Is It Worth It?

Is it worth it?

This question was posed to me recently when I had coffee with a woman in the throes of starting her second career in interior design. Struggling to find consistent work experience under a seasoned designer, she was trying to decide whether to take the plunge and start her own business—knowing there would be a tremendous learning curve—or to take a different path.

Given her experience and career history, going back to school and truly starting from the bottom didn’t feel like the right decision. We discussed her options and possible approaches to breaking into the design industry. We talked about my path, which was fairly traditional—undergrad, graduate degree in design, worked at various firms for several years before starting my own—and how much I’ve learned (and am STILL learning) a decade into business ownership and 20+ years into the industry. We also talked about what I’ve sacrificed along the way.

Then she asked me a question that gave me pause: Has it been worth it? Financially, emotionally, personally?

No one had ever asked me that—though I’d considered it internally many times—but I’d never had to articulate those thoughts in a coherent way. After a circuitous word salad, I came to my final conclusion:

It’s only worth it if you absolutely love it. It’s hard every day. There are a million reasons NOT to do it, to give up, to think there might be an easier career out there. It’s easy to get lost in the comparison game, let impostor syndrome infiltrate, and question every decision.

What sustains me, and is a crucial component of making it through the toughest of days, is passion. I cannot shut off my love for design. Not a space exists—indoor or out—that isn’t subjected to a full scan and (either internal or external) critical analysis. Traveling exclusively for fun doesn’t exist; wherever I go (local or international) becomes a source of inspiration—or a lesson in what not to do. Not an evening or weekend goes by without at least a note, or full-blown discussion about a system to improve, a process to refine, a strategy to handle a client or vendor issue. I am powered by both my anxiety (a conversation for another day) and the constant desire to be better, to do better.

That passion fuels another critical component to sustaining a design business: skill. Continually honing skills is imperative to staying relevant. Sharpening your craft, seeking feedback, growing, and adapting cannot be overstated. That’s hard work! It means never settling, never accepting mediocrity, being open to hearing criticism, and regularly taking long, hard looks in the mirror—where you often learn that sometimes, you’re the problem.

The truth of the matter is, there is quite literally nothing else I can or should be doing. On the days when I hate it, when I think I want to quit because it feels like too much, I still actually love it. I can’t turn off design; I live and breathe it and am constantly, feverishly consuming it.

Seeing in action the transformative power of design is some of the best motivation to keep truckin’. Design impacts people all day, every day, in ways both subtle and significant—whether it supports how you move around the kitchen during your morning routine, the pitch of the chair you sit in for work all day, the lighting at your office (that does or does not give you a headache), or the comfort of a banquette at a restaurant. These choices affect your well-being. And the people who shape those experiences for others? That’s an extraordinary privilege—and a weight.

Things I Wish I’d Known

All that said, there are most certainly things I wish I’d known as a designer in my first few (several?) years as a business owner. I mentioned a few of these points in my episode of The Brad Leavitt Podcast (Brad is a luxury builder in Arizona and we had a grand ole’ conversation—definitely worth a listen!).

First and foremost: this is a business. That sounds obvious, but most boutique residential interior designers start their own companies because they love design, they’re good at it, and they want to serve their own clients in their own way—working on their own projects rather than under someone else’s “byline,” if you will.

WELL!! It doesn’t take long to learn that it’s simply not enough to love design and be good at it. First things first, you have to run a legitimate, legal design business. This includes:

Business development
Commit a lot of time to it: 1:1 coffees, lunches, dinners, volunteering, sponsoring, participating on committees and boards, throwing parties—you name it.

Marketing + Public Relations
Newsletters, social media, mailers, strategic gifting, unstrategic gifting (just because!), and most importantly: following up! It’s not enough to do great work if no one sees it. You’ve got to set aside large sums of money for high-quality photos and videos of your work for your portfolio and for publishing. 

Nurturing relationships
Been a while since you talked to a past client? Reach out. Did someone go the extra mile for you? Put your name in the hat for a project? Publish your work? Send a thank-you note.

Client Services
Ensure you’re provisioning comprehensive, concierge services for clients.
Anticipate needs. Step in before problems escalate. Invite feedback—and really listen.

Financial management
Hire help if you’re not a finance whiz, but either way, keep a close eye on the money. Learn to manage cash flow, track utilization, and understand your margins. People are trusting you with large sums—manage it responsibly. And also keep in mind that this is a business! We designers are so often people pleasers and we want to be so fair, often at the detriment of our own profitability. Be fair to your clients AND to the business. Hashtag balance.

Legal + insurance.
Learn all about taxes, get insurance, and hire an attorney. You really don’t need the IRS to come a-knockin. Let’s make a pact to stay out of inadvertent tax fraud prison, shall we?

HR + People Management.
If you start off doing everything yourself, it doesn’t take long before you need some support. And before you have a full-blown staff with layers, you are the one hiring, negotiating salaries, onboarding, conducting check-ins, reviews, handling payroll, PTO, utilization, researching and implementing benefits. 

Business + Design Operations
You cannot run a design firm on intuition (and spreadsheets) alone. You need internal systems—project management tools, standard operating procedures, clear workflows, documentation—for how work gets done, both behind the scenes and with clients. Just as importantly, you need a clearly defined design process and a strong point of view that guides your team and your projects. That means mapping out every phase of the work, articulating your design philosophy, and training your team in the way you think, present, and execute. Operations may not be glamorous, but they are the glue—and without them, even the best design vision will fall flat. Until I was able to hire people with operations expertise, guess who was finding, researching, learning and implementing the new programs to keep us organized. That’s right, ME. Let’s just say we’re way more buttoned up now than we were when I was the one spearheading all of that!

Amidst all this, you still have to draw, plan, sketch, dream, present, source, procure, manage construction and installation. WOOF.

In Conclusion

You cannot do this alone, though for a while you probably will. And that’s why you have to love it.

Not just the mood boards or the glamorous before-and-after reveals. You have to love the grind. The spreadsheets and the site visits. The tough conversations, the redlines, the accountability. You have to love running a business just as much as you love creating beautiful spaces—because the business is what keeps the beauty alive.

And when you love it—truly love it—it fuels you through the exhaustion, the doubt, and the relentless demands. It sharpens your instincts, humbles your ego, and expands your capacity for growth. It makes you better.

So, is it worth it?

Yes—if you’re all in. Not just for the glory, but for the grit.