Are you about starting a home decoration business? If YES, here is a complete sample home decoration business plan template & feasibility report you can use for FREE.
Okay, so we have considered all the requirements for starting a home decoration business. We also took it further by analyzing and drafting a sample home decoration marketing plan template backed up by actionable guerrilla marketing ideas for home decoration businesses. So let’s proceed to the business planning section.
If you are interested in starting a home decoration business, you can be rest assured that there is no limit to the fortune you can make from the industry as long as you are creative and have good networking skills. If you are looking for a business to start as an entrepreneur with a design and creativity background, then you can consider starting your own home decoration company.
Although a home decoration company can be operated from home, especially if it is being managed by an individual, but it pays to operate from an office facility. The truth is that you would need an office space to be able to run this type of business if indeed you want to work for corporate organizations and even government agencies.
Just ensure that you secure an office decent enough to host the caliber of clients you will be dealing with. An office in the business district of your city might just be ideal for you – but all the same, you don’t need to go beyond your means to get a very expensive office space. It is advisable to start your business small and then grow it big.
If indeed you are interested in starting a home decoration company, then you will surely find this comprehensive business plan very helpful.
A Sample Home Decoration Business Plan Template
1. Industry Overview
Interior decorators, also known as home decorators, work with homeowners or business owners to furnish and adorn an interior space according to their preferences. The decorator must usually work within a budget and order the necessary design elements for their clients.
The truth is that interior design is a multidimensional vocation that covers activities such as conceptual development, communicating with the stakeholders of a project, management and of course the execution of the design (project).
Home decoration companies are responsible for planning the design of both living and commercial facilities such as hotel, motels and lodges; they have mastered the art of turning their ideas or concept into reality. The projects that home decorators handle can be broad in scope.
It could range from structural modifications to the selection of matching furniture, curtains or blind, wallpaper and lighting et al.
The Interior Designers industry is indeed a big industry that has experienced consistent growth and innovations over the last five years. However, the industry is projected to experience marginally better conditions over the next five years.
As long as the housing market is expected to improve strongly, there will also be corresponding growth for residential interior designers as existing home sales and housing stats make up ground over the five-year period.
So also, increase in corporate profit, growth and expansion of corporate organization will open up business opportunities of interior design companies because there will be need for organizations to remodel their facilities to meet up with changing trends.
Statistics has it that the Interior Designers industry has a low level of market share concentration. For instance, in 2016, the top four leading interior decoration companies accounted for less than 10.0 percent of the industry’s total revenue. It is fact that market share concentration has not changed significantly in the last five years.
It is important to clearly state that the Interior Designers industry is a highly fragmented industry with thousands of players, of which only a small percentage of the players generated an annual revenue exceeding $1.0 million. A large number of players in interior designer industry are self-employed because of the nature of the job they do and of course the low startup capital required to start the business.
The interior design industry is indeed a very large industry and pretty much active in all the parts of the world. Statistics has it that in the united states of America alone, there are about 102,848 registered home decoration cum interior design companies responsible for employing about 127,467 and the industry rakes in a whooping sum of $13bn annually.
In 2014 alone, the federal government of the United States of America spent a total sum of $11,270,048 on Interior Designers. During the period in review, they awarded 437 interior design contracts to 77 interior design companies, averaging a value of $146,364 per company.
The industry is indeed highly competitive and of course a growing industry with steady growth rate of 3.0 percent annually. The interior design industry is very open to any aspiring entrepreneur who has the required skills to start his or her own home decoration business.
As a matter of fact, it was projected that over the next five years, new technology will continue to emerge that will make it easier for more players to come into the industry hence increasing the competition.
The interior design industry will continue to blossom because more and more households and corporate organizations are beginning to realize that somehow, they would need the services of home decorators to help give their facility the needed look befitting of their organization or personalities.
From all available statistics, it is safer to say that the industry is growing steadily despite the competitive nature of the industry.
Lastly, some of the factors that encourage entrepreneurs to start their own home decoration company could be that the business is easy to set up and the startup capital is indeed affordable; you can actually start your own home decoration business from the comfort of your house.
