Passive Income for Interior Designers: Course Creation

Interior designers have a wealth of knowledge and expertise that can be shared with others. One way to do this while also generating passive income is by creating online courses. By creating courses, designers can reach a wider audience and establish themselves as an authority in the field of interior design. Plus, courses provide a great opportunity to earn money while helping others learn valuable skills. In this blog post, we'll explore the benefits of creating courses for an interior designer. 

Generate Passive Income 

After selecting a platform that supports the creation and distribution of courses such as YouTube, Skillshare or Teachable, designers can upload their videos to these sites and earn a commission for views or minutes watched of their course. If the designer has created a comprehensive learning experience that includes video lectures and thorough course materials there’s no doubt the designer will earn royalties throughout the month. 

Establish Authority in the Field of Interior Design 

Interior designers can use courses to show their skills and knowledge of the industry. This can help them gain a following and build credibility. Whether the designer chooses to create their course for homeowners or aspiring interior designers, it’s a perfect way to showcase their expertise. 

Reach a Wider Audience 

Courses allow interior designers to reach a global audience, meaning that anyone with an internet connection can access their course. Additionally, many people are unable to attend in person classes due to work or family commitments, making online courses an appealing option for those who want to learn on their own schedule. By offering courses that can be taken at any time, interior designers can appeal to a broader audience who might not have been able to participate otherwise. 

Expand Business Opportunities

Creating courses can also lead to new business opportunities. Interior designers who create courses can attract new clients who are interested in their services, and they can also offer additional services such as one-on-one coaching or consulting.

Tips for Creating a Course 

1. Decide on your target audience. Decide on who you want to teach, what their skill level is, and what they want to learn. This will help you create a course that meets their needs. 

2. Create a course outline. Your outline should include key concepts, learning objectives, and course materials such as videos, presentation slides, activities, and quizzes. 

3. Choose a platform. There are many platforms available to upload your course to, with different pros and cons. The key is to find one that fits your budget and technical skills. Skillshare, Udemy, and Coursera are popular course sites and people also use YouTube. 

4. Create exceptional content. You want your course to stand out and you can do this by creating high-quality content like videos, worksheets, quizzes and showing real-life scenarios to engage and educate your students. 

5. Market your course. It’s important to get your audience excited about your course. You can do this by promoting your course on social media, in Facebook groups, on LinkedIn, and contributing to a publication or podcast where you can mention your new course.  

In conclusion, creating courses is an excellent way for interior designers to share their expertise and create another stream of income. Whether you're just starting out or are an experienced interior designer, creating courses is a great way to share your knowledge and expand your business.

xx, Danae 

Passive Income for Interior Designers: Affiliate Marketing

Interior designers with a strong online presence or who have a very specific niche are very well-suited for using affiliate marketing to create a stream of passive income. Affiliate marketing works by a company providing a commission to a designer who has successfully promoted their product. A simple way to use affiliate marketing is through shoppable mood boards or creating a shop with affiliate links on your website.

How Interior Designers Can Get Started with Affiliate Marketing

1. Identify products that you are using in your projects or recommending regularly to clients.

2. Research affiliate marketing programs offered by those brands and companies. Many companies offer a way to earn a commission if a client purchases a product from your recommendation.

3. Apply to be an affiliate marketer. Once approved, the designer can begin to promote their favorite products on social media, through blog posts or newsletters, or by creating shoppable mood boards.

4. When someone purchases through the designer’s affiliate link, the interior designer earns a commission.

By using affiliate marketing, interior designers can earn passive income without having to actively sell their favorite products. However, it's strongly advised to disclose affiliate links and be transparent about any financial incentives involved to maintain trust with your audience and clients.

Benefits of Using Affiliate Marketing to Create Passive Income

It’s low-risk: Getting started with affiliate marketing doesn’t require much upfront investment as joining an affiliate marketing program is usually free and promoting the items can be done on social media or a designer’s website.

It’s hassle-free: The designer is not responsible for any shipping responsibilities or keeping inventory.

It’s a way to gain exposure to new brands and products: By partnering with reputable companies, interior designers can be the first to know of new products.

It helps create additional income streams: Affiliate marketing allows designers to create passive income while still focusing on their main services.

Tips for Successful Affiliate Marketing

Choose relevant products that align with the designer’s brand and their target audience: For example, an interior designer who focuses on sustainable design would benefit from promoting products from brands that are eco-friendly. Well-received promotions will result in higher conversion rates.

Create high-quality content to promote products in a natural way: A carefully-curated shoppable mood board that compliments the designer’s brand can be promoted on social media or blog posts to show clients what products they are loving at the moment.

Be transparent about affiliate links: This can be done by mentioning that a link is an affiliate link or by using hashtags like #ad or #affiliate when posting on social media.

