The Collective for Designers

There are a lot of industries we could have built a business in. But we chose this one very intentionally.

Because interior design impacts people in deeply human ways.
Because this industry is full of incredibly talented creatives.
Because it’s full of entrepreneurs building something brave from the ground up.
And because it’s a space largely shaped by women, and we want to see women thrive.

We’ve seen so many designers who are exceptional at their craft, but carrying the weight of figuring out the business side alone.

And we realized:
maybe this is a place where we can make a real difference.

Not because designers need to become different people.
But because they deserve support, strategy, community, and tools that help them sustainably continue the work they already care deeply about.

We hope everyone gets the chance to build a business and life around work that feels meaningful to them.

That’s a gift. 🤍

Your business bank balance is not the same thing as spendable money.

And this is where so many designers get caught.

You open the account.
You see money sitting there.
You feel a little breathing room.

But that money may already be spoken for.

When everything lives in one account, it all starts to look available.
This is the Bank Balance Illusion.
And it’s one of the fastest ways to feel like your business is making money while still constantly running tight.

A simple starting point:
→ Set aside 25–35% for taxes
→ Set aside 10–20% for a business buffer
→ Know what your actual operating expenses are
→ Then make decisions from what is truly available

Your exact percentages should reflect your business and your CPA’s guidance, but the habit matters.

The point isn’t to make your finances complicated.

The point is to stop making business decisions from panic, vibes, or whatever number happens to be sitting in your account.

Because a sustainable design business needs more than beautiful work. It needs numbers you understand so that you are equipped to make strategic and intentional decisions.

DM me if you are ready for our free workbook: What Your Design Business Actually Needs to Earn.

And if you already know your backend needs more support, book a Discovery Chat to see if Foundations is the right next step.

Designers know exactly how it feels when a client delays a decision and the whole timeline starts sweating.

And yet… when it comes to our own business decisions?

Pricing?
Systems?
Contracts?
Support?
That thing we said we’d fix “when things slow down”?

Suddenly we are very comfortable circling back.

Send this to the designer who is absolutely not procrastinating. Just “gathering more information.” 😌

The hard part isn’t always knowing something needs to change.

Most of the time, you already know.

You know when the process feels clunky.
You know when the pricing still feels shaky.
You know when the client experience depends too much on your mood, memory, and bandwidth.
You know when the business looks more polished from the outside than it feels on the inside.

The harder part is deciding you’re done carrying it that way.

Because staying where you are can feel safer.

Even when it’s exhausting or costing you time.
Even when it’s keeping you in the same cycle of overthinking, overworking, and figuring it out alone.

Foundations is not about turning you into someone else’s version of a business owner.

It’s about helping you build the business side of your design work with more clarity, structure, and confidence. *In a way that actually fits how you work and what you want to create.*

And if you enroll by June 14, you’ll receive a complimentary 1:1 Strategy Session with us.

Use it before the cohort if you want help identifying your biggest gaps.

Or save it for after if you want support refining the systems you’ve built.

You can still join Foundations after June 14.

But the strategy session bonus ends Sunday.

If you’ve been circling the decision, this is your moment to take the next step.

Book a 15-minute Discovery Chat at the link in bio.

If you can’t find a time before the deadline, DM us and we’ll help you figure out the next best step.

Interior design is so often reduced to aesthetics. But the work has always been deeper than that.

Design impacts how people feel in their spaces, how they connect with the people they love, how they rest, gather, regulate, heal, focus, dream, and move through daily life.

That matters.

So if you’re a designer who’s tired, discouraged, or questioning whether this work is worth continuing…

Please remember that what you create has impact far beyond what can be captured in a portfolio photo.

The spaces you create support human beings inside their actual lives.

And that’s meaningful work. 🤍

Send this to a designer who needs the reminder (you can send it to yourself if you need the reminder too).

Pricing gets messy when the goal is simply to choose a number that feels “reasonable.”