All you need to do is to create an office somewhere in your house. People usually pay you for the result you can deliver as it relates to helping them design their facility to their expectation.
2. Executive Summary
James & Janell® Home Deco, Inc. is a U.S based home decoration (interior design) company. We have been able to secure a standard office facility in a busy business district in Las Vegas – Nevada. We are a world class home decoration company that is set to compete in the highly competitive interior design industry not only in the United States market, but also in the global market.
James & Janell® Home Deco, Inc. will be involved in the all aspects of home decoration cum interior design services such as Residential interior design, Commercial (Hotels and Lodges) interior design, Merchandise sales, home decorating consulting services and other related services.
Our business goal is to become one of the leading home decoration companies in the United States and we will make sure that every home decoration job that we do can favorably compete with the best in the industry. Our workers are going to be selected from a pool of talented and highly creative home designers in and around Las Vegas – Nevada and also from any part of the world especially from Milan and Paris as the business grows.
We will make sure that we take all the members of our workforce through the required trainings that will position them to meet the expectation of the company and to compete with leading home decorators in the United States and throughout the globe.
At James & Janell® Home Deco, Inc. our client’s best interest come first, and everything we do will be guided by our values and professional ethics. We will ensure that we hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards by meeting our client’s needs precisely and completely.
James & Janell® Home Deco, Inc. is founded by two siblings James Creflo and his twin sister Janell Creflo. They both graduated from The Interior Design School of London and they have over the years garnered the required experience that will position them to become a major force to reckon with in the industry in the United States of America and across the globe.
3. Our Products and Services
James & Janell® Home Deco, Inc. was established with the aim of maximizing profits in the interior design industry. We want to compete favorably with leading home decoration and interior design companies in the United States which is why we have put in place a competent quality assurance team that will ensure that all our designs and related services rendered meet and even surpass our customers’ expectations.
Our products and services are listed below;
- Residential home decoration cum interior design services
- Commercial (hotels, motels, and lodges) interior design services
- Merchandise sales
- Home decorating consulting services
- Other related services like giving interior makeover to historic buildings, vehicles, such as ships and aircraft et al.
4. Our Mission and Vision Statement
- Our vision is to establish a standard home decoration company whose services and brand will not only be accepted in Las Vegas – Nevada but also throughout the United States of America and other parts of the world.
- Our mission is to build a home decoration company that will be known to execute top notch projects and to become the number one choice of real estate agencies and other stake holder in the industry. We want to build a home decoration company that can favorably compete with other leading brands in the industry.
Our Business Structure
James & Janell® Home Deco, Inc. is a home decoration company that intends starting small in Las Vegas, but hopes to grow big in order to compete favorably with leading companies in the industry both in the United States and on a global stage.
At James & Janell® Home Deco, Inc., we will ensure that we hire people that are qualified, hardworking, creative, customer centric and are ready to work to help us build a prosperous business that will benefit all the stake holders.
As a matter of fact, profit-sharing arrangement will be made available to all our senior management staff and it will be based on their performance for a period of five years or more as agreed by the board of trustees of the company. In view of the above, we have decided to hire qualified and competent hands to occupy the following positions;
- Chief Executive Officer
- Creative Director
- Human Resources and Admin Manager
- Sales and Marketing Executive
- Accountant
- Home Decorators / Interior Designer
- Client Service Executive
5. Job Roles and Responsibilities
Chief Executive Officer – CEO:
- Increases management’s effectiveness by recruiting, selecting, orienting, training, coaching, counseling, and disciplining managers; communicating values, strategies, and objectives; assigning accountabilities; planning, monitoring, and appraising job result
- Responsible for providing direction for the business
- Creating, communicating, and implementing the organization’s vision, mission, and overall direction – i.e. leading the development and implementation of the overall organization’s strategy.
- Responsible for signing checks and documents on behalf of the company
- Evaluates the success of the organization
Creative Director:
- Serves as project manager for the organization; works directly with employees
- Responsible for designing concepts for home makeover and facility uplifts
- Accomplishes subsidiary objectives by establishing plans, budgets, and results measurements; allocating resources; reviewing progress; making mid-course corrections.
