We’ll show you everything you need to know to start working as an interior designer, whilst building your design business, step by step. We’ll then show you how to get clients and a sustained income and help you grow your confidence by working on your first paid project!
Our online interior design mentorship program helps you create and set up an interior design business by showing you how to gain projects and a sustained income, by working up the project scale to help you grow your confidence. There’s nothing more rewarding than getting paid to do what you love and choosing your own hours, working for yourself as an interior designer.
We combine real-life and workplace knowledge which is more practical rather than academic, then help you build your business step by step whilst making your dream of becoming an interior designer come true.
In this interior design course, we teach you everything you need to know to set up and run your own interior design business but we also show you how to get regular clients and consistent income to support your business and career.
Our course is different in that we created it to work around your busy lifestyle. This is not an academic online interior design course, it is a practical program that is drip-fed each week while you take action to set up your business, learn the skills, then work on a real-life project with us by your side, on hand to answer all your questions and guide you so you never feel lost.
As soon as you sign up you’ll gain access to our business templates and resources. You’ll see all our past students and we able to read all our previous forum and social stream posts which should answer so many of your questions that you are currently having about running your business. You will also be asked to fill out our welcome questionnaire so that we can get to know you and your specific circumstances personally.
The earlier you join the more prepared you can be for our start date, but some people have successfully joined a little later without consequences. The main online interior design course is spread across 12 modules and is released weekly. On Saturday’s we have a call together as a group for a workshop and questions relating to that week’s topic.
As you work through the modules you’ll use the business, email, marketing and drawing templates and workflows to help speed up your progress so that you don’t have to spend years working these things out for yourself!
Here is just a snippet of what we provide (in addition to the main course content, built-in private social stream, support forum and weekly coaching calls):
I’ll show you not only how to be a great interior designer, but also how to set up and run your own business (even as a freelancer), get clients and create a brand that you are proud of. I’ll give you the tools that take years to accumulate in traditional offices and fast-track your success by sharing all of my secrets, links, experience and industry know how.
When you feel stuck and don’t know what to do you have a support network from day one and when you feel like things aren’t working out you have help and support all the way. As an experienced mentor who currently works in the industry, Jo can help you get clients (without a portfolio, years of experience or a list of contacts).
We will show you how to get clients and help you find your first project so that you can gain real experience and build a real portfolio. Your final project is a real project rather than a theoretical one and we actually help you with real-life problems that arise from that project. We will be there, just when you need us!
You don’t have to work for low wages or long hours as an assistant to “learn the ropes” and you don’t have to go to university or study every evening and weekend for years to gain the knowledge and experience required to work in this industry. We help you to transfer your current skills and then fill in the knowledge gaps so that you don’t have to start your career again from scratch.
There is nothing theoretical about this online interior design course. You need to be motivated, driven and cannot give up easily when it comes to your dream. We will push you every step of the way to make sure that you don’t give up on yourself. If you are ready and want to start working as an interior designer, this is the program for you.
You found that once you finished studying interior design everyone told you that you needed experience in order to get hired and frustratingly you couldn’t get the required experience without getting hired so have had to find work in another industry whilst waiting for your dream job.
Whether you are a mum who wants the flexibility to work around her children or you are a millennial who wants the laptop lifestyle. You can set up your business in a way that can give you the freedom to run your interior design business with maximum flexibility with nothing more than internet access and a laptop. You don’t have to run your business in this way, (don’t worry we teach multiple ways), but isn’t it nice to know that it is possible, just in case you decide you want to?
This programme exceeded my expectations in every way. It has changed my work and personal life in a very positive way. Even if you have done an interior design school (like me) or have experience in the field, you can always brush up on some skills while building your interior design business step by step.
Through this programme, I was able to refine my marketing and clarify my brand message. Understanding my target customer from the inside out and discovering what is unique about my business has been the key to success for me.
Nothing, not one bit is left out in this program: from the basic knowledge you would expect to have as an interior designer, drawing, 3D modelling, visual communication of your ideas, rules and regulations, building business essentials, the key to being successful through to how to confidently run a project from A to Z, this and so much more is covered here.
I have been able to employ the skills and tips I learned, with great results almost immediately.
A very enjoyable online interior design course. Jo is very professional and knowledgeable in her field and has a fun, interesting and really passionate way of conveying this to her students. Both Jo and Darius are extremely helpful and put their heart and soul into this programme.
Words can not describe how amazing they both are. Talented, knowledgeable, well versed in the business, engaging, eloquent, patient (with millions of questions) and so kind. Thank you both!
I highly recommend this course for anyone who wants to become a successful interior designer.
Interior Design Business school (IDBS) Has helped my dream of becoming a confident interior designer become a reality.
The training offered by Jo Chrobak is the best I have seen so far in the industry, for anyone who is interested in setting up their own interior design outfit, with confidence and expertise.
