Design Curious | Interior Design Career and Business Podcast

When most people start an interior design business, they assume the hardest part will be creating beautiful spaces. But in reality, the design isn’t the biggest challenge — the business side of interior design is where many new designers struggle.

I've seen talented designers make the same mistakes repeatedly when they first start their businesses. These mistakes don’t happen because they lack creativity or skill. They happen because no one teaches designers the sales guidance, client boundaries, and business structure required to run a profitable design business.

In this episode, I’m sharing three common mistakes new interior designers make when starting their design business — mistakes I made in my early days as well. If you understand these pitfalls early, you can avoid wasting time, losing confidence, or creating unnecessary chaos in your projects. My goal is to help you build stronger client relationships, create a clear design process, and run a professional design business from the start.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode
✔️ Why designers must lead the client, not follow
✔️ How boundaries build trust and prevent project chaos
✔️ Why interior designers must embrace the salesperson role
✔️ How to reduce client decision fatigue during presentations
✔️ Essential steps to make your design business official

Read the Blog >>> Interior Design Business Mistakes New Designers Must Avoid

NEXT STEPS:

📺 Watch this free webinar, "From Passion to Profit," and learn the 5 Money Moves to start your interior design business right 👉https://rwarddesign.myflodesk.com/5moneymoves

🎯 Join My Design Mentor and start building a design career with clarity, confidence, and support, 👉https://rwarddesign.com/my-design-mentor⁠ 

📖 Check out the best books every interior designer should have here.

Check out our Designer's Playlist!
*️ Start Your Interior Design Journey
*️ From Newbie to Confident Designer
*️ Switching Gears to Interior Design

Grab your freebies:
📌 Your Roadmap to a Career in Interior Design
🎨 3 Things I Wish I had known when I Started my Career

Connect With Me:
📧 Email: [email protected]
🔆 Instagram: @rwarddesign
🌎 Website at rwarddesign.com

Thanks for listening! I hope this helps you discover if interior design is the career for you. See you next week...

Timestamps
0:00 Introduction
2:28 Mistake 1: Letting Clients Drive the Project
4:20 Examples of Client-Driven Projects
7:44 Setting Boundaries and Scheduling
10:54 Mistake 2: Forgetting You Are a Salesperson
14:17 The One Strong Design Solution to Clients
17:53 Mistake 3: Not Making the Business Official
20:00 Essential Business Setup

Are you building your interior design business in a bubble?

If you’re anything like I was in my early years, you probably assumed the hard part was the design. You thought, “If I can create beautiful spaces, the rest will fall into place.” But what no one tells you is this: guesswork is expensive. Shooting from the hip on markups, contracts, pricing, and processes can cost you years of profitability—and a whole lot of stress.

In this episode, I sit down with award-winning interior designer and business educator Sonia Barney, founder of the Kaivari platform, to talk about why business support is not optional if you want a sustainable, profitable design firm. We unpack the role of coaching, personalized growth, business systems, and strategic mentorship in helping creative entrepreneurs skip years of trial and error.

If you’re starting out—or feeling overworked and underpaid—this conversation will help you see why investing in business education and the right coach can completely transform your creative career.

Featured Guest:
Sonia Barney is an award-winning interior designer, business educator, and founder of the Kaivari platform. With over 20 years in the interior design industry and more than a decade as the owner of Sonia Barney Design, she has seen firsthand how many creatives struggle with the business side of their firms. Known for her analytical, systems-driven approach, Sonia teaches design business strategy through LuAnn University and is passionate about helping designers connect with the right coaches, resources, and community network to support personalized growth and long-term profitability.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode
✳️ Why guesswork kills interior design profitability
✳️ How coaching accelerates personalized business growth
✳️ When to hire different types of coaches
✳️ The power of community for creative entrepreneurs
✳️ How vetted mentorship reduces costly business mistakes

Read the Blog >>> The Role of Coaching and Business Education in Your Design Business

NEXT STEPS:

📺 Watch this free webinar, "From Passion to Profit," and learn the 5 Money Moves to start your interior design business right 👉https://rwarddesign.myflodesk.com/5moneymoves

