The Power of Pivoting in an Uncertain Design Market

Running an interior design business means getting comfortable with one thing: the market is going to change.

Client demand shifts. The economy changes. What was wildly profitable one year might not be the thing carrying your business the next.

So what do you do?

In this episode, I’m sitting down with Sascha Lafleur, co-founder of West of Main, to pull back the curtain on how she has built, adapted, and continued evolving a multi-faceted interior design business.

When Sascha first joined me on the podcast five years ago, West of Main was in a very different stage of growth. Today, the business includes a large design team, furniture and décor services, e-commerce, retail, and a growing designer trade program.

But this conversation isn’t about doing more for the sake of doing more.

It’s about recognizing when your business needs to shift, understanding what the market is telling you, and having enough structure behind the scenes to make smart decisions instead of reactive ones.

Sascha shares how West of Main has adjusted its services through different economic cycles, why adding a new revenue stream often comes with higher operational costs at first, and why smaller design firms shouldn’t compare their capacity to businesses with teams of 20 or 30 people.

We also get into something every interior designer needs to hear: ideas are easy. Execution requires structure.

In this episode, we talk about:

How West of Main has evolved over the last five years
Why adaptability is essential for a sustainable interior design business
How changing client demand led Sascha’s team to expand into consulting and furniture + décor projects
Whether you need a certain level of scale before offering multiple services
Why solo designers and small teams need to be especially intentional about where they focus
The operational reality behind adding new revenue streams

One of my favourite takeaways from Sascha was her reminder that entrepreneurship requires us to learn how to tolerate uncertainty.

You don’t need to know exactly what the market will do next.

But you do need the structure, numbers, and willingness to adapt so that when something changes, you can make a thoughtful pivot instead of panicking.

Resources:

Learn more about the Consultations that Convert Bootcamp: https://rebeccahay.com/bootcamp
Listen to Sascha’s first episode on the podcast – 68: Scaling your business & virtually servicing your clients
Learn more about West of Main’s Designer Trade Program.

Don’t forget to use the code RESILIENT BY DESIGN to receive 30% off your first purchase when you join.

By joining this trade program, you will receive access to discounted prices, a tailored wholesale shopping experience, and our warehousing and logistics services. Complete the online application, and once you have been verified, you will receive login details to access our exclusive extended catalogue.

This episode is sponsored by Programa.

Programa is project management software built specifically for interior designers. It’s designed to save you hours every week and reduce the errors that come from managing projects across scattered documents and systems.

Use code RBD25 for 25% off annual Programa plans. Click to learn more.

August 25, 2026

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