- Builds company image by collaborating with customers, government, community organizations, and employees; enforcing ethical business practices.
- Maintains quality service by establishing and enforcing organization standards.
- Maintains professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops; reviewing professional publications / journals; establishing personal networks; benchmarking state-of-the-art practices; participating in professional societies.
- Ensures that the organization works in line with international best practices.
Human Resources and Admin Manager
- Responsible for overseeing the smooth running of HR and administrative tasks for the organization
- Defining job positions for recruitment and managing interviewing process
- Carrying out induction for new team members
- Responsible for training, evaluation and assessment of employees
- Responsible for arranging travel, meetings and appointments
- Oversee the smooth running of the daily office and factory activities.
Sales and Marketing Manager
- Manage external research and coordinate all the internal sources of information to retain the organizations’ best customers and attract new ones
- Model demographic information and analyze the volumes of transactional data generated by customer
- Identifies development opportunities; follows up on development leads and contacts
- Writing winning proposal documents, negotiate fees and rates in line with organizations’ policy
- Responsible for handling business research, market surveys and feasibility studies for clients
- Responsible for supervising implementation, advocate for the customer’s needs, and communicate with clients
- Create new markets cum businesses for the organization
- Empower and motivates the sales team to meet and surpass agreed targets
Accountant/Cashier:
- Responsible for preparing financial reports, budgets, and financial statements for the organization
- Provides managements with financial analyses, development budgets, and accounting reports
- Responsible for financial forecasting and risks analysis.
- Performs cash management, general ledger accounting, and financial reporting for one or more properties.
- Responsible for developing and managing financial systems and policies
- Responsible for administering payrolls
- Ensuring compliance with taxation legislation
- Handles all financial transactions for James & Janell® Home Deco, Inc.
- Serves as internal auditor for James & Janell® Home Deco, Inc.
Home Decorators/Interior Designers (4)
- Liaising with clients to determine their requirement and budget
- Responsible for inspecting and surveying buildings
- Responsible for negotiating fees and setting schedules for the project
- Responsible for researching and drawing up rough plans
- Responsible for developing detailed designs and choosing materials
- Responsible for supervising the work as it is carried out.
- Responsible for preparing drafts or material based on an agreement brief.
- Research and advice the organization on style, genre and other trendy info as it relates to home decoration/interior design.
Client Service Executive
- Welcomes clients and visitors by greeting them in person or on the telephone; answering or directing inquiries.
- Ensures that all contacts with clients (e-mail, SMS or phone) provides the client with personalized customer service experience of the highest level
- Through interaction with clients on the phone, uses every opportunity to build client’s interest in the company’s products and services
- Manages administrative duties assigned by the HR manager in an effective and timely manner
- Consistently stays abreast of any new information on the organizations’ products, promotional campaigns etc. to ensure accurate and helpful information is supplied to potential clients when they make enquiries
6. SWOT Analysis
James & Janell® Home Deco, Inc. hired the services of a core professional in the area of business consulting and structuring to assist our organization in building a well – structured home decoration business that can favorably compete in the highly competitive interior design industry in the United States and the world at large.
Here is a summary of the SWOT analysis that was conducted on behalf of James & Janell® Home Deco, Inc.;
- Strength:
Our central strength is no doubt the power of our team; our workforce. We have a team of creative and highly proficient home decorators cum interior designers, a team with excellent qualifications and experience in various niche areas in the interior design industry.
Aside from the synergy that exists in our carefully selected home decorators, we have a robust relationship with key stake holders in the real estate industry and of course our designs and services will be guided by international best practices.
- Weakness:
As a new home decoration company in Las Vegas – Nevada, it might take some time for our organization to break into the market and gain acceptance especially from the government and other top profile clients in the already saturated and highly competitive interior design industry; that is perhaps our major weakness. Another weakness is that we may not have the required cash to promote our business the way we would want to.