🎯 Join My Design Mentor and start building a design career with clarity, confidence, and support, 👉https://rwarddesign.com/my-design-mentor⁠ 

Check out our Designer's Playlist!
*️ Start Your Interior Design Journey
*️ From Newbie to Confident Designer
*️ Switching Gears to Interior Design

Grab your freebies:
📌 Your Roadmap to a Career in Interior Design
🎨 3 Things I Wish I had known when I Started my Career

Connect With Me:
📧 Email: [email protected]
🔆 Instagram: @rwarddesign
🌎 Website at rwarddesign.com

Thanks for listening! I hope this helps you discover if interior design is the career for you. See you next week...
Timestamps
0:00 Introduction and Guest Bio
3:45 Sonia’s Design Business Journey
6:09 The Turning Point: Investing in Coaching
8:16 Different Coaches for Different Growth Stages
11:29 Building a Team
14:58 The Inspiration Behind Kaivari Platform
16:53 The Role of Coaches and Business Education
19:45 The Importance of Finding the Right Coach
22:16 Kaivari's Features and Future Plans

If you’ve ever said, “I’ll take any client I can get,” you’re not alone. Most interior designers start there — saying yes to every project, every personality, and every request… even when it drains their time, energy, and confidence.

But here’s what I want you to know: dream clients don’t just appear because you’re talented. They’re attracted to clarity, confidence, and structure. And without clear boundaries, a professional contract, and a strong onboarding process, even the most exciting project can quickly turn into one you resent.

In this episode, I’m walking you through how to identify and attract your dream clients — not by chasing them, but by designing your business in a way that naturally draws them in. When you shift your money mindset, define your non-negotiables, and confidently communicate your process, you stop attracting bargain shoppers… and start attracting aligned clients who respect your expertise and value interior design as a professional service.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode
✔️ Define dream clients with clarity and boundaries
✔️ Build a structure before landing your first client
✔️ Strengthen money mindset to attract aligned clients
✔️ Use niching to attract ideal projects
✔️ Leverage networking for warm referrals

Read the Blog >>> Key Steps to Attracting Your Dream Interior Design Clients

NEXT STEPS:
📺 Watch this free webinar, "From Passion to Profit," and learn the 5 Money Moves to start your interior design business right 👉https://rwarddesign.myflodesk.com/5moneymoves

🎯 Join My Design Mentor and start building a design career with clarity, confidence, and support, 👉https://rwarddesign.com/my-design-mentor⁠ 

Check out our Designer's Playlist!
*️ Start Your Interior Design Journey
*️ From Newbie to Confident Designer
*️ Switching Gears to Interior Design

Grab your freebies:
📌 Your Roadmap to a Career in Interior Design
🎨 3 Things I Wish I had known when I Started my Career

Connect With Me:
📧 Email: [email protected]
🔆 Instagram: @rwarddesign
🌎 Website at rwarddesign.com

Thanks for listening! I hope this helps you discover if interior design is the career for you. See you next week...

Timestamps
0:00 Introduction
02:56 Building Dream Clients
3:48 Setting Non-Negotiables and Client Expectations
6:24 Money Mindset and Pricing Confidence
8:25 Recognizing Aligned Dream Clients
10:54 Networking for Referrals
13:00 Acting Like Your Future Designer Self

The moment you file your LLC… the moment you accept your first client payment… the moment you start working with vendors or contractors…

You are no longer “just a creative.” You are the CEO of your business.

As Danielle Hayden and I discuss in this episode, one of the biggest mistakes interior designers make is thinking they can outsource their financial understanding to bookkeeping services, financial automation, or even AI tools like QuickBooks integrations or ChatGPT.

Here’s the truth: AI is powerful, but it cannot replace CEO responsibility.

With automation and financial tech, many designers assume their systems are handling everything correctly. But inaccurate bookkeeping, duplicated transactions, or improperly reconciled accounts can quietly damage your financial health — and no AI tool will raise a red flag. Instead, it will confidently analyze flawed data and give you misleading conclusions.

If you want sustainable business growth, better business decisions, and long-term business protection, you must understand your numbers. In this episode, Danielle shares a powerful framework to help you step into your CEO role with clarity — without doing everything yourself.

