As the year comes to a close, it’s easy to look back at a busy calendar and think, “This was a good year.” You completed projects, brought in new clients, and have a long list of accomplishments to show for it.

But there’s an important question to ask before you start planning for 2027: What did you actually earn?

We talk to designers every year who paid themselves everything the business made, felt confident heading into tax season, then filed and owed a number nobody had prepared them for.

It's rarely a tax problem. It's what happens when the books weren't set up to catch it months earlier.
This happens constantly in our industry, especially for firms doing their own bookkeeping or working with someone who isn't design-specific. And it's why we're expanding into tax services this year: for design firms, bookkeeping and taxes aren't two separate jobs. They're one conversation, and most firms only get half of it.

Interior designers and creative business owners already have enough on their plates. Managing clients, projects, vendors, and installations is a full-time job—your finances shouldn’t add unnecessary stress. In this post, we’re sharing why we’re bringing bookkeeping, accounting, and tax services together under one roof, creating a more connected, proactive financial experience for the creative businesses we know and love serving.

Interior design firm profitability is about more than revenue. Hidden labor like emails, revisions, site visits, and vendor coordination can quietly reduce your effective hourly rate and impact project profit. Learn how time tracking, utilization rate, and financial clarity help design firms better understand true project profitability and protect their margins.

If your bank account looks healthy but your cash still feels tight, your Accounts Payable may be the reason. Many interior design firms struggle to track what they owe, leading to cash flow issues, vendor delays, and client friction. Learn how better A/P management creates clarity, protects profit, and keeps your projects running smoothly.

Interior designers can simplify bookkeeping, invoicing, and sales tax tracking with the right systems in place. Learn why Business by the Book recommends DesignFiles with QuickBooks Online integration to keep Purchase Orders, client payments, and project margins organized, accurate, and audit-ready all year long without the stress of manual spreadsheets.

In our next installment of Financial Literacy Awareness Month content, BBTB VP Morgan Boudreaux walks through the six key takeaways from your financial reports, as well as addresses some frequently asked questions like, "How often should I review these reports?"

On January 1, 2024, the standard IRS mileage rate for the business use of an employee’s personal automobile increased from 65.5 to 67 cents per mile.