Interior Designers Job Description – 7 Hated Aspects of Entrepreneurship

Business Building Tips
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If we take a look at the contemporary interior designers' job description, we find something interesting. And, when we say, “job description”, we’re talking about a real-world, marketplace-driven depiction.

Few will doubt that the most powerful reason for becoming an independent designer is freedom: not only creative freedom but, hopefully, financial freedom, as well. And yet… While you (FINALLY) get to be The Boss, there are aspects of entrepreneurship that are truly mind-numbing and energy-draining, things that can make the cost of that freedom seem incredibly expensive.

This was brought to mind by an article we found titled, 20 Entrepreneurs Reveal What They Hate About Being an Entrepreneur. While it doesn’t offer many solutions, those suggestions come from us, the list can't help but make one take some time to think things through a bit more deeply. We’ve chosen our Top 7 from the list but, don’t hesitate to check it out yourself. (It’s a doozy!)

7 Costs of Business Independence

  • Risk – The financial risk involved with a business startup is perhaps the most common reason an interior designer might not take the leap into working for herself (or himself). Getting started is an incredible challenge of course, but dealing with the unstable nature of business in general – and interior design in particular – can definitely keep you up at night. Ultimately, you need faith to make it happen, in yourself and your business purpose.

  • Responsibility – When things go right, there’s no better feeling AND you get all the praise! But, when things go wrong – you're on the hook for it – forever and for always! After all, you're now The Boss (see above), and that means you will be held to account for ANY problems that develop in a remodeling or design project. Acceptance is key here. You asked for it, you got it. Accept responsibility and keep moving forward.

  • Micromanaging – Taking care of mundane business tasks, the “paperwork” of old, is a total drag, whether actual paper or digital records. From creating invoices to writing checks for everything, and so much more, every detail must be managed and the buck can only stop with you! In the beginning, this should be something you can live with. Eventually, though, you'll need to learn to delegate tasks and, for a micro-manager, that ain’t easy!

  • Timesuck – Oy, the hours you’ll put in! Time management (or the lack thereof) is perhaps the most common complaint among even the most successful entrepreneurs. There simply are not enough hours in the day so, working past midnight and on weekends becomes commonplace. And, you can pretty much forget about taking a vacation for the first few years – at least. (See below)

  • Team building – Once your design business is on a roll, further growth will require team-building skills not taught in most design schools. Heck, it’s not taught in most business schools. (Not real-world skills, anyway!) Often, by the time you accept that you need help, you're well past the point where you should have sought it. This can make your search feel desperate, to the point you’re willing to accept almost anyone with a pulse. Instead, get started early and give yourself time to grow into accepting help even as your business continues to grow. (And maybe even take a vacation.)

  • Delegation – Similar to team building, delegating tasks to others is nearly always a challenge to a far-seeing entrepreneur. Will they share your vision? Can they further your mission? And, once you get used to doing everything yourself, which is inevitable with a startup, issues of competency and trust rear their heads. Hey, you gotta start sometime and, if your family no longer recognizes you when you occasionally make it home in time for dinner, well…

  • It’s lonely at the top – Well, not really, since everyone and their brother are making demands of you! But, you get the drift here. All of that responsibility and risk, that managing of projects and people, the energy-sapping time demands, and the need to rely on others are decidedly NOT the reasons you started your interior design business.

Unfortunately, these are just some of the costs of satisfying your entrepreneurial spirit and going out on your own. Are they worth it? You betcha’! (Just ask Ted.)

While there are no easy answers, and all platitudes suck, you can find some peace and reduce stress through mindfulness, acceptance, and gratitude. Stay conscious of your purpose, not just your business vision or mission. Accept that, for a while at least, these costs can only be borne by you but that, in the long run, things will get better. And finally, be grateful that you are able your pursue your dreams and are on the way to making them real. (That’s a Big Deal, right there!)

Need help? As always, Ted remains available to help you get there with business consulting to the trade, locally or virtually. (Or, virtually local. Whatever!) So, feel free to … Get in touch with TD Fall today.