A study nook with a blue upholstered armchair, a small desk with an open book, a pen, and a coffee mug, situated in a cozy, private corner.

What they don’t teach, We do.

Career coaching for junior Interior Designers, from two former design directors who spent decades hiring, mentoring, and promoting them.

Get Studio Ready

The Problem

You’re good at the work. Nobody told you how the room works.

Design school taught you to design. It didn’t teach you how a firm actually runs, who to ask, what to say in a crit, how to handle feedback, or when to ask for more money. Talented designers stall in their first years, not from a lack of skills, but from lack of a map.

Studio Ready: Your first 90 days

Your insider guide to your first year in a design firm, built by 20+ years of real corporate practice.

  • Get in the room: job search, portfolio positioning and the outreach that actually gets you hired.

  • Read the room: firm culture and the unwritten rules no one puts in the job description.

  • Own the room: communication, feedback, and setting boundaries without burning bridges.

  • Know your worth: salary negotiation scripts and career trajectory frameworks

  • Build your future: your personal brand and a path to leadership.

Get Studio Ready - $150

Who It’s For

This is for you if:

  • You just started your first firm job and the learning curve is steeper than you expected

  • You’re still in school and want to walk in prepared

  • You’re a year or two in and feel like everyone else figured out something you didn’t

  • You’re good at the work, but navigating the environment is harder than the work

Written by the people who did the hiring.

Meet The Founders

Marilyn Russell Grant and Sydney Moeller spent decades as design directors in corporate practice. We interviewed, hired, and mentored junior designers. We watched the talented ones struggle for reasons no one explained. The Firm Insider is everything we wish someone had told them.

What Are Junior Professionals Saying

  • This is excellent and a solid resource that is needed when we leave school.

    — Tanya James

  • Their attention and patience when listening to my concerns was real. I felt understood for the first time.

    — Nicole Williams

  • This type of company is needed. Many of us do not know how to navigate our first job.

    — Georgianna Russell

Connect on Professional Networks

Motivational social media graphic with dark background, logo at top reading 'The Firm TFI', and the text 'You don't have to figure it out alone. That's exactly why we're here.' in large white and peach font, with smaller text mentioning two former design directors and an Instagram handle '@thefirminsider'.
The image contains a quote that says, "The skill was never working harder. It's knowing what comes first." The quote is from @THEFIRMINDSIDER, and the background is dark with light-colored text. The logo of The Firm TFI is at the top.
A promotional graphic for The Firm Insider, featuring an announcement about new content. It has a dark background with a circular logo at the top, followed by the text "New on the Grid" and a message in large bold font that reads "You can be the most talented designer in the room — and still get overlooked." Beneath that, there's a note about the five ways to start changing that, and a prominent button that says "Tap to read the post." The footer includes social media handle @THEFIRMINSIDER and website thefirminsider.com.
A motivational quote about mentorship on a dark background with the logo of 'The Firm TFI' at the top.
Follow Updates

Your first week handled

Get our free First Week at a Design Firm checklist: the 15 things senior designers notice in your first five days, and what to do about each one.