Where to Get Started

There are many sites for interior designers to get started as an affiliate marketer. You may have heard of some, such as Side Door and RewardStyle. Or you may not know that sites you’re already using, like Wayfair and Amazon, have affiliate programs. The most important aspect is finding a company that aligns with your brand and target audience.

In short, any interior designer who is interested in creating additional income streams and has an online platform and audience can potentially benefit from affiliate marketing.

xx, Danae

Six Simple, Yet Highly Effective Ideas for Virtual Team Building

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Are you an interior designer with remote employees or outsourcing collaborators? Then you know how challenging it can be to maintain open communication and build a sense of camaraderie while juggling everything else. While the idea of team-building can elicit mixed reactions, it's a worthwhile and sorely underestimated investment for any business owner. By fostering connections between team members, you can deepen their bonds and improve communication, leading to better work performance, productivity, and job satisfaction.

The good news is that virtual team-building exercises don’t have to be complicated, time-consuming, or necessarily cost you a penny. From simple check-ins to team games, you can build a stronger and happier team. Here are some easy ideas to get started.

1. Master your online platforms and software. To create a strong sense of community and effective communication in a virtual team, it's important to make the most of an online platform like Slack, Asana, or Trello. These platforms provide a space for colleagues to interact, share ideas, and collaborate seamlessly. Knowing your way around your video conferencing platform of choice, such as Zoom or Google Meet, is essential, as features like screen sharing, breakout rooms, whiteboards, and remote control are indispensable tools for virtual communication.

2. Set regular team meetings. By scheduling regular company-wide communication, you can create a welcoming environment that encourages everyone to share their thoughts and ideas. These meetings help to keep everyone informed, ensure that short and long-term goals are within sight, and give everyone a voice. To make the meetings more engaging, consider starting by having each person share their "high" and "low" of the week, whether it be work-related or not. Alternatively, you can kick off team meetings with an icebreaker question to get everyone thinking and interacting, such as “If you were alone in a dark cabin, with only one match and a lamp, a fireplace, and a candle to choose from, which would you light first?”

3. Welcome feedback. While team meetings can be a great forum for sharing ideas, they may not be the best place for constructive criticism. To encourage honest feedback, consider setting up a virtual “suggestion box” for anonymous submissions, and commit to reading and addressing them once a month. Additionally, taking the time to check in with each team member individually can provide valuable insights and allow for open discussion on what's working well and areas that could be improved. Even though you have the final say in your own business, being receptive to your team's feedback can be incredibly valuable.

4. Celebrate the wins. It's easy to get caught up in the momentum of completing tasks and immediately move on to the next one. But taking a beat to celebrate big milestones (completing an important project) or small successes (finding a creative solution to a design conundrum) boosts morale and pumps the team up to keep going. Whether it’s a quick shout-out in a team meeting or an Uber Eats gift card for a job well done, the gesture goes a long way. When team members feel appreciated and united, their performance tends to improve, so it’s truly a win-win.

5. Play online games together. One great way to encourage team bonding is by playing online games together, especially those that require collaboration and communication skills. Set a time limit beforehand and inform your team about it, so that no one gets stressed about time constraints and can organize their workday accordingly. Then it’s time to have fun! Here are some options:

• "Can You Hear Me Now?" is a virtual game that requires excellent communication skills and collaboration. One team member becomes the speaker, and the others are artists. The speaker must describe a randomly generated image using only geometric shapes, and the artists must draw it and then share their masterpieces. The game is not only fun but also teaches the importance of effective communication in a remote team setting.

• Pancakes vs Waffles is a decision-making discussion game that encourages team members to share their values. In each round, the team must choose between two options (such as Pancakes vs Waffles), with one being eliminated each time. The game starts with a simple choice and gradually becomes more personal as new options are added. The game mechanics are helpful for virtual team building because they create a low-stakes environment for sharing personal values.

• There are infinite online games that you can play with your remote team, whether competing in groups or individually. Online trivia, quizzes, and games are a great way to spark enthusiasm. Some fantastic free options are Words with Friends, Scattergories, Skribbl (like Pictionary), TypingTest, or even Geoguessr. If you use Slack, you probably already know about their own game apps. Why not create a “Guess Who” quiz on Kahoot with fun facts about you and your team members? There are also paid platforms designed specifically for team-building experiences, such as QuizBreaker or TriviaMaker.

6. Spend time together offline.

If it's feasible within your company's budget and team members’ travel abilities, consider renting a property that can accommodate everyone and planning a fun itinerary with both group sessions and activities. Make sure to leave enough free time for spontaneous deep conversations that can really strengthen your team bonds. Otherwise, meeting to attend industry events together is a great way to keep up with design trends and also bond and learn as a team.

