What Should I Tell My Boss Before Leaving to Start My Own Interior Design Firm?

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At some point, most designers feel a tug toward independence. Maybe it starts as a vague curiosity, but eventually, it grows into a real plan. You’ve spent years helping build someone else’s vision and start to wonder what your own would look like fully realized. Before any of it happens, though, you have to tell your current employer you’re leaving. Running a firm in Houston, Laura U Design Collective COO Melissa Grove and CEO Laura Umansky have led a team of ten-plus employees for years, so they’ve experienced both sides of this situation. Read on to learn how you can move on to the next phase of your career without burning any bridges.

What to Tell Your Current Boss Before Leaving to Found Your Own Firm

Keep It Simple But Respectful

Of course, most of us will overthink this moment. We want to soften the sting, to give a long list of reasons or promises of future collaboration. Unfortunately, that usually makes this interaction more awkward; it shows that you’ve been planning this for a long time. So when Laura decided to leave her previous firm, she didn’t try to overexplain her departure.

“When I left my last firm, I kept it simple and respectful,” she says. “I thanked them for the opportunity and explained that I wanted to build something of my own — and I left my plans intentionally vague. That’s really all it takes.”

It can be tempting to share every reason behind your decision or to justify the timing, but most firm owners understand ambition. It’s normal. Many of them started the same way. “I’ve also had team members leave to start their own firms,” says Umansky. “I truly support that — but how they handled it made all the difference.”

If you can, be organized and thoughtful, but remember that stress will likely still surround your departure despite your best efforts. Finish what you can, give as much notice as possible, and hand off work to your colleagues in a fair, unbiased way. Your reputation in this industry travels faster and farther than you think.

Acknowledge the Industry Context You’re Walking Into

If you feel uneasy about walking away from a firm to start your own, remember that you’re not the exception; you’re part of the norm. Finding good people has always been hard in design, but lately that has more to do with how the field is evolving than anything else.

Fewer young designers are staying long enough to climb the traditional ladder, and more are moving toward independence early in their careers. According to the ASID study from December 2024, “the total number of interior designers, both employed and self-employed…[was] nearly 128,800 in 2024, increasing 4.1% year-to-year.” Of that total, 55 percent were employed by firms and 45 percent were self-employed.

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That’s nearly half the profession working for themselves and proof that running your own studio isn’t some sort of risky outlier move. It’s built into the structure of the industry now. People learn inside firms, gain experience, and then create something of their own.

Some firm owners admit it can be tough watching great designers leave, but most understand it’s part of the deal. This is an industry that thrives on reinvention. Every studio owner started somewhere else, probably sitting where you are now, wondering if it was the right time to take the leap. The truth is, there’s rarely a perfect time, but there’s nothing unusual about wanting to lead your own projects, your own way.

Leave Without Burning Bridges

Leaving a firm well isn’t typically too complicated, but it takes intention. Laura often reminds her team that “the best transitions are honest, professional, and planned.” You don’t need a grand gesture or a carefully staged goodbye; you just need to leave your work in good shape and communicate clearly.

Finish what you can and wrap up loose ends. Let your team know directly, not through whispered game of telephone. The way you handle your departure will likely decide how people speak about you afterward, whether they describe you as someone who handled things with grace or someone who simply disappeared when things got inconvenient. This industry keeps track of that kind of thing.

Remember, You’ll Cross Paths Again

The design world isn’t huge. You’ll see your old colleagues at markets, panels, award nights. Starting your own studio is a leap, but it’s also a continuation. The habits that make you a good employee (showing up, following through, respecting people’s time, etc.) are the same ones that help you run a studio. So leave like someone who might hire or collaborate with them again. Because you probably will.

Think about how you want to interact with those people after you leave. We asked Melissa Grove, “What kind of bridge-building actually helps if you want referrals later?” Her answer was surprisingly simple (and Gen Z).

“Social media makes it easy to stay in touch,” she says. “You don’t have to engage every day, but sending a note when someone wins an award or celebrates an anniversary goes a long way.”

She also keeps herself on her former firm’s mailing list and shows up at the occasional open house or event. The key is to make contact feel natural instead of forced and awkward.

What You Owe an Employer

You owe honesty, not oversharing. Tell them the truth: you’re leaving, here’s why, here’s when, and here’s what you’ll do until then. You owe enough notice for your projects to land safely in someone else’s hands. Two weeks is often the minimum, but in design, a little more time helps a ton. You owe attention and dedication until the last moment of your last day, so don’t act like you have one foot out the door right after announcing your impending departure.

You also owe care for your work and the firm’s clients. Wrap things up properly, label files, leave notes where needed. The next person shouldn’t have to guess what you meant. And you probably owe some measure of gratitude even if the experience wasn’t perfect. A simple thank-you for the chance to learn, grow, or even just survive a few impossible deadlines says a lot. As always, how you exit says a lot more about you than about the people you’re leaving behind.

What You Don’t Owe

You don’t owe your employer every detail of your future plans. You don’t have to explain your new business model or who your first clients might be. Vague is fine. In fact, it’s smart. You don’t owe them emotional closure either. Some people will be surprised, others may take it personally, but that’s theirs to sort out.

You don’t owe unpaid overtime in your final stretch or loyalty that extends past your contract. You’ve already given your work, your energy, maybe your weekends. When you leave, the transaction is complete. And you definitely don’t owe guilt. Starting your own thing isn’t a betrayal. Most firm owners, if they’re honest, know that. They did it once too.

Thank you to Melissa Grove and Laura Umansky for sharing so candidly with us.