I recommend this program for both experienced and inexperienced interior designers.
As long as you are committed and have the passion of setting up your own interior design outfit, Jo is there to mentor you and hold your hand through your first project.
I am an Interior Designer and I was an interior designer with almost 10 years of experience before I enrolled on IDBS. The difference is that now I am also an interior design business owner, and this is the KEY to this course. You can find many online interior design courses, in a wide range of prices, duration, or content; but not many are going to teach you the dark side of this industry: interior design requires a lot of admin, order, planning and personal relations skills to succeed. I am sorry to unveil this but interior design is not only about selecting a beautiful piece of furniture.
Do not expect learning about how to style a bookshelf or how to choose the perfect sofa (there are many publications and magazines for that), instead, Jo will give you all the tools to succeed as an interior design business owner. She does not lie when she says that at the end of the course you will have your own company, you will, and you will also feel confident enough to run it.
Get ready to work hard because this is not an easy course and is not self-paced. It will require you to work on it almost every day for three months but trust me, it is worth it. The course is an emotional rollercoaster: it will expose your fears, personality and doubts. But Jo will be there by your side all the time to hold your hand and support you because Jo makes this course different from any other. She has dived into her past experiences to create a product that is so personal to her (but at the same time so universal) that one complements each other. She is the ultimate reason to enrol on this course and trust me she will go the extra mile for your success.
After researching several mentors in the business, and there are some really good ones, I chose Jo Chrobak of Interior Designer’s Business School (IDBS). In my opinion IDBS is the best course out there, and Jo Chrobak is second to none. She is an amazing mentor who firmly, but kindly pushed me and my fellow students past our comfort zone to achieve so much more than we would have on our own.
The IDBS online interior design course is amazing, I have gained a wealth of knowledge and skills that would have taken me years to learn on my own, most likely with a bunch of bumps and bruises to go with it. The IDBS course teaches you everything that you need to know to grow a successful Interior Design Business, even if your only experience in design is self-taught.
Jo Chrobak together with her husband Darius make a powerful team who are with you through every step of the IDBS course. No question goes unanswered. They also create a support network of fellow students that you get to know so that you never feel alone on this journey. The course is intense, and it is life changing. I can not thank Jo & Darius enough for all that they have taught me. They have changed my life in just a few short months in such a dramatic way. I can happily say that I am an Interior Designer who owns my own business. If you are on the fence about taking the course, do it. You will be happy you did!
This online interior design course has been a life changing journey for me. From a full-time mum of two wonderful kids to an interior designer/businesswomen, the course and the most amazing mentor Jo Chrobak has guided me throughout the whole process in becoming who I am today. Yes, it a very fast paced course where at times it tests your endurance and resilience. But with a mentor like Jo, she will guide and encourage you – help you build up your confidence and support you to bring your dream to fruition.
Today I graduate along with all the other amazing group of colleagues from this course who never make you feel like you are alone in the journey. Thank you IDBS Online and Jo Chrobak for creating such a great course that guides you through the journey of becoming an Interior Designer and set up your own business at the same time – be your own boss! And like she promised, you do get to work with your real clients at the end of the course. I am so glad I joined this course and found my true self, there’s no looking back for me now. If you are contemplating on whether to join this course or not, I would strongly advise you to think no further and just do it. It is all worth it in the end!!
I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Darius for all his support throughout the course work.
Lastly, thank you again Jo and IDBS, GHAR by Shradha Shrestha is an outcome of your course and support.
I have always loved interior design and decorating my bedroom every other year when I lived at home, but my passion was really sparked when I bought my own flat and had free reign to design and style an entire space. I started putting pictures of my work in Instagram and gained quite a large following, which helped me with my confidence that I was actually good at design and not just super house proud!
Since starting the course I have had 5 paying clients, from just providing inspiration for one room, through to a full 4 bedroom house redesign. I literally could not have imagined just 90 days ago that this would be my life and I would be making money from something I love so much.
My confidence has grown, it’s still a work in progress but I feel more confident. I notice this most when talking to clients and I hear the technical knowledge that comes out of my mouth without even realising it, and I realise how much of the course learning has actually sunk in.
I was expecting to get interior design knowledge but this has far exceeded that and the business aspect of it was so vital and so important. The results that I have had such as having paying clients also far exceeded what I expected as I really didn’t expect to have clients already.
This is a fantastic course and as long as we put the work in, it’s guaranteed that the students will have successful careers.
Georgie had a Professional Interior Design Diploma. Even though she offered advice to developers, friends, and family, she wondered how to take the next steps after graduating to become a real, working designer.
The content of interior design courses isn’t designed to lead you into a working career. If you want to work for yourself, you need to get information from someone successful and with experience in what you’re looking to do and answer your questions and guide you during those first scary months.
