No matter which industry you decide to start a business in, there’s no one ‘right’ way to launch and grow it. When it comes to the world of interior design, the added element of creativity involved makes it a bit more of a challenge, but an exciting one! One of the best ways to learn how to grow your business? By seeking out the wisdom and experience of other entrepreneurs in your space. \nThis week, we caught up with Kate, a seasoned interior design business owner who also founded \nThe Interior Designers Hub\n. We asked Kate for her expert advice on how to set up and grow your own profitable interior design business. Here are her top tips: \n1. Set goals for your business\nAs you start to grow, it's not enough to operate on a wing and a prayer. Work out how much revenue you want to make in a year, and work backwards from there. How many clients and projects will you need to take on to meet your target? This also helps you be more targeted with your marketing and more selective about the clients you take on.\n2. Get crystal clear on your messaging\nBuild a recognisable brand by being clear about your design style, and keeping your communications consistent with your brand ethos and values. Everything you put out there should reinforce your brand. For example, if you’re all about \nsustainability\n, make sure that everything you share highlights the sustainable aspects of your projects, products, and so on.

3. As you grow your business, realise and accept that you can’t do everything on your own\n\nBuilding an excellent team around you is essential to your growth and success. Make sure that your whole team is properly onboarded and mentored to maintain the ethos of your business.\n\n4. Make sure that your backend processes are as slick, efficient and friction-free as possible\n\nFor instance, do you have a client onboarding process? What happens when someone makes a telephone enquiry? How do you manage the ordering of samples? What’s your invoicing process? How do you chase late payment and non-payment? \nMaking sure that you’ve thought through all these processes and that your team is trained to deal with them will help you deliver a smooth customer experience.\n5. Focus on client relationships\n\nYou’ll find that a lot of repeat work comes in through past clients and from recommendations from existing clients. Nurture your client relationships and stay in touch by sending a regular newsletter, an occasional personal email, and a Christmas card.\n\n6. Reach new audiences by collaborating with other professionals in your field.\n\nResearch suppliers and influencers in your local area and contact them to ask about collaborations. You can hold joint webinars, run workshops together or even simply write blog posts for each other; it all keeps your content fresh and allows you to reach new audiences that may be interested in your services. 

Check out the \nThe Interior Designers Hub\n for UK accredited qualifications in interior design, as well as mentorship, training and support from a close-knit design community. \nBecome a Lick Pro member for exclusive trade discounts, priority service and helpful tools \n\nInterior designers, help your clients transform their homes with our all-new \nLick Pro membership\n. Become a Lick Pro member and you’ll get access to trade discounts on our ever-expanding product range, priority customer service and helpful online tools. Sign up \nhere\n or email \npro@lickhome.com\n to order your free paint brochure. 

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The Interior Designers Hub's top tips for growing your business