To-The-Trade S3E07 Valuing Yourself and Setting Boundaries That Stick with Laura Hildebrandt

Laura Hildebrandt of Interiors by LH joins Laurie Laizure to share how she built a thriving interior design business in the DC area after a divorce left her a single mom of three with no work history or industry background. Starting with home staging in 2013 using furniture from her own house, Laura taught herself design at night, funded her early business on credit cards, and gradually transitioned into full-service interior design.The conversation covers Laura's pricing journey from $75/hour to her current rate of $250, with plans to raise it again. Laurie reinforces that no designer should be under $100 an hour and shares a cautionary story about a builder who tried to pay a designer less than minimum wage for full design services on $5 million homes.Laura walks through her client process: a free 15-minute phone call, a $600 two-hour in-home consultation, and an in-person contract review. She reports a 95% close rate and typically walks out with a signed contract and retainer the same day. Her 15-page contract covers everything from communication expectations to liability protections.Boundaries are a major theme. Laura does not text clients, keeps firm phone hours (9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.), and gives herself 48 hours to respond to email, all of which are written into her contract. Both Laura and Laurie discuss how women in the industry are often pressured to undervalue their work, whether through lowball builder offers, "carrot opportunities" that never materialize, or clients who try to deduct losses from design fees.Laura warns designers never to run subcontractors through their business without a GC license and stresses the importance of collecting fees before final installation. The episode closes with a strong message about work-life balance: exhausting yourself does not produce better work, clients will not remember your sacrifices, and the beauty of owning your business is getting to decide how you live your life.