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Being the owner of a home décor business can be satisfyingly glamorous. There are the trips to furniture stores and the piles of luxury fabric samples. There are the meetings with prospective clients where creativity and practicality meet and the rush to meet a deadline.
Yet, despite its glamorous side, establishing a home décor business comes with its own set of challenges. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pursue your business dream if this is what you’ve always wanted. This article lists seven essential steps you need to consider in establishing a successful home décor business.
Find an excellent business address
There’s a slight but significant difference between a registered address and a business address. The registered address is what you use to fill out the details of your company. On the other hand, a business address refers to the registered office where you can communicate with clients. Even though the business address refers to your registered office, no rule says the office must be in the exact location where the business address is showing.
This is important news for your business. If you hope to associate your home décor business with a glamorous city such as London, Paris, or New York, then you can invest in a business address without having to rent an office in the city. A quick online search can deliver some of the top options ranging from the best business address service provider in London, Milan, Paris, and anywhere else in the world.
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Create a portfolio
With a home décor business, you know words aren’t enough to lure clients. This type of job requires proof of your past work. So the next step in establishing your business is to hire a professional photographer to take pictures of your most recent work. If you don’t have a wide range of examples, consider doing some work for free so you can have material to show prospective clients.
Build your website
These days, no business is official if it doesn’t have an online presence. Your website is the first impression your clients will get of your business, so it must reflect your brand. Websites such as WordPress are excellent portals where you can build a website fast, even if you’re not confident in your website-building skills. However, suppose you want to stand out from the competition and get noticed online. In that case, it’s best to hire professionals who can optimize your website and implement white hat SEO techniques that will propel your page to the top of the search engine list.
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Invest in social media
Your website and social media profiles go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other, and each one must reflect the brand seamlessly. Rather than opting for all social media out there, it’s best to determine the right ones for your business. This will depend mainly on your target audience and whether you want to target clients locally or internationally.
Instagram and Pinterest are your best bet for a home décor business because they are image-based. If you want people to notice you, you must know what you’re doing on social media. If you don’t, consider hiring someone who does. The investment will pay off as many people look for new brands on social media.
Creating a mailing list
Over the years, you have accumulated a list of emails—from friends to colleges, bosses, and even brands. Consider using this list when you launch your website and social media profiles. You can introduce your business in the newsletter and tell everyone where they can follow you on social media and the reasons they should. The people on the mailing list can always unsubscribe if they prefer to opt out. In the meantime, you will have introduced your business.
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Network with like-minded people
You may run solo, but you need a network of people if you want clients to find you. As a home décor business owner, you need people like real estate agents, furniture sellers, textile brands, construction workers, electricians, and similar professionals to know about you. These are the people interacting with homeowners who are buying homes and renovating. A simple word of mouth could be your ticket to a set of new clients.
Consider paid advertising
Once you have established your online presence, you can consider assigning some of your funds to paid advertising. Unlike a decade or so ago, advertising is far more targeted and vaster these days. You can target anyone in any country worldwide, of any age, gender, profession, and interest. You can choose the advertising portal you prefer to promote your business, whether that’s pay-per-click advertising, Facebook ads, Instagram ads, Pinterest ads, and the list goes on.
Launching a home décor business comes with its hurdles, and persistence is key to thriving amid the competition. One excellent way of standing out is to become a source people can turn to for inspiration and tips. With social media and a blog platform on your website, you can share your ideas and answer people’s questions. In doing so, you become the go-to person for a specific style of home décor tips, which can only mean more business.