Business Idea related: Would you hire someone for this task?

[elegantlion]

Would you hire someone to help you decorate your home? Not necessarily designer, like remodel and such, but decorate on a budget? Perhaps using what you already own or showing you how to purchase unique items on a budget.

 

If you could pay for this type of task, what would you expect, pay by the job or by the hour?

 

What qualifications would you expect from this person? I would consider a blog or website with decorating information and such.

 

What kind of blog/website would you expect? What would be different than the million and one blogs/websites/pinterest accounts that are already out there?

 

I'm looking at ideas to generate income and still have some flexibility with my schedule. I'm trying to pull from my current interests and hobbies.

 

Any ideas or comments or preferences would be appreciated.

[AnIslandGirl]

We have a designer that I love! She's almost like a part of the family now, as she knows exactly what we each like. I'd expect someone who went to school for interior design at the least, but that would be for a full-time career type position. I found her after I realized that a few rooms in design magazines that I loved and I had ripped out to put in my design/ idea book were all rooms she had done. Once I made contact, it's a been a dream relationship ever since.

 

Word of mouth can be a great advertising tool as well. Maybe help out a few friends and take pictures of the process so that you build up a design book. That way it's not just your own house/style to show prospective clients.

 

Have you thought about becoming a "professional organizer"? I know of a local woman that comes in and reorganizes closets, pantries, etc. She charges a decent per hour rate, and her work is impeccable!

 

Good luck! If it's a passion of yours, then you'll do wonderfully.

[Ali in OR]

One thing that was very useful to me when we were building this house was hiring an interiors person (not sure if she was officially an "interior decorator"--her regular job was working in a flooring place). I paid for an hour of her time (and I prefer that to paying for the job) and she looked over the plans for the house we were going to build. The builder had about 10 different plans to choose from and we chose one of two single-level plans. We were building specifically to make life easier for having a child in a wheelchair and she was a big help. She steered me away from maple floors because they have no grain to help hide wheelchair marks like the cheaper oak would. She told me that the long hallway would actually look better if we made all of the doors wider for wheelchair access. She noticed how many books we had and suggested that we put shelves under the counter instead of the bar seating that would just make maneuvering with a wheelchair more difficult. In other words, in that short amount of time she easily determined what would enrich our lives and make our home better, more functional, and more beautiful. Money very well spent.

 

I would not be interested in someone selling me objects (with her own mark-up) or putting things in "the latest style". I love the idea of someone helping me use my own stuff better. Maybe make a purchase suggestion or two, but make her money from the fee, not from selling me stuff I don't really need.

[Spryte]

I would not be interested in someone selling me objects (with her own mark-up) or putting things in "the latest style". I love the idea of someone helping me use my own stuff better. Maybe make a purchase suggestion or two, but make her money from the fee, not from selling me stuff I don't really need.

 

I like the above a lot. Also, love the organizing idea. Our house has an odd layout, and I'd love help with fitting our stuff in better and organizing.

 

Hmmm... Need a volunteer? I happily volunteer as your guinea pig! You can post before/after pics on your blog! :)

[Spryte]

Oops. Double post!

[lovemykids]

I think Home Staging is similar to what you are describing…it seems like it would be pretty popular now with the way the housing market is going. You can research it further if you like, and even get certified for it quickly and inexpensively.

ETA: …I really like Dandelion’s post below! I would pay for a service like this if I had a problem with decorating, definitely. Good luck! It sounds like a lot of fun.

[Dandelion]

Would you hire someone to help you decorate your home? Not necessarily designer, like remodel and such, but decorate on a budget? Perhaps using what you already own or showing you how to purchase unique items on a budget.

 

I would, and actually considered it when we bought our house 12 years ago. I attended a workshop put on by a designer at a local hotel with a group of friends. IIRC it was a 2-hour home decorating basics class and we paid $45 each. That also included a 1-hour tour of her home on a separate date a few days later.

 

The name of the designer's company at the time was Decorating on a Dime (she has since changed the name of her business). Her focus was on how to design/decorate your home beautifully while keeping costs low. It was a great class, and she had at least 25 people there. So she made $1,125 (less whatever she paid to rent the conference room) just for teaching the class - and likely much more from new clients who signed on with her as a result of taking the class. Apparently, she was doing 2-3 of these workshops a month at the time, and they were all filling up. She's still in business all these years later (I just looked her up online), so obviously business is good.

 

I ended up not hiring her at the time, simply because I was working around 60 hours a week and didn't have time. But I was really impressed with her know-how and seriously considered it.

 

If you could pay for this type of task, what would you expect, pay by the job or by the hour?

 

I think either would be fine. The designer mentioned above was charging $75/hour 12 years ago. Her rate is now $110/hour. I think that's very reasonable and I would consider paying more.

 

What qualifications would you expect from this person? I would consider a blog or website with decorating information and such.

 

I care less about *qualifications* (e.g. a degree from a design school) than about whether a designer seems to know what he/she is doing. The other big thing for me is whether the designer's sense of style and home decor meshes with mine. There has to be a good fit. Someone may be an excellent designer, but if they have a signature style that I don't like, I'm not going to like the end result of what they do in my home.

 

A blog would be a given IMO, along with lots of pictures of rooms you have designed/decorated. Positive testimonials from *real people* (i.e. people that let you post their picture along with a link to their FB page or their blog/website, so a potential customer has a decent degree of confidence that these are real testimonials) always help.

 

What kind of blog/website would you expect? What would be different than the million and one blogs/websites/pinterest accounts that are already out there?

 

To set yourself apart from all the other designers/decorators out there, I think it helps if you can specialize in serving a certain market. That doesn't mean you exclude everyone else, but you speak to a certain target market. They feel drawn to you and understood by you because you're saying exactly what they want to hear. Who is your ideal client? Working moms who don't have time to decorate? Empty nesters who want to redecorate now that the kids are gone? Specializing is vitally important if you want to rise above your competition. Otherwise you're just another business and it becomes more difficult to sell your services. Every blog post and every marketing message should be tailored with your ideal client in mind. I saw the power of specialization in my own business (currently on hiatus as I couldn't keep up with the work and homeschooling at the same time). Before I specialized, I had a hard time finding clients. After I specialized, I had more than I could keep up with. By the time I closed down my blog (my main marketing engine), I was getting over 5000 unique visitors a month, many of whom were converting into clients. It works.

 

I'm looking at ideas to generate income and still have some flexibility with my schedule. I'm trying to pull from my current interests and hobbies.

 

I think this has great business potential! :)

[OrganicAnn]

My mom has used decorators usually in connection with a purchase - she bought carpet or drapes from a store and they had a decorator that she could consult as a perk for buying there. The decorator helped her pick paint colors and gave her some other tips. The second time was she sold her house and bought a senior condo near us after my Dad died. The condo had a decorator that she could consult to help picking paint colors, etc.

 

So you may want to ask stores (these were usually local stores - not discount or chains) that sell - carpet, drapes, paint if they had ever thought to offer this perk to customer who buy more than $X amount.

 

I have never used decorators because I like may own eclectic tastes.

[elegantlion]

Thank you all, great ideas.