- Opportunities:
The opportunities in the interior design industry is massive considering the number of individuals and corporate organizations acquiring new properties and would need the services of home decorators to give the facilities facelift. As a world class home decoration company, we are ready to take advantage of any opportunity that is available in the industry.
- Threat:
Just like any other business, one of the major threats that we are likely going to face is economic downturn. It is a fact that economic downturn affects purchasing/spending power hence lesser houses would be purchased. Another threat that may likely confront us is the arrival of a new home decoration company in same location where our target market exists and who may want to adopt same Business model like us.
7. MARKET ANALYSIS
- Market Trends
Although there are top flight institutions where people go to study interior designing, but it common to find people who don’t have formal training running their own home decoration business. This is what accounts for the high number of sole proprietorship in the interior design industry.
Aside from on-the-job training, most home decoration cum interior design companies usually offer short training (could be in – house) in specific areas such as presentation skills and IT packages.
As a home decorator, you are expected to keep tabs with new trends that are always coming up in the industry. Most interior designers ensure that they follow the traditions or patterns that are synonymous to a region. For instance, as a home decorator in the Arab world, your designs are expected to follow the traditions and pattern in the region.
8. Our Target Market
There is a wide range of both corporate and individual clients who cannot successfully move into their new homes/facilities without hiring the services of home decorators. As a matter of fact, without the services of home decorators or interior designers, the interiors of facilities won’t be as beautiful and welcoming as we can see these days.
We will ensure that we develop strategic pacts with property developers, property management companies, local builders, realtors and home improvement firms. This will give us several options to generate revenue for our company.
In view of that, we have created strategies that will enable us reach out to various corporate organizations and individuals who we know can’t do without our services. We have conducted our market research and survey and we will ensure that all our home decoration services is well accepted in the marketplace. Below is a list of the people and organizations that we will market our services to;
- Construction Companies
- Property Development Companies
- Home Owners
- Corporate Organizations
- Realtors —for their clients’ homes
- Home Improvement Companies
- Commercial builders of office and home complexes
- Home builders’ associations
- Furniture stores
- Paint and wall paper stores
- Flower shops
- Real Estate Owners, Developers, and Contractors
- The Government (Public Sector)
- Hotels
- Religious Organizations (Church hall and other places of worship)
Our competitive advantage
The competition in the interior design industry is getting stiffer by the day, you have to be highly creative and come up with appealing designs and concepts in order to survive in the industry. The industry is indeed profitable and at the same time a highly competitive industry; it enjoys strong demand as people continue to purchase or move into new apartments and remodel old ones.
Clients will only hire your services if they know that they can get nothing but the best from you. We are quite aware that to be highly competitive in the interior design industry means that you are not only expected to deliver consistent and highly creative designs, but you must be able to meet set targets.
Our competitive advantage lies in the power of our team; our workforce. We have a team of creative and highly proficient interior designers, a team with excellent qualifications and experience in various niche areas in the interior design industry.
Aside from the synergy that exists in our carefully selected home decorators, we have a robust relationship with key stake holders in the real estate industry and of course our designs and services will be guided by international best practices.
Lastly, all our employees will be well taken care of, and their welfare package will be among the best within our category in the industry. It will enable them to be more than willing to build the business with us and help deliver our set goals and achieve all our business aims and objectives.
9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY
We are not ignorant of the fact that there are stiff competitions in the interior design industry; there are loads of home decorators and interior designers jostling for contracts which is why we have been able to hire some of the best marketing experts to handle our sales and marketing.
Our sales and marketing team will be recruited based on their vast experience in the real estate market and they will be trained on a regular basis so as to be well equipped to meet their targets and the overall business goal of James & Janell® Home Deco, Inc.
Our goal is to grow James & Janell® Home Deco, Inc. to become one of the leading home decoration companies in the United States of America which is why we have mapped out strategies that will help us take advantage of the available market and grow to become a major force to reckon with not only in Las Vegas – Nevada but also in other cities in the United States of America.
James & Janell® Home Deco, Inc. is set to make use of the following marketing and sales strategies to attract clients and win home decoration and interior decoration contracts;
- Introduce our home decoration company by sending introductory letters alongside our brochure to corporate organizations, realtors, religious organizations and key stake holders in the real estate industry.
