Interior Decorating | Design Entrepreneur

Hours: 270 / Access Length: 12 Months / Delivery: Open, Mentor Supported
Retail Price: $2,795.00

Course Overview:

Interior design and decorating touches the lives of all of us in a very direct way we all live in interiors, and most of us work, study, shop, and travel inside buildings, vehicles, and other enclosures. At one time or another, almost everyone has been an interior designer or decorator on a limited scale, when choosing a painting color or a rug, when buying furniture, or when arranging furniture in a new living place. For these reasons, interior design and decorating is -- or should be -- of interest to everyone

This course helps you understand the basic principles of interior design and decorating to both improve your life, and set you in a new direction for your career!

After completing this course, you should be able to:

  • Define history and principles of the interior design profession
  • Identify the steps making up the design process
  • Comprehend the use of various mediums in interior design
  • Identify various technical issues that the interior designer must consider
  • Comprehend project management and the business of interior design

Have you ever eaten a Mrs. Fields cookie? Used an Apple computer? Listened to a hip-hop CD? Entrepreneurs brought these products to your world. People that start their own businesses and work for themselves are called entrepreneurs. For an entrepreneur the sky is the limit as far as earnings are concerned. An entrepreneur is someone who's recognized an opportunity to start a business that other people may not have noticed -- and jumps at it skillfully. Entrepreneurs can shape and create an opportunity where others see little or nothing -- or see it too early or too late.

This “Start Your Own Business” class will help you create the business you want. Throughout this course you will be working on your business plan and creating a quick comprehensive overview of the elements you want in your new business.

After completing this course, you should be able to:

  • Comprehend entrepreneurship and opportunity
  • Identify the steps for developing a business plan and marketing strategy
  • Identify methods for managing costs and forming a financing strategy
  • Comprehend commercial law and the importance of contracts
  • Identify strategies for growing your business and eventually selling it

The Interior Decorating / Design Entrepreneur program includes 2 courses:

  • Interior Decorating / Design
  • Start Your Own Business

Course Outline:

