From choosing a business name to launching your business, and then keeping your clients, we are going to guide you through everything you need to know on how to start a remote decorating business for various types of events.
Not all people are blessed enough to get to do something they love, at the same time, make a living out of it. This is precisely how it feels when you open up a decorating business especially if you are that kind of person who loves making event concepts into a reality.
Surely, with the current global situation, the events industry is probably one of the most hit industries not just in the country but worldwide.
Today, the events industry is facing a lot of challenges. But, with people and communities in the United States per se slowly planning and holding events and gatherings, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have come up with a list of “considerations for enhancing the protection of individuals and communities and preventing the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).”
So, if you are planning to get into decorating business for events, you have to work with your state and local health officials on how to implement such considerations, as well as you should be open to making adjustments to ensure you meet these considerations for you and your client’s and their guests’ safety.
If you want to know more about what these considerations are, you may check out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.
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Moving on, as we have mentioned earlier, today, we are going to share with you a few essential information on how you can put up an event decorating business from home. Yes, even while at home, you can do such kind of business. As the saying goes, “If there’s a will, there’s a way.”
In particular, we are going to tackle the following:
- Brief Background On Events Decorating Business
- Opportunities in Event Decorating Business
- How Much Profit Does a Decorator Make
- Step-By-Step Guide In Starting a Decorating Business
BRIEF BACKGROUND ON EVENTS DECORATING BUSINESS
Back in the days, when everything was “normal,” events management has been the most wanted and most in-demand industry not just in the country, but in different countries as well. Needless to say, it is a platform for creative people to showcase their expertise and creativity.
One of the key components of events management is decorating. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, decorating means “adding something to an object or place, especially in order to make it more attractive.”
In events, decorating means making dreams come true. It means making a client’s vision into reality. Decorating plays an important role to make an event not just look pleasing, but perfect in the eyes of the client, and their guests.
Decorating creates a huge impact on an event. Needless to say, it is one of the key reasons for making an event a success.
Generally, an event decorating business is very competitive. For newbies, it could be very challenging to enter the scene. However, with the right strategy, plus an undeniable decorating skill, you will surely succeed in this field.
At the moment, as mentioned, decorating businesses for events are facing one of their biggest challenges ever. With the pandemic around, gatherings are prohibited or if not, limited.
However, this does not necessarily mean events decorating is dead, because with technology and by following government-mandated protocols, everything is possible. After all, life events do not take a pause, right?
OPPORTUNITIES IN EVENT DECORATING BUSINESS
Having an event decorating business provides you with options. In particular, there are two — one is by partnering with an events management team, and two, by specializing for decoration alone.
Ideally, it would be nice to have both. You can take advantage of your partner events team’s clientele, at the same time, if you focus on decorations, you get to partner with people who do parties on their own. It’s like having the best of both worlds.
But, if to choose between the two, we highly recommend the latter. It gives you more freedom to work on who you want to work with, at the same time, it does not limit you on working with different people or clients.
In either instances or options, though, the quality of the service you give is very important. Your workmanship will be very critical. If people like the output, the more likely you are to gain clients. Otherwise, you might just want to venture into other kinds of business instead.
HOW MUCH PROFIT DOES A DECORATOR MAKE
One thing that a lot of people consider when getting into a business – in this case, starting a decorating business from home – is the profitability.
Of course, you get into a business snot only so you can pursue a passion, but to earn money.
How much you make as a decorator depends on a number of factors like the kind of event, the materials needed or the requirements for the event, the time you need to be able to put up everything, labor cost, overhead cost, materials, etc. Also, you need to factor in your experience and expertise in the business.
According to Thumbtack.com, decorators earn an average of around $60 to $80 per hour. That is roughly around $700 to $1,000 for most parties. This price, however, does not include decorations itself.
If you come to think of it, having a decorating business and being a decorator is very profitable – but of course, that is as long as you have a good number of clients, you’re good.
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE IN STARTING A DECORATING BUSINESS
Before we move on to the steps on how to put up a decorating business, we thought the video below by The Floral Guru is a good watch. In the video, she shares about how to become a successful event decorator, definite something every newbie in this business should look into.
Similar to other businesses like travel agencies, which is also badly hit by the effects of the pandemic, starting a decorating business from home is ideal these days.
Maybe you are wondering, how then are you going to decorate when you are at home and social gatherings are not allowed?
Allow us to address that first.
Starting a decorating business from home today is actually preparing for when social gatherings are already allowed. It would be nice that once everything is back to normal, your business is up and ready. It’s basically making use of the time to prepare for the future.
Also, slowly, there are areas that have already allowed gatherings, provided, protocols are strictly followed and implemented. Decorators are slowly going back on track but following proper precautions.
So, with that said, let us proceed to how you can start off a decorating business from home. Here’s a step-by-step guide to making things easier for you:
1. Pick a Niche
The first thing in the whole process is picking a niche. Decide on what particular niche are you going to focus on. People nowadays, especially with events, prefer hiring decorators who are an expert of a particular area than those who do anything and everything. It’s actually value for money, and getting what is expected from the decorator.
Anyway, there are a number of different party niches to choose from. Some of them are:
- Weddings
- Children’s Parties
- Birthday Celebrations
- Corporate Events
- Holiday Parties
- Graduation Parties
- Baby Shower/Gender Reveals
When picking a niche, make sure it is something that you really love and are passionate about. It has to be something where you really excel, so you are able to always give your best in every project given to you.
