Do you want to start an Interior Design business plan?

Like all other businesses, starting an interior design business can be hard, no matter who tries to start it. But having an interest in the niche can get you ahead of many.

A business plan contains all the necessary details needed to start a business. All businesses start with an idea and a business plan, be it a business plan for interior design or an engineering consulting business plan.

A business plan will help you figure out all the requirements you need to fulfill to start a viable business. You can learn about the structure of a business plan online. You can also go through sample business plans related to your niche to learn all the details. You can also learn how to write a business plan for interior design by going through the sample we’ve provided below.

Start your Business Plan Now
Start Now

Executive Summary

2.1 About the Business

Pro Interior Design will be an Interior Design startup established in Montana. The main target of the business will be to provide optimal design and decoration services to the residential as well as the commercial community throughout Montana. The business will offer various services ranging from full building planning to designing small spaces. 

2.2 How Will the Business be Managed? 

No company can succeed without good management. Therefore, before establishing an interior design start-up business, you need to develop a management plan.

A good practice is to hire skilled managers for the task. Besides, business management software also helps conduct business operations without difficulty.

To ensure good management of all aspects of your business, you need to develop an interior design studio business plan. You can learn how to develop a good business plan through this executive summary sample business plan for interior design. 

You can also get guidance regarding good business plans through plans of related niches like business plan for banking to learn about finances. In your business plan, you will need to ensure that all aspects of the business are well-planned beforehand. Your business plan interior design should include technical, financial, personnel, and marketing details to ensure a successful start of the company.

2.3 Customers of Interior Design Company

The customers of Pro Interior Design will belong to all domains, professional as well as regular. The recurring and targeted customers of the start-up will be:

  • Residential Communities
  • Offices
  • Educational Facilities
  • Event Spaces

2.4 Business Target

The target of Pro Interior Design as mentioned in our interior design firm business plan pdf is to gain a 30% market share of the Montana Interior Design market within the first 2 years. 

Our financial targets to meet for the first three years of our launch are displayed below:

Interior Design Business Plans - 3 Years Profit Forecast
icon_Franshise
Franchise Business Planning 
Helps the franchisee get business case approval from the franchisor

Company Summary

3.1 Ownership 

Pro Interior Design will be owned and operated by Grace Ralph. Grace completed her BFA two years ago after which she worked with an architecture and design firm. However, the idea of starting her own unique brand of interior design services appealed to her. So, when she had enough capital, she decided to launch Pro Interior Designs. 

3.2 Why the Interior Design company will be started

Grace wanted to provide a flexible range of services. She noticed that most interior design companies were providing services at expensive rates and they were unaffordable for small workspaces or families. She decided to provide smaller packages and individualistic services to target the often-ignored market.

3.3 How the Interior Design company will be started

Step1: Develop a Plan

To start an interior design business, you will need a business plan for an interior design firm. Business planning is crucial as it helps you combine all your operations to achieve the specific and measurable goals that you had set for the business.

To learn what components must be included in a business plan, you can take help from the interior design business plan sample pdf provided here. You can also refer to related plans like an architecture firm business plan

Step2: Get Funding

The next step is to get the money for starting your business. When you first start a business, chances are that you will not have enough monetary resources to scale your business idea the way you need to. That is where investors come in. You can add such aspects in your business plan for an interior design company that shows financial feasibility to attract potential investors. 

Step3: Pick a Location

Next, you will need to find the perfect place for your office. For Pro Interior Design, Grace decided to procure a regular office space right next to a popular florist shop in the commercial center. 

Step4: Go Online

Note

Businesses need to consider their online presence as that is where most transactions are carried out nowadays. To cater to this, Grace decided to hire a social media manager to maintain company personas on the web. She will also invest in the development of a website for basic communication with clients.

Step5: Promote and Market

Marketing is a very important aspect to ensure the success of a business. To promote the business, Grace will personally see the progress of social media managers and invest in other forms of marketing.

