Interior Design Business Mindset: How To Deal With The Pressure Of “Hustle Culture”
As a new or aspiring business owner, it’s absolutely essential that you start with the correct mindset. Not only do you need to be confident in your own skills as an interior designer (read this post to learn more about gaining confidence as a beginner and landing your first client without needing an interior design degree), but you also need to be prepared to deal with the challenges of starting and running your own business.
In order to be successful, society tells us that we need to “go-go-go” and never let off the gas pedal. But, I disagree. I believe in working smarter, not harder, in strategic areas of your business. And keep in mind, I’ve grown my own interior design business to multiple 6-figures without overworking myself.
Let me give you a little insight into my own interior design business mindset and how I stay motivated rather than burnt out.
Interior Design Business Mindset
I’ve got a few interior design business mindset tips to share with you today, particularly focused on the pressures of hustle culture, how to cut through the noise, and how to set up your business systems so you don’t actually need to hustle to be successful. That’s right - we’re going to talk about getting your dream clients to come to you instead!
What Is “Hustle Culture”?
In today's fast-paced world, "hustle culture" has quickly taken over our social media feed. We watch influencers glorify the idea that success is directly tied to long hours, nonstop work, and constant productivity.
We’re told to “keep grinding” and sacrifice areas of our personal life (time with family, nights out, simple relaxation and self-care) in order to reach the top. However, the pressure to always be "on" can lead to extreme burnout and overwhelm.
For entrepreneurs, this can be particularly challenging. When you’re building a business from the ground up, the stakes feel high, and it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you should be working every waking hour in order to succeed.
I’ve even caught myself feeling guilty if I’m not working on a weekday because the pressure of hustle culture has penetrated deep into my subconscious. Even before I started my own interior design business, I remember feeling the constant need to be productive, work long hours, and give up my personal time to be “good enough” at my job.
Society (and your favorite influencers) are telling you that you need to hustle, hustle, hustle if you’re ever going to achieve success. But I have simply found that to be the opposite. Read on to learn exactly how I deal with the pressure of hustle culture and what I do instead of constantly grinding to earn a full-time living working part-time hours as an interior designer.
How To Deal With The Pressure Of Hustle Culture As An Entrepreneur
As I just mentioned, I was feeling the pressure to hustle and grind in order to be successful long before I launched my own interior design business. It’s actually one of the reasons I wanted to become an entrepreneur in the first place - I was so unhappy with the thought of showing up to someone else’s business everyday and working long hours on projects I didn’t always align with just to benefit my boss and not myself.
→ If you haven’t officially launched your own interior design business yet, check out this post for the top 5 reasons to get started.
When I started my own interior design business, I knew exactly what I didn’t want to bring along from my past experiences - hustle culture. I didn’t want to hustle and grind my life away to earn a decent living. I knew there had to be a smarter way to get a reliable stream of qualified leads for my business.
I wanted to spend my time and effort on the design projects, not chasing down clients.
So, here’s what I didn’t do to get clients:
spend months networking at events to get interior design clients
try to go viral on social media
accept every tiny project that came my way
Why I Don’t Have To “Hustle” To Get Interior Design Clients
Instead, I set up my marketing systems in a strategic way to bring my dream clients directly to me. Once I got this system rolling, my email inbox was suddenly full of messages from qualified leads for my interior design business. Not just anybody looking for a paint consultation or a decorating day, but high-quality clients who were seeking my expertise for full-service interior design projects.
Read more about how I utilize these business systems to earn more money by accepting less projects.
Interior Design Business Resources
So, the next time you see your favorite influencers on social media glorifying hustle culture and telling you that you need to grind nonstop in order to be successful, take a moment to pause and adjust your interior design business mindset. Are you in a position like me where you can be more creative and strategic with your business decisions so you don’t have to rely on hustling to get clients? We’re working smarter, not harder.
If so, let me guide you – I’ve nailed down the exact system you need to attract your dream clients. No more chasing down leads or projects just to make ends meet. I can teach you my proven business systems inside my exclusive coaching group for interior designers, Design Business Secrets+.
If you’ve been feeling burnt out by hustle culture, overwhelmed with your workload, or just plain lost with what to do next, head over to Design Business Secrets+ today to see how I can support you!