Interior Decorating Module 1
The Interior Design Profession & History
  • Development of Interior Design
  • Professional Preparation
  • Professional Organizations
  • Design Quality
  • Defining Design
  • Evaluating Design
  • Analyzing Existing Spaces
  • Design Basics
  • Design and Human Perception
  • Elements and Principles of Design
  • Design as an Expressive Medium
  • Design History
  • Ancient World to Middle Ages
  • Renaissance to Rococo
  • Neoclassicism to the Victorian Era
  • The Twentieth and Twenty-First Century
Interior Decorating Module 2
The Design Process
  • Project Beginnings
  • Establishing Contact with the Client
  • Researching the Project
  • Planning the Space
  • Developing Preliminary Design
  • Making Formal Drawings
  • Estimating Costs
  • Preparing Final the Design
  • Design Implementation
  • Preparing Construction Drawings
  • Setting a Time Schedule for Construction
  • Selecting Contractors
  • Project Supervision
  • Post-Completion
  • Human Factors
  • Social Responsibility in Design
  • Interior Design for Special Needs
Interior Decorating Module 3
The Various “Mediums” of Design
  • Structural and Interior Materials
  • Environmental or Green Issues
  • Types of Materials
  • Material Selection
  • Light and Color
  • Psychological Impact of Colors
  • Special Color Effects
  • Vision and Lighting
  • Planning Lighting
  • Selecting Fixtures
  • Selecting Textiles
  • Fabric Types and Construction
  • Preliminary Furniture Decision
  • Selecting Furniture
  • Furniture Design
  • Accessories and Art
  • Signage and Graphics
Interior Decorating Module 4
Technical Issues for Designers
  • Mechanical Systems
  • Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning
  • Electrical and Plumbing Systems
  • Safety Issues
  • Building Codes
  • Planning Kitchens and Bathrooms
  • Storage Spaces
  • Commercial Spaces
  • Hospitality Spaces
  • Institutional Spaces
  • Cultural and Recreational Spaces
  • The Business of Interior Design
  • Employment in Interior Design
  • Information Technology
  • Budgeting, Marketing and Contracts
  • Project Management
  • Types of Businesses
  • Professionals Ethics
Start Your Own Business Module 1     
Entrepreneurial Pathways
  • Defining Entrepreneurship
  • What Entrepreneurs Do
  • Free Enterprise Economies
  • Finding & Evaluating Opportunity
  • Examining Profits
  • Creating Business from Opportunity
  • Creating a Feasibility Analysis
  • Developing a Business Plan
  • Defining Your Business
  • Analyzing Your Competitive Advantage
  • Viability Testing
  • Valuing a Business
Start Your Own Business Module 2  
Integrated Marketing
  • Exploring Your Market
  • Marketing vs. Selling
  • Market Research
  • Market Segments
  • Positioning Your Product or Service
  • Developing Your Marketing Plan
  • Marketing Mix
  • Pricing Your Products
  • Breakeven Analysis
  • Smart Selling
  • Effective Customer Service
  • Principles of Selling
  • Successful Sales Calls
  • Customer Relationship Management
Start Your Own Business Module 3      
Cost Analysis
  • Understanding & Managing Costs
  • Identify Required Investment
  • Analyze Fixed Operating Costs
  • Calculate Gross Profit
  • Financial Record Keeping
  • Financial Statements
  • Income Statements
  • Examining a Balance Sheet
  • Financial Ratio Analysis
  • Calculating Return on Investment
  • Same-Size Analysis
  • Quick, Current & Debt Ratios
Start Your Own Business Module 4    
Financing Strategy
  • Cash Flow Management
  • Cash vs. Profits
  • Cash Flow Statement
  • Cash Budget
  • Taxes
  • Filing Tax Returns
  • Financing Preferences
  • Types of Business Financing
  • Debt vs. Equity Financing
  • Identifying Sources of Capital
  • Stocks & Bonds as Investments
Start Your Own Business Module 5   
Operating For Success
  • Addressing Legal Issues
  • Managing Risk
  • Business Legal Structures
  • Contracts
  • Commercial Law
  • Intellectual Property
  • Protecting Tangible Assets
  • Operations in a Business
  • Production-Distribution Chain
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Managing Suppliers
  • Managing Inventory
  • Facilities Location & Design
Start Your Own Business Module 6
Growing Your Business
  • Management
  • 10 Basic Tasks Handled by Managers
  • Leadership Styles
  • Organizational Cultures
  • Organizational Structure
  • Human Resources Management
  • Ethical Leadership
  • Incorporating Social Responsibility
  • Ethical Practices
  • Growing Your Business
  • Franchising
  • Licensing
  • Cashing in Your Brand
  • Methods for Valuing a Business

All necessary materials are included.


System Requirements:

System Requirements:

Internet Connectivity Requirements:
  • Cable and DSL internet connections are recommended for the best experience.
Hardware Requirements:
  • CPU: 1 GHz or higher
  • RAM: 2 GB or higher
  • Resolution: 1280 x 720 or higher
  • Speakers / Headphones
  • Microphone (Webinar / Live Online sessions)
Operating System Requirements:
  • Microsoft Windows 7 or 10 (Home, Pro)
  • Mac OSX 10 or higher.
  • Latest Chrome OS
  • Latest Linux Distributions

NOTE: While we understand that our courses can be viewed on Android and iPhone devices, we do not recommend the use of these devices for our courses. The size of these devices do not provide a good learning environment for students taking online or live online based courses.

Web Browser Requirements:
  • Latest Google Chrome is recommended for the best experience.
  • Latest Mozilla FireFox
  • Latest Microsoft Edge
  • Latest Apple Safari
Basic Software Requirements (These are recommendations of software to use):
  • Office suite software (Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, or LibreOffice)
  • PDF reader program (Adobe Reader, FoxIt)
  • Courses may require other software that is denoted in the above course outline.


** The course outlines displayed on this website are subject to change at any time without prior notice. **