- Promptness in bidding for home decoration or interior design contracts from the government and other cooperate organizations
- Advertise our business in relevant business magazines, newspapers, TV and radio stations
- List our business on yellow page ads (local directories)
- Attend relevant international and local expos, seminars, and business fairs et al
- Create different packages for different category of clients in order to work with their budgets and still deliver excellent design and services
- Leverage on the internet to promote our business
- Engage direct marketing approach
- Encourage word of mouth marketing from loyal and satisfied clients
Sources of Income
James & Janell® Home Deco, Inc. is established with the aim of maximizing profits in the interior design cum real estate industry and we are going to go all the way to ensure that we do all it takes to meet and surpass the expectations of our clients.
James & Janell® Home Deco, Inc. will generate income by offering the following home decoration services and other related services;
- Residential home decoration cum interior design services
- Commercial (hotels, motels, and lodges) interior design services
- Merchandise sales
- Home decorating services consulting services
- Other related services like giving interior makeover to historic buildings, vehicles, such as ships and aircraft et al.
10. Sales Forecast
One thing is certain, there would always be households and corporate organization who would need the services of home decorators or interior designers whenever they purchase new home, office facilities or are moving into a new facility.
We are well positioned to take on the available market in interior design/real estate industry and we are quite optimistic that we will meet our set target of generating enough income/profits from our first six months of operation and grow our home decoration company to enviable heights.
We have been able to examine the home decoration market, we have analyzed our chances in the industry and we have been able to come up with the following sales forecast. Below is the sales projection for James & Janell® Home Deco, Inc., it is based on the location of our business and of course the wide range of our services and target market;
- First Fiscal Year (FY1): $150,000
- Second Fiscal Year (FY2): $400,000
- Third Fiscal Year (FY3): $750,000
N.B: This projection was done based on what is obtainable in the industry and with the assumption that there won’t be any major economic meltdown and there won’t be any major competitor offering same home decoration services as we do within same location. Please note that the above projection might be lower and at the same time it might be higher.
11. Publicity and Advertising Strategy
We have been able to work with brand and publicity consultants to help us map out publicity and advertising strategies that will help us walk our way into the hearts of our target market.
We are set to become the number one choice for both corporate and individual clients in the whole of the Las Vegas and beyond which is why we have made provisions for effective publicity and advertisement of our Home decoration company. Below are the platforms we intend to leverage on to promote and advertise James & Janell® Home Deco, Inc.;
- Place adverts on both print (newspapers and magazines) and electronic media platforms
- Sponsor relevant community-based events/programs
- Leverage on the internet and social media platforms like; Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Google + et al to promote our services
- Install our billboards in strategic locations all around Las Vegas – Nevada
- Distribute our fliers and handbills in target areas
- Contact corporate organizations and residents in our target areas by calling them up and informing them of James & Janell® Home Deco, Inc. and the services we offer
- List our home decoration company in local directories / yellow pages
- Advertise our home decoration company in our official website and employ strategies that will help us pull traffic to the site.
- Ensure that all our staff members wear our branded shirts and all our vehicles and trucks are branded with our company logo.
12. Our Pricing Strategy
If you are conversant with the interior design industry, you will realize that the pricing structure ranges from per hour billings to fixed fee to even per square foot billing. Most interior decoration companies adopt all the available pricing systems as it applies to the nature of the job or project they are expected to execute.
At James & Janell® Home Deco, Inc. we will adopt all the pricing systems as is obtainable in the industry but we will ensure that we keep the prices of our services a little below the average market rate by keeping our overhead low and by collecting payment in advance from corporate organizations who would hire our services.
In addition, we will offer special discounted rates to all our customers at regular intervals. We are aware that there are some one-off jobs or government contracts which are always lucrative, we will ensure that we abide by the pricing model that is expected from contractors or organizations that bid for such contracts.
