The Interior DesignHer Blog

real-world interior design business education

Newbie vs Experienced Interior Designers - Who Needs Interior Design Business Coaching MORE?
Douglas Robb Douglas Robb

Newbie vs Experienced Interior Designers - Who Needs Interior Design Business Coaching MORE?

Newbie vs Experienced Interior Designers - Who Needs Interior Design Business Coaching MORE?

As a combination life coach and business coach, Andrea Liebross takes a slightly different approach to helping interior designers level up their businesses.

What I find is most clients come to me wanting help in the business, but the life side kicks in. Kids, partner finances, all the obligations that affects your business more than anything else.

So if you don't have your act together at home or in your personal life, you definitely won't have it in your business. And that is where I think someone always needs a coach to really assess business and life together.

And really then what it comes down to is managing your mind around all the facets of life. And that's why I think having a coach who can address both is important, no matter what stage of your business you're in.

According to Andrea, whether it's day one or day 10,000, it really doesn't matter. As we move through our business, there will be times where we need different types of coaching/education/assistance. Sometimes we need a dedicated business coach. Other times, we need an expert in social media marketing. And other times, we need that life coach.

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Which is better for interior designers - a business coach, a mastermind group, a mentor or DIY?
Douglas Robb Douglas Robb

Which is better for interior designers - a business coach, a mastermind group, a mentor or DIY?

Which is better for interior designers - a business coach, a mastermind group, a mentor or DIY?

Why should an interior designer hire an interior design business coach and not just connect with an experienced interior design mentor or join a mastermind group of interior design business owners?

All of these different methods of education & support have their own pros & cons. In this video, I discuss the topic with interior design business coach Gail Doby.

Over the years, Gail’s approach to interior design business coaching has evolved into a hybrid of coaching, training and a Mastermind group all wrapped up into one.

If you’re curious about getting some outside help with your design business, but are unsure where to start, I hope this video helps.

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Your Interior Design Business SHOULD Be Bigger, Better, Amazing
Douglas Robb Douglas Robb

Your Interior Design Business SHOULD Be Bigger, Better, Amazing

Your Interior Design Business SHOULD Be Bigger, Better, Amazing

In all the years interior design business coach Gail Doby has be helping interior designers transform their businesses, a common theme has emerged - that interior designers across the board underestimate what their business could truly be.

I don’t know if this is unique to interior designers, but the idea that someone on the outside can see the potential of our design firms while we’re totally unaware almost brings me to tears. The lost potential of all those interior designers who never reached out for help is truly sad.

The potential to transform your business is real, but it depends on you to take that first step towards education & growth. I hope this video helps.

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Why should a residential interior designer hire a business coach?
Douglas Robb Douglas Robb

Why should a residential interior designer hire a business coach?

Why should a residential interior designer hire a business coach?

Do you need a business coach?

For most interior designers, the initial reaction is NO. My business is running fine; why would I need to hire a business coach?

But…what if your view of your interior design business is nearsighted because you’re so caught up in the day to day craziness, that you can’t step back and truly see your business from the outside.

In this video, business coach Andrea Liebross speaks to this inability of interior designers to see their business as it is AND as what it could be. If you’re an interior design business owner, you need to check out this video

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AI and Interior Design
Douglas Robb Douglas Robb

AI and Interior Design

AI and Inteior Design

It’s early days for artificial intelligence. That means two things for interior designers:

There is an unbelievable amount of hype surrounding the emerging technology and how it may or may not disrupt our industry. The thing is…nobody knows how AI is going to help or hurt interior designers. Nobody. No need to get super-excited or super-freaked out about AI and our interior design businesses.

While nobody knows how AI will specifically impact interior design, we’re all pretty sure that it’s going to. Just as how personal computing / the internet / mobile phones have had massive impacts upon our biz, AI will do something similar. So…unless you’re an ostrich, we all need to pay attention to how AI is growing, changing and impacting business writ large…and be ready to move before it’s too late.