Interior Design Business Plans - Startup Cost
Start-up Expenses 
Legal$112,400
Consultants$0
Insurance$22,200
Rent$33,100
Research and Development$10,000
Expensed Equipment$53,200
Signs$3,400
TOTAL START-UP EXPENSES$234,300
Start-up Assets$222,400
Cash Required$201,000
Start-up Inventory$39,000
Other Current Assets$233,000
Long-term Assets$232,000
TOTAL ASSETS$927,400
Total Requirements$1,161,700
START-UP FUNDING 
Start-up Expenses to Fund$234,300
Start-up Assets to Fund$927,400
TOTAL FUNDING REQUIRED$1,161,700
Assets 
Non-cash Assets from Start-up$1,188,800
Cash Requirements from Start-up$231,000
Additional Cash Raised$50,000
Cash Balance on Starting Date$33,200
TOTAL ASSETS$1,503,000
Liabilities and Capital 
Liabilities$11,200
Current Borrowing$0
Long-term Liabilities$0
Accounts Payable (Outstanding Bills)$53,200
Other Current Liabilities (interest-free)$0
TOTAL LIABILITIES$64,400
Capital 
Planned Investment$1,161,700
Investor 1$0
Investor 2$0
Other$0
Additional Investment Requirement$0
TOTAL PLANNED INVESTMENT$1,161,700
Loss at Start-up (Start-up Expenses)$276,900
TOTAL CAPITAL$1,438,600
TOTAL CAPITAL AND LIABILITIES$1,503,000
Total Funding$1,161,700
Any questions? Get in Touch!

    Services

    Whether you are starting a design business from home or not, you will need to decide on a list of services that you will provide to your customers. Deciding on the scope of services in your interior design firm business plan helps you figure out other details like finances and marketing ideas for your business. 

    This planning is an essential part of the business plan of any company. So, whether it is a construction company business plan or a business plan for interior design services, you will need to first decide which services you will be offering to your customers. 

    In this interior design business plan example, we are providing the services that will be provided by Pro Interior Design. 

    • Space Planning

    The designers at Pro Interior Design will help you model your spaces according to your need. In this way, offices can adequately utilize the space that is available to them and families can make the most of their homes/ apartments. 

    • Decorative Selections 

    Pro Interior Design will offer customized and domain-specific decorative selections to its customers. Our designers will make your spaces alive with lighting and hardware selections. 

    • Furniture & Accessories

    Our company will also provide a furniture and accessories selection service where our designers will offer tips and samples to customers to choose from. 

    • Art Selections

    For our more artistic and ambiance focus customers, we will also offer the services of special art and design consultants that will help the customers in finding the best art pieces for their spaces be it an office or a room.

    Marketing Analysis of Interior Design Company

    Valentin Marinov
    TrustPilot

    excellent work

    excellent work, competent advice. Alex is very friendly, great communication. 100% I recommend CGS capital. Thank you so much for your hard work!

    ∙ Valentin Marinov

    Starting an interior design company can seem like a tremendous task with many complexities involved. The process becomes easier if you do a marketing analysis first. The marketing analysis helps you go through interior design business plan examples and learn how your competitors are running various operations.

    You can gain in-depth insight into your target market by going through different interior designer business ideas. Afterward, when you develop your own business plan for an interior design firm. You should use your knowledge about past, present, and future market trends to shape your marketing strategy.

    For this interior design marketing plan example, we are providing the market details for Pro Interior Design. You can use these as guidance for your own interior design startup business plan.

    5.1 Market Trends

    According to IBISWorld, the US Interior Design industry has a market size of about $17 billion with almost 120,000 businesses operating throughout the country. The industry is also expected to grow at a rate of 3.1% in this decade which means that it is prime time to open a business in this niche. 

    5.2 Marketing Segmentation

    The target customers of Pro Interior Design according to this sample business plan interior design company are divided into the following groups:

    Interior Design Business Plans - Marketing Segmentation

    Business plan for investors

    5.2.1 Residential Community

    Our main target customers will be the residential community of Montana. As Pro Interior design provides flexible services at both a small and large scale, these customers are expected to make use of our small-scale services the most. They are expected to utilize our designers for space planning and decorative services. 

    5.2.2 Offices

    Our second target customers will be the small and large businesses around the area that needs to remodel their offices or want consultations regarding the design and space planning of new spaces. 

    5.2.3 Educational Facilities

    We will also provide services to educational facilities that want to utilize their spaces to the maximum. Our trained designers will help these institutions make a space that is truly focused on learning.

    5.2.4 Event Spaces

    Lastly, we will also team up with event planners to provide services regarding space consultation, furniture, light, and hardware accessorizing. This will allow us to gain more regular customers in the event planning niche

    Market Analysis       
    Potential CustomersGrowthYear 1Year 2Year 3Year 4Year 5CAGR
    Residential Community32%43,20051,84062,20874,65089,58010.00%
    Offices28%33,20039,84047,80857,37068,84410.00%
    Educational Facilities24%27,20032,64039,16847,00256,40210.00%
    Event Spaces16%21,20025,44030,52836,63443,96011.00%
    Total100%124,800149,760179,712215,654258,78510%

    5.3 Business Target

    • To become one of the top 3 interior design startups in our city within the first year.
    • To expand the range and scale of our services to cater to large projects.
    • To earn a profit margin of $10k per month by the end of our second year.
    • To gain customer confidence and satisfaction and maintain it above 96%.

