(Are you still tinkering, or ready to step up and lead?)
1. What is Hothouse?
Hothouse is a free professional development group for ambitious interior designers, promoting the Hothouse Method of Business Growth: Design; Declare; Deliver.
🌱 Design – we plan our businesses
🌱 Declare – we set goals and targets in public
🌱 Deliver – we measure and watch our businesses grow
Hothouse isn’t about theory, it’s all about action. Whatever stage your business – startup, lightweight, middleweight, heavyweight – Hothouse is here to help you thrive, and push your business up to the next level.
2. June Intentions and Focus
Our focus for June is...drum roll... Sales Training – the kind you never got at design school!
🎓 Sell Like A Designer is a two-part Hothouse webinar series designed for residential designers working with high-net-worth clients.
📍 Part I – The Psychology of the Sale – Thursday 12 June @ 10am UK
📍 Part II – The Tools, Tactics, and Tricks – Wednesday 25 June @ 1pm UK
💡 Whether you’re new to the game or running a successful studio, these sessions will give you the tools, strategies, and confidence to sell your services at a high level – without apology. As ever, the webinar links will be in Hothouse.
3. 📦 New! Business in a Box – Now on Pre-Order
Interior Design Business-in-a-Box is the shortcut I wish I’d had when I started.
It’s designed for newly qualified designers who want to launch now, not when everything is perfect.
Get everything you need to trade confidently – from services and pricing to templates, systems, and mindset boosters. Plus, live support in the Hothouse community.
It's self-directed, start any time from 8 September.
💸 Early adopter price: £495. Find out more here. Spread the word!
4. 🌟 Insights from Pink Storm Social - Part II
I had the second (of two) 90-minute sessions with Milla of Pink Storm Social this week, and it was so helpful.
She created a detailed content calendar for me for the next month (starting on Monday 😱) based on her diagnosis of my content pillars and the need to mix up posts that: sell, connect, inspire, or help with growth.
She arrived with a good idea of my target market, but the conversation we had refining this is one of the most helpful I’ve had this year. It inspired this week’s blog post, by helping me crystallise the development stages of tier one, two, and three design businesses.
I’m excited to see what difference her input makes to my Instagram account...I'd love your guiding comments on my Insta account to let me know how you think it’s all landing!
5. 📊 This Week’s Blog: Where Do You Stand on the Interior Design Leaderboard?
Ever wondered how your interior design business stacks up against the rest? Are you still in start-up mode, operating with a strong but imperfect foundation, or are you on the cusp of joining the elite, high-fee design studios at the top of the game?
Inspired by my chat with Milla, this week’s blog breaks down the three tiers of interior design practice, the distinct stages of business growth that separate the newcomers from the rising stars, and the rising stars from the true industry leaders.
Curious where you fit? Take a moment to read and see if it’s time for you to make a bold move.
6. 🌱 Planting Seeds for an Autumn Relaunch – Your Forcing Target
It’s June - the final month of Q2, and we’re nearly halfway through the year.
July is a race to clear your desk before the holidays begin (and before the big European shut-down), while August tends to drift by in a quieter rhythm - well, unless you’re on parent duty!
🌱 But I want to plant a seed: with Q4 just around the corner, let's end 2025 on a high.
In September, Hothouse will introduce the concept of a forcing target: a focused goal designed to stretch you and drive meaningful results.
Here’s how it works:
- Think about your client journey: awareness, nurture, convert, serve, and mobilise happy clients into ambassadors.
- Identify the weakest link in your business’s funnel.
- Decide on a measurable target that would clearly show improvement in this area, whether it’s growing your mailing list, securing more consultations, converting enquiries into paying clients, or turning past clients into repeat business.
This forcing target will give you a point of focus for Q4. We’ll work together in Hothouse to identify practical steps and strategies to make it happen, so you’re not just setting a goal, you’re achieving it.
More details to come.
For now, simply ask yourself: Where is my business underperforming? And what, if improved, would change everything by year-end?
Let’s make 2025 a standout year - there’s still time.
7. My Week in Hothouse
My big relaunch starts on Monday. Armed with the social media calendar that Milla created (and with much-needed good intentions re. LinkedIn), plus plans for new YouTube videos, I hope June will see things pick up again, post Bootcamp.
That said, I saw things start to turn around this week, as I had a bit more time to spend on marketing.
8. 📅 Dates for June
🗓️ New Designers’ Meeting – 10 June, 1pm UK - A chance to meet up and discuss the challenges confronting you in June - all welcome, with the focus on those starting out or pivoting their businesses. Let me know in the group if you plan to attend.
🗓️ Sell Like A Designer – Part I – 12 June, 10am UK -
The Psychology of the Sale - see point 2 above.
🗓️ Sell Like A Designer – Part II – 25 June, 1pm UK -
The Tools, Tactics, and Tricks - see point 2 above.
🗓️ Bootcampers’ Board Meetings – 2 June (Monday group) & 27 June (Friday group), private meetings for Bootcamp graduates, by invitation only.
You'll find all the links to join these meetings in Hothouse, under the 'Events' tab. I'll be loading all the June dates in the next day or two.
9. Final Thought 🌿
Here’s the truth: if you’ve got the ambition to level up your business, the support is here.
You don’t have to figure it all out on your own. With the right structure, planning, and guidance, transformation is within reach.
Bring your intention. I’ll help you shape it into a plan. Together, we’ll make it happen. (Hint: it won't happen unless you actively intend it!).
That’s what I do. And I’m here to help.
Warmly,
Julia
Founder - Hothouse
Responses