Hiring is a skill that isn’t taught—in interior design school, or anywhere else for that matter. This means most firm owners are destined to make mistakes as they grow their teams.

Some of the most common hiring mistakes designers will make:

• Hiring inexperienced people because they’re less expensive
• Hiring for roles or skills in the wrong order
• Hiring people you like rather than those who have the right skills, culture fit and attitude
• Hiring without at least three interviews—one with you, one with your team, and at least one other one-on-one with a key person on your team, such as the design director, who can ask deeper questions about skills
• Hiring without testing for skills
• Hiring without checking references

Speaking from experience, I’ve made lots of mistakes over the years, and each one has caused stress—and at a significant financial cost. In short, who you hire, when you hire, and what position you hire for all matter.

My rule of thumb is to hire the most senior, experienced person you can afford. Why? Because experienced employees save training time, they tend to make fewer mistakes and require less supervision, meaning they bring more value for the cost. Hiring senior “A-level” players is actually the most economical decision you can make.

Don’t make the common mistake of thinking you can save money by hiring junior staffers or interns. That’s a false economy, and it is likely to cost you dearly, especially in time. In reviewing the 2023 Interior Design Business Survey, it’s clear that senior designers aren’t the first hires for most firms. Let’s change that trend.

Technically proficient hires are likely to be younger, because school curriculums require that training today. But as you’re looking for team members with experience, you also don’t want to make the common mistake of overlooking older workers. I speak from experience: Without consciously planning it, 44 percent of our team of 18 are over the age of 65. We (I am one of them) work as hard as our younger counterparts; our seasoned group has good computer skills, excellent interpersonal skills and a strong work ethic. They are dependable and focused. You are also likely to have less turnover among senior team members, because they are interested in a great culture and interesting work. (Job hopping is not how we roll at this age.) In our case, the average tenure of the senior team members is 10 years of the 16 years we’ve been in business—the kind of consistency and longevity many designers seek.

If you’ve done the math and are not quite ready for a full-time hire, working with 1099 contractors is an option. Just remember, that comes with its own complications: To meet IRS requirements, you must pay a “firm” (not a person using their social security number), and that contractor must work for more than one client. Furthermore, you typically need to pay by the project, and you cannot set their hours; you also cannot provide equipment. The IRS is cracking down on small firms, so check with your CPA or attorney if you have any questions about hiring 1099 contractors versus employees.

For insights and analysis on how designers across the country run their firms, download the 2023 Interior Design Business Survey report, presented by Pearl Collective, Interior Talent and Business of Home.

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Gail Doby is co-founder of Pearl Collective (formerly Gail Doby Coaching & Consulting), an interior design business consultancy that helps designers, architects and other creatives increase their profitability. Doby ran her own design firm in Denver for nearly 20 years and has a degree in finance and banking. Since 2008, she has been helping designers scale their businesses profitably and reach financial freedom. As a coach, mentor and business transformation specialist, she shares innovative ways to overcome the roadblocks, challenges and detours creative entrepreneurs face. She is also the bestselling author of Business Breakthrough: Your Creative Value Blueprint to Get Paid What You’re Worth. Her goal is to empower design industry clients to differentiate themselves, drive measurable results, achieve business projections, and create personal satisfaction through game-changing strategies and business practices.