How to Start a Virtual Interior Designer Business

Part 1 - How to start a Virtual Interior Designer business - Background

A virtual interior design business offers interior design services through an online platform. Current technology allows interior designers to serve clients without ever setting foot in their homes. These businesses can help homeowners and/or businesses with every aspect of the interior design process. Whether it is choosing furnishings, paint color palettes, art layouts, or shopping lists – whatever the design need, a virtual interior design company can meet it.

Our guide is in 3 parts:

• Part 1 - How to start a Virtual Interior Designer business - Background
• Part 2 - Our planner tool to see if this idea is the right fit for you
• Part 3 - Action plan to get started

What are the costs involved in opening a virtual interior designer business?

The costs of starting your virtual interior design business are going to vary depending on what you already have. If you have been doing interior design professionally for a while, you probably already have all your software and equipment. In this case, your startup costs will be minimal. You may need to pay for professional-level services such as Zoom and your preferred cloud storage, which can cost a few hundred dollars a year. But otherwise, the biggest cost will be time – time learning how to offer your services online.

However, if you are new to interior design, your costs will be quite a bit higher. Your various software needs (you will need multiple programs because no software does it all) can cost $500 to $2,000 or more. You may need to upgrade your computer to handle these programs, which can cost several thousand dollars more. And then you will need to pay for professional-level services on top of these costs.

What are the ongoing expenses for a virtual interior designer business?

The ongoing expenses for a virtual interior design business will include services like internet, phone, communications platforms (such as Zoom), and software subscriptions. These could add up to several thousand dollars a year. You will also need to update your equipment software  regularly.

Who is the target market?

Different virtual interior design businesses have different target markets. The most common target market is residential homeowners. However, it’s also possible to target businesses with interior design services. It all depends on where your interests lie and what your business goals are. Renters are also a potential target market, but they tend to have less disposable income to purchase full interior design packages – and fewer design opportunities, like applying new paint and other semi-permanent steps.

How does a virtual interior designer business make money?

A virtual interior design business makes money by charging clients for interior design services. The most common billing method is the flat fee. In the initial interview stage with a potential client, you agree to offer certain services in exchange for a flat fee. You can also consider other options, like charging hourly, depending on the type of work you are doing and what makes the most sense for you and your clients.

How much can you charge customers?

How much you charge your clients will vary based on many factors, such as the market you are serving – residential or commercial – and the types of services you are offering. However, you can look at what some of the more popular virtual interior design businesses are charging to get an idea of possible rates. For example, right now Havenly is charging $79 for a basic analysis of a room and design suggestions. For a collaborative session with a designer, the company charges $129 for a room.

How much profit can a virtual interior designer business make?

The profit a virtual interior design company can earn varies widely depending on the size of the company, the services offered, and the target market. During your first year, you may only make $25,000. After several years of building a solid client base, you could increase your profits to anywhere between $50,000 – $100,000. Of course, the more high paying clients you get and/or the bigger your client base, the more money you will make.

One nice thing about a virtual interior design business is that your overhead should be quite low because you can run the business out of your home office all by yourself.

How can you make your business more profitable?

There are multiple ways to increase the profits of a virtual interior design business. If you become well-known and respected, you can increase the number of clients coming to you for services. You could also find higher-paying markets for your services – such as corporate clients or wealthier clients. Another option is to find the niche or niches that reap the most profits and invest your energies here.

Day-to-Day and Growth

What happens during a typical day at a virtual interior designer business?

A typical day at a virtual interior design business starts with a review of client needs and to-dos. Running an interior design business typically means working for multiple clients at once. That means you may focus on a single client’s tasks some days, or you might work on tasks for multiple clients in a day.

What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful virtual interior designer business?

The most obvious skills and experience that will benefit your business are interior design related. The more comfortable you are with interior design, the better your services will be. However, it’s also important to understand how to streamline your virtual services by using the right technology. Video chat and photo sharing are all technologies you need to be familiar with if you want to appear professional. While some of your clients may be tech-savvy, some won’t be. Gain proficiency with all of your tools – both design tools and communications tools – before offering services to clients.

What is the growth potential for a virtual interior designer business?

There is a lot of growth potential for a virtual interior design business. Since your business operates primarily online, you are not limited to your local market. You could design interiors for clients globally, or at least across the country. Virtual interior design services are a fairly new thing, so this is just the beginning for the industry.

What are some insider tips for jump starting a virtual interior designer business?

One useful tip for starting an interior design business, virtual or otherwise, is to create mock clients and design for them. You can go through the whole design process for one or more mock clients to learn your workflow and how to optimize your efforts. Even if you have plenty of design experience, this process can still be useful because you have to develop a virtual interior design workflow as well. Ironing out the kinks of your process with mock clients will make it much easier to get your business off the ground when you get real clients.

How and when to build a team

When you are first getting your business going, you will need to keep costs down and therefore will probably want to do it all yourself. But if business is good, you will eventually not have enough time in the day to meet your clients’ needs. And, you are likely to start falling behind on other business-related tasks as your client base grows. Once you reach a point where you have to sacrifice the quality of your work to meet client demands, it’s time to hire someone to help.

Part 2 - Is a Virtual Interior Designer business the right fit for you?

Part 3 - Action plan to launch your Virtual Interior Designer business in 90 days