In Episode 9 of the Holiday Pros Podcast, Lindsay Sutherland and Heather Lundervold pull back the curtain on exactly how to price your services as an interior holiday designer: from the initial phone call all the way through installation, takedown, and everything in between.

Heather has spent 26 years learning this the hard way — undercharging, forgetting to bill for takedown, giving away consultations for free — so you don't have to. She walks through her complete process step by step, including what she charges, why she charges it, and how she handles clients who push back.

Lindsay brings her sales and business consulting expertise to the conversation, unpacking the psychology behind pricing with confidence, how to position your value in the luxury space, and why the mindset shift of "they want this" changes everything when it comes to closing a client.

In this episode you'll learn:

• How to decide what services to offer before you price a single thing
• The step-by-step client process: phone call → in-home consult → mood board → proposal → deposit
• What Heather charges for consultations ($200) — and when she waives the fee
• Why you should never email a proposal before getting paid for the design work
• The #1 mistake designers make when building proposals (and how to pad for it)
• Why forgetting takedown can cost you an entire day's pay
• How to handle clients who say "I'm already paying you $12,000 — why is there a consultation fee?"
• The key difference between pricing for residential luxury clients vs. resort and commercial bids
• How Biz in a Box Solutions takes the guesswork out of the entire process with pre-built templates, stages, and proposal verbiage
• Why shopping services are one of the most fun (and profitable) offerings in the business

Whether you're just setting your rates for the first time or you're ready to stop undercharging, this episode gives you the full picture.

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

In Episode 8 of the Holiday Pros Podcast, Lindsay Sutherland and Heather Lundervold break down exactly what holiday decorators and Christmas business owners should be posting, when to post it, and how to stop overthinking the whole thing. Whether you're brand new to social media or you've been flying by the seat of your pants (Heather's words, not ours), you'll walk away with a clear, actionable framework you can actually use.

Lindsay draws on years of social media consulting across nonprofits, startups, and contract companies to lay out a step-by-step process tailored specifically to the Christmas industry — including tips for capturing content on the job, what to do when your clients don't want cameras in their home, and why B-roll footage of your work is more powerful than any polished talking-head video.

Heather shares real-world lessons from her own journey as a luxury holiday decorator and what she's learning inside a high-level social media coaching program — including why you should post before you're ready, why consistency beats perfection every time, and why the algorithm is actually your friend when you stop fighting it.

In this episode you'll learn:

• The "spaghetti approach" to posting 3–5x per day and what to do after 90 days
• Why niche, consistent content outperforms variety every time
• How to create a month's worth of content from a single job
• The tripod hack that makes filming on-site effortless (and affordable)
• Why B-roll + voiceover beats on-camera talking for most decorators
• How to use scheduling tools (including Biz in a Box Solutions) to post all year without the stress
• Why you should be building on multiple platforms — not just one
• The Hook Point principle: you have 3 seconds to capture attention
• Personal page vs. business page: what actually works on Facebook

This one's packed. Grab a notebook.

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In this episode, Heather and Lindsay break down exactly what a successful holiday decorator should be doing right now — in the off-season — to set themselves up for a profitable, organized, and stress-free Christmas season. From taking deposits in January to shopping the design markets in Las Vegas, Dallas, and Atlanta, Heather pulls back the curtain on how she forecasts her entire season months in advance and why July is her personal "point of no return."

They also dig into the commercial side of the business — resorts, casinos, venues — and why Q1 and Q2 are the perfect time to get your name on their radar (spoiler: your competitor already is). Lindsay shares what's happening behind the scenes at Christmas Callers and why the follow-up is where the real money lives.

Plus — if you're brand new to this world and wondering where to even start — Heather lays out the two clear paths inside the Christmas Design Institute: the business route and the designer route. Because sometimes the smartest first move is just getting on someone else's crew and learning the ropes.

Whether you're a seasoned decorator scaling to seven figures or someone who just discovered this industry exists, this episode will have you rethinking what "off-season" really means.

In this episode:

• Why Heather starts booking clients in January — and the incentive that makes it work
• How to shop design markets like a pro (and use that content to sell your clients)
• The July forecasting benchmark every holiday business owner needs
• Commercial clients vs. residential: what's different and what pays more
• Two ways to get started with the Christmas Design Institute
• What Christmas Callers does and who it's really built for

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

Welcome to Holiday Pros: Mastering the Business of Christmas, the podcast where professional holiday decorator and Christmas industry pioneer Heather Lundervold and business systems strategist Lindsay Sutherland pull back the curtain on one of the most profitable — and best-kept — secrets in the service industry.

Heather has been building a thriving luxury Christmas decorating business for over 26 years. Lindsay brings 20+ years of business automation, systems, and sales expertise. Together, they're on a mission to help creative entrepreneurs turn their love of all things Christmas into a serious, scalable, recession-proof business.

Each week you'll get real talk on:

• How to launch and grow a Christmas decorating business from scratch
• The systems and tech that free you from running everything yourself
• How to land commercial clients and scale to six (or seven!) figures
• The mindset shifts that separate hobbyists from Holiday Pros

Whether you're a seasoned decorator ready to grow or someone who's never considered that Christmas could be a career — this podcast will change the way you think about the holiday season.

The best time to start was last year. The second best time is right now. 🎄

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