As you can see, when it comes to team-building activities, there are endless options to choose from. From team meetings to virtual games, the most important thing is to create an environment that fosters open dialogue, collaboration, and enjoyment among your team members–yourself included–who are the driving force behind your company's success. Not only will it add some joy and insight into your work day, but investing in your team today will reap high returns for your company. So why not start planning a team-building activity today and watch your team thrive?

xx, Danae

Order Your Very Own Personalized Stainless Steel Tumblers For Your Interior Design Business!

Show off your interior design business in style with these personalized Stainless Steel Tumblers! Perfect for client gifts, employee appreciation, or giveaways! Email our vendor, Inspire Design Studio, at teresa@inspiredesignstudiomn.com to learn more about these tumblers, including item details, pricing, quantity breaks, and more!

Passive Income for Interior Designers: YouTube

A perfect passive income option for designers who also enjoy public speaking and have confidence in front of a camera is creating a YouTube channel. The amount of ideas for interior design video content is endless and it could be a fun way to create another stream of income.

YouTube Video Ideas 

1. Decorating Tips + Tricks: Viewers would love to see how designers decorate different spaces around their home, such as a bookshelf, a reading corner, or the fireplace mantel. Interior designers can also show how they create cohesive color schemes and choose different patterns that work together. If you have a niche aesthetic, this could be a great way to show viewers how to pick different design items and why.

2. Behind-The-Scenes Look: Taking viewers behind the scenes of a project, from showing how to create a mood board to creating renders for the project and the big final reveal is a great idea for a YouTube video or even a series of videos. Showing the professional process is really interesting for viewers and potential clients. Designers can showcase how they keep their client’s interests and desires in mind while bringing their vision to life. 

3. Q & A Video: If you are getting direct messages on social media, a perfect way to answer those questions is through a YouTube video. Questions could vary from being about the design process, how-to questions, or even just about your professional background. This is a personable way to let viewers and potential clients get to know you. 

4. Design Challenges: Choosing to tackle a realistic design challenge like creating a furniture plan for a studio apartment or decorating a space with a limited budget is a fun way for designers to get creative and showcase how they take on challenging projects. Even more, it’s inspiring for people watching who may be facing those challenges themselves. 

 How To Use YouTube to Create Passive Income 

To get started on YouTube, interior designers should create a YouTube channel where they can create content dedicated to interior design. YouTube provides a monetization feature that allows content creators to earn money through advertising revenue. To be eligible for monetization, a channel must have at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in the past 12 months. Paired with additional affiliate marketing and sponsored products, this could create a substantial additional revenue stream. 

A key tip for anyone getting started with YouTube is to stay consistent. An audience doesn’t grow exponentially overnight. It’s about consistently creating quality content and truly enjoying the process. A major perk of YouTube is letting people get to know the real you, the face behind the brand, and why you’re passionate about interior design. 

xx, Danae

Interior Design Business Check-up: 7 Ways to Boost Your Success

As an interior designer, it can be easy to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks and lose sight of the big picture. Conducting a business checkup from time to time can help you identify areas that need improvement, stay efficient and relevant, and make an enormous difference in your short-term and long-term growth. It’s a good idea to analyze various aspects of your business monthly or quarterly, and then do a more comprehensive checkup on a yearly basis. You should also revisit these points whenever your business is going through a significant change, such as a new product or service launch.

Here are seven areas to focus on during your checkup:

Technology

Take a look at all of the technology you are currently using in your business. Are there any tools or software that you could update or replace with more efficient options? For example, switching to a cloud-based project management system meant for interior designers could save time by reducing redundant work, as well as improve collaboration with team members. Apps like Canvas can save you time on site surveying.

Stay Current

One of the things interior designers often enjoy the most, yet sometimes don’t seem to have (or make) much time for, is to check out other designers’ work and new vendors or items. Keeping an eye on the latest design trends, materials, and technologies can help you offer fresh, innovative solutions to your clients. Additionally, staying current with industry trends can also help you anticipate changes in the market and adapt to new demands from clients.

Streamline

One important aspect of streamlining internal business processes is to review and organize your design resources. This includes your 2D and 3D block and model libraries, templates, and other design assets. Having a well-organized system with a standardized file naming convention can save time and improve efficiency in the design process. You can also look into automating certain repetitive tasks such as sending invoices.

Accountability

Review the roles and responsibilities of anyone else on your team. Are they clear and well-defined? Are there areas where team members are struggling or not meeting expectations? Identifying and addressing these issues can lead to a more productive and successful team. Encouraging open communication with regular team meetings and a culture of feedback is also vital.

