Have you ever wasted hours searching for the right help for your interior design business, only to feel frustrated and stuck? What if there was an easier way to find the right people who truly understand interior design?
In this episode, I chat with Ronniesha Rivera, an interior designer and founder of Vetted By Design—a free centralized platform for interior designers to connect with highly vetted professionals without stress.
Ronniesha shares her painful story of hiring the wrong bookkeeper early in her business, which cost her thousands of dollars. From that mistake came a brilliant idea: a one-stop, trusted place where interior designers can find reliable pros who understand the industry—like 3D renderers, bookkeepers, lawyers, virtual design assistants, social media managers, and more.
If you are starting your design business or growing your team, this episode will give you a smart solution to save time, avoid costly mistakes, and build a team you can trust.
🎧 Tune in now to learn how Vetted by Design can help you grow your business with less stress and more support.
Why you’ve got to check out today’s episode
- Learn how to avoid costly hiring mistakes and build a reliable team
- Discover a free tool to find highly vetted professionals across various specialties faster, easier, and stress-free
- Grow and scale your interior design business more effectively
About the Guest:
Ronniesha Rivera is the founder and CEO of Vetted By Design (VBD). He passion for VBD stems from her challenges as an interior designer. After years in the industry, she grew frustrated with endlessly searching through Facebook groups and Google just to find the right professionals to hire. She knew there had to be a better way—a centralized platform where designers could easily connect with vetted businesses that cater to our industry. And that’s exactly why Vetted By Design was created.
Ronniesha believes Vetted By Design can help any designer at any stage of their business.
Connect with Ronniesha Rivera:
Website: Vetted By Design
Instagram: @vettedbydesign
Check out these episode highlights
02:15 Ronniesha’s Journey into Interior Design
A childhood interest in designing her room and a love for architectural drafting
Transition from architecture to interior design
Earned AA and BA in Interior Design
Started her own interior design business with a niche in destination design
04:23 Hiring Mistakes and Painful Lessons
Early business decision: hire a bookkeeper with no experience in interior design
Result: Major filing errors with sales tax, leading to costly fines and financial setbacks.
Lesson: Hiring the wrong people can have serious business consequences.
06:42 The Birth, Concept, and Mission of Vetted by Design
Driven by personal hiring mistakes
Frustrated with unreliable Facebook group referrals
Mission: To provide a free, centralized platform for interior designers to find vetted virtual team members.
Includes professionals like 3D renderers, bookkeepers, lawyers, and more
11:05 Categories and Coverage
16–17 service categories (e.g., drafting, legal, PR)
15 vetted professionals per category
Ronniesha vets, builds relationships, and ensures quality
12:41 The Vetting Process
In-depth multi-step process:
Online application
Portfolio (for creative roles)
Portfolio review by a creative board
Reference checks
Final interview with Ronniesha
Continued evaluation even after onboarding.
16:20 How Designers Use the Platform and Pro Qualifications
Designers can:
Search categories themselves
Or ask for matchmaking help
Plan: a podcast featuring interviews with platform pros to help designers choose who to hire.
All service providers:
Own businesses
Have interior design experience or extensive knowledge
Understand industry-specific workflows and terminology
Experts for various design platforms: Studio Designer, Design Manager, Mydoma, etc.
Industry-specific professionals for tasks like social media management, PR, branding experts, email workflows, and Pinterest
22:13 Future Plans and Expansion
Workflow strategists to help with pricing models and client management
Based on Ronniesha’s evolving business needs
Next Steps
- Join the My Design Mentor to kickstart a successful career in interior design!
Grab your freebies:
- Furnishings Investment Guide
- Remodel Budget and Timeline Guide
- Your Roadmap to a Career in Interior Design
- 3 Things I Wish I had known when I Started my Career
Take a Quiz!
- Find Your Perfect Interior Design Style if you are curious about your design style
- Find Out What Type of Interior Designer You Should Be!
Join the Design Mentor to kickstart a successful career in interior design!
Check out the best books every interior designer should have here.
Email me at [email protected] if you have suggested topics
DM me on Instagram at @rwarddesign if you have a burning question
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Thanks for listening! I hope this helps you discover if interior design is the career for you. See you next week…