EMPLOYEE TO DESIGNER™ PRESENTS · THE DESIGNER’S CIRCLE™
Go From $0 to 6 Figures
in 6 Months.
Here’s what to expect when you join: in six months, you’ll go from a salary you’re afraid to leave to a design business with your replacement-income number and exit date, a client pipeline that keeps your calendar full, pricing built for profit, and a system that pays you on a schedule.
Build the business before you leave the paycheck. Then build it into something that outgrows it.
The only business-of-design program taught by a marketing professor who made the leap herself, built for designers building a business before, during, and after they leave the salary
January 7 – July 1, 2027 · Only 14 Seats · 90 Minutes a Week · IDCEC-Certified CEUs
As seen in:
WHO IT'S FOR
You’re Either About to Leap —
or You Just Did.
Two different women. Or the same woman, eighteen months apart. One is lying awake running the numbers on leaving. The other already left, and lies awake for a different reason, the quiet month, the client who went silent, the invoice she keeps rewriting. Neither of you needs convincing about the dream. You need the part no one ever taught you: how to make it pay, on purpose, on a schedule. If you see yourself below, you’re in the right room.
STILL ON THE PAYROLL
You have the eye, the network, and the salary. What you don’t have is a plan you’d bet your mortgage on.
You’ve been designing after hours. Friends have paid you. Your DMs stay full. And every time you run the numbers on leaving, you stop, because nobody ever taught you the business side.
Your Replacement-Income Plan gives you the number and the date
The Business Launch Kit sets the firm up right the first time
The 90-Day Client Pipeline™ fills your calendar before you resign
By July: you’ll know your number and your date, your firm will be set up right, and you’ll have clients booked before you resign.
EIGHTEEN MONTHS IN
You made the leap. Now it’s feast, famine, and a lot of quiet nights doing math.
You launched with a logo and a lot of nerve. A referral keeps you busy for six weeks, then the phone goes still — and you’re under six figures with no system to fix it.
The 90-Day Client Pipeline™ retires referral roulette
Pricing for Profit — once there’s demand to price against
A paycheck system that pays you on a schedule, not on hope
By July: referral roulette is over. You’ll have a pipeline that fills your calendar, prices that match the work, and a paycheck that shows up on schedule.
You are not starting over. You are transferring assets — corporate discipline, a professional network, six-figure standards — into a business with your name on it. And I have never once seen you as a beginner.
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU JOIN
Where you’ll be
six months from now.
That’s the foundation of a 6-figure design business, built in six months alongside the job you have now. I did it in one year without a coach. You won’t have to.
THE DAY YOU JOIN
Running the numbers on leaving, then stopping
Designing after hours with no business behind it
Waiting on referrals
Guessing what to charge
Feast-and-famine income
Doing it alone
BY JULY 2027
Your replacement-income number, a 90–180 day cushion plan, and a real exit date
An entity, business accounts, insurance, contracts, and a launch kit, set up right the first time
The 90-Day Client Pipeline™: three channels, one rhythm, and a calendar that stays full
Packages and pricing built for profit, and consultations that turn into signed contracts
Money systems and a paycheck that pays you on a schedule, not on hope
A coach and 13 designers who know exactly where you are
MEET YOUR COACH
Three Careers. One Framework.
I spent 15+ years in corporate marketing and advertising — Yahoo!, Microsoft, Sony Music Europe, Universal Music Group, and Omnicom Group. Then I started decorating on the side. In one year, that part-time business replaced my six-figure salary. It took me two more years to actually resign, and I will be honest with you: I should have gone sooner. I stayed because I was afraid, and because I had no coach, no roadmap, and no one in front of me who had already done it.
What I did have was a decade of marketing and advertising training — so I pointed every bit of it at my own business. That made me something of a unicorn in this industry: young, green, a minority in a field that had very few of us, and profitable inside the first three years — and every year after that, straight through to the day I retired.
I built it without a blueprint. The Circle is the blueprint.
THE CLASSROOM
I teach marketing for a living.
Assistant Professor of Marketing at an accredited college, teaching the same principles this program is built on — with a syllabus and a framework behind them, not a hunch.
OCEAN VIEW
THE STUDIO
I decorated for fourteen years.
An international practice, built from nothing and carried through every season a design business has — the feast, the famine, the first hire, the client who changes her mind in week nine. You get the version I learned the expensive way.
TRANSITIONAL VA HOME
THE PLATFORM
I’m still in the industry.
Keynote speaker, entrepreneur, and 10 years coaching designers through this exact transition with Employee to Designer. I’m not writing to you from the sidelines. I’m still in the work, and I’m bringing you in with me.
