Business of Home News

business advice

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March 21, 2023

How can I use the design of my own home to launch my design career?

Many interior designers use their personal space as a portfolio-builder to show their skills, but the most successful ones do it with a strategy, says creative business coach Sean Low.

business advice

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March 7, 2023

My big-spending client got cold feet. Is it unethical to hold them to the contract?

Creative business coach Sean Low helps one designer figure out how to respond to an affluent client who’s suddenly balking at the (approved) project budget because of the shifting economy.

business advice

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February 21, 2023

Should I stretch my budget to bring my assistant to High Point?

Creative business coach Sean Low explains to one designer why investing in their own career growth must come before investing in their assistant’s professional development.

business advice

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February 7, 2023

How do I justify the cost of traveling to far-flung industry events?

Watching international trade shows unfold from afar, one designer asks creative business coach Sean Low whether she’s missing more than just a good time. (Spoiler—yes.)

business advice

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January 24, 2023

I don’t want to be the boss anymore. What now?

After spending years building a business and staff, one reader is ready to renounce all that in favor of pure design. Creative business coach Sean Low lays out the essential questions to answer before taking the leap.

business advice

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January 10, 2023

Is it time to leave my senior designer job to start my own firm?

Logistically happy but creatively unfulfilled, one reader asks creative business coach Sean Low for guidance on how to know whether it’s time to take the leap into entrepreneurship.

year in review

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December 27, 2022

The best tough love and tips from business coach Sean Low in 2022

As the year winds down, we’re looking back at the best stories of 2022—including tough love and shrewd strategies from Business Advice columnist Sean Low, who not only answers reader questions, but also unpacks the underlying business (and occasionally existential) quandaries that created the problem.

business advice

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December 13, 2022

What’s the harm in taking a holiday decorating job to boost year-end revenue?

Creative business coach Sean Low schools a reader on why it’s not worth it to take a one-off seasonal styling job that could mess with your brand.

business advice

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November 29, 2022

I moved my firm and now I’m getting shopped. What can I do?

Creative business coach Sean Low gives one designer a lesson on the importance of charging for the whole process—not just the vision.

business advice

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November 15, 2022

I cleared my decks for my biggest client ever—then they went AWOL. Can I reignite the momentum?

Creative business coach Sean Low offers tough love to a designer who put all their eggs in the wrong basket.

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