Laura had a successful career in medical sales and believed that there were skills she had that were transferable into interiors. She loved creating vibrant, inspiring interiors but was worried about starting a new career, from scratch.
The typical degree/course path into interiors designed for school leavers isn’t right for everyone, especially for career changers who have responsibilities such as mortgages, children and bills. Our course is set up in a way that allows your past experiences to become an asset rather than a liability.
Jane had previously studied interior design overseas and had moved from the US to Scotland, where she was starting fresh. She was ready for a career change and wanted to finally do what her heart was calling her to do. She took the leap and followed her passion and of course… hasn’t looked back!
Almost all of our mentees are career changers who are seeking something more creative from their work-lives or have always wanted to become an interior designer but postponed their dream in their first career. Our online interior design course is perfect for those seeking to change careers later in life because we have designed the program to work around a busy lifestyle.
Alison had a successful PR business and had been working for herself for the past 15 years. When she joined the course she had given up all but one of her PR clients to focus on her interior design business.
Some of our most successful students are the ones who have already had a career behind them. At IDBS we cherish the previous knowledge you have (rather than dismiss it) and we pride ourselves on being able to hone your existing skills so that you can use them to your advantage in your new career as an interior designer. An experienced mentor can see in you what you can’t see in yourself just yet and help you use it to your advantage.
Claire-Anne came to IDBS as a highly-skilled and talented interior designer who was currently doing a postgraduate masters degree. She was working in the field but hoped to work for herself as she had strong ideas about the direction she wanted to head in with her interior style and vision.
The design industry isn’t always a positive experience. Many feel let down thanks to negative experiences from other designers, trades or family/friends who don’t consider interior design a real career. At IDBS we show you that another world exists, one where it’s possible to make a successful living out of interior design.
Argentic Design
When Amy joined IDBS she considered herself hardworking and sensitive. She was looking to gain interior design knowledge, the technical side of interiors as well as the business side of things to help her transition from her current job.
Our students are often held back from starting their interior design business due to the lack of confidence and fear of the unknown. They also don’t feel they have the time to gain the required skills to transition into interiors full time. We can get you working as an interior designer (with the appropriate skills) in just 90 days.
Kaya had been working on a couple of projects before signing up and wanted to turn interior design into her profession. She wanted a job that she loved and she wanted to choose the hours she worked.
If you have been trying to become an interior designer and struggling on your own, we can help take away the stress and speed up your success. We help during the toughest times when you have hundreds of questions and just need guidance in the right direction.
Carrie had formal interior design training but felt that although she had the design skills, she still lacked the business knowledge that was required to run her own successful business. Like most, she believed her degree would provide everything she needed to become an interior designer.
Degrees give you a great breadth of understanding on a topic, but when it comes to practical skills, you’ll still need to find those by getting work. At IDBS we help you to get clients whilst working on your own, real-life and paid projects.
As soon as you sign up, you gain access to the private IDBS social hub, the forum (with hundreds of topics to read through) and THE STARTER PACK. You also have direct access to some real work examples, a toolbox of templates and a Q&A Section that deals with some common problems. You will be required to read a book from the reading list.
Your preparation module (released on the official start date) helps you to get ready for this program especially if you haven’t studied for a while or have never previously undertaken a formal course.
This is when we have our first welcome call and you will be able to introduce yourself to the other students (although chances are you would have already met on the social stream!) After the call, your first module will be released. The aim of this module is to put in place the basic business foundations required to be trading legally as an interior designer.
Before taking on your first clients, you’ll need to design a simple website and start developing your brand and professional image. Every module also has a small marketing section, which gets you used to undertaking daily marketing tasks in your business.
This is when we hold our call related to the previous module and you will have a chance to ask your questions about the previous module live on the call (don’t forget that throughout the week, you have constant help on the social stream and forum, so the calls give you yet another chance to have certain things explained and help you with your individual needs). After the call, the new module will be released.
Each designer/student is different and starts the program with a different perspective, transferable skills and varying amounts of experience. We don’t force styles onto you. We help you to develop your own unique sense of style through these carefully designed lessons.
This is a revolutionary module because most people have resistance to learning CAD and technical drawing, yet we make it fun and easy to understand. This module will be released after your regular support call.
Understanding scale, perceiving space, measuring spaces and drawing to scale are basic skills required by an interior designer to truly succeed. Having the skills to present information in 3D and in a low-cost and effective way is useful for clients and increases the standard of service you can provide.
This is an extra week strategically positioned for those of you who want to learn 3D CAD. For our advanced mentees who already know how to draw proficiently this is a time to focus on uplevelling in areas requried to work with your client niche (we discuss what is best suited – for some it might be photographic rendering skills and for others it might be refining your services).
Because we want to make it easy for our students to succeed, we added catch-up weeks into the curriculum. That means if a student needs extra time to complete something, they have a chance to catch up.
