in your own business.
So if you’re at all curious about ditching your current job and building your dream life as an interior designer, come check out the group! See what’s possible when you bet on yourself like I did.