Reasonable to who?

The client?
Another designer?
The version of you that panics when someone says, “Oh wow”?

Your minimum hourly rate should not be based on comfort. It should be based on what your business actually needs to earn. The simplified equation is:

Minimum Profitable Hourly Rate = Monthly Revenue Goal ÷ Real Billable Hours

But here’s where most designers get tripped up. your monthly revenue goal has to account for more than just what you want to take home.

It needs to include:
→ Your personal income goal
→ Business expenses
→ Software and tools
→ Marketing costs
→ Professional support
→ Taxes
→ Profit / safety buffer

And your real billable hours? They are almost never the same as the hours you work. Because emails, sourcing, procurement, admin, vendor coordination, bookkeeping, and project management all take time.

This is why you can be fully booked, constantly working, and still feel like the numbers are not adding up.

It is not always a confidence problem.

Sometimes it is a math problem.

And sometimes it is a business structure problem.

Inside Foundations, we help designers stop guessing and start building a business that actually supports their goals, capacity, and life.

Our Discovery Call calendar has limited spots before the June 14 Early Bird Bonus deadline. Book your chat to lock in your complimentary 1:1 Strategy Session.

This post is a safe space.
No judgment.
Just tell us:
Are you good busy or broke busy? 👀

| Creative Entrepreneur Humor | Design Life | Design Business | Designer Besties | Designer Life |

One of the most uncomfortable truths about pricing... The thing you're calling burnout might actually be resentment.

Not resentment toward your clients. Resentment rooted in a business model that isn't working for you.

Because when pricing is based on what feels reasonable, what another designer charges, or what you're afraid a client won't accept... You don't actually know if the numbers work.

So every revision feels heavier.
Every email feels more annoying.
Every unexpected call feels like an interruption.

Not because your clients are terrible. Because you're carrying the weight of a business that isn't supporting you.

This is one of the biggest reasons we encourage designers to know their numbers.

Not so you can charge the highest fee.
Not so you can copy someone else's pricing model.
So you can build a business that supports your goals, your workload, and your life.

DM me and we'll send you our free workbook:
"What Your Design Business Actually Needs to Earn."

And if you're tired of guessing altogether, our Foundations Program was built for exactly this conversation. Enrollment is currently open, and the Early Bird promo includes a complimentary 1:1 Strategy Session (offer expires June 14).

Things that are completely normal with AI… but unhinged in real life 😅

Asking AI for feedback on a design plan is a little like asking someone to review a project without dimensions, site conditions, lead times, budget constraints, contractor input, or knowing how the people actually functionally use the space. Oh what it is exactly like that.

It can generate ideas fast. Real design is everything happening behind the scenes.

If you’ve ever had to explain why the “perfect” layout doesn’t fit through the doorway… you already know.

Send this to your design bestie who’s translating AI confidence into real-world decisions all day.

Ever look at your calendar and think, "How am I this busy and still not making what I expected?"

You're not alone.

One of the biggest mistakes we see designers make is assuming their capacity equals their working hours.

It doesn't.

Because you're not just designing.

You're answering emails.
Managing vendors.
Reviewing proposals.
Coordinating deliveries.
Updating clients.
Handling bookkeeping.
Marketing your business.
And solving problems nobody warned you about.

That's why most designers are only 50–70% billable.

And if your pricing, revenue goals, or workload assumptions are based on 100% billability...

The math gets ugly fast.

The good news?

This is a numbers problem. And numbers can be understood.

Send me a DM and we'll send you our free workbook, "What Your Design Business Actually Needs to Earn."

It will help you calculate:
✓ Your actual capacity
✓ Your monthly revenue goal
✓ Your minimum profitable hourly rate

And if you're looking at your business thinking, "Honestly, the backend is the bigger issue..."

Book a Discovery Chat through the link in bio.

Early Bird enrollment for Foundations includes a complimentary 1:1 Strategy Session through June 14.