Former corporate trainer turned interior design business coach Jeannie Andresen tackles the most common ways designers accidentally derail their own projects—and it's not what you think. Learn why waiting for client decisions kills timelines, how to hold boundaries without being rigid, the daily habit that transforms profitability, and why scope creep is actually a leadership problem, not a client problem. Discover the exact language successful designers use to redirect scope creep, why you shouldn't raise prices if you're terrified to do so, and the one belief that sabotages success. Plus: the single system that would improve both profitability and sanity if implemented this month.
The most common way I see designers accidentally derail their projects is by not setting the expectation that their clients need to be responsive and decisive.
When that expectation is not clearly established, designers often find themselves waiting. Waiting for feedback, waiting for approvals, waiting for decisions that quietly stall progress. That is when frustration builds and timelines start to slip.
There is always a ball in someone’s court. Sometimes it belongs to the designer, but very often the designer is waiting on a client decision. When there is no deadline attached to that decision, clients naturally take their time. The designer then thinks, “My client is derailing this project,” when in reality the project is being derailed by a lack of structure and leadership.
A very common example is product availability. If a client delays a decision and an item goes out of stock, it is easy to blame the client. But leadership sounds like this:
"Attached are the selections from today’s meeting. You seemed especially excited about the Persian rug, and it is possible for it to become unavailable if we wait too long. To make sure we can secure it, please let me know by Monday if you are ready to proceed."
Now the client is educated, a clear deadline has been set, and responsibility is defined. When there is a deadline, people either meet it or communicate that they cannot. And if they cannot, the designer’s role is simply to say, “No problem. When do you think you will be able to decide by?” That one question alone keeps projects moving forward.
As much as I wish this were more exciting, the most transformative habit is tracking where your time is actually going.
At any given moment, you are either wasting time or leveraging it. Leveraging time means doing something billable, building a system, learning something that improves your work, or fixing something broken in your business. Most designers dramatically underestimate how much time is lost to distraction, inefficiency, and unstructured workdays.
We have a major time management problem in the business world, and interior design is no exception. When designers start treating time as a profitability tool rather than something to react to, everything shifts. Even a short, honest audit of how your week is spent can immediately reveal where money, energy, and momentum are leaking.
Scope creep only becomes a problem when designers default to saying, “Yeah, no problem,” instead of slowing down and leading.
Recently, one of my clients was onsite with her client when the client asked her to quickly look at another room that was not part of the agreed scope. She let the client talk, she listened, and then she said confidently:
“This is really good to know and I agree that there’s a huge opportunity for this room. I don’t want to get distracted though from the scope of work we’re currently doing. Let’s complete Phase One first, and once that is finished, we can talk about expanding into Phase Two.”
She did not say no. She redirected. Because she said it calmly and without defensiveness, the client respected it.
Boundaries do not need to be rigid or awkward. They just need to be clear and consistently upheld.
I always say that if a client has to check in on you, you have already dropped the ball.
There are phases of a project where communication is frequent, especially when decisions need to be made or issues need to be addressed. But there are also quieter phases like purchasing, procurement, or projects that are scheduled to begin months out.
During those times, the designer’s job is to set expectations, not to constantly check in.
For example:
“I have your project scheduled to begin in mid April. I am currently wrapping up a few projects, and my team will reach out the first week of March to confirm start dates and next steps.”
That single message reassures the client and clearly defines what happens next and who owns it. You do not need constant touchpoints, but you do need to lead the process. Once you set an expectation, you must follow through on it.
If you are terrified to raise your prices, you should not raise them yet. Pricing is not just a number. It is a belief system.
Jeannie AndresenFounder & Coach
There are many voices telling designers to increase their rates without helping them become the designer who can confidently charge a premium. Pricing is not just a number. It is a belief system.
You have to genuinely believe that your rate is a no brainer for the right client. That also means accepting that some clients, especially those who benefited from discounted rates, may not come with you. Clients who do not value a service at a higher level are often not persuadable.
When you truly believe in your value, you are willing to let misaligned clients walk away. That confidence is what actually attracts better clients.
Scope creep only becomes a problem when designers default to saying, 'Yeah, no problem,' instead of slowing down and leading.
Jeannie AndresenFounder & Coach
The belief that everyone wants a discount.
When designers believe this, they offer discounts preemptively, often without being asked. But not everyone is shopping on price.
When I book a vacation and one room is $500 a night with a pool view, and another is $600 with an ocean view, I want the ocean view. Not because it is cheaper, but because the experience is significantly better.
There are clients who want quality, leadership, and ease. When designers stop assuming people want less and start positioning themselves for clients who want more, the entire dynamic changes.
If a client has to check in on you, you have already dropped the ball.
Jeannie AndresenFounder & Coach
A clear, repeatable client onboarding process that establishes expectations, communication protocol, and decision making timelines from day one.
Most of the stress designers experience later in a project can be traced back to what was not set upfront. When clients know how decisions are made, how communication works, and what is required of them and when, projects move faster and with far less friction.
Profitability improves because timelines tighten. Sanity improves because designers are no longer managing confusion or resentment. Most importantly, the designer steps fully into the role of leader rather than reactive problem solver.