- Payment Options
The payment policy adopted by James & Janell® Home Deco, Inc. is all inclusive because we are quite aware that different customers prefer different payment options as it suits them but at the same time, we will ensure that we abide by the financial rules and regulation of the United States of America. Here are the payment options that James & Janell® Home Deco, Inc. will make available to her clients;
- Payment via bank transfer
- Payment with cash
- Payment via credit cards
- Payment via online bank transfer
- Payment via check
- Payment via mobile money transfer
- Payment via bank draft
In view of the above, we have chosen banking platforms that will enable our client make payment for our services without any stress on their part. Our bank account numbers will be made available on our website and promotional materials.
13. Startup Expenditure (Budget)
Starting a home decoration company is cost effective because on the average, you are not expected to acquire expensive machines and equipment.
What you should be concerned about is the amount needed to secure a standard office facility in a good and busy business district, the amount needed to furnish and equip the office, the amount needed to pay bills, purchase relevant software apps, promote the business and obtain the appropriate business license and certifications. Basically, these are the areas we are looking towards spending our startup capital on;
- Business incorporating fees in the United States of America will cost – $750.
- The budget for liability insurance, permits and license will cost – $3,500
- Acquiring an office space that will accommodate our employees for at least 6 months (Re – Construction of the facility inclusive) will cost – $150,000.
- Equipping the office (computers, printers, projectors, markers, servers / internet facility, furniture, telephones, filing cabinets, and electronics) will cost – $10,000
- The amount required to purchase the needed software applications – $ 3,500
- The amount of required for launching an official website will cost – $500
- The amount needed to pay bills and staff members for at least 2 to 3 months – $70,000
- Additional Expenditure such as Business cards, Signage, Adverts and Promotions will cost – $5,000
Going by the report from the market research and feasibility studies conducted, we will need about two hundred thousand (200,000) U.S. dollars to successfully setup a medium scale but standard home decoration company in the United States of America.
Generating Startup Capital for James & Janell® Home Deco, Inc.
James & Janell® Home Deco, Inc. will be owned by two siblings James Creflo and his twin sister Janell Creflo. They decided to restrict the sourcing of the startup capital for the business to just three major sources.
- Generate part of the startup capital from personal savings and sale of stocks
- Generate part of the startup capital from friends and other extended family members
- Generate a larger chunk of the startup capital from the bank (loan facility).
N.B: We have been able to generate about $100,000 (Personal savings $85,000 and soft loan from family members $15,000) and we are at the final stages of obtaining a loan facility of $100,000 from our bank. All the papers and documents have been duly signed and submitted, the loan has been approved and any moment from now our account will be credited.
14. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy
It is easier for businesses to survive when they have steady flow of business deals/customers patronizing their products and services.
We know that if we continue to come up with highly creative and unique home decoration cum interior design concept and excellent job delivery for both corporate organizations, government agencies and households, there will be a steady flow of income for the organization.
Our key sustainability and expansion strategy are to ensure that we only hire creative, competent and selfless interior designers, create a conducive working environment and employee benefits for our staff members. In the nearest future, we will give our most dedicated and prolific employees the opportunity to be part owners of the business via owing shares in the company.
We know that if we implement our business strategies, we will achieve our business goals and objectives in record time.
Check List/Milestone
- Business Name Availability Check: Completed
- Business Incorporation: Completed
- Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts: Completed
- Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed
- Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress
- Securing a standard office facility plus renovation of the facility: Competed
- Application for business license and permit: Completed
- Purchase of Insurance for the Business: Completed
- Conducting Feasibility Studies: Completed
- Generating part of the startup capital from the founders: Completed
- Writing of Business Plan: Completed
- Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
- Drafting of Contract Documents: In Progress
- Design of Logo for the business: Completed
- Secure trademark for our products: In Progress
- Printing of Promotional Materials: Completed
- Recruitment of employees: In Progress
- Purchase of the needed furniture, office equipment, software applications, electronic appliances and facility facelift: In progress
- Creating Official Website for the business: In Progress
- Creating Awareness for the business: In Progress
- Health and Safety and Fire Safety Arrangement: In Progress
- Establishing business relationship with vendors and key players in the real estate industry: In Progress