TRADITIONALDINING
MY POV
Beautiful Rooms.
Ugly Businesses.
I went to graduate school for marketing, business and economics. Then I went back to school again, this time for interior decorating. In that entire program there was exactly one short lesson on the business of interior design. It covered sales, and how to conduct a consultation. That was it.
I assumed my program was the exception. It isn’t. Look at the certificate and degree programs offered across this country and you will find the same gap in almost every one of them.
Years later, running my own firm, I understood what that gap costs. I kept meeting designers with real talent, women who could make any room in the world beautiful, whose businesses were ugly. No pricing model. No pipeline. No paycheck they could count on. Not because they weren’t good enough. Because no one ever taught them the other half of the job.
So in 2016 I started Employee to Designer to bridge it.
I believe we have the right to learn the full scope of what we do. A design education that stops at the mood board is an unfinished education, and our work should pay us handsomely for the skill it actually takes.
Whether you’re changing careers in your thirties the way I did, or you finished the degree and have no intention of building someone else’s firm, you deserve to know what you’re walking into, and how to build it so it holds.
The long game is resources in classrooms, from middle school through college, so a kid who loves the arts knows this is a career and not a hobby. I intend to see that through.
In the meantime, the work is one designer at a time.
That’s you.
— Monique Nicole
WHAT IT IS
This isn’t a course you watch. It’s a circle you belong to.
Six months from now, you won’t be wondering whether this can work. You’ll have the pipeline, the pricing, and the plan that prove it does.
The Designer’s Circle is a six-month, fourteen-seat coaching experience by Employee to Designer, built for a woman with a Monday meeting. Ninety minutes a week. Not a second job. Live coaching is twice a month on Thursdays, 8–9 PM Eastern, and every call is recorded.
Through the Employee to Designer Framework, twice-monthly live coaching, and your own private strategy session, you’ll build the thing every other program rushes past: a pipeline. Because you cannot price for profit, hire a team, or hand in a resignation letter until the clients are actually calling.
Then we go further than any other program, managing your money, investing it, and using AI to run a leaner, smarter business.
You won’t just make a living. You’ll build wealth.
01
Six months
January 7 – July 1, 2027.
02
Fourteen seats
An intimate Circle, small on purpose.
03
90 minutes a week
Built around a full-time job, not a second job.
04
Live coaching
Twice a month, Thursdays 8–9 PM Eastern. Every call recorded.
THE ROADMAP
The Employee to Designer™
Framework™
01
Transition
Prepare to launch.
Your exit, done with math instead of nerve. Map your finances, build a 90–180 day cushion, set a real date, and put the safeguards in place — entity, business accounts, insurance — so the leap is calm and cash-positive instead of a leap of faith alone.
MILESTONE
YOUR REPLACEMENT-INCOME NUMBER & AN EXIT DATE
02
Build
Get booked & bankable.
Where most designers stall, and where the professor hat earns its keep. Build the 90-Day Client Pipeline™ — three channels, one rhythm — then package and price for real profit, turn consultations into signed contracts, and put money and process systems behind the work.
MILESTONE
CONSISTENT $10K MONTHS
Four phases, one map — from the season you’re still on payroll to the day the business runs without you. Your enrollment includes all four phase courses, plus 4-Phase Hot Seat Coaching, where we break out by phase and I answer your questions live.
Each phase builds on the one before it, so by the end of your six months you’re not guessing at the next step. You’re taking it.
03
Grow
Attract, convert, repeat.
Growth on demand. A marketing plan that never runs dry, profitable ad campaigns, rates that finally match the work, and email, PR and social working together so you become the designer premium clients call first.
MILESTONE
$20K+ MONTHS YOU CAN PLAN AROUND
04
Scale
Lead, systemize, multiply.
Scale beyond yourself. Build a team, expand into multiple income streams, and put wealth systems in place so your profit compounds instead of evaporating — a business that is finally an asset, not a job you gave yourself.
MILESTONE
SCALE-READY — TEAM, SYSTEMS & A WEALTH PLAN
EVERYTHING INCLUDED
Everything you need to make the leap.
Everything you need to start, build, and scale a profitable interior design business — coaching, curriculum, tools, community, and travel — inside one intimate, six-month Circle.
01 · COACHING & STRATEGY
Coached, not just taught.
6-Month VIP Cohort — January 7 – July 1, 2027. An intimate Circle capped at just 14 designers.
Live Group Coaching with Monique Nicole — two live coaching calls every month, all recorded so you never miss a lesson.
