Holiday Pros | Mastering The Business of Christmas for Interior Designers, Lighting Professionals, and Holiday Decor Business Owners

Certified for the Season: Do Credentials Matter in the Christmas Industry?

Did you know there is no college curriculum, no degree program, and no formal training anywhere in the world for holiday design? Not even a single course inside a four-year interior design degree. Until now, this has been an entirely self-taught industry — and this week, Heather and Lindsay dig into what that means for you and your business. In this episode they tackle certifications, professional associations, and credibility markers — what they're worth, why they matter to clients, and how they give you the confidence to walk into any room and close the deal. Heather shares a behind-the-scenes look at her recent conversation with Scottsdale Community College about bringing holiday design into academia, and why the Professional Association of Holiday Designers is filling a gap that every other industry has had for years — except this one. They also get into a conversation that might just change the way interior designers think about their business model entirely: why pairing holiday design with interior design creates the holy grail of recurring revenue, stronger client relationships, and the freedom to be picky about the projects you take — sooner than you'd think. Plus, Heather's coaching gold for anyone who's ever talked themselves out of a big job before even trying: stop asking "Can I do it?" and start asking "How can I do it?" — because if Heather can land an 11-year resort account without knowing what she was doing on day one, so can you. The Christmas Design Institute was founded by Heather Lundervold to help you become an interior Holiday Designer. Choose Your Path: Path 1: Become a certified decorator and join the designer-for-hire program Path 2: Launch your own Christmas Business. Explore both at ChristmasDesignInstitute.com [https://www.christmasdesigninstitute.com/] Christmas Callers was founded to solve one problem - Helping Holiday Professionals land commercial contracts. We pull lists, enrich data, and baby sit leads all to help you be in the right place at the right time. Book your consultation with us now at ChristmasCallers.com [https://christmascallers.com/]

Ep. 6 How to Position Yourself as an Expert Without a Portfolio

Every designer faces it. That moment when a potential client asks, "Can I see your work?" — and you have... nothing. It's one of the most common fears holding new holiday designers back, and in this episode Heather and Lindsay tackle it head-on with practical, confidence-building strategies you can use right now, even if you've never decorated a single tree for a paying client. Here's the truth Heather drops early: she built a 26-year, seven-figure business and still doesn't have a formal portfolio. Because what clients are really asking when they say "show me your work" isn't prove yourself — it's can you make my space beautiful? Those are very different questions, and knowing that changes everything about how you walk into a room. Heather and Lindsay break down exactly how to present yourself with confidence using inspiration images, AI-generated visuals, and mood boards — without misrepresenting yourself or your experience. They cover how to flip the portfolio conversation into a design consultation, why asking clients to share their inspiration pictures is actually a power move, and how the custom nature of luxury design means cookie-cutter proof shots barely matter anyway. They also pull back the curtain on two brand-new tools coming out of the Christmas Design Institute and Biz-in-a-Box: a curated 2026 trends lookbook you can use on your website as a lead magnet, and access to Heather's personal library of 26 years worth of client photos gifted directly to students. If you've been stalling on launching because you don't have photos to show — this episode is the green light you've been waiting for. Christmas Callers was founded to solve one problem - Helping Holiday Professionals land commercial contracts. We pull lists, enrich data, and baby sit leads all to help you be in the right place at the right time. Book your consultation with us now at ChristmasCallers.com [https://christmascallers.com/] The Christmas Design Institute was founded by Heather Lundervold to help you become an interior Holiday Designer. Choose Your Path: Path 1: Become a certified decorator and join the designer-for-hire program Path 2: Launch your own Christmas Business. Explore both at ChristmasDesignInstitute.com [https://www.christmasdesigninstitute.com/]

Ep 5 Your Brand, Your Bow: How to Stand Out in the Christmas Design Space

Here's a plot twist: one of the most successful holiday design businesses in the country has no website, no logo, and no printed materials — and it's been running for over 26 years. So what actually makes a luxury Christmas brand? In this episode, Heather and Lindsay dig into one of the most misunderstood topics for new business owners: branding. Not the $15,000 branding kit kind (though they cover that too), but the kind that actually wins clients, builds trust, and positions you as the go-to designer in your market. They break down what luxury clients are really looking for when they find you online — and why saying "attention to detail" and "second to none" is the fastest way to sound exactly like everyone else. Lindsay introduces the concept of a unique selling proposition and why the most powerful ones aren't about what you do, they're about the problem you solve that nobody else is talking about. Think Domino's Pizza — not better pizza, just 30 minutes or it's free. Heather gets refreshingly honest about the growing pain that led her to create the Christmas Design Institute in the first place: showing up to luxury installs with untrained designers and learning the hard way that on-the-job training doesn't fly in the high-end space. And how solving that problem became the biggest differentiator her students now carry into the market — a certified credential in an industry where none existed before. They also cover pricing confidence, portfolio curation, when not to take media attention (yes, really), and how the plug-and-play tools inside Biz-in-a-Box help new designers hit the ground running without starting from scratch. If you've been waiting until your brand is "ready" — this episode is your permission to stop waiting. The Christmas Design Institute was founded by Heather Lundervold to help you become an interior Holiday Designer. Choose Your Path: Path 1: Become a certified decorator and join the designer-for-hire program Path 2: Launch your own Christmas Business. Explore both at ChristmasDesignInstitute.com [https://www.christmasdesigninstitute.com/] Christmas Callers was founded to solve one problem - Helping Holiday Professionals land commercial contracts. We pull lists, enrich data, and baby sit leads all to help you be in the right place at the right time. Book your consultation with us now at ChristmasCallers.com [https://christmascallers.com/]

