Interior designer for small businesses

Small business owners opening or refreshing a space, such as cafes, clinics, salons, offices and retail shops, and sometimes landlords or property managers.

Project fees, usually a flat fee or a percentage of the project budget, with hourly rates for changes. Some designers also earn trade discounts on furnishings.

• Space planning for customer flow and work areas
• Reading floor plans and basic drawing or CAD
• Budgeting and managing timelines
• Coordinating contractors and vendors

• Commercial work often involves building codes, accessibility rules (such as ADA) and permits, so check what your state and city require and who must sign off
• Some states require registration or licensing for commercial interior design, so check your state's licensing board
• Professional liability and general liability insurance, and workers' compensation if you hire
• Long payment cycles and scope changes, so use written contracts, deposits and milestone payments
• Check lease and landlord approval requirements for client spaces

Estimates put startup costs at typically around $1,500 to $8,000, depending on your drawing or CAD tools, insurance and marketing. Written contracts, deposits and milestone payments help manage long payment cycles and scope changes.

Some states require registration or licensing for commercial interior design, so check your state's licensing board. Commercial work often involves building codes, accessibility rules such as ADA and permits, so check what your state and city require and who must sign off.

Estimates suggest monthly revenue of typically around $2,000 to $10,000, depending on project size, how many clients you handle and payment timing. Plan for at least about 15 hours a week.