There is no call during the catch-up week (although you still have full support on the forum and social stream!)
Having the skills to express and communicate ideas visually at each stage of a project is something required of interior designers for any scale of a project from commercial to domestic or high-end to low-cost.
The aim of this module is to introduce you to the types of drawings and presentations required to communicate effectively whilst also teaching you some effective methods of communication using software and documentation methods. This module will be released after our support call.
This is something unique to this program. My background in architecture will give you an edge and help you communicate ideas clearly with other professionals. This module gives you confidence and grows your knowledge to that beyond typical interior design courses. This is where you will really feel like you know what you are talking about.
Understanding basic construction of how things work and go together will help you to make better decisions and ultimately become a better designer. Often this is the first time students consider how important it is to have this knowledge before taking on a project and elevates our designer’s knowledge to that of a professional. This module will be released after your support call.
This module really starts to fill in the gaps and tie things together. Suddenly, at this point, everything will start to make sense, and you’ll feel like you are prepared to take on your first project.
That is why this module focuses on more than just how to run a project, but also how to organise yourself in your office to run the project professionally. As usual, we will release this module after your support call.
At this point, we provide another catch-up week for you. Because the past few weeks required a lot of learning, this will give you an opportunity to go back and re-read things that didn’t sink in the first time or explore new ideas and concepts that you have just learned.
Often this is the point where students realise that they are actually interested in something that they never thought they would be interested in! It is a great time to explore new areas of the interior design world and how they can benefit your business.
*Some students who start the program are already working with clients, however in many cases they still lack many required skills such as CAD drawing, knowing what information is required at each stage of a project or the business side of things. This program is relevant for anyone who is in their first few years of business or who have been in business for a while and are wanting to reorganise their services in a way that are relevant to today.
The last phase of the program transitions into teaching the daily business activities of an interior designer/business owner. This is where you’ll find out that getting clients just requires consistent action in line with your marketing strategy.
Throughout the program, we teach you key marketing skills, and this is where we tie everything together. We will help you to create the right marketing strategy based on your niche and ideal client, and in turn, you’ll start building your credibility, will start to share your expertise and begin to become intentionally visible.
This module teaches you the many other benefits of using an interior designer so that you can use these ideas to market your services. Also, by delving into common beginner mistakes, you’ll gain a head-start in your career by building your knowledge of tricks of the trade which usually requires a career’s worth of experience to learn.
After our call, this module will be available for you. It looks like there are plenty of lessons, but our program is structured and presented in a really logical and easy-to-understand way. The feedback we get from students at this point in the program is that they just can’t believe how much they have learned, and they didn’t realise they were learning!
This is where you start your practical experience by working with your first real client. Having a mentor on hand at this point is critical for student’s to be able to ask questions, gain confidence, get help with specific issues such as pricing and ensure the first time they set about undertaking a project, there is someone on hand to help.
As usual, we will release this module after our support call. Usually, this is when the forum support is invaluable as you’ll have answers to your urgent questions throughout the week!
This is your last catch-up week. Usually, this is the time when you will start working with your first client. You would have been marketing for around a month (and learning about strategic marketing from the beginning of the program), so it makes sense that things fall into place at this point in the program. This is the time when things start to get real and you will have the support network around you that you will be really grateful for.
After nearly 20 years in the industry, working as an architectural and interior designer, I realised the biggest problems arose on projects because this one thing wasn’t done well and was never even taught!
Unique to IDBS, this module delves into modern and up-to-date practices of undertaking the beginning phases of a project that help create strong, clear brief’s that save our students (and their client’s) time and money, whilst limiting the opportunity for miscommunication, reducing disputes and arguments. This module will be available once we finish our support call.
This module is something unique. We wanted to arm you with the skills and tools that will allow you to grow your business, not just while you’re on the program but for the rest of your career. We ensure that you are set up for success and that you have the skills, knowledge, mindset and business systems in place to position yourself as an expert in this field.
In this module, you will learn how to plan, reassess and keep track of where you’re at and where you want to go in your business and career as an interior designer.
This program revolves around your real life, so we set the dates every round to ensure the best chance of success. We know that during holiday periods, you might be slightly distracted with family time, travel and visitors, so we try to work some spare time into our program. For some, this will be a busy period; for others, it will be a welcome break to focus on what needs to be done.
In order to graduate, you will need to submit your business success plan and receive a minimum pass of 50% in your final examination.
Students graduate in a unique way. Your graduation assessment is based on sending through your real-life project before it gets sent to your client. Alongside this, you’ll create a business and marketing strategy to follow for the next 6-12 months in your business.
As you graduate and get busy working as an interior designer, we wanted to give some additional help with the everyday challenges that you’ll face as a new business owner.
Your final module will be released after your graduation call, which is reserved for celebrating your success and achievements (this is not a support call).
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