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If you’re running a multiple six-figure interior design firm and finding that the business advice you used to love now feels surface-level, this episode is for you. DIY business advice isn’t bad. In fact, it’s incredibly helpful when you’re building momentum. But there comes a point when quick tips, Instagram soundbites, and six-week tactical courses stop moving the needle. If you’re still working too hard for the results you’re getting, it may not be an effort problem. It may be that your business has outgrown beginner-level strategy.

In this episode, I’m breaking down the signs you’ve officially outgrown DIY business advice and what it actually takes to scale a complex, project-based interior design firm sustainably. Because once you’re managing payroll, client expectations, cash flow, and team capacity, surface-level advice just doesn’t cut it anymore.

In this episode, I cover:

• Why DIY business advice works in early stages but stalls at multiple six figures
• The difference between tactical wins and structural growth
• Why recurring problems in your design firm are usually architectural, not behavioral
• How interconnected challenges (team, pricing, workflow, cash flow) require integrated strategy
• The shift from consuming more information to improving decision quality
• What it really means to grow your “CEO wings” as an interior design business owner
• Why frustration with surface-level advice is actually a sign of evolution, not ego
• How to recognize when you’re ready for higher-level, customized strategy

If you’re solving the same problems on repeat, tweaking marketing without meaningful change, or feeling like you’re still the glue holding the entire operation together, you are not behind. You’ve just reached a new level of complexity. And complexity requires integration, not more checklists. This is the stage where real leadership begins — where growth comes from better structure, stronger decision-making, and strategy calibrated to your specific firm.

If this conversation resonates, and you know you’ve built something real but it’s starting to feel heavier and more nuanced than the advice you’re consuming, I would love to help you sort through it. Book a free 15-minute problem-solving call at FixMyDesignBiz.com and let’s talk through what’s actually happening inside your business. Because your firm should be working for you, not the other way around.

Connect with Katie

LinkedIn

Business Strategy Sessions for Interior Designers

Free Resources for scaling your interior design firm

Website

Send Katie a Text Message!!

You raised your rates.
You updated your website.
You had the uncomfortable conversations.

And you thought, This is it. This is the turning point.

But you’re still working just as much. Maybe more.

If that’s you, this episode of Success by Design is going to hit home.

In this conversation, I break down why raising your interior design fees is often necessary — but never the magic fix everyone promises. Higher pricing doesn’t automatically create more freedom. In fact, without the right structure, it can actually create more pressure.

We talk about:

• Why pricing is a multiplier, not a solution
• How higher-paying clients come with higher expectations
• The real reason your margin may still be leaking (scope creep)
• Why freedom is created by structure — not revenue

Two designers can charge the same rates and have completely different experiences. The difference isn’t talent. It’s systems, boundaries, and decision ownership.

If you’ve quietly wondered whether raising your rates was a mistake, this episode will give you clarity.

Because your business should be working for you — not the other way around.

Connect with Katie

LinkedIn

Business Strategy Sessions for Interior Designers

Free Resources for scaling your interior design firm

Website

Send Katie a Text Message!!

If you’ve ever found yourself thinking, “I swear I’ve already answered this,” while a team member pings you yet again, this episode is for you.

Today, I’m unpacking one of the most exhausting leadership moments I see with designers — when your team keeps asking the same questions over and over, and it starts to make you wonder if you’re doing something wrong as a leader. I want to say this clearly right out of the gate: this isn’t a sign that you’re failing. It’s feedback. And when you understand what that feedback is actually pointing to, everything starts to shift.

In this episode, I talk honestly about why repeated questions usually aren’t a communication problem or a documentation problem — even though that’s where most of us go first. More SOPs, more explanations, or even questioning whether you hired the wrong person often feels like the logical next step. But in my experience, that approach only reinforces the dynamic that’s burning you out.

What your team is really asking — whether they realize it or not — is whether they’re allowed to decide without you.

We dive into the idea of decision ownership and why so many creative leaders accidentally hold onto it longer than they should. I share how being the fixer, the closer, and the safety net can quietly train your team to outsource judgment back to you — even when they’re capable of more. I also walk you through the leadership shift from “doing” to “designing,” and how your role as CEO is less about approving every choice and more about building confident decision-makers.

I also get very practical in this episode. I share how we’ve handled this inside my own firm, including why we clarified decision lanes, created clearer reporting structures, limited unnecessary visibility in project management software, and normalized thoughtful mistakes instead of punishing them. We talk about why mistakes — when made inside clear guardrails — actually build confidence instead of eroding it.

You’ll hear how hiring ties directly into this, why you’re not hiring extra hands but judgment, and how we’ve refined our hiring process over the years to make sure people are truly set up to succeed. I also explain why the 90-day review period is one of the most powerful tools you can use to build trust, clarity, and alignment on your team — without fear or drama.

We also talk about seasons. Sometimes the issue isn’t that someone is a bad hire — it’s that their season has changed. Learning how to recognize that, have honest conversations, and adjust roles accordingly is part of real leadership. I share a recent example from my own team where a simple conversation created massive relief, clarity, and momentum for everyone involved.

And if this conversation hits close to home and you want help untangling it, I offer a free 15-minute problem-solving session where we focus on one real leadership challenge in your business. No pitch, no pressure — just clarity. You can book that at fixmydesignbiz.com.

As always, remember: your business should be working for you, not you working for it. If that’s starting to feel out of alignment, it’s time to redesign how leadership shows up inside your fir

Connect with Katie

LinkedIn

Business Strategy Sessions for Interior Designers

Free Resources for scaling your interior design firm

Website