We Gave Away Free Designs – And Almost Went Bankrupt

When we started Nestora Interiors, we were desperate to prove ourselves. Every inquiry was a golden opportunity. We would rush to site, measure everything, take dozens of photos, and then go home and work late into the night – sketching layouts, picking colours, even creating sample mood boards. All for free.

We told ourselves: “Once they see our amazing design, they will hire us.”

They didn’t.

Time after time, a client would call us, ask for a site visit, and we would drive across Nairobi – paying for fuel, parking, and hours of our time. Then we would spend days preparing a full design proposal and a detailed Bill of Quantities (BOQ). We would present it enthusiastically. The client would say: “Wow, this is beautiful. Let me think about it.”

A week later, we would see photos on their WhatsApp status – the exact same layout, the same colour scheme, even the same furniture arrangement. But it was executed by a local fundi (unskilled handyman) using cheap, low‑quality materials. No professional finishes. No proper waterproofing. No regard for the BOQ.

One client in particular still stings. We visited her business three times – free. We produced a full interior design package, including 3D renderings and a complete BOQ. She loved everything. Then she disappeared. Two months later, we saw the final result on Instagram: her fundi had copied our design poorly. The wallpapers were peeling, the lighting was misaligned, and the kitchen cabinets were already sagging. She tagged a friend and wrote: “Never again – fundis are useless.” But she never paid us a single shilling for the design that failed because she skipped the professional execution.

We did this for some time. We spent a fortune on fuel, printing, and time – easily over KES 100,000 in lost value. Our savings evaporated. We couldn’t pay ourselves. We were burning every penny just to drive to client meetings and give away our hard work.

The turning point came when a fellow designer – someone we respected – asked us bluntly: “Why are you working for free? Do you think engineers or lawyers give free consultations that include detailed drawings?”

That question broke us – in a good way.

We sat down and created our first Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). We decided:

Every site visit would have a fixed fee. That fee would be credited to the client’s project if they signed a contract – but it was non‑refundable otherwise.

Design work would never start without a signed proposal and a deposit. No more free mood boards or free BOQs.

All quotations and BOQs would be shared only after the design fee was paid. This stopped clients from taking our work to fundis.

We would require an 80% deposit before purchasing any materials. This protected us from being used as a free sourcing agent.

The first few months were hard. Some clients refused to pay the site visit fee. They called us “expensive” and went elsewhere. We let them go. But the clients who stayed – the serious ones – respected our professionalism.

Today, Nestora has completed a good number of projects without ever again losing money because of a stolen design or an unpaid site visit. We still have the same passion, but now we have boundaries. And our SOP protects everyone – us, our artisans, and the client who gets a properly executed design instead of a cheap copy.

If you are starting an interior design business in Kenya, here is my advice:

Charge for your site visits. Your time, fuel, and expertise have value. A serious client will pay it.

Never produce a full design or BOQ without a signed agreement and a deposit. Otherwise, you are training clients to steal from you.

Trust the serious clients. The ones who complain about a small site visit fee are the same ones who will disappear after you give them free designs.

Write down your process. Even a simple checklist on Google Keep will save you from making the same costly mistakes we made.

Your creativity is your asset. Don’t give it away for free. Learn from our loses – you don’t have to repeat them.

Nestora was built again after we stopped being “nice” and started being professional. Your business can be too.