Featured on this episode:

• Find out more and join the The Designers Edge here
• Access the full video interview with Elana Steele of Steele Appliance here

What you will learn in this episode:

• Why construction management creates a more stable, predictable design business

• How long-term relationships (not marketing) become your biggest source of new clients.

• How to move from “decorator” to trusted expert so clients call you again and again.

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If you’ve been in the interior design industry for any amount of time, you’ve probably felt that pressure — the pressure to constantly market, constantly post, constantly chase that next inquiry call or lucky referral. I know that feeling well. But I also know this: I don’t go looking for new clients, and I haven’t had to in years.

And today, I want to walk you through exactly how I built a business that doesn’t rely on traditional marketing, social media trends, or a constant stream of fresh inquiries to stay booked. Instead, my business runs on something far more stable, far more predictable, and far more profitable: relationships, construction management, and the reputation that comes with being indispensable on a jobsite.

Because once you shift your role from “decorator” to “construction management expert,” everything changes — your clientele, your pricing, your confidence, and most importantly, your pipeline.

It Starts With What Designers Don’t Realize — Until They’ve Lived It

Let me start with something most designers don’t realize until they’ve been in the field long enough:

When you’re focused purely on decorating, your marketing starts and ends with the client sitting across from you.

You finish the project, you get the testimonial, you take the pictures… and then you’re back at zero. The client moves on. You start the cycle all over again.

But when you work in construction?

Everything flips.

Suddenly, the jobsite becomes your marketing. The foreman knows your name. The contractor saves your number. The architect adds you to their shortlist. The realtor tells their next three clients about the seamless experience you delivered on a renovation last year.

And the client? They don’t move on. They call you again five years later. Or their sister calls you. Or their neighbor. Or their contractor’s next client.

That is the foundation of a truly sustainable design business.
And that is exactly why I built mine around construction management.

The Real Reason I Never Have to Chase Clients

For over 30 years, I’ve led renovations and new builds, and now I teach designers how to do the same.

But the truth I share with my Designer’s Edge students — and with you — is this:

My next project almost always comes from a client I’ve already worked with, or from one of the contractors, architects, or realtors in my network.

That is not luck. It’s not a personality thing. It’s not that I “happen to know people.”

It’s strategy.

It’s positioning.

It’s decades of showing up on job sites as an equal — not as someone decorating at the end, but as someone who understands the construction process, speaks the language, drives decisions, and protects the investment.

When you work that way, you stop being optional. You stop being a luxury. You stop being a commodity.

You become essential.

And essential experts do not chase clients.

Why Construction Clients Are More Predictable (and More Profitable)

I always bring designers back to one key distinction:

Decorating is discretionary. Construction is not.

During economic uncertainty — think 2008 recession, think interest rate spikes, think market slowdowns — clients can postpone decorating. They can hold off on new drapes or a new sofa.

But if there’s water damage?
If they’re adding a kitchen?
If they’ve purchased a fixer-upper?
If they’re gutting a bathroom?

They can’t postpone that. And they don’t want to do it alone.

That’s why construction clients keep calling, even when the decorating world gets quiet.

It’s also why my business stayed stable — and profitable — even in tough years.

Your Work Becomes Your Marketing

I want designers to really understand this part:

On a jobsite, you’re not marketing yourself.
Your work is marketing YOU.

When a contractor sees you solve problems with confidence…
When an architect watches you lead your client with clarity…
When the GC notices that your drawings prevent mistakes that cost time and money…

You’re no longer just “the designer.”

You’re an asset.

And assets get referrals.

It’s organic. It’s steady. It’s rooted in respect. And it works without you spending hours creating content, writing newsletters, or chasing leads on Instagram.

Long-Term Relationships = Predictable Revenue

One of the biggest mindset shifts I teach in The Designer’s Edge is this:

Your stability comes from long-term relationships, not one-time projects.

When a contractor loves working with you, they bring you onto project after project.
When a client trusts you through a renovation, they often call you back later for decor — or a second home — or their children’s homes.

This is how you build a pipeline that doesn’t dry up.

This is how you create predictability in an industry that often feels anything but predictable.

This is how you build a business that grows without you constantly feeding the marketing machine.

I know this because I’ve lived it for years.

The Designer’s Edge: The Program That Teaches You Exactly How to Do This

Right now, we’re in the final enrollment period of 2025 for The Designer’s Edge — my construction management program for interior designers. OGOTJ Ep253

This is the program where I teach you exactly how I built the business model I’m describing in this post. It’s built for designers who are tired of:

• inconsistent income
• unpredictable months
• relying on social media for leads
• feeling like a commodity
• being left out of the “real” decisions on a project

And it’s for designers who want:

• confidence on construction sites
• clarity on process
• consistent referrals
• respect from contractors
• higher project budgets
• clients who hire them again and again

Final Thoughts

If you want a predictable pipeline of work, the kind where you truly never have to go looking for new clients, this is how you build it.

I hope today’s message gave you something you can put into practice right away. Because what I’ve shared here isn’t theoretical. It isn’t marketing fluff. It’s the real story of how I built a design business that doesn’t rely on hustle — it relies on mastery, relationships, and reputation.

Your work can become your marketing.
Your network can become your referral engine.
Your confidence can become your advantage.

And you can absolutely build the stability, predictability, and financial security you’ve been craving.

You just have to shift from decorator to expert.

If you’re ready to learn how to make that shift, you can find all the details about The Designer’s Edge here.

Like this Episode?

Be sure to check out Episode #230: The Kind of Collaborator You Don’t Forget

Be sure to check out Episode #222: Mercedes Had Experience—Here’s What She Still Needed

Be sure to check out Episode #197: From Hesitation to Collaboration: How to Master Referral Marketing