Setting Goals for your Interior Design Business

Setting goals for your interior design business is key to making sure that you lay the foundations to make next year even more successful than last. 

One of my mantras is: "Success is designed, it doesn't happen by chance", and setting goals is integral to designing that success. 

So how do we start setting goals for your interior design business?

How to start setting goals for your interior design business

Last week we looked at the key metrics to review, so that you can learn what helped you, and what hindered you last year. (If you haven't checked out that post yet, it's a good idea to start there).

Applying the lessons that you learned from last year are key to making sure that you don't make the same mistakes again, and that you capitalise on the successes you did have.

Which goals to set?

Focusing on some key areas will help set you up for success. 

At The Interior Designers Hub, we split our goal setting into four areas: Money, Marketing, Mindset and Me. I do love a bit of alliteration ;)

Money Goals

The first question is to ask yourself how much money you want your business to make in the coming year. Being clear about how much you want to earn helps you to crystallise your goal, and makes you much more likely to get there. 

Split this down by income streams, looking at the different ways you can bring money into your business, and divide the income up into those streams. Then divide this annual goal into monthly milestones

You can weight this so that you are forecasting to earn more towards the end of the year, as your momentum builds and traction grows.

Next you need to look at how you are going to make that happen, and this leads us to our marketing goals. 

Marketing Goals

Bringing money into your interior design business is all about the marketing! The more that people know about your business, the more connections you make, the more income you will bring in.

Write down how many email subscribers you want to have, how many followers on your different social platforms. Make a list of the events you want to attend. Think about the influencers you want to get in touch with. How will you get local PR this year? Which publications, podcasts and radio shows will you apply to?

What else can you do this year to make sure that you are being seen by as many people as possible, and getting your business out there?

Mindset Goals

Many people think that achieving their goals is all about the action. But in fact a much bigger contributor is your mindset. Cultivating a 'success' mindset is key to growing your business. 

Things will always go wrong, in life and in business,  but it is how you respond to them that is key. 

Firstly, know that things will go wrong. Doors will be slammed in your face, projects will fail, clients will be rude, you may lose a tender. So know that this is normal - and be ready for it!

If you anticipate the punches that are coming then they don't knock you for six when they arrive!

Secondly, start journalling what happens in your business. Recording each success and failure will help you to learn the lessons to make your business bounce back stronger and wiser next time. It's only a failure if you don't learn from it! 

"Me" Goals

Finally, when you run your own business, it's all too easy to get wrapped up in the daily grind. Remember, variety is not only the spice of life, but also essential for our well being. 

What things would you like to do personally this year? Where would you like to go on holiday? What adventures would you like to have? Are there new hobbies you would like to take on?

I realised last year that I was so wrapped up in my interior design business that I stopped  'enjoying' interior design (which has always been my hobby, even before it was my career).

I now plan in the things that light me up; whether it's a visit to an antiques sale, a reclamation yard, a fabric shop or even just a mooch around IKEA!

What will you do this year to refresh and re-charge?

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