Ah, the end of the year. A magical time for interior designers to reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and what made us cry into a bottle of rosé while Googling “how to quit your own business.” 😭

But instead of rewatching old HGTV reruns and wondering why your life doesn’t look like a design show montage, let’s DO SOMETHING about making 2025 better than 2024.

It’s time for a sexy little thing I call:

The Strategic End-Of-Year Client Review 🎉

That’s just a fancy way of saying that at the end of the year, I look at all the intakes of all the clients I had during the year so I can harvest nuggets that will help me do better marketing, have fewer nightmare clients, and make more time for projects that make my heart (and wallet) happy.

Here’s how to spin YOUR pile of intake forms into brilliant marketing gold. 💰

1. Clone Your Best Clients! 👯👯👯

Every designer has clients they wish they could clone. They’re nice, they trust and respect you, their POV aligns perfectly with yours, and they even pay on time. (Unicorns do exist! 🦄 )

Go back through their intake forms and look for patterns. Here’s what you’re hunting for:

• How did they describe their problems? Did they say, “Our space feels chaotic and mismatched” or “We don’t even know where to start”?
• Why did they choose you? Did they mention your bold use of color or your approachable personality? You don’t have to guess why people want to work with you – you have it right there in black and white! (This is assuming you have a powerful intake form – if you don’t, we should talk.)

Take those exact phrases and sprinkle them through your website, Instagram captions, and emails like glitter at an ADHD kid’s craft party. Why? Because when potential clients see their own words reflected in your marketing, they think, “Finally, someone who gets me!” Nifty trick, right?

2. Gently Nudge Bad Clients Away (Bless Their Hearts)

Let’s talk about those other clients—the ones who made you question your career choices. The ones who wanted you to redesign their living room for the price of a sandwich or demanded you rearrange their furniture on Christmas Eve.

Look at their intake forms and note the language they used. Did they ask for everything “ASAP” or write things like, “We need someone who can make it work on our super-tiny budget”?

Here’s the trick: Don’t use their language in your marketing. In fact, reverse-engineer it to push them away. For example:

• Instead of saying, “Fast results for every budget,” say, “Our process takes time because good design doesn’t happen overnight. And we focus on quality, not quick fixes.”
• Instead of, “We can work with anyone,” say, “We’re the perfect fit for clients who value collaboration and a cohesive design journey.”

If you start saying things like “If you need design done yesterday, we’re probably not the team for you,” not only will your inbox will be gloriously free of panicked, last-minute inquiries, but you’ll also be attracting clients who want a slower, more thoughtful pace (and are willing to pay for it!). It’s like magic, but with boundaries. ✨

3. Tame Your Referral Sources (Without Burning Bridges) 🛠️

Referrals are a double-edged sword. On one hand, they’re free marketing! On the other, not all referrals are created equal. Some bring dream clients, others bring… well, not that. 😬

Here’s how to audit your referral sources like a boss:

a. Thank the MVPs

Did someone send you a client who was an absolute delight? Send them a heartfelt thank-you. It doesn’t have to be elaborate—a bottle of wine, a handwritten note, or a surprise gift card works wonders. Pro tip: Personalize it. If they’re always posting about their dog on Instagram, throw in some fancy dog treats.

b. Redirect the Overeager (with Gratitude 🙏 )

Sometimes people refer clients that are… let’s just say not ideal. For example, one of our referral sources was sending us clients who lived 30 miles from our office after we limited our service area to just 10 miles from our office. I reached out and said:

“Hey Mr. Contractor, thank you SO much for sending us referrals and trusting us with your clients this year!

Just a heads up that next year we’re only doing designs for families living in North Seattle neighborhoods – can’t wait to collaborate on projects with you in Greenlake, Ballard, and Queen Anne.

Let me know if you’d like to share updated info about your business too—I want to make sure I’m sending you the best referrals I can!”

c. Set-and-Forget the Meh Sources

Finally, there are those “meh” referral sources. They might have some value, but they can also be a huge time-waster.

For example, Yelp was a tricky beast for us.

On the one hand, we had a ton of great Yelp reviews 😊 😊 😊 so it’s how a lot of people found us:

On the other hand, most inquiries that came directly through Yelp weren’t exactly our dream clients. Think: people who wanted a “quick refresh” or had budgets so small, they made IKEA look bougie.

So, we made a decision: instead of investing tons of time trying to filter through those leads, we’d let Yelp do what it did best—serve as a directory to funnel people to our website. Whenever someone messaged us on Yelp, we had a simple, copy-paste response ready to go:

“Thanks so much for reaching out! You can learn about our services and share details about your project by clicking [here]. We can’t wait to hear from you!”

No fuss, no overthinking, no endless back-and-forths with tire-kickers. If they clicked the link and followed through? Great—they were serious about working with us. If not? No sweat. We’d rather focus our energy on clients who matched our vibe.

By turning Yelp into a self-serve gateway to our real process (via our website intake form), we kept our admin time low and saved our mental energy for actual paying clients.

This approach works for any “meh” source. Got a Facebook group that sends you lukewarm leads? Set a canned reply. Find yourself getting lots of random DMs on Instagram? Create a quick link to your FAQ page or inquiry form. The goal is to streamline and stop giving your precious time to sources that don’t bring in your best work.

Your sanity will thank you.

Why This Works (and Why You’ll Thank Yourself Later)

This review process isn’t just about feeling productive. It’s about making your future self’s life easier. By honing in on your dream clients, weeding out the ones who drain your energy, and focusing on referral sources that actually work, you’ll spend less time chasing bad leads and more time doing what you love: designing!

Need Help Building Your Dream Design Business?

Like this advice? Want a hand growing into a stronger business owner and building a powerful interior design brand? I’m here. As a business coach for interior designers, I help brilliant creatives like you attract ideal clients, build remarkable client experiences, and design a business you actually love.

And if you DON’T HAVE INTERIOR DESIGN BUSINESS ESSENTIALS like a trust-building intake form, a leadership-establishing initial consult process, and an irresistible design agreement, check out my Lead to Launch, the Business Accelerator built JUST FOR INTERIOR DESIGNERS! 🚀

May your interior design business always make you Seriously Happy! You’ve got this! 💪

💛 Rebecca