Are you struggling to scale your interior design business while balancing family life? Or perhaps you’re considering adding commercial projects to your list of services.
In this episode, Katie Decker, a successful commercial color consultant and business coach, shares her inspiring journey and practical strategies to help you achieve sustainable growth.
Katie’s path to success was anything but linear. From starting in communications to flipping houses and discovering her passion for color consulting, she navigated various challenges before finding her niche in the commercial design industry. Her story demonstrates that with the right mindset and business understanding, you can transform your creative talents into a thriving, scalable enterprise.
Discover Katie’s proven methods for transitioning from residential to commercial design, effectively managing rapid growth and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Whether you’re looking to scale up or down, Katie’s coaching expertise can help you build a business that aligns with your values and life stage.
Tune in and unlock the secrets to growing your interior design firm while staying true to your “why” and enjoying the journey.
Why you’ve got to check out today’s episode
- Learn how to scale your design business successfully
- Assess if adding or moving into commercial design is the right step for your design business
- Get empowered with practical strategies for overcoming designers’ common struggles like undercharging and feeling undervalued
About the Guest:
Katie Decker-Erickson began her career in commercial color consulting as a part-time passion project in 2007. With her MBA, today, her company, Color Works, has grown into a multi-million dollar commercial design company, currently operating in over 20 states nationwide, with a fully remote team of more than a dozen individuals.
Katie is known for her business acumen (having grown her interior design firm by 1500% in a year).
Today, she works with billion-dollar Real Estate Investment Trusts, managing the design of multiple large-scale portfolios, hundreds of properties, and more projects, focusing on design impact experience.
With 15 years in the industry and 18 years teaching graduate & undergraduate courses at four universities, and a wild passion for women’s empowerment, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy, Katie is now coaching other designers toward similar success and what scalability looks like, both personally and professionally. When not positioning her team and clients for success, she enjoys travel, hiking, and being on the water.
Connect with Katie Decker-Erickson:
Website: Success by Design
Instagram: @colorworks.coach
Check out these episode highlights
03:01 – Katie’s Unconventional Path to Interior Design
05:54 – Transition from Residential to Commercial Design
- Commercial design has more structured projects
- Prefers commercial design due to its efficiency and process-oriented approach
- Commercial design clients have clearer expectations (clear budgets and goals)
08:20 – Scaling and Marketing in Commercial Design
- The 1500% revenue growth in one year is driven by a large client’s request to expand into interiors
- Leveraging a strong support team, including operations and accounting
- Marketing for commercial design was primarily through word of mouth and back channels, with some initial discounts to gain clients
13:32 – Coaching Designers on Scaling: What Color Works Coaching does
- Focuses on helping designers understand the business side of their work, from systems to scaling
- Help designers find their “why”
- Help build sustainable businesses that align with the designer’s strengths and life stages
- Encourages designers to scale up or down based on their needs
- Help designers value their work and charge appropriately
17:20 – The Importance of Design in Psychological Impact
- Improves clarity and creativity impacting thought processes
20:40 – Creating Spaces and Building the Next Generation of Designers
27:01 – Challenges and Opportunities in Design Business
- Over-extension but undervalued the work
- Lack of marketing
- Confidence in pricing and work
- Self-worth in business
31:05 – Finding Your “Why” and Building a Sustainable Business
- To identify your “why”, find what you lose track of time doing, as it often aligns with your passions and strengths
Katie’s Recommendation:
- Build a sustainable business that aligns with your personal values and life stages.
- Focus on what brings you joy and build a business that supports your long-term happiness and success.
Next Steps
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…