    5.4 Product Pricing

    Our prices will be much less as compared to our competitors in the market because we offer a larger range of small-scale services for homes and offices. This will be a significant advantage for Pro Interior Design in the market.

    Marketing Strategy

    While writing a business plan interior design, you need to focus a lot on your marketing strategies as they stand to be the difference between a business that is successful and one that is not. A marketing plan should be included in your interior design business plan company description before you arrange for establishing the business in a physical location. 

    And just like a real estate flipping business plan, your business plan interior design company should also include details about how you will market your services.

    Below, we are presenting the marketing plan for an interior design business called Pro Interior Design: 

    6.1 Competitive Analysis

    • We provide small-scale services for houses at a much cheaper rate.
    • Our customers can communicate with us to create different packages suited to their needs.
    • Our customers can get a 5% discount on all services if they register with us for a year.
    • Our policies are customer-centric, we remain in touch with them through the website. 

    6.2 Sales Strategy

    • We will promote our business by holding small events throughout the city.
    • We will use social media platforms to get the word out
    • We will offer a 30% discount to the first 50 customers.

    6.3 Sales Monthly

    Interior Design Business Plans - Sales Monthly
    Any questions? Get in Touch

    6.4 Sales Yearly

    Interior Design Business Plans - Sales Yearly

    6.5 Sales Forecast

    Interior Design Business Plans - Unit Sales
    Sales Forecast   
    Unit SalesYear 1Year 2Year 3
    Space Planning850901955
    Decorative Selections9009541,011
    Furniture & Accessories1,0001,0601,124
    Art Selections750795843
    TOTAL UNIT SALES3,5003,7103,933
    Unit PricesYear 1Year 2Year 3
    Space Planning$500.00$580.00$672.80
    Decorative Selections$750.00$870.00$1,009.20
    Furniture & Accessories$550.00$638.00$740.08
    Art Selections$400.00$464.00$538.24
    Sales   
    Space Planning$425,000.00 $522,580.00 $642,564.37
    Decorative Selections$675,000.00 $829,980.00 $1,020,543.41
    Furniture & Accessories$550,000.00 $676,280.00 $831,553.89
    Art Selections$300,000.00 $368,880.00 $453,574.85
    TOTAL SALES$1,950,000.00 $2,397,720.00 $2,948,236.51
    Direct Unit CostsYear 1Year 2Year 3
    Space Planning$100.00$110.00$115.50
    Decorative Selections$250.00$275.00$288.75
    Furniture & Accessories$100.00$110.00$115.50
    Art Selections$120.00$132.00$138.60
    Direct Cost of Sales   
    Space Planning$85,000.00 $99,110.00 $110,309.43
    Decorative Selections$225,000.00 $262,350.00 $291,995.55
    Furniture & Accessories$100,000.00 $116,600.00 $129,775.80
    Art Selections$90,000.00 $104,940.00 $116,798.22
    Subtotal Direct Cost of Sales$500,000.00 $583,000.00 $648,879.00

    Personnel plan

    One of the essential keys to learning how to run a successful interior design business is to hire a good workforce. Well-suited employees can help your business boom. Especially, in a business in which sales depend on direct interaction between people and customers, the qualifications, skillset, and behaviors of employees become all the more important. To have an idea of what staff is usually hired in such businesses, you can go through remodeling business plan or an interior design company business plan pdf like the one shown here. 

    7.1 Company Staff

    • 1 Co-Manager to help in overall operations
    • 5 Certified Designers
    • 2 General Cleaners
    • 2 Sales Executives to handle social media and website
    • 1 Accountant
    • 2 Drivers
    • 1 Receptionist

    7.2 Average Salary of Employees

     Personnel Plan   
     Year 1Year 2Year 3
    Manager$30,000$33,000$36,300
    Designers$160,000$176,000$193,600
    Cleaners$40,000$44,000$48,400
    Sales Executives$42,500$46,750$51,425
    Accountant$23,500$25,850$28,435
    Drivers$23,500$25,850$28,435
    Receptionist$23,500$25,850$28,435
    Total Salaries$319,500 $351,450 $386,595

    Financial Plan

    To ensure that your business is a success, you will need to develop a financial plan for an interior design business. A good financial plan should include a detailed analysis of the price of your products, your sales, and the profit earned against each sale.

    Moreover, a comprehensive financial plan should include 3-year projections of break-even analysis, business ratios, balance sheet, etc. to help you direct your finances in a better way.

