Create a Successful Interior Design Business!
If you've been DREAMING about starting an interior designer business
but don't know HOW or WHERE to start...
NOW YOU DO!
Eli Hans & Joseph Bennett
co-founders of Sublime Design Interiors, LLC and SublimeGuys.com
If you've ever wished for a caring, knowledgeable and successful mentor
to show you the ropes of the interior design biz and avoid all the pitfalls,
you have found us!
Use our 35 years of combined experience in interior design, career & life-coaching,
business & arts administration, visual and performing arts, special events production, and let us HELP YOU figure out every step of the way.
Watch this BRIEF video to get started!
(Complete silliness at 2:18. Bloopers at 3:46)
We value your PRIVACY. Your info will never be shared. You may periodically receive valuable content from us, which you can stop at at any time.
Starting an interior design business is not as difficult as you might think.
If you have talent, a sense of style, color and design, you can START your interior design business.
But to really be SUCCESSFUL - and have your business steadily grow and thrive - you need
to build a strong foundation from the get go and connect to your PASSION.
Starting your business requires you to wear many hats, learn and hone certain skills, develop relationships with vendors and potential clients, sell, design, implement your ideas,
execute them well and learn to solve all sorts of issues that may arise.
It is INCREDIBLY GRATIFYING, super CREATIVE,
and if you do it right, ultra LUCRATIVE!
AND IT IS ABSOLUTELY POSSIBLE for YOU to DO THIS!
How?
ONE. STEP. AT. A. TIME
That's Where We Come In!
There are many facets to starting a design business which can seem daunting and overwhelming, right?
But if you take it slowly, in bite-size pieces, sooner than you realize you'll be AMAZED that you can actually MAKE MONEY - a lot of it! - DOING WHAT YOU LOVE!
Nothing is better than that!
Can you imagine... people paying you for your ideas? And buying incredible things with other people's money! We can teach you how to set your rates, how to find clients, do presentations, develop your team, and a ton more!
As far as careers go, if you want to:
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Have FREEDOM to work when YOU DECIDE
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Work from YOUR HOME OFFICE
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Be super CREATIVE
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Make people very HAPPY
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Feel a huge sense of GRATIFICATION and FULFILLMENT
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See your bank account GROW STEADILY
Then, starting your successful interior design business is for YOU!
How can we help YOU?
Whether you just finished design school and are ready to set up you own home-based business (HINT: It helps a lot, but you DON'T NEED a degree to get started!) Or if you LOVE decorating, and are ready to turn your hobby into a professional endeavor, we can help you!
If you're serious and committed to your SUCCESS, working with a PROFESSIONAL CAREER COACH who has experience in your field (and is willing to share the ins and outs, and the tricks of the trade) can be crucial to your career.
Our Interior Design Career Coaching program will:
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Give you the confidence and know-how you need to succeed.
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Help you develop and hone the skill-set that is required to make it in this business.
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Help you avoid common mistakes.
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Keep you motivated and focused on your goals.
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Provide you with direct access to knowledge and wisdom only experience can bring.
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Keep you accountable - so you don't allow excuses to get in your way.
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Pave the way, step by step, so you don't have to figure things out by yourself.
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Offer you a compassionate, kind, firm hand when you need it.
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Provide you with your own personal cheering squad!
What TOPICS will we cover?
Depending on where you are on your career path, we will touch on many issues that are best suited for your particular case.
Our Interior Design Career Coaching program is tailor-made, depending on your level of experience. It will include various areas such as:
The Business Aspect, The Design Process, Implementing your Plan, and Things You Won't Learn at any School.
All of which are crucial to your success!
THE BUSINESS ASPECT
As you first start, things may seem daunting, but you simply focus on one decision at a time. We will focus on basic to more complex topics that may include: Want to be an Interior Designer or a Decorator (there IS a difference!) What type of design? Residential (homes, staging, redesign), commercial (businesses, hair salons, restaurants), hospitality (hotels, motels, etc.) Coming up with a GREAT BUSINESS NAME you will want to BRAND. Filing a fictitious business name, and other necessary paper work. Do you set things up as a sole proprietor, corporation or LLC? Obtaining a resale license (do you even need one?) Designing business cards that truly stand out (3 crucial things they must have!) Setting up a website (even if you haven't done any projects yet) that is free or super affordable. Creating an awesome Portfolio (this is KEY to selling your services.) Developing your loyal team of sub-contractors, vendors and craftsmen. The M Word: Marketing - How to find clients (even if you're just starting out) without spending a fortune. How much to charge for your creative services ('cause you don't want to give away your ideas!) How to handle your first client meeting and not give too much away (this is a forever good practice.) How to sell your concepts, in alignment with your client's vision, needs and budget considerations. Preparing an itemized budget (making sure EVERYTHING is included, and sticking to it.) Letters of Agreement and Contracts (crucial to avoid misunderstandings and legal issues!) How to structure payments, deposits, balances. And a lot more!
