EP 497 | 4 Hidden Business Leaks Costing Interior Designers Time, Profit, and Clients with Sheilah MacSporran
Where is your interior design business leaking time, profitability, and client trust?
In this episode, Kimberley Seldon sits down with Sheilah MacSporran, CEO of DesignFiles, to uncover four common business leaks that quietly create chaos for interior designers. From starting every project from scratch to juggling disconnected tools, these inefficiencies can cost you hours, reduce profitability, and create unnecessary stress for you and your clients.
Drawing on more than a decade of experience observing how interior designers work, Sheilah shares practical ways to plug these leaks through templates, connected systems, automation, and streamlined workflows. Kimberley also shares a hard-earned lesson from her own design career: difficult clients aren't always the problem. Sometimes, it's the chaos created by a business without consistent systems.
If you're spending too much time on busywork, managing too many tools, or answering questions your systems should answer, this episode will help you identify what's slowing your interior design business down.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- The four common business leaks that cost interior designers time, profitability, and client trust
- Why starting every project from scratch is a major efficiency and profit killer
- How disconnected software and repetitive data entry create unnecessary work
- Why templates, systems, and automation create consistency and protect profitability
- How better systems create a better client experience—and a more efficient, profitable interior design business
DESIGN INTERVENTION
Make it easy for clients to leave a review.
Don't wait until the end of a project and hope clients remember to write a testimonial. Make it effortless. Give them a direct link or QR code and ask at the moment they're happiest with your work.
👉 Watch on YouTube >>
About Sheilah MacSporran
Sheilah MacSporran is the CEO and co-founder of DesignFiles, a top rated all-in-one design and project management platform built to help interior designers grow their businesses without drowning in admin.
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Legal Disclosure | This podcast is for educational purposes only and provides general business advice for interior designers and design professionals. It is not intended as individual legal, accounting, or professional guidance. Kimberley Seldon and Business of Design® make no guarantees regarding accuracy and are not liable for how information is used. Strategies shared may not apply to every situation—listeners should seek qualified legal, financial, or professional advice before making business decisions. References and resources mentioned may change over time.
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