    In this interior design firm business plan pdf, we are detailing the financial plan for Pro Interior Design. You can also refer to other business plans like HVAC business plan to find out what you should add to your financial plan.

    8.1 Important Assumptions

     General Assumptions   
     Year 1Year 2Year 3
    Plan Month123
    Current Interest Rate8.12%8.20%8.26%
    Long-term Interest Rate8.40%8.44%8.47%
    Tax Rate24.03%24.21%24.60%
    Other000
    Any questions? Get in Touch

    8.2 Break-even Analysis

    Interior Design Business Plans - Break-even Analysis
     Break-Even Analysis 
    Monthly Units Break-even5340
    Monthly Revenue Break-even$132,500
    Assumptions: 
    Average Per-Unit Revenue$231.00
    Average Per-Unit Variable Cost$0.62
    Estimated Monthly Fixed Cost$163,800

    8.3 Projected Profit and Loss

     Pro Forma Profit And Loss  
     Year 1Year 2Year 3
    Sales$1,950,000 $2,397,720 $2,948,237
    Direct Cost of Sales$500,000 $583,000 $648,879
    Other$0$0$0
    TOTAL COST OF SALES$500,000 $583,000 $648,879
    Gross Margin$1,450,000 $1,814,720 $2,299,358
    Gross Margin %74.36%75.69%77.99%
    Expenses   
    Payroll$319,500$351,450$386,595
    Sales and Marketing and Other Expenses$145,000$148,000$156,000
    Depreciation$2,300$2,350$2,500
    Leased Equipment$0$0$0
    Utilities$2,900$3,000$3,100
    Insurance$2,100$2,100$2,100
    Rent$2,900$3,000$3,200
    Payroll Taxes$24,000$25,000$27,000
    Other$0$0$0
    Total Operating Expenses$498,700 $534,900 $580,495
    Profit Before Interest and Taxes$951,300$1,279,820$1,718,863
    EBITDA$951,300$1,279,820$1,718,863
    Interest Expense$0$0$0
    Taxes Incurred$190,260$255,964$343,773
    Net Profit$761,040$1,023,856$1,375,090
    Net Profit/Sales39.03%42.70%46.64%

    8.3.1 Profit Monthly

    Interior Design Business Plans - Profit Monthly

    8.3.2 Profit Yearly

    Interior Design Business Plans - Profit Yearly

    8.3.3 Gross Margin Monthly

    Interior Design Business Plans - Gross Margin Monthly

    8.3.4 Gross Margin Yearly

    Interior Design Business Plans - Gross Margin Yearly

    8.4 Projected Cash Flow

    Interior Design Business Plans - Project Cash Flow
     Pro Forma Cash Flow   
    Cash ReceivedYear 1Year 2Year 3
    Cash from Operations   
    Cash Sales$51,000$55,080$59,486
    Cash from Receivables$22,000$23,760$25,661
    SUBTOTAL CASH FROM OPERATIONS$73,000 $79,570 $85,936
    Additional Cash Received   
    Sales Tax, VAT, HST/GST Received$0$0$0
    New Current Borrowing$0$0$0
    New Other Liabilities (interest-free)$0$0$0
    New Long-term Liabilities$0$0$0
    Sales of Other Current Assets$0$0$0
    Sales of Long-term Assets$0$0$0
    New Investment Received$0$0$0
    SUBTOTAL CASH RECEIVED$74,000 $79,000 $85,000
    ExpendituresYear 1Year 2Year 3
    Expenditures from Operations  
    Cash Spending$42,000$42,000$45,000
    Bill Payments$27,000$28,000$31,000
    SUBTOTAL SPENT ON OPERATIONS$69,000 $70,000 $76,000
    Additional Cash Spent   
    Sales Tax, VAT, HST/GST Paid Out$0$0$0
    Principal Repayment of Current Borrowing$0$0$0
    Other Liabilities Principal Repayment$0$0$0
    Long-term Liabilities Principal Repayment$0$0$0
    Purchase Other Current Assets$0$0$0
    Purchase Long-term Assets$0$0$0
    Dividends$0$0$0
    SUBTOTAL CASH SPENT$69,000 $74,520 $80,482
    Net Cash Flow$21,000$23,000$25,000
    Cash Balance$27,000$30,000$33,000