Private Business Strategy Session — one 60-minute, 1:1 session with Monique Nicole to map a plan that fits your life and your numbers.
Monthly Office Hours — one 15-minute call each month to get your most pressing questions answered.
Coach on Call — a priority access line for urgent client and business questions between calls.
4-Phase Framework Hot Seat Coaching — breakout groups by phase (Transition, Build, Grow, Scale) where Monique Nicole answers your questions live, so every answer meets you exactly where you are.
Project Profit Audit — bring one real project for a live review of your pricing, margins, and process.
Business Brand Audit — a personal review of your website and social media brand, with recommendations to boost your visibility and attract better clients.
Accountability Partner — you’ll be paired with a fellow designer to stay focused, motivated, and on track.
Private 1:1 Coaching (optional) — book additional private sessions with Monique Nicole anytime (additional cost).
02 · THE CURRICULUM
Every phase. Every update.
Employee to Designer™ Framework Courses — all four phases (Transition, Build, Grow, and Scale), plus every update.
The 9-5 Exit Plan — know exactly when it’s financially safe to leave your job.
The Business Launch Kit — step-by-step checklists for your LLC, EIN, business banking, insurance, and licensing.
Trade Account Starter List — curated vendors, trade pricing, and to-the-trade showroom access.
Process for Profit Guide — the 8-step design process, your no-guesswork roadmap for running and automating your interior design business.
Designer Hiring Blueprint — your no-guesswork roadmap for building and hiring the right team.
The Designer’s Circle Workbook — your hands-on companion for turning every lesson into action.
The Designer Vault — 40+ hours of recorded group coaching to learn from anytime.
IDCEC-Certified Completion — graduate certified in the Employee to Designer™ Framework, earn CEU credits, and receive a graduate spotlight feature.
03 · TOOLS & COMMUNITY
Your studio, fully stocked.
The Designer Toolkit — E-Design and Full-Service contracts, a Budget & Forecast template, and email automation templates.
6 Months of FREE Access to The Designer’s Den — included for your entire cohort. The Den is your private community for daily support between coaching calls:
– Daily business tips, industry news + Hot Seat Q&A — get real-time feedback on pricing, offers, marketing, clients, and business strategy.
– Weekly accountability + business challenges — stay focused, motivated, and consistent instead of starting and stopping.
– Swipe files, templates + mini-trainings — save time with proven resources designed specifically for interior designers.
– Guest expert workshops — learn from experts in branding, marketing, AI, systems, finances, and more.
– Early podcast access + business insights — stay ahead of industry trends and strategies before everyone else catches on.
Private Community Hub + Mobile App — access your coaching, courses, community, and resources anytime, anywhere.
The Private Partner Rolodex — a members-only directory of vetted industry partners and their contact information, so when you need business insurance, a CPA, an attorney, a photographer, or a contractor, you know exactly who to call.
Featured Designer Directory — your business listed on our website, plus graduate features on the podcast and social media.
20% Off the Resource Shop — member pricing on every template, guide, and tool in the shop.
04 · THE EXPERIENCES — 4 TRIPS PER YEAR
Out of the inbox, into the industry.
High Point Market — Spring & Fall, with in-person workshops and guided tours.
Salone del Mobile, Milan — annually in April.
Decorex, London, England — annually in October.
The Designer’s Circle Escape — our members-only luxury retreat in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, annually in July (2027 dates: July 29 – August 1).
Travel Welcome Gift — a curated gift to kick off your Circle travels.
Members cover their own travel for all trips. Monique Nicole hosts, plans, and guides every experience.
DESIGNER SUCCESS STORIES
Designers like you are already doing this.
★★★★★
"Since going through the Employee to Designer Emerge Program, I have greater confidence, better back-office workflow, and understand how to effectively price the value I bring."
Nici F.
SIMPLICITE INTERIORS
★★★★★
"I have learned how to apply so many things to my business model like marketing automation, developing signature design packages, building my install team, and more!"
Katherine
HOME STAGER
★★★★★
"After completing the 'Self and Client Discovery Module' in Monique Nicole's ETD Program, I have the clarity I need to take my business to the next level."
Joanne W.
INTERIOR DECORISMA
★★★★★
"I was recently told I was the most expensive in my area. I just nodded. I now have a new office, two employees, 10 active projects and am balancing being a mom."
Jennifer
INTERIOR DECORATOR
★★★★★
"It was so nice to be able to go back to the course for a refresher to some of my questions I had! Best course ever!"
Pat
PAT'S WORLD STAGING
★★★★★
"The Employee to Designer Program helped me build my confidence, find resources, and understand how advertising works. I recently showcased my business at a local fair and I am getting calls from it and booking appointments!"
