Thousands of interior design professionals have come to rely on The Interior Design Business Handbook for comprehensive, accessible coverage of the essential procedures, tools, and techniques necessary to manage a successful interior design business. The Fifth Edition of this essential resource has been revised to address the latest trends and changes in the field, with new and updated material on business size and structure, building a brand, client development, social networking and Internet marketing, finances, purchasing, technology and software programs, and other key areas. Complete with more than 75 sample forms and letters, this Fifth Edition is a one-stop resource for all aspects of establishing and running an interior design business from choosing a location and managing day-to-day operations to growing a business and putting it up for sale. All of the techniques and procedures in the book are rooted in real-world experience and are used daily in successful design firms throughout the United States. Filled with valuable information for solo practices and small firms as well as larger businesses, this book is an indispensable resource for seasoned professionals as well as interior designers who are at the start of their career.

Most interior designers who own - or plan to own - their own firms are at a disadvantage because they lack formal business training. This book provides them with essential information on accounting, financial analysis, revenue operation, contracts, personnel issues and more.

Discover the latest insights in marketing and client relations for interior designers To be a successful interior designer, it's essential to market yourself and your firm effectively. A must-read for interior designers establishing a client base, as well as for seasoned interior designers aiming to grow their businesses, Marketing and Client Relations for Interior Designers offers valuable tips on enhancing client relations and building lasting relationships for a growing practice. This step-by-step manual helps you design the marketing program that best fits your unique practice and provides helpful business forms to help keep you on target, including staff questionnaires, planning guides, and design services outlines. With insight, simplicity, and uncommon sense, industry expert and authorMary Knackstedt guides design professionals through all aspects of promoting a design business, including how to: * Design specialized promotional resources, market research, and personal interactions * Establish a company profile that attracts clients * Find clients who are most likely to want your services * Budget marketing efforts accurately to avoid unnecessary expenses * Handle complaints diplomatically and with minimum problems * Build a better relationship with clients * Create proper contracts and letters of agreement * Set prices that are appropriate for your services Brimming with examples and proven strategies from successful, highly profitable firms that make it easy to apply the book's marketing techniques to your own business, Marketing and Client Relations for Interior Designers is your design firm's guide for business development, successfully marketing its services and maintaining long-term customer relationships.

Starting Your Career as an Interior Designer contains all the necessary tools and strategies to successfully launch and grow a professional design business in the competitive world of interior design. Drawing on the authors' extensive experience, this book includes case studies, and personal anecdotes that help teach you how to: • Choose a design field • Obtain and keep clients • Garner referrals • Market and position your business • Bid competitively on projects • Manage sales • Organize a budget • Manage start-up costs and cash flow • Promote your business • Branch out into product and architectural design • Design within a retail environment • Set pricing guidelines • Sell to your target demographic • Set up your office Readers will find a history of the business side of interior design as well as various career tracks available to today’s budding entrepreneur. This updated second edition also examines the current state of the interior design industry, and what's in store for the future of firms. Any early career interior designer or student looking for practical advice on the ins and outs of running a design firm will need this one-stop guide. Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.

Have you ever dreamed of starting your own home-based interior design business? Have you been hesitant to put your business plans into action? This book contains all the necessary tools and success strategies you need to launch and grow your business. An experienced designer shares her experiences and advice on every aspect of setting up and running a thriving home-based interior design business. Learn how to develop a business plan, estimate your start-up costs, price your services, and stay profitable once you're in business. Read all about getting clients and referrals, outshining the competition, bidding competitively, establishing your daily schedule, organizing your business, getting paid and much more. The book is packed with worksheets, including products and services charts, a sample balance worksheet, a profit-and-loss worksheet, a cash-flow projections worksheet, a weekly accounting ledger, a vendor sale sheet, and a bid sheet.

Book & CD-ROM. An active real estate market has turned interior design into a boom industry in recent years. Interior designers owning their own firms have a median income of $75,000. Tens of thousands of homes are for sale in the United States today, and many need the help of an interior designer to be sold. Interior designers create the spaces where we work, play, and live every day. Whether it is a private residence, corporate office, retail store, or a zany restaurant, interior designers use their creativity, as well as their knowledge of colour principles, architecture, and design, to make it work and look amazing. As a result, they are well compensated for the work. This guide provides readers with an understanding of the basic concepts of starting their own interior design business. This book is a comprehensive and detailed study of the business side of interior design. You will learn everything from the initial start-up decisions to working with clients. If you are investigating opportunities in this type of business, you should begin by reading this book. You can build a highly successful business using your talent and understanding of colour and architectural features, while providing a much needed service to home owners. If you enjoy working with people and have that creative knack, this may be the perfect business for you. Keep in mind that this business looks easy but, as with any business, looks can be deceiving. This complete manual will arm you with everything you need, including sample business forms; contracts; worksheets and checklists for planning, opening, and running day-to-day operations; setting up your office; and dozens of other valuable, timesaving tools of the trade that no business should be without. While providing detailed instruction and examples, the author leads you through every detail that will bring success. You will learn how to draw up a winning business plan (the companion CD-ROM has the actual business plan you can use in Microsoft Word® and about choosing a name; getting Started; the who, what, when, why, and how of interior design; equipment; selling your other services to your present customers; home staging and interior redesign; how to build a portfolio; how to get your first clients; how to attract and bid on new jobs; contracts and billing procedures; advertising; insurance; legal matters; basic cost control systems; market research; getting new clients; tax laws; zoning laws; pricing; leads; sales and marketing techniques; and pricing formulas. You will learn how to set up computer systems to save time and money, how to hire and keep a qualified professional staff if necessary, how to meet IRS requirements, how to manage and train employees, how to generate high profile public relations and publicity, and how to implement low cost internal marketing ideas. You will learn how to build your business by using low and no cost ways to satisfy customers, as well as increase sales and have customers refer others to you. You will learn the basics of accounting and bookkeeping procedures, auditing, successful budgeting, and profit planning development, as well as thousands of great tips and useful guidelines. This manual delivers innovative ways to streamline your business. Learn new ways to make your operation run smoother and increase performance. Successful entrepreneurs will appreciate this valuable resource and reference it in their daily activities as a source of ready-to-use forms, Web sites, operating and cost cutting ideas, and mathematical formulas that can easily be applied to their operations. The companion CD-ROM contains all the forms found in the book, as well as a sample business plan you can adapt for your own use.