COACH · PROFESSOR · SPEAKER · ENTREPRENEUR
Build a Profitable Interior Design Business — The Right Way.
Whether you're still in your 9-to-5 or newly on your own, the Employee to Designer™ Framework gives you the system to attract clients, price with confidence, and grow with intention.
"She gave me a real business — not a hustle."
FULL-SERVICE DESIGNER, ATLANTA
15+
YEARS IN CORPORATE MARKETING
100+
DESIGN PROS COACHED
14
SEATS PER COHORT
Leading with you.
MEET MONIQUE NICOLE
Coach. Professor. Speaker. Entrepreneur.
"Whether you’re leaving your 9-to-5 or growing the studio you’ve already started, I help you build a profitable design business — and a life you love."
Monique Nicole has made the leap herself. After 15+ years working in corporate marketing & advertising with brands like Yahoo!, Microsoft, Sony Music, Universal Music Group, and Omnicom Group, she left to build her own interior decorating business. Then she turned what she learned into the Employee to Designer™ Framework. Today, as a marketing professor, business coach, speaker, and entrepreneur, she teaches designers the part design school skipped: The Business of Interior Design.
Business Coach
Keynote Speaker
Assistant Professor of Marketing
Entrepreneur
15+ YEARS IN CORPORATE MARKETING
Yahoo!
Microsoft
Universal Music Group
Sony Music
Omnicom Group
I believe the business behind the work should be taught — not left for you to figure out alone.
MONIQUE NICOLE
THE SIGNATURE METHODOLOGY
The 4-Phase Framework™
The proven pathway Monique Nicole created for interior designers and decorators, whether you’re still in your 9-to-5 or a few years into your business. Build, grow, and scale a profitable design business, starting exactly where you are.
THE FRAMEWORK BEHIND EMPLOYEE TO DESIGNER™ AND THE DESIGNER’S CIRCLE™
01
Transition
Move from employee mindset to business owner — with a foundation, offer, and pricing that hold up.
Who it’s for: Still employed or just made the leap.
02
Build
Install the systems, contracts, and client process that make the work repeatable instead of reactive.
Who it’s for: Launched, but still piecing it together.
03
Grow
Raise your minimums, market with intention, and attract the projects you actually want.
Who it’s for: Getting clients, ready for consistency and higher minimums.
04
Scale
Build a team, lead as CEO, and create profit that no longer depends on your hours.
Who it’s for: Ready for a team and CEO-level profit.
BUSINESS PHASE QUIZ
Not sure which phase you're in?
Take the quiz to find where you are in the 4-Phase Framework™ — Transition, Build, Grow, or Scale — and the next right step for your design business.
Pinpoint your current business phase
See what to focus on right now
Get the next right step, not a generic plan
FOR INTERIOR DESIGNERS & DECORATORS
Employee to Designer™
The coaching pathway built on the 4-Phase Framework™ — created for Interior Designers and Decorators who want a profitable design business, not just a beautiful portfolio.
THIS IS FOR YOU IF
You're still in your 9-to-5 and want a plan, and replacement income, before you make the leap.
You've already launched your design business but it doesn't feel like a real business yet.
You're talented at the work but were never taught pricing, process, or profit.
You want repeatable systems, better clients, and higher project minimums.
You're ready to lead as the CEO of your firm, not just the designer in it.
EMPLOYEE TO DESIGNER™
The Designer's Circle™
One program. Every phase.
The flagship program within Employee to Designer™ — combining the full four-phase curriculum with the broader Circle experience, all in one place.
ENROLLMENT OPENS JANUARY
WHAT'S INCLUDED
4-Phase Employee to Designer Curriculum
Transition, Build, Grow, and Scale — sequenced, with a placement assessment so you begin in the right place.
12 Months of Community & Live Coaching
Private member community, bi-monthly live coaching, and monthly trainings all year long.
Bonus: AI Content Engine™
The complete course for marketing your design business without living on social media.
Quarterly CEO Intensives
Live working sessions to plan, price, and lead like the CEO of your firm.
Luxury Retreat Privileges
$500 off the July 2027 Puerto Plata retreat plus first-access booking.
THE LUXURY RETREAT
Freedom to enjoy the life you've built.
An intimate, elevated experience for designers who are done doing it alone — a celebration of growth, connection, and community in a setting that matches the business you're building.
Puerto Plata
July 2027
Limited seats
Designer's Circle™ members receive $500 off and first-access booking.
SPEAKING & MEDIA
Business growth, beyond the screen.
Monique speaks to design organizations, universities, and conferences on marketing, entrepreneurship, and the business of creative work — on stage, on air, and on the podcast.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
TV HOST
PRESENTER
MARKETING EXPERT
EDUCATOR
AS SEEN IN
CLIENT STORIES
The work behind the beautiful work.
"I finally understand my numbers. I raised my project minimum and stopped saying yes to work that drained me."
Full-service designer
CHARLOTTE, NC
"The clarity was immediate. Within one phase I had a real process, a real contract, and real confidence."
Decorator & studio owner
CHICAGO, IL
"Monique teaches the business like a professor and coaches like someone who's actually run one."
E-design studio founder
DALLAS, TX
VIP MAILING LIST
Stay connected.
Business insights, announcements, program updates, and first access to what's next from Monique Nicole & Co.
THE NEXT STEP
Ready to build a business that supports the life you want?
Find your phase in the 4-Phase Framework™, then step into The Designer's Circle™ — the flagship experience for Interior Designers and Decorators.