Ep 4 Who's on Your Nice List? Building the Right Connections in the Off-Season

What if the most important work in your Christmas business happens when Christmas is the last thing on anyone's mind? In this episode, Heather and Lindsay dig into one of the most common questions new holiday designers and decorators ask: where do I find clients? The answer might surprise you — because Heather built a 26-year company, landed an 11-year resort account, and was literally gifted a book of 26 clients, all without a website, a logo, or a single business card. This episode is all about the power of networking in the off-season — and getting strategic about it. That means knowing your target market before you start making connections, showing up in the right rooms (think hospitality conferences, realtor broker opens, luxury home builders, and yes, flower shops), and understanding that people hire personalities, not brands. Heather and Lindsay break down the real difference between BNI, chamber of commerce events, and industry-specific associations — and why getting in front of five realtors beats getting in front of one. They also tackle the perfectionism trap: the idea that you need your branding, website, and business cards perfectly polished before you can put yourself out there. Spoiler — you don't. Plus, they get into the bigger picture of what makes this business so uniquely freeing: the ability to choose your own ceiling. Whether you want six figures in six weeks and the rest of the year off, or you're ready to scale toward a million, this business can be built around your life — not the other way around. And don't miss the mic-drop closer: your Christmas business isn't just income. It's a sellable asset. The Christmas Design Institute was founded by Heather Lundervold to help you become an interior Holiday Designer. Choose Your Path: Path 1: Become a certified decorator and join the designer-for-hire program Path 2: Launch your own Christmas Business. Explore both at ChristmasDesignInstitute.com [https://www.christmasdesigninstitute.com/] Christmas Callers was founded to solve one problem - Helping Holiday Professionals land commercial contracts. We pull lists, enrich data, and baby sit leads all to help you be in the right place at the right time. Book your consultation with us now at ChristmasCallers.com [https://christmascallers.com/]

Ep 3 How To Plan For and Find Your Team » Overcoming Challenges In Your Christmas Business

Scaling a holiday decorating business is one of the biggest challenges designers face — and in this episode, co-host Heather Lundervold gets refreshingly honest about the growing pains she's navigated over 26 years in the luxury Christmas decorating industry, both interior and exterior. Heather started the way most of us do — grabbing friends, figuring it out as she went, and learning some hard lessons along the way. But working in high-end residential homes means you can't just send anyone through the door. Clients notice when you're training on the job, and in the luxury space, that's not a risk you can afford to take for long. Lindsay brings her own perspective to the table, sharing what she learned building a commercial electrical business from the ground up — and how those same principles apply directly to scaling a Christmas decorating company, especially on the commercial side. When the jobs were bigger than their capacity, they subcontracted. When the fear of "training the competition" crept in, they ran the numbers. And when it finally clicked, they were off to the races. In this episode you'll hear: * Why hiring friends is almost always a mistake * How subcontracting can keep you profitable even when you're just getting started * The difference between employees and 1099 contractors — and why it matters * What a solid onboarding process actually looks like in a seasonal business * The mindset shift from doing everything yourself to becoming a true leader * Free and low-cost legal and business resources (including SCORE and working directly with your insurance agent) to protect yourself as you grow Whether you're decorating luxury homes, commercial spaces, or both, this episode is packed with real, hard-won wisdom from people who've built businesses in the field — not just talked about it. The Christmas Design Institute was founded by Heather Lundervold to help you become an interior Holiday Designer. Choose Your Path: Path 1: Become a certified decorator and join the designer-for-hire program Path 2: Launch your own Christmas Business. Explore both at ChristmasDesignInstitute.com [https://www.christmasdesigninstitute.com/] Christmas Callers was founded to solve one problem - Helping Holiday Professionals land commercial contracts. We pull lists, enrich data, and baby sit leads all to help you be in the right place at the right time. Book your consultation with us now at ChristmasCallers.com [https://christmascallers.com/]