Most designers go into the field with creative chops, but don’t always have the business acumen to match. That’s OK. Knowing when and how to ask for help is an important part of running a firm. This week, we asked five designers—Jaque Bethke, Jess Cooney, Janie Hungerford, Laura Lubin and Emily Tucker—what lessons they learned from working with a business consultant.
Big Picture
“Working with a business coach taught me the importance of stepping back from the day-to-day in order to reflect on leadership, communication style and overall business strategy. I learned that growth is not achieved through skill and hard work alone, but through a commitment to continual learning and adaptation. A key part of my leadership journey has been recognizing both my strengths and my weaknesses, and ensuring that the right people are in place to complement my abilities and strengthen the company as a whole. I believe having a coach can be incredibly valuable, but it’s essential to work with someone who truly believes in you and helps you believe in yourself. Finding that kind of support is key. At the same time, it’s important to maintain control of your business and ensure that anyone you work with is giving you the right tools to manage it yourself, rather than creating dependence. Owning a business is a learning curve every day. It requires adaptability, a willingness to take risks and a practice of reflection. Above all, it means focusing on how I can best support my team so that together we can achieve excellence and deliver the highest standard of work for our clients.” —Janie Hungerford, Hungerford Interior Design, Vancouver, British Columbia
Leveling Up
“Early in my career, I believed that my craft and my vision alone would be enough to propel the business forward. For the first five years, that carried me. But eventually, we reached a crossroads. We had mastered our market, were doing well, but I felt stagnant—bored, even. It was as if I had climbed a mountain only to realize I wasn’t sure where to go next. It was then that a trusted mentor suggested I join a CEO group to expand my perspective. That led me to Vistage, an organization of extraordinary business leaders ranging from Fortune 500 executives to entrepreneurs navigating their own growth. Joining that group was nothing short of transformative. The wisdom, resources and relationships I gained through Vistage helped me develop the tools and strategies to design a bold plan for growth—taking us from an $8 million company to envisioning a $50 million company within five years. They opened doors to banking partners, refined my processes, reshaped the way we onboard and develop employees, and gave me the tools to lead with not just vision, but grounded business principles. Perhaps most importantly, they elevated not just me, but my entire team. By bringing staff into this culture of learning, I was able to cultivate leaders within the company, giving us resilience and depth we hadn’t had before. Looking back, I wish I had embraced that kind of coaching earlier, but I’m profoundly grateful for the timing—it changed the trajectory of our business and gave me the confidence to scale with purpose and clarity.” —Jaque Bethke, Jaque, Scottsdale, Arizona
Watershed Moment
“It’s one thing to be talented at design, and another to be skilled in client services—but being able to run a business is often the most overlooked (and most important) skill of all when it comes to owning an interior design firm. You can learn the hard way or you can work with a business coach who provides structure, strategy and tools to avoid the pitfalls. For me, there was a pivotal moment when everything shifted. I was alone in my office, in tears. My assistant had quit without notice while I was on vacation, and a client had just refused delivery of custom furniture because it took longer than expected. I sat in the quiet and realized: I could walk out the door and never come back, or I could learn to run my business so this would never happen again. That’s when I committed to working with a business coach. Over the next year, I learned every aspect of running my firm: hiring staff, writing contracts that protected me, handling taxes, and building financial systems that worked. Just as importantly, I found a peer group of designers from all over the country. We shared wins and losses, and I finally felt less alone. That was a turning point. From there, I invested in more coaching. I used The Predictive Index with a hiring coach to build a team that complemented not only my strengths, but my weaknesses. I worked with a financial coach who taught me how to bill by the project rather than by the hour—dramatically increasing my profitability. I worked with a leadership coach to become a better boss, creating consistency and growth opportunities for my team. Little by little, coach after coach helped me grow into the business owner I am today. Years later, with countless projects behind me and an incredible team beside me, I can confidently say this journey came down to one choice: being willing to look at myself honestly, stay open to coaching and try new approaches.” —Jess Cooney, Jess Cooney Interiors, Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Confidence Builder
“I started working with a business coach a couple of years ago, and it was a game changer for me. Our work together focused primarily on the financial side of running a design business. As my practice grew, I realized I needed stronger systems around financial planning, billing and understanding the true cost of doing business. Working with a coach helped me build that structure so I could run my firm more confidently and sustainably.” —Emily Tucker, Emily Tucker Design, Boulder, Colorado
A Different Lens
“Working with a business coach was a valuable investment. The biggest takeaway was learning how to step back from the day-to-day and view my business with a more strategic lens. I was taught to focus not only on the creative side but also on growth, leadership and systems. It gave me tools to make decisions with more clarity and confidence, which ultimately benefits both my team and my clients.” —Laura Lubin, Ellerslie Interiors, Nashville
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