Interior Home Design Business - if you've got the knack then this could be the perfect opportunity for you

Every time my wife and I have moved we also began a new home design adventure. And in every case we truly struggled with all the decisions that had to be made. In the end I ended up having to do most of the work myself; painting, hanging wall paper, installing new carpet, hanging new shelves, installing ceiling fans, etc.

The recent growth in popularity of the various cable shows such as DIY Network, Backyard Crashers, and Extreme Home Makeover the public has grown more and more accustomed to the idea of giving their home a minor, or even a major face lift. In most cases this is proving to be a shrewd investment for homeowners. They get the benefit of new living quarters with updated amenities without the cost or hassle of having to sell their home and then financing a newer and more expensive one. The home design and improvement industry is hot, hot, hot and is showing no signs of cooling off. There may be no better time than the present to tool up your skills and fire up your enthusiasm for a career in this creative and fulfilling field.

Even though most families are very interested in the idea of a home makeover they simply don't have the time or skills to undertake most of these projects, no matter how minor. This is where your opportunity comes knocking. Are you listening? This simply means there are plenty of opportunities for entrepreneurs like you to start what I'm are broadly calling an interior home design business.

I've done a bit of research on this subject and I've discovered that there are 5 different types of interior home design business an entrepreneur like you can start: interior design, interior redesign, professional organizing, building preservation/restoration, and faux painting. Here's a closer look at each one so you can get a better idea of what one has in store for you.

Interior Design

First of all you have to be brutally honest with yourself and determine if you have the knack for this. You may THINK you do when actually your taste in design ideas leaves much to be desired (your friends and family simply don't have the heart to tell you). In this particular interior home design business field you'll need to be able to beautify, improve and update the appearance and functionality of interior spaces in homes and commercial buildings. You'll even have the option to specialize in a particular type of design such as kitchens or interior lighting and even perform as a sales representative for several manufacturers of home accessories and furniture.

Be advised that this is one field that is extremely regulated by the government. So you can't just order up your business cards and place an ad in the yellow pages just yet. In most states you'll be required to obtain licensing. To do so designers must pass a rigorous exam (after accumulating 6 years of experience in the field along with a college degree).

Now don't give up just yet. First of all you may live in a state that doesn't make it so difficult to start living your dream or you can choose to call yourself a DECORATOR instead and do all the things a designer does and still be in compliance with local laws. Projections are that job opportunities in this field are expected to grow through 2012. So this is the perfect time to start your business.

Interior Redesign

How many times have you walked into someone's home or a doctors office and panned the room and then suddenly get the urge to start rearranging things? You just knew that these people had no idea what they were doing when they set things up. You might have even asked yourself why they never bothered calling you before they wasted so much time and effort.

After all, you know you would have done a much better job and they would certainly be enjoying their environment much more than they are now. With this interior home design business that’s the function of the interior redesigner, who uses design skills similar to those of the interior designer to work his or her magic. If this is where your passion lies then you need to know that there are 2 paths you can take. The first is in residential or commercial redesign; the second is in real estate staging, in which the re-designer sizes up a home for sale and makes improvement and updating suggestions that can help the home sell faster.

This concept has only recently gained popularity and has experienced healthy demand in the marketplace. If you want to get a better idea of what this opportunity would be like on a day to day basis then I recommend you watch a few episodes of HGTV's Designed to Sell.

Professional Organizer

This is another interior home design business field that’s still in its infancy but growing fast. If you've been called a "neat freak" or even "anal" with regards to organization then you may be in luck. Professional organizers have the ability to cut through the clutter in people’s homes and businesses to help them live simpler, more organized lives. They also develop customized organizational plans using filing and storage systems that their clients can live with and maintain easily.

Restoration/Preservation

If you have an eye for detail and love of history, especially architecture, then you may be well suited to working in this field.

You’ll find these pros engaged in just about any home building activity related to electricity, plaster, masonry, stucco, woodworking, tile, tin ceilings, painting, post and beam construction, and the preservation/conservation of vintage elements like horsehair plaster, fresco, adobe and lime plaster. These professionals also use their skills to preserve and save objects like furniture and accessories.

If you have acquired any of these skills then you may well want to explore all opportunities to establish yourself as an independent professional. It's important to remember and understand that these professionals do not RENOVATE. They specialize in restoring buildings and home to their original condition so that there is no further deterioration.

One thing is for sure, there are definitely plenty of restoration projects out there. Close to 100,000 renovation/restoration projects have been undertaken since 1980 and has created over 200,000 jobs and 60,000 businesses.

Faux Painting

This is a purely decorative field that is practiced by what I would call "artists". The same level of talent that's required to paint on a canvas is needed to succeed in this field. In my opinion it's a step above the typical home painter. I would say it's like comparing a nurse to a doctor. They both provide highly skilled care to patients but one requires a different or higher level of talent and skill.

The key to success with this interior home design business option is being able to follow step-by-step instructions and take your time. Because of the specialty nature of the job and the technical skill involved, faux painters can earn $400 a day or more, or around $60 by the hour. Some faux painters say it’s possible to earn up to $1,000 a day depending on the size and scope of the project as well as who’s footing the bill.

So how do you get started?

The best place to start this interior home design business is right in your very own home. Choose your desired specialty and select various parts of your home to execute assorted projects. Take good notes for each project that you undertake. You want to record the size of the room or area you worked on, the costs of materials, time involved, mistakes made, corrective action taken, and of course be sure to take high quality pictures of the final product. You'll want to create a portfolio of your handiwork to show potential clients. This is one of the best forms of advertisement.

Of course, as a one-person interior home design business, you also will shoulder a lot more responsibility to keep the business running. For this reason, some home design businesspeople purchase a franchise. With a interior home design business franchise, all the legal aspects are handled for you. You have access to prepackaged marketing and advertising, and you can use the name of a recognized company in your advertising. The problem is, franchise fees can be steep—often tens of thousands of dollars to as much as $100,000. But for some people, having all their ducks in a row is worth the extra money.

Whichever method you choose to embark on your interior home design business you will need to figure out how to drum up clients asap. Without a constant flow of customers you will experience a number of ups and downs, especially in the beginning. In a one man operation it's tough being the one performing the project, marketing your interior home design business and managing the expenses and staying on top of it all.

One of the wisest investments you can make early on in your interior home design business is to set up a web presence online that will work for you 24/7. With a properly designed and executed website you'll be able to free yourself up from one time-consuming aspect of your interior home design business so can focus on another aspect of it. I highly recommend the site builder services of SiteSell Services. You'll receive a free consultation with one of their web marketing experts and they'll be able to explain to you how your interior home design business can grow steadily with the right web design. This is becoming a very popular and effective means of advertising for many small business owners, often allowing them the edge they need to compete with much larger enterprises who have larger advertising budgets and local presence. There is no better resource to market and grow your interior home design business.

There are many more home business ideas available that are worth exploring. If you liked the information I've made available to you today and you want to get a monthly update on this topic all you need to do is subscribe to my newsletter. It's easy to do and it's FREE. The only thing you can count on is that you'll be getting the latest information that will truly help you take action.

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