Maria Michaud
AFFORDABLE DESIGN & DECOR
BUT WHAT IF…
Everything you think is holding you back, handled.
“I don’t have the time.”
The Circle is built around 90 minutes a week. Live calls are twice a month on Thursday evenings, 8–9 PM Eastern, after the workday, and every call is recorded.
“I already left my job.”
Then you start where you are. The focus for you is the pipeline, pricing for profit, and a paycheck system, so the quiet months stop.
“I don’t have a portfolio.”
You don’t need one to start. You’ll build your business and your body of work inside the Circle. Every designer starts with zero projects. I did too.
“I’m not sure I can afford it.”
There’s a 6-month payment plan, so you can invest as you build. The real question is what another year in a job you’ve outgrown will cost you.
“I have no marketing or business experience.”
That’s exactly who the Circle is for. You get the full curriculum, done-for-you templates, and a coach who teaches marketing for a living.
“What if I fall behind?”
Every call is recorded, and you have an accountability partner and Coach on Call between sessions. In a circle of 14, no one gets left behind.
WHY NOW
14 seats. One circle. Applications close December 14.
The Designer’s Circle is small on purpose, so every designer gets real coaching. Applications open October 14, 2026 and close December 14, 2026, or sooner if all 14 seats are filled. The Circle launches once a year, so once the seats are gone, they’re gone until the next cohort.
So ask yourself: where will you be next July if nothing changes? You could have your number, your date, and a full calendar, or you could still be running the numbers.
Fast-Action Bonus: The first 4 designers to enroll get a FREE trip to The Designer’s Circle Escape, our members-only luxury retreat in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic (July 29 – August 1, 2027). Includes accommodation and meals during the retreat. Travel and airfare are not included. Offer ends November 4, 2026.
Applications open October 14, 2026 · Applications close December 14, 2026 · The Circle runs January 7 – July 1, 2027
YOUR INVESTMENT
Invest in the business that replaces your paycheck.
Your enrollment includes 6 months of FREE access to The Designer’s Den for your entire cohort. When the cohort ends on July 1, 2027, your access to everything ends, including The Designer’s Den, unless you choose to stay in the Den for $47/month. Before the cohort ends, you’ll receive an email inviting you to continue your access. No one is billed after the cohort unless they choose to join.
Because The Designer’s Circle is an intimate, 14-seat cohort with extensive live support and curated content built for each group, all enrollments are final and non-refundable.
AFTER THE COHORT
When the Circle ends, your growth doesn’t have to.
The Designer’s Circle runs from January 7 to July 1, 2027. When the cohort ends on July 1, 2027, your access to everything ends with it, including The Designer’s Den, the Employee to Designer™ courses, The Designer Vault, the Toolkit and resources, and the mobile app.
Want to keep it all? Stay in The Designer’s Den for just $47/month and keep your access to:
WHAT YOU KEEP
• The Designer’s Den community — daily business tips, Hot Seat Q&A, weekly challenges, guest expert workshops, and early podcast access.
• All four Employee to Designer™ Framework courses — Transition, Build, Grow, and Scale, plus every update.
• Your tools and resources — The Designer Vault, The Designer Toolkit, swipe files, templates, and mini-trainings.
• The Private Community Hub + Mobile App — support and resources anytime, anywhere.
• The Circle Experiences — continue to join Monique Nicole at High Point Market, Milan, London, and The Designer’s Circle Escape.
HOW IT WORKS
Step 1 — Watch your inbox. Before your cohort ends, you’ll receive an email inviting you to continue your access.
Step 2 — Join through the email link. Your Den membership is $47/month, and you can cancel anytime.
Step 3 — Keep growing. Your Den, courses, and resources stay open with no interruption.
If you choose not to continue, your access to The Designer’s Den and all Designer’s Circle content, courses, and resources ends on July 1, 2027. The twice-monthly live group coaching calls end with the cohort; Den members continue to receive ongoing coaching and support inside the Den.
HOW TO JOIN
Your next step takes about 10 minutes.
01
Apply
Complete the short
application. Applications are open October 14 – December 14, 2026
02
Connect
If it looks like a fit, Monique Nicole will personally reach out within 24 hours.
03
Join
Secure your seat, get your welcome kit, and start January 7, 2027.
Not sure where to start? Get my FREE Business Phase Guide and find out which phase your business is in.
QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions.
THE CHOICE
Six months from now, you’ll wish you started today.
You can keep building someone else’s firm, or start building your own. Fourteen designers will open The Designer’s Circle on January 7, 2027. One of them can be you.