Expense Reduction

Review your business expenses to see if there are any non-essential costs that can be cut. For example, are there memberships or subscriptions that you no longer need? Is there room for negotiating better rates with any of your vendors? Can video calls replace some of your face-to-face meetings, thus reducing travel time and costs?

New Income Streams

Consider adding a new service to your business to increase revenue. For example, many interior designers are now offering e-design services, which allow clients to work with a designer remotely. Otherwise, consider offering a specialized service such as space planning, color consulting, or even outdoor design. Look into what other new revenue streams fit with your passions and your company. You may even set up a lucrative passive income stream, which doesn’t add to your ongoing workload.

More Projects

One way to boost success is to increase the number of profitable projects you take on at once. If you feel you’ve already reached your capacity, this can be done by outsourcing certain tasks that are lower-paying, time-consuming, or not your area of expertise. You can hire a virtual design assistant, whether periodically or on a regular basis, to take some of those responsibilities off your plate. And finding ways to market your services more effectively, such as through social media or networking events, will help you win over more clients.

By gathering these insights, you can identify key areas of strength and areas that need improvement. Stay open to feedback from your team and your clients to help inform your decisions. Remember, even small changes can make a big difference in the long run.

xx, Danae

The Best Ways to Scale Your Interior Design Business

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In the business world, what got you to one stage probably won’t get you to the next. It’s true that changing your structure or way of working, investing, and creating a work team can feel like a lot, especially if you have been working on your own for a while. But it’s a reality that you have to face in order to scale your business and take it to the next level. When you've gained enough traction to expand your team or move to a larger office, that's great news. But how can you start increasing your revenue without significantly increasing costs or effort?

Is it Time to Scale my Interior Design Business?

First, it is important to make moves at the right time. Enlist the help of a financial planner to crunch the numbers and conduct a study of the current market as well as the performance of your business so far. This will help you determine what, if any, changes are in order. A couple of indicators that it may be time to reevaluate things, too, are if you're getting more client requests than you have time to handle or are overwhelmed with administrative tasks. Basically, if you feel maxed out and like you’ve hit a revenue ceiling, take heart. It gets better.

Review Your Business Plan

Scaling can look different for different business models or directions. Write down the aims and values of your company, niche, and target client profile. Write your business goals and get help in mapping out strategic 1, 3, and 5-year plans, even if you later decide to make adjustments. Budget for slow seasons, such as the winter holidays, and be intentional about your investments. Having all of this established will position you to spot the best opportunities.

Renovate Your Service Offering

Evaluate whether any of your current service offerings should be repackaged or repriced. See what complementary services you could add and upsell, creating multiple revenue streams. And, perhaps best of all, establish additional passive income streams that will add to your revenue on an ongoing basis with minimal upfront investment. Some examples are promoting brands on your blog, earning through product affiliate sales, using platforms like Sidedoor or Like To Know It, becoming a brand ambassador, or selling digital products like an ebook or pre-made mood boards.

Be picky about your projects

Since you have already determined what your ideal projects and clients look like, don't waste time on projects that don't fit. Each project involves a certain amount of resources, and there will be projects that will strengthen your portfolio and reinforce your brand better than others. If you filter the requests you receive accordingly, it's another way to get the most out of your efforts.

Put Technology Tools to Work

To level up you will need to improve your digital marketing strategy. It's time to work with online marketing automation and CRMs, and perhaps improve the quality of your social media content. Don't skimp on tools that save you time, and help you organize, improve, and automate processes. There are many project management programs out there designed specifically for interior design studios that could make a real difference in your productivity.

Streamline Your Processes

Your company should have a manual with standard operating procedures outlining the order of tasks and responsibilities for each stage of a project, as well as administrative maintenance and growth initiatives. Analyze and write down what has worked so far, and keep your manual updated with any new insights. This will allow you to stay on top of your company's management, not let leads or other opportunities slip through the cracks, and also keep your team on the same page as part of your ongoing communication with them.

Train and Delegate

Design and administration are equally important to the success of your business, but there will be times when your need for the support of one skill set is greater than the other. Take inventory of the skills that aren’t your strong points and see if they fall into a similar category in order to hire one person to take them on. Start there and expand your team gradually, depending on your company’s needs at each juncture.

Properly training new hires and working side by side with them, especially in the beginning, will save you time in the long run. Keep in mind that the onboarding process can take a few months, so be prepared to invest that time and your salary amount, even before their work really starts to reflect in the company's profits. If you’re not ready to take on a new team member full-time, consider working with a virtual assistant who is able to help you with a wide range of tasks.

As you can see, scaling your business has everything to do with optimizing its various facets. It's about staying open to doing things more efficiently and taking advantage of revenue-generating opportunities while your day-to-day efforts are right where they need to be.

xx, Danae