Meredith founded the “House of Huck” in 2020 as a passion project. She gave herself an ultimatum: If she wasn’t successful in three years, she’d go back to the corporate world. But in one year, she transformed her business into a full-time career.
She’s leveraged her unique background in corporate sales—and some genius social media marketing tactics—to build a thriving business. In this episode of Wingnut Social, Meredith shares some business tips for new interior designers that you just can’t miss!
Connect with Meredith Huck
Resources & People Mentioned
Why House of Huck grew quickly
95% of Meredith’s clients have come from social media. How does she leverage various platforms to gain visibility?
Meredith got in front of the camera. It allowed people to learn about herself and her life. She also embraced a unique social media marketing strategy: Throwing a scavenger hunt.
Meredith chose 5 local businesses, bought gift cards, and hid them around town. You had to follow her on social media and answer a riddle to find the gift card(s). Once someone found one, they had to tag her in a post.
She gained followers, gave back to her community, and it even led to a request for a design consultation.
Why Meredith doesn’t want to grow and scale a team
Meredith is struggling with a great problem to have: Getting too many requests for her design services. She’s learning how to take discovery calls, explaining how her process works, and scheduling out (sometimes weeks or months).
She sets the expectation that it may be weeks before she can connect back to work on their project. But then she communicates via email, notes in the mail, etc. She’ll have those clients work on creating a Pinterest board to fill in the gap during those weeks.
Meredith is busier than ever, but she isn’t interested in growing and scaling a team right now. She loves what she does and chooses to outsource when necessary. She works with a virtual assistant and outsources renderings and sourcing tasks.
Business tips for new interior designers
What has Meredith learned from her first couple of years as a new interior designer?
Tip #1: It’s not just about charging a design fee. Whenever you can, open up wholesale accounts and purchase furnishings directly from them. A large portion of Meredith’s revenue has come from the margin she makes on furnishings.
Tip #2: Trust your gut. Meredith agreed to do some design work for a couple despite seeing numerous red flags. Meredith requires her clients to request revisions within one week of her design presentation. After her design presentation, this client asked for more than a week to decide. Two months later, they asked her for a refund of her design fees.
Tip #3: Don’t take every job that comes your way. Only work with people who appreciate what you’re doing for them.
Meredith shares more tips, tricks, and business strategies in this episode of Wingnut Social. Check it out!
Connect With Darla & Wingnut Social
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Audio Production and Show notes by
PODCAST FAST TRACK
https://www.podcastfasttrack.com
Self-Care Strategies for High Achievers
Transparency With Your Clients: How Much Is Too Much?
Dos and Don'ts of Designing a Home Gym
How to Collaborate With an Architect
Commit to Being Profitable
How to Reach Your Goals by Braving the River of Misery
Stay True to Who You Are by Niching Down Your Design Services
High End Design for Sensual Spaces
How to Find Hotel-Quality Bedding for Your Design Clients
Should I Buy or Rent a Commercial Space for My Design Business?
Franchising Your Design Business (with Guest Host Rebecca Hay)
Tips for Designers to Procure Furniture Profitably (with Guest Host Liz Potarazu)
How Your Sleep Habits Directly Impact Your Business (with Guest Host Rebecca Hay)
How Interior Designers Can Start Their Own Furniture Collection (with Guest Host Nicole Heymer)
Tax Tips for Designers to Keep More Money in Your Pocket (with Guest Host Liz Potarazu)
Everything You Need to Know About Buying a Couch in 2024 (with Guest Host Liz Potarazu)
Why Every Interior Designer Needs a Podcast
Flat Fee vs. Hourly: How to Price Your Interior Design Services
How to Design Vacation Homes and the Joy in Niching Down Your Business
REPLAY: How to Make Luxury Design Accessible
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