In this episode of Design Dialogues, I’m sharing why your second, third, or even fourth career is not a setback — it’s actually your biggest strength as a designer.

I know it’s easy to feel like you’re behind if you didn’t study interiors straight out of school. But the truth is, the skills and experiences you’ve gained in other industries can give you a real advantage in building your design studio. From communication and project management to finance, creativity, and resilience — these are the tools that make clients trust you and projects run smoothly.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your past career was wasted time, I want to reframe it for you: you didn’t start late, you started with a head start.

Hope you enjoy the episode

Beth xx

. Why your past career experience is never wasted
. How transferable skills strengthen your design business
. Examples of skills from teaching, finance, retail, marketing, and more
. Why maturity and lived experience help you connect with clients
. How to reframe the story you tell yourself about “starting late”
. A practical exercise to uncover your past career strengths

. Your career journey is part of your brand story. Clients connect with the full picture, not just your design skills.
. Transferable skills are design superpowers. Communication, budgeting, project management, and creativity give you an edge.
. Experience builds trust. Clients value maturity, perspective, and real-world know-how.
. Reframe your story. Stop saying “I’m behind.” Start saying “I started with a head start.”

This week, try this simple exercise:
. Write down the last two industries you worked in.
. List three skills you gained from each.
. Look at how these six skills can support your design studio.
. Weave them into your brand story, your website, your Instagram bio, and client conversations.

. Designers building their business after a career change
. Second or third career professionals moving into interiors
. Creatives who want to highlight their unique story in their brand
. Anyone who feels “behind” and needs a reminder of their strengths

Want to work together? Here are the ways I can help you in your business.

1.Sign up to our MAILING LIST where each month you will receive helpful business tips straight to your inbox

2. Start a  HEALTH CHECK today. We will work together for 8 weeks and improve your systems and processes.

I only have 8 spots available every month.

3. Start my course THE PROCESS so you know exactly what to do when in your interior design studio.

4. Have a look at THE RESOURCE STOCKROOM - this is where you will find our short courses and free resources to help you run a better interior design studio

5. Want to use our tool MTTD in your studio? Start your FREE 30 DAY TRIAL today.