Читать книгу Professional Practice for Interior Designers - Christine M. Piotrowski - Страница 22

An interior design business starts with the owner committed to doing design work the way she thinks is right. The owner should have experience in the field before opening the doors. Many students think that once they have graduated from a program, they are automatically ready to open their own offices. Some do. Many fail and end up working for someone else.

When you read Chapter 19 and the other chapters dealing with creating a design business, you will gain a deeper appreciation for what it is to be the owner of a design firm—even one whose only employee is the owner. There is a lot more to it than having a diploma, passing a licensing exam, and setting up an office.

There is risk involved in opening a business: financial risk, legal risk, and even risk in hiring employees. Employees—the people of the firm—must work as a team and must work in accordance with the rules the owner has set up. If you work for a sole practitioner or any small design firm, your willingness and ability to be a team player are crucial. Each individual in the company has a role on the team. Sometimes that role is not very glamorous. Not everything about interior design is glamorous.

As an employee, you need to remember that the firm does not belong to you. The owner, not you, makes decisions concerning how to go about doing a design project. The owners may veto work that you have spent hours doing with a wave of the hand. Guess what? It's their prerogative to do so, because it's their names on the door. Their risk is paramount to yours.

As the new person in the office, it is wise for you to keep your eyes and ears open; listen and observe what is going on. Each office has its way of doing things, and you need to learn those processes. Become a team player, and your experience opportunities will grow, just as your experience as a professional interior designer will grow.