Grow Your Interior Design Business By Embracing A Community Mindset

Are you the type of person who loves to connect with other entrepreneurs and professionals or do you avoid it as much as possible and rather stay solo? 

Have you ever thought about your community as a way to grow your business? Or do you simply see it as a loss of time and energy? 

Today we will dig deeper into why embracing a community mindset can really help you take your interior design business to the next level and how to do it so it doesn’t drain all your energy. 

First… what do we mean by community? 

Your community can include many people. It can be your current or potential customers, it can be entrepreneurs that are in a similar phase of business development. For this article, we will look more into your community as other professionals in the interior design industry. 

These people are way more than a group to meet at industry events and have a drink with once in a while. They can truly become a support system that will play an important role in the growth of your business. Let’s see how. 

• Community versus Competition

Do you look at other designers as your competition? 

Do you feel any jealousy or anxiety when you see they are growing their business, doing better than you, or releasing a similar offer than you? 

We have all been there and it’s ok. But we’re here to tell you there is another way to look at things and one that will make your life much more pleasant, too! 

When you start looking at your competitors as your community, some beautiful partnerships and connections start to grow. 

>> Next time you read an article from another designer that you found interesting, share your thoughts on it and why you liked reading it.

>> Next time you see the work of a designer that inspired you, go tell them and thank them. 

>> Next time you learn about another designer getting a new contract, congratulate them. 

By genuinely engaging the conversation with other interior designers, they will go from being a scary competition to being a friendly community. And this is when the magic happens!

Over time, these messages will turn into conversations that will turn into relationships. The support you are providing will be returned to you, too. 

Imagine for a second how that would make you feel if another designer took the time to congratulate you. Being able to provide that feeling to someone else will turn that anxiety and jealousy into a very positive reaction that will make you feel much lighter and will give you more energy for your own projects, too. 

Keep in mind that being genuine is very important here. Don’t expect anything in return. Your goal here is to simply share your positive words.  

• Share your struggles & find solutions together

It is natural to want to give a perfect image of ourselves. We always want to look like the one landing new contracts easily, the one without doubts, the one always high on creativity… But the reality of things is that being an entrepreneur and owning your own business is hard. And while you may think you are the only one going through these challenges, there are millions of other people going through similar situations. 

It is hard to be vulnerable and especially in front of other people who seemed to have it all figured out. But the beauty of opening up about our challenges is that we will find support and solutions where we least expected it. 

When we share our true experiences with other professionals, we will first realize we are not alone which will give us an instant feeling of release. Then we will also learn from other people’s experiences and struggles. This can give you tips and solutions to your problems much faster. 

• Grow your client base

When you start creating authentic connections with other professionals you also open yourself to new clients. Imagine you had a really interesting discussion with another interior designer. You realized you have similar tastes and ways of working. Then a few months later, that person is asked to do a project but they are already full and have to decline. If during your exchange they felt connected to you it will be easy for them to simply recommend that project directly to you. 

And here you are, with a new client without having to do any work! 

• Know your collaborators 

Growing your community of interior designers will also help you when you need additional support on a project. Wouldn’t it be better to directly ask someone you know and have a good feeling with to come to help you on a specific project instead of having to work alongside a total stranger you had to hire last minute? 

• Embrace the community mindset

Why are we talking here about a community mindset? 

We often hear people complaining about how they should grow their community and start networking but it takes too much time and it is too draining for them. Some have tried to force themselves to connect with minimum 5 persons a week but they quickly stop doing it because they lost interest or realized their messages don’t have any impact.

This is where the mindset plays a big role. Having a community mindset changes the way you interact with people. Instead of seeing it as a task, you see it as a way to communicate and interact on a regular basis.

Where to start?

• If you are working by yourself at home, think about joining a coworking space once a week. Working from home has many advantages but it can also make you feel lonely at times. Being in a place surrounded by other entrepreneurs can give you many opportunities to grow your community;

• When you are on social media, actually engage with the content you find interesting - leave a comment, send a personal message, or even a voice note;

• Email someone you regularly read their newsletter to tell them that you always enjoy reading their content;

• You really resonate with someone else’s work and feel like you would really align with that person? Be honest and ask them to hop on a coffee ZOOM to exchange some ideas and get to know each other;

• Someone leaves you a review, send you a message, recommend you… Take the time to connect with that person and thank them:

• Last but not least, don’t be afraid to talk about what you do. You might be surprised to realize a friend of a friend actually does something similar, your neighbor works in the same industry, and so on. 

Are you ready to keep your business growing and make it even more enjoyable by growing your community alongside? If you need help, let’s talk about it. Click here to schedule a Complimentary Brand Consultation.