You can stick to one particular niche or choose a few. Just make sure not to stretch yourself too thin or your work will be compromised.
2. Decide on a Decorating Business Name
Once you have chosen a niche to focus on your decorating business, it’s time to come up with a business name.
There are tons of business name choices. Too many, in fact that it can lead to confusion.
Here’s a tip though — when choosing a name for your business, make sure it stands out and that it sums up the services you offer.
For example, your preferred niche is wedding parties, you may want to work on a name that can be easily associated with weddings like “Happily Ever After Party Decorating”.
When deciding on a business name, we suggest you list down all your ideas — at most, ten names that you can think of. Then, search to see if the name is already taken or if it’s still available. You can search the availability of a business name through your state’s secretary of state’s online directory of current LLC’s. Another option is to search the name via Google.
By doing this process, you get to immediately learn if the name you are eyeing for is available or not. In return, you get to save time and effort working on a name that is already taken.
3. Come Up with a Decorating Business Plan
Once you’ve decided on the decorating business name, it’s time to do a business plan. A business plan will serve as your guide as you work on the legalities of your business, as well as where you want your business to go.
There are a few things that you need to work on as you do your business plan, and this includes:
Setup Costs or Investment – You need to look into how much you need to be able to set up the business.
- Space Requirement – Ideally, you work in a small office. Although, generally, decorators usually operate their businesses at home. However, you may need to rent out a storage space for all your decorating equipment and materials.
- Labor Requirements – In a decorating business, you need people to help you set up an events place or a party. Thus, you need to also look into how many laborers you need, and also, you need to ensure you have both skilled and unskilled laborers. Having the right people on board is crucial to the business.
- Equipment – You need to list down the equipment as well as decorating materials you need to kick off your decorating business.
- Maintenance of Decorations – Of course, you need to ensure that no matter how many times you use a particular item, it has to always look at its best. Thus, maintenance of all decorative items must be part of business planning, too.
4. Do Have a Marketing Budget
Generally, a business becomes profitable if it makes more money than an expense. Having a marketing budget is important in a decorating business. This helps you determine your rates as well.
Figuring out your marketing budget does not come so easily. It takes a few parties before you are able to determine a marketing budget. But once you have figured it out, things will be so easier and smoother.
Make sure to never overspend, or you will not be earning.
When setting up a marketing budget, make sure you have everything listed. A list will help you see how much you are looking at. Generally, your list must include your marketing expense, overhead cost, labor cost, as well as your professional fee, and many others.
By the way, when setting a professional fee, make sure you are paying yourself right. Do not give a cheap price just so you get that event. That’s a total waste if you do that. You have to pay yourself right. Consider your experience, your expertise, plus your creative ideas when setting a price.
4. Set Up an LLC and a Business Checking Account
This is probably the most crucial part of the whole process of setting up a decorating business.
First, you need to set up an LLC or Limited Liability Corporation. By doing so, you separate your personal assets from your business assets. So, if anything happens to your business, your personal assets are protected.
Second, you need to set up a business checking account. Before you even start accepting payments, this has to be in place already. This way, your personal finances are also separated from your business finances. This also helps tax time go more smoothly. Needless to say, it helps keep your books in order.
5. Create a Website and/or Social Media Pages
These days, people look for suppliers online, and you do not want to miss that opportunity, right?
Online presence is a must. If you do not have the funds yet to build your own business website, you can start with social media pages across major social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Having your own website or social media pages allows you to publish your portfolio so potential clients get to see your work, and hopefully, work with you.
While building a website comes with a cost, creating social media pages are absolutely free. If you have spare money, you can even run an advertisement on Facebook or run a promo on Instagram, which helps reach your target audience.
Ideally, though, you should have both.
What if you have both a website and social media pages? How do you make it work for your advantage?
Well, it’s pretty simple. You use your website for business purposes, while your social media platforms, you use it to engage with potential clients. It’s also a great way to market your business, and show people what you got, and why they should work with you.
By the way, make it a point that both your website and social media pages are always updated. Otherwise, it will not turn people on.
6. Set Up a Meeting Place
So, you have set up your decorating business from home. However, the business requires meetings with clients. What to do now?
Do not panic!
What’s nice about it is that you can always set up a meeting where it’s convenient either for your client, or both for you and your client. You can meet your clients where it’s convenient for him or her, or you can meet halfway.
But where exactly?
Well, at the moment, since we need to follow certain health and safety protocols, the most ideal way to meet with clients is through online meeting places like GoogleMeet or Zoom.
In reality, though, when everything’s back to normal, there are a lot of possible places and spaces where you can meet clients.
One of the most popular places to conduct a meeting is at local coffee shops. Normally, they have meeting rooms that you can reserve to be able to discuss things with your client. You can also join a co-op workspace if you find it more convenient. Good thing is, there are a lot of office spaces out there that you can rent on an hourly basis.
As you grow your business, you may start considering having a more permanent office space.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON DECORATING BUSINESS
If you are a creative person, putting up a decorating business is perfect for you. Apart from allowing you to do something that you love, you are able to showcase your creativity, and you get to earn money from doing so.
While the events industry, where decorating businesses are part of, is currently facing a hard time because of the pandemic, today is still the best time to start off a decorating business so when everything’s back to normal, you are already up there, ready to compete with everyone else.
Have you thought of pursuing a decorating career lately?
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