    8.5 Projected Balance Sheet

     Pro Forma Balance Sheet  
    AssetsYear 1Year 2Year 3
    Current Assets   
    Cash$275,000$308,000$338,800
    Accounts Receivable$24,000$26,880$30,213
    Inventory$4,300$4,816$4,900
    Other Current Assets$1,000$1,000$1,000
    TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS$282,000 $315,840 $355,004
    Long-term Assets   
    Long-term Assets$10,000$10,000$10,000
    Accumulated Depreciation$19,400$21,728$24,444
    TOTAL LONG-TERM ASSETS$24,400 $27,328 $30,744
    TOTAL ASSETS$294,000 $329,280 $370,440
    Liabilities and CapitalYear 4Year 5Year 6
    Current Liabilities   
    Accounts Payable$18,700$20,944$23,541
    Current Borrowing$0$0$0
    Other Current Liabilities$0$0$0
    SUBTOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES$19,000 $21,280 $23,919
    Long-term Liabilities$0$0$0
    TOTAL LIABILITIES$15,000 $16,800 $18,883
    Paid-in Capital$30,000$30,000$31,000
    Retained Earnings$53,000$57,770$63,547
    Earnings$193,400$210,806$231,887
    TOTAL CAPITAL$285,000 $310,650 $341,715
    TOTAL LIABILITIES AND CAPITAL$300,000 $329,280 $370,440
    Net Worth$293,400$319,806$351,787

    8.6 Business Ratios

     Ratio Analysis    
     Year 1Year 2Year 3INDUSTRY PROFILE
    Sales Growth7.25%8.03%8.90%3.00%
    Percent of Total Assets    
    Accounts Receivable9.21%10.20%11.31%9.80%
    Inventory5.39%5.97%6.62%9.90%
    Other Current Assets2.11%2.34%2.59%2.40%
    Total Current Assets149.80%151.00%152.00%158.00%
    Long-term Assets11.55%11.60%11.64%12.00%
    TOTAL ASSETS100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
    Current Liabilities4.90%4.94%4.98%4.34%
    Long-term Liabilities0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%
    Total Liabilities7.59%7.65%7.72%7.38%
    NET WORTH100.45%101.25%102.19%110.00%
    Percent of Sales    
    Sales100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
    Gross Margin94.60%97.15%99.87%99.00%
    Selling, General & Administrative Expenses93.56%96.09%98.78%97.80%
    Advertising Expenses1.52%1.56%1.60%1.40%
    Profit Before Interest and Taxes41.50%42.62%43.81%33.90%
    Main Ratios    
    Current34353632
    Quick3333.834.64533
    Total Debt to Total Assets0.18%0.18%0.17%0.40%
    Pre-tax Return on Net Worth74.08%74.89%75.00%75.00%
    Pre-tax Return on Assets96.30%101.12%106.17%111.30%
    Additional RatiosYear 1Year 2Year 3 
    Net Profit Margin33.56%34.60%35.67%N.A.
    Return on Equity55.80%57.53%59.31%N.A.
    Activity Ratios    
    Accounts Receivable Turnover7.77.87.8N.A.
    Collection Days100100100N.A.
    Inventory Turnover32.434.0235N.A.
    Accounts Payable Turnover15.61616.3N.A.
    Payment Days272727N.A.
    Total Asset Turnover2.52.52.6N.A.
    Debt Ratios    
    Debt to Net Worth-0.04-0.03-0.04N.A.
    Current Liab. to Liab.111N.A.
    Liquidity Ratios    
    Net Working Capital$244,000$257,664$272,093N.A.
    Interest Coverage000N.A.
    Additional Ratios    
    Assets to Sales0.850.870.89N.A.
    Current Debt/Total Assets1%0%0%N.A.
    Acid Test2929.1229.16N.A.
    Sales/Net Worth2.12.22.2N.A.
    Dividend Payout000N.A.

    AQ

    • How do I start my own interior design business?

    You can start your own interior design business by thoroughly researching your idea and developing an interior design business plan sample to present to prospective investors. 

    • What are the 7 elements of interior design?

    The business ideas for interior designers are based on the 7 main elements of interior design which are:

    1. Color
    2. Form
    3. Space
    4. Texture
    5. Pattern
    6. Line
    7. Light
    • How do Interior Designers get clients?

    Interior designers can either work for big architectural and design firms or freelance as consultants. And once they have enough clients, they can also start their own businesses with the help of an interior design business plan. 

    • What are the types of markets for interior design?

    Interior design has a very vast market as most professional spaces need to be properly designed. Nowadays, people also prefer to hire design consultants to help with their homes. In this interior design firm business plan pdf, you can see the marketing segmentation part for greater detail.

    Download interior design business plan sample in pdf

    Illustrative business plan samples

    OGSCapital’s team has assisted thousands of entrepreneurs with top-rated document, consultancy and analysis. They’ve helped thousands of SME owners secure more than $1.5 billion in funding, and they can do the same for you.