Takeaways: Don’t freak out but pay attention.

For this video, I sat down with interior design business coach Marc Müskens and discussed artificial intelligence and interior design. I hope it helps.

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Are Residential Interior Designers Unique?
Douglas Robb Douglas Robb

Are Residential Interior Designers Unique?

Are Residential Interior Designers Unique?

Are residential interiors designers unique…yes and no.

Residential interior designers are unique in that they sell a luxury service & products, but unlike other luxury niches, our entire industry consists of micro-sized businesses owned & operated by women. That’s unique.

What’s not unique is the business side of an interior design business. At the end of the day, business is business.

In this video, I discuss the uniqueness of interior design & interior designers with business coach Andrea Liebross.

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Do all interior designers need business coaching?
Douglas Robb Douglas Robb

Do all interior designers need business coaching?

Do all interior designers need business coaching?

No two interior designers are alike...and not all interior design businesses are alike.

Your business strengths may be my weakness and vice versa.

When I asked interior design business coach Gail Doby if all interior designers could benefit from business coaching, I was fascinated by her observations on the different types of business skills required at the different levels an interior design business passes through as it scales

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Business Coach, Mastermind Group or Mentor: Which Is Best For Your Interior Design Business?
Douglas Robb Douglas Robb

Business Coach, Mastermind Group or Mentor: Which Is Best For Your Interior Design Business?

Business Coach, Mastermind Group or Mentor: Which Is Best For Your Interior Design Business?

Almost every day, I speak with an interior designer who realizes that they need help to take their interior design business to the next level. But, what should that help look like?

Low-cost, DIY education sources like books, podcasts, YouTube videos & free Facebook interior designer support groups?

The support of a more experienced interior design mentor?

A paid Mastermind group of interior designers - led by an experienced & knowledgeable moderator?

A interior design business coach?

A series of task specific business coaches - marketing, operations, etc?

Formal business education - online courses or even in-class education?

Or, do you skip the education process altogether and opt to pay a contractor / hire an employee to perform those tasks you suck at?

As my Grandpa used to say, “nothing in life is free”. We pay with money, with time, with sweat, with aggravation, etc. But either way, we pay.

For this video, I sat down with interior design business coach Marc Müskens and discussed the pros & cons of learning new business skills from a business coach, a mastermind group or a business mentor. I hope it helps.

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What Can a GOOD Interior Design Business Coach ACTUALLY Do For Me?
Douglas Robb Douglas Robb

What Can a GOOD Interior Design Business Coach ACTUALLY Do For Me?

What Can a GOOD Interior Design Business Coach ACTUALLY Do For Me?

For many of my interior designer friends, a decade of running their business, making mistakes, fixing those mistakes, making “next level” mistakes, and fixing those mistakes was their path to learning how to run a really good residential interior design business - trial & error.

For other people, spending a decade learning how to run a good interior design business is 100% crazy-pants. For those people, hiring someone to teach them how to run a good interior design biz makes way more sense.

Because, knowledge doesn’t come cheap. You either pay with money or you pay with time…unless your business fails before you learn the necessary skills to keep it afloat.

When it comes to learning necessary business skills, I am a big fan spending money to shorten my time being ignorant. If that makes sense to you, check out this discussion I had with interior design business coach Marc Müskens about what a good interior design business coach can actually do for us?

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Do You Need An Interior Design Business Coach?
Douglas Robb Douglas Robb

Do You Need An Interior Design Business Coach?

Do You Need An Interior Design Business Coach?

Q: Does every residential interior designer need a business coach?

A: No. There are lots of interior designers who have the business skills to complement their design & people skills.

For those interior designers who do need to level up their business skills, finding the “right” interior design business coach isn’t an easy task. Not all business coaches are created equal. And like interior designers, not all business coaches have the same style or approach.

We sat down with interior design business coach Marc Müskens to discuss this relationship between interior designers and their business coaches. I hope it helps.

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