178: Monique Duarte - 8 Key Steps to Running a Profitable Interior Design Business

The guest on today's show is Monique Duarte. She's a brilliant business person and the founder and principal of Duarte Decor in New Jersey and the founder of Duarte Consulting, where she coaches Interior Decorators to help them to run their businesses better. Monique has traveled the world gathering inspiration and ideas for her design work. Listen in and find out more about Monique and the fabulous work that she does. Monique is an active member of The National Association of Professional Women of the International Interior Decorator's Association and she's also a member of the Certified Interior Decorator's Association. She holds a number of degrees, including a Career Degree in Interior Decorating and in Autocad Design, a Bachelor's in International Business, with a specialization in Economics and Marketing and a Master's Degree in Interactive and Direct marketing. Monique was awarded Woman Of The Year for Interior Decorating in New Jersey in 2013 by the NAPW and her work has been featured in Your Decorating Resource and in Moxy Magazine. As a Design Coach, Monique combines more than ten years of marketing experience with her design knowledge. She has had five years of experience in running her own seven-figure Interior Decorating business, which reached six figures in its very first year- while Monique was still working in her full-time job! Listen in now, to find out how Monique managed to achieve all of that!   Today, Monique talks to LuAnn about: How her ten years in advertising and marketing have informed the things she does to run her own business profitably. The really creative family that Monique comes from. How she realized that she had a gift for decorating, after buying her first home. Her first project, when she started her business as a side-hustle, eight years ago. Where and how she managed to find herself a mentor and how she cultivated a good working relationship with him. Why she really recommends finding a mentor or coach. That her mentor taught her that there is enough to go around. What the Local Experience and an International Experience, that she offers on her website, are all about. Her Eight Key Steps To Building A Profitable Design Business. The importance of figuring out who you are and who you want to work with. That she's always looking out for what's coming next and sharing that with designers. That the way you package and present what you have to offer is really important. That she always talks to clients upfront about how she works to set their expectations. Having a strong enough mindset to only work with the clients that really fit with you. The power of connection, networking with the right people and going to the right events. Submitting your design work for contests, as a marketing move. A book that Monique really recommends- Profit First by Mike Michalowicz.   Links: Monique's website: www.duarteconsulting.net   To request to join Monique's Facebook group, type 'Interiors Guide To Profitability' into the search box on Facebook, or you can do it via her website, above.   Resource: Book: Profit First by Mike Michalowicz