EP 104 | How a 5-Year Plan Helped Build a Successful Design Business with Stephanie Poore

What happens when an interior designer creates a clear vision for where they want their business to be in five years?

In this episode, Kimberley Seldon speaks with Stephanie Poore about how a long-term business plan helped guide her growth from startup to success. Stephanie shares practical lessons on networking, hiring, financial management, and defining your ideal clients as your business evolves.

For interior designers looking to build a stronger, more profitable firm, this conversation highlights the value of planning ahead while remaining flexible enough to seize opportunities along the way.

In this episode, we learn:
• Why a long-term business plan helps guide growth and decision-making
• How strategic networking helps build relationships with clients and trades
• Why it’s okay to take on a variety of projects early in your career—and when to become more selective
• How growing project opportunities can help you define your design aesthetic and ideal clients
• Strategies for billing team members’ time effectively and profitably
• Why hiring a bookkeeper early can improve financial clarity and business performance
• How professional advisors, including legal experts, can help support business growth

Take Aways

Get Stephanie Poore’s 5-year plan to grow her design business: Download Now!

Design Intervention

Start where you are and make the hires you think you want before you get super busy.

About a House is a residential design firm in Charlotte, North Carolina, founded on the belief that beauty lies in the clean lines of simplicity and function. Combining the classic elements of proportion, balance, color, and texture with fresh, forward thinking, About a House captures the essence of its clients, creating beautiful spaces that they love to call home.

Stephanie believes that homes, in all their perfect imperfections, should reflect the lives and stories of those who live in them. Natural materials, clean lines, and purposeful spaces are some of the hallmarks of her designs. Her formal design education combined with her business background allows Stephanie to offer a successful blend of beautifully finished interiors and efficient project management along the way.

When she’s not designing, Stephanie can be found in her garden with her sweet children, tending the weeds and chasing away her eight mischievous chickens.