EP 325 | Avoid Overdelivering in Interior Design with Melissa Morris

Are you doing more work than you’re paid for—and calling it “good service”?

In this episode, Kimberley Seldon is joined by Melissa Morris to tackle one of the most common profitability problems in interior design: overdelivering. What often starts as a desire to exceed expectations can quickly turn into unpaid work, scope creep, and burnout.

The root issue isn’t generosity—it’s a lack of clearly defined scope and boundaries. Learn how to protect your time, maintain control of your projects, and run a more profitable design business without sacrificing client satisfaction.

If you’re feeling overworked and underpaid, this episode will help you reset your approach.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How unclear scope leads to overwork, overwhelm, and lost profit
• Why perfectionism often drives overdelivering in design projects
• How to clearly define scope of work to protect your time and margins
• Why the first out-of-scope request is the moment to set boundaries
• How following a process prevents leadership bottlenecks
• Why time tracking is essential for understanding and improving profitability

DESIGN INTERVENTION

Focus on relationships. It wasn’t long ago that all the hype was about blogging, social media posts and Facebook ads – and it’s still often preached. A business coach told me to focus on building relationships and she was right. Long before the internet, word of mouth and referrals was a great way to build a business and that still holds true today. While I definitely blog and post to social media, I put more effort into relationship building than most.

RECOMMENDED LEARNING

When you’ve completed the BOD15 Program within BOD™ Membership, implement Business of Design®’s Flat Fee Method using the BOD™ Flat Fee Contract. Never undercharge or worry about scope creep again.

About Melissa Morris

As the founder of Agency Authority, a project management and operations consultancy for agency owners, I use my 10 years agency experience to help business owners maximize their team, increase their productivity, and grow their profits. Firmly committed to breaking the ‘long hours and bad pay’ stigma that plagues the agency world, my team and I help business owners and their team members do the work they love without sacrificing client satisfaction, the bottom line, or their own sanity.

www.youragencyauthority.com

Facebook | agencyauthority 

Instagram | youragencyauthority

Thank you to our Sponsor!

Daniel House Club

Over the last year, Daniel House Club has helped interior designers save over $2.3 million in their furniture procurement. With Daniel House Club, trade professionals no longer need to jump through hoops or remember hundreds of logins to profitably source from the brands they love most. Club members enjoy access to over 150 vendors at the best trade prices in the industry all in one place. Daniel House Club’s mission is to be the quickest place for interior designers to FIND and BUY what they are looking for. And it’s fulfilling this mission.

Visit danielhouse.club/bod to save 50% off your first year of Pro or Pro+ membership.