Featured Guest
Danielle Hayden is the co-founder and CEO of Kickstart Accounting Inc., a bookkeeping and accounting firm dedicated to helping female entrepreneurs understand their financials through bookkeeping, financial analysis, and strategic support. With a background as a CFO, Danielle’s mission is to equip business owners — from six figures to beyond — with the tools and insights they need to build profitable and sustainable businesses.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode
✳️ Why CEOs must understand their business financials
✳️ AI limitations in financial analysis and decision-making
✳️ Hidden risks inside QuickBooks financial automation systems
✳️ Danielle’s framework for deciding when to become an S Corp
✳️ Four essential roles for a strong money team

Read the Blog >>> Financial Confidence for Design CEOs with Danielle Hayden

NEXT STEPS:
📺 Watch this free webinar, "From Passion to Profit," and learn the 5 Money Moves to start your interior design business right 👉https://rwarddesign.myflodesk.com/5moneymoves

🎯 Join My Design Mentor and start building a design career with clarity, confidence, and support👉https://rwarddesign.com/my-design-mentor⁠ 

Check out our Designer's Playlist!
*️ Start Your Interior Design Journey
*️ From Newbie to Confident Designer
*️ Switching Gears to Interior Design

Grab your freebies:
📌 Your Roadmap to a Career in Interior Design
🎨 3 Things I Wish I had known when I Started my Career

Connect With Me:
📧 Email: [email protected]
🔆 Instagram: @rwarddesign
🌎 Website at rwarddesign.com

Thanks for listening! I hope this helps you discover if interior design is the career for you. See you next week...

Timestamps
0:00 Introduction and Guest Bio
2:51 The Hidden Risks of Financial Automation and QuickBooks
6:27 Why AI Cannot Replace Financial Expertise
9:45 Embracing Your Role as CEO
10:14 3-Step Framework for Becoming an S Corp
13:42 When to Hire Bookkeeping Services
15:08 The 4 Essential Roles on Your Money Team
20:00 The CEO Dashboard and Financial Clarity
21:33 Building a Sellable Business
23:29 Getting the Right Support as a Business Owner

Have you ever finished a beautiful project… only to realize you have nothing to show for it?

I’ve seen so many talented interior designers pour their heart, time, and creativity into a space — only to walk away without the one thing that helps them book their next client: professional portfolio photos. Without strong website images or scroll-stopping social media visuals, it becomes harder to build trust, showcase your design expertise, and grow your business.

In this episode, I’m walking you through how to consistently get portfolio-worthy photos of your interior design projects — even if you're new, working with real-life clients, or unsure how to approach photography contracts, styling, or working with an editorial photographer. Because when you have high-quality interior photography, everything changes — your portfolio strengthens, your brand elevates, and your work finally gets the visibility it deserves.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode
✔️ Secure client permission through photography contracts
✔️ Choose editorial over real estate photographers
✔️ Style spaces for magazine-quality photos
✔️ Capture storytelling photo composition
✔️ Plan photography into project expenses

Read the Blog >>> Interior Design Photography Tips for Stunning Portfolio PhotosNEXT STEPS:
🎯 Join My Design Mentor and start building a design career with clarity, confidence, and support, 👉https://rwarddesign.com/my-design-mentor⁠ 

Check out our Designer's Playlist!
*️ Start Your Interior Design Journey
*️ From Newbie to Confident Designer
*️ Switching Gears to Interior Design

Grab your freebies:
📌 Your Roadmap to a Career in Interior Design
🎨 3 Things I Wish I had known when I Started my Career

Connect With Me:
📧 Email: [email protected]
🔆 Instagram: @rwarddesign
🌎 Website at rwarddesign.com

Thanks for listening! I hope this helps you discover if interior design is the career for you. See you next week...
Timestamps
0:00 Introduction: Why portfolio photos matter
2:16 Getting Client Permission in Your Contract
3:46 Scheduling Photography Early
4:53 Choosing the Right Photographer
7:15 Styling for Photo Shoots
9:58 Using Natural Light and Layered Images
11:05 Capturing Horizontal, Vertical, and Detail Shots
12:16 Organizing and Using Photos
16:02 Photography as a Business Expense