Entrepreneur Corner - Design Your Space, Design Your Life
Interior Designer
2/25/25
Your home is more than a place to sleep, it's the space that defines your life. Interior designer Brian Leighton works to understand your needs to execute a sophisticated vision of a space that functionally serves you best and in the end is representation of you.
Being an interior designer, Brian works as the coordinator between his clients, the vendors that provide his working materials, and the contractors that make alterations to a space at his request. After over 10 years in the business, the key to success lies in successfully managing relationships. At the end of the day, Brian is navigating the lives of his clients by creating and curating their environments where they spend the most time. Tune in to find out more about interior design and fundamental principles of business that can help you on your journey to strike out as an entrepreneur.
Topics
00:38 Introduction
02:34 Developing a business
03:40 Interior designer vs. decorator
04:32 Collaborating with third parties
05:01 The process of working with clients
09:48 Finding work
12:03 Different pricing models
14:02 You can lead a client to water...
15:26 How much can you make?
16:04 Working with difficult clients: a learning curve
17:52 Common design mistakes
18:58 Biggest challenges
19:56 A typical day (they're all different)
20:49 Important skills
22:00 Keeping up with trends
22:26 Sustainable, long-term relationships
25:36 Some advice
Resources
New School of Architecture & Design - How to Become an Interior Designer
New York School of Interior Design - What is Interior Design?
American Society of Interior Designers
Music credit: Kate Pierson & Monica Nation