Every Christmas business starts somewhere — and for most owners, that's a cellphone, a notepad, and maybe a ladder. In this episode, host Lindsay Sutherland and co-host Heather Lundervold, founder of the Christmas Design Institute, break down exactly what tools you need to run a Christmas business, from the bare-bones basics to the systems that let you scale.

Heather shares what it was like decorating trees with nothing but clippers and a stepstool, and why skipping tools almost drove her to quit the business altogether.

Lindsay makes the case for setting up an LLC, a separate business bank account, and simple accounting software before you think you need them. They also dig into liability insurance, ladder safety (and the china cabinet near-miss that changed Heather's rules for good), and why a CRM tool becomes non-negotiable the moment you're juggling 50 clients.

Plus: what Heather and Lindsay have planned for the Christmas & Holiday Expo in Dallas next week. If you're building your Christmas business from scratch — or wondering what comes next — this episode lays out the roadmap.

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

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

Not all Christmas clients are created equal — and that's actually a very good thing.

In this episode, Heather and Lindsay break down one of the most practical topics for anyone building a holiday design business: the difference between budget clients and luxury clients, and how to decide which lane is right for you. Spoiler — the answer might be both.

Heather pulls back the curtain on how she structures jobs at every price point, from a two-hour tree install that pays $1,000 with nearly 100% profit, all the way up to five-figure luxury projects for names like Fox Broadcasting. And she makes a compelling case for why new designers shouldn't write off the budget client — because four of those in a day is four thousand dollars, and that math hits different when you're just getting started.

They also tackle the question Lindsay gets asked constantly: what if I love the business side but I'm terrified of the design side? Heather's answer is simple: the Designer for Hire program exists exactly for that reason. You don't have to be the one holding the ornaments to run a profitable Christmas business.

From reverse-engineering your income goals to understanding the rental model, knowing when to send a designer instead of going yourself, and building a business that fits your lifestyle instead of the other way around — this episode is packed with the kind of straight talk that actually moves the needle.

Plus, Heather announces the six-week certification kicking off August 3rd — and for podcast listeners, there's a special discount you won't want to miss.

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

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

The decorating is the fun part. The invoicing, the taxes, the "wait, did I even get paid for that?" — that's the part that burns people out.

This week, Lindsay Sutherland and Holiday Heather Lundervold break down exactly how to get paid without the headache: the three job types every decorator needs to know (install only, install + supplemental decor, full design), how to price and invoice each one, and the sales tax rules most business owners get wrong.

Heather also opens up about 26 years of running her business on Google Docs and a notepad — and why this is the first July of her career she isn't panicking. Plus: details on the six-week certification launching August 3rd for anyone ready to build a real Christmas business this season

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

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