When people think about running an interior design studio, they probably picture moodboards, beautiful fabrics, site visits and putting together lovely spaces.
And yes, that's absolutely part of it.
But there's another side to running a design studio that doesn't tend to make it onto Instagram.
The supplier emails. The FF&E schedules. The invoices. The project folders. The client follow-ups. The website updates. The marketing.
And the seemingly endless list of little things that need doing before you can actually get on with the designing.
It's the invisible work of running an interior design studio. And there's quite a lot of it.
The Work Nobody Really Sees
Having run my own interior design business, I know how quickly a day can disappear without you feeling like you've done any actual design work.
You might start the morning planning to finish a presentation, only to spend the next three hours chasing supplier quotes, answering client questions, checking lead times and sorting out an issue with a delivery.
All necessary things.
But none of them were on the original plan.
And that's before you've looked at your inbox properly.
The thing about running a studio is that you're not just the designer.
You're also the project manager, marketing department, finance team, administrator and occasionally the person trying to work out why the printer has stopped working.
It's a lot of different hats for one person to wear.
The Little Things Add Up
I think it's easy to underestimate how much time the smaller jobs take.
Replying to a client might only take five minutes.
Updating an FF&E schedule might take twenty.
Chasing a supplier, another ten.
Uploading project photography, writing a caption or updating your website might not seem like an enormous job individually.
But when you're doing all of those things across several projects, they quickly fill your working week.
And the problem isn't necessarily one big task. It's the constant switching between lots of little ones.
One minute you're reviewing a floor plan.
The next you're answering an Instagram enquiry.
Then you're back to checking a fabric specification.
And somewhere in between, you're trying to remember whether you sent that invoice.
It's not exactly the uninterrupted creative time you imagined when you started your business.
Then There's The Work On Your Own Business
This is the part I find particularly interesting.
Because when client projects get busy, the first things to fall off the list are usually the things that support your own business.
Updating your portfolio.
Writing a blog post.
Posting consistently on Instagram.
Improving your website SEO.
Organising your project photography.
Following up with an enquiry.
None of these things feel quite as urgent as a client waiting for their presentation.
So they get pushed to next week.
And then the week after.
Until suddenly it's been three months since you updated your website, and you've got a folder full of beautiful project photography that hasn't seen the light of day.
The irony is that the work you keep putting off is often the work that helps bring in your next project.
Being Busy Isn't Always The Same As Moving Forward
I think there's a difference between having a full working day and feeling like you've actually moved things forward.
You can spend eight hours answering emails, updating documents and putting out little fires.
And still finish the day feeling like you've achieved nothing.
Of course, you have achieved things.
You've kept projects moving, answered questions and made sure things haven't fallen apart behind the scenes.
But when you're constantly reacting to what's coming in, it's difficult to find time for the bigger picture.
The marketing.
The planning.
The improvements to how your studio operates.
Or simply having a little space to think about where you want your business to go next.
Your Studio Shouldn't Rely On You Remembering Everything
One of the biggest things I've learnt from running my own business is that having everything in your head isn't particularly sustainable.
The client who's waiting for a response.
The supplier you need to chase.
The project photography you meant to upload.
The website page you wanted to update.
The Instagram post you haven't got around to writing.
It's a lot of mental tabs to keep open.
And while you might be able to manage it all when you're working on one or two projects, it becomes much harder as your studio grows.
That's where having a few simple systems makes such a difference.
A proper place for project files.
Templates for the emails you send repeatedly.
A content library you can actually find things in.
Time in your calendar for your own business.
And a regular process for reviewing what's outstanding.
Nothing particularly groundbreaking.
But sometimes it's the unglamorous things that make the biggest difference.
You Don't Have To Do Every Part Yourself
I also think there's a point in running a creative business where you have to ask yourself whether you're the best person to be doing absolutely everything.
Not because you can't do it.
But because your time is probably better spent elsewhere.
If you're spending hours formatting Instagram posts, uploading website imagery or trying to get your marketing organised, that's time you're not spending designing, meeting clients or developing your next project.
And while not every studio needs a full-time employee, that doesn't mean you have to keep doing it all yourself.
Sometimes you just need someone to take responsibility for a few of those things that always seem to end up at the bottom of your list.
A Little Less Admin. A Lot More Headspace.
I don't think the goal should be to eliminate every bit of admin from running an interior design studio.
That's never going to happen.
But I do think we can make the business side of things a little easier.
With better organisation.
More realistic planning.
A few systems that actually work.
And knowing when it's time to get some support.
Because the beautiful interiors are only one part of running a successful design studio.
The business behind them deserves just as much attention.
And that's really why I created Studio Sidekick.
Having experienced both sides of running an interior design business, I know how easily the non-design work can take over.
Studio Sidekick is here to help with the things that keep your business visible, organised and moving forward — from social media and content planning to websites, SEO and practical studio support.
So you can spend a little less time managing everything around the designing.
And a little more time actually doing it.