THE DESIGN PROCESS
So you have your first (and second and third) client! Congrats! Now what? There are step-by-step actions you need to take that may include: How to get into your client's mind and enhance their vision and ideas without offending or seeming pushy. How to decide on: style, color, textiles, lighting, flooring, rugs, bedding, cabinetry, furnishings, appliances. Measuring properly and photographing the space (for your recollection and for your Portfolio!) Creating 2-Dimensional space plans (and the power behind them!) Developing 3-D elevations and virtual tours of the finished project (an incredible sales tool!) Different software apps you can use to create the above (that don't cost a fortune.) Important steps to prepare a design presentation to get the job, and then... Ta-da! Deliver your KILLER PRESENTATION that will make your clients happy they found you! You need to know a little about a lot! Where do you start?? Don't stress! We'll teach you how.
IMPLEMENTING YOUR PLAN
Your client loved your ideas and presentation and hired you to do the job. That's awesome! Now, how do you make sure your promises come to fruition? When you get to this point we can hold your hand as you plan your approach. How to handle deposits, prepare progress reports, etc. The FORMULA that guarantees success and excellent word-of-mouth. Best way to source and specify materials. Purchasing furnishings from showrooms or catalogues? Ready-made items or custom-made fabrication? How do you measure for window treatments? Getting bids from various sub-contractors. Deciding who will do the job (it's not always about the lowest numbers.) Contracts with your subs for clarity and to cover your butt. Scheduling the entire process (who comes first? How to handle lead times and deliveries.) How to handle the installation: do you do it all at once or bit by bit? Assembling your team: handyman, assistants, furniture movers, etc. Taking care of essential details during install day. Doing a "reveal" that will rival any HDTV design show! Celebrating your success with clients who will refer you to their friends. Will this ever happen for you? OF COURSE! You need to be patient, go step-by-step and set yourself up to WIN!
THINGS YOU WON'T LEARN AT ANY SCHOOL
You can learn about color, perspective, textiles, lighting, and effective business practices at a design academy or University. Even online! But there are things they don't teach you ANYWHERE, that require a very special skill set if you want to be successful and create a lasting business you will LOVE for years to come! These are more of a personal, internal, and even spiritual nature; practices that will keep you focused, clear, and grounded so you can handle the many unexpected issues that tend to arise in our industry. These are things you tend to learn from your mistakes/experience. But, if you can AVOID them and GET IT RIGHT from the beginning, it will save you lots of stress, anxiety and even money. These may include, how to: Create a mindset of success from the start. Find the place inside you that is passionate about this work, so you can sustain it for years to come. Deal with obstacles that may arise (many of which are only in your own head!) Deal with clients who argue with each other and don't agree on style or anything else! Set the ground rules from the start, establishing yourself as an authority, without being pushy. Create instant rapport with clients and vendors so they trust you. Believe in yourself when things get rough (and they will, because that's how life is.) Stay positive, excited and optimistic throughout all facets of your journey (and what to do when you don't!)
How do we get started working together?
We are COMMITTED to helping our career coaching clients to succeed. We take on new clients who are:
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100% committed to their success
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willing to do what it takes (doesn't mean you'll have to do it, just need to be willing...)
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excited about starting this new adventure.
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able to invest time and money into their personal and professional growth.
But, we don't live in the same city!
That's perfect! The beauty of technology allows us to do this process via phone and/or Zoom.
It's actually very common to do coaching this way. 90% of our clients live in other locations.
Easy, efficient, on your time!
What are our fees?
Your initial half-hour Discovery Session is FREE!
This is so we can get to know one another, find out where you're at in your process, define your goals, talk about what's been getting in your way, come up with a realistic time frame, and discovering if career coaching is right for you.
Most professional coaches charge between $200-$500 per half-hour sessions. Interior Design programs can cost thousands of dollars. Rest assured that our fees are a fraction of that cost. (Happy to talk about that during our Discovery Session. That's what it's for!)
Plus, our focused sessions last around one hour, typically once per week. You'll be amazed at how much we can get accomplished within that time frame.
Your program will have a clearly defined plan, we can decide together on your next steps, and you'll take inspired action during the week to move things forward. We will hold your hand every step of the way! Once you build momentum, sooner than you know, you'll be doing what you love for a living!
You can also think of us as consultants - during or after the program - if you ever get stuck and need advice on a project or to bounce off ideas.
When we talk, we'll be happy to answer questions chat about our fees, payment options and various packages you can take advantage of to SAVE hundreds of dollars along your process.
So, what to do next?
You don't have to do this on your own.
If you're serious about your success, and excited about new possibilities...
Here's Your FIRST ACTION STEP towards achieving your dreams:
Send us an EMAIL with a few preferred dates and times for our initial FREE half-hour discovery session. Please tell us your NAME, CITY, PREFERRED DATE & TIME, your TIME ZONE, and anything you may want us to know about you.
Choose a date within a week of today, if possible, in order to not lose momentum and allow old procrastination patterns to set in.
Keep in mind:
We are available for these sessions typically Monday-Friday afternoons between 4 - 7 PM Central Time (2 hours ahead of Pacific time, 1 hour behind Eastern.)
We will get back to you with an appointment time and go from there!
Thank you! Here's to your awesome success!
In gratitude,
Eli and Joseph
You're about to take your FIRST CRUCIAL STEP towards finally doing what you've been dreaming of:
CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW to set-up your FREE 1/2 HOUR DISCOVERY SESSION to start your Interior Design Business!!
To learn more about us, CLICK HERE for our design bios and HERE for our life coaching info.