DELIVERED OCTOBER 5 • EARLY-BIRD $197 • REGULAR $247
Inside a $1.35M+
Interior Design Project
Most designers won’t even tell you what they charge.
I’m opening the whole project file.
Follow one real project from the original agreement through final closeout, with the records, decisions, numbers, problems and hindsight that usually stay behind closed doors.
This is a curated case study, not another course to finish. I use my Project Process as the timeline so you can see where the major decisions, documents, problems and turning points happened without reteaching every step.
You’ll see real numbers and selected, anonymized project records, plus a clean AI-ready Markdown edition of the complete case study.
Read the designed version, or upload the Markdown file to your AI and question the project yourself.
Early-Bird Edition: $197. Regular price: $247.
GET EARLY-BIRD ACCESS — $197
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MONEY • SCOPE • HOURS • BOUNDARIES • CLIENTS • DOCUMENTATION • HINDSIGHT • MONEY • SCOPE • HOURS • BOUNDARIES • CLIENTS • DOCUMENTATION • HINDSIGHT • MONEY • SCOPE • HOURS • BOUNDARIES • CLIENTS • DOCUMENTATION • HINDSIGHT • MONEY • SCOPE • HOURS • BOUNDARIES • CLIENTS • DOCUMENTATION • HINDSIGHT •
WHY THIS PROJECT?
Because it gave me almost everything a real design business can throw at you.
My first gut instinct was actually to say no to this project.
The client was demanding from the beginning.
Then I stepped back and remembered something:
I had already built a business around boundaries, guardrails, documentation and clear processes. If those systems were worth anything, they should work when someone actually tested them.
So we said yes.
The project grew steadily. The client relationship became more complicated. Multiple personalities had opinions. Our agreement got tested. Our documentation got tested. There were moments I considered ending the project entirely.
And it still became one of the highest-revenue projects our firm had ever completed.
That combination is exactly why I chose it. Beautiful and profitable does not mean easy. And difficult does not automatically mean unsuccessful.
WHAT YOU’LL BE ABLE TO SEE MORE CLEARLY
One project.
A lot of business lessons.
I’m not handing you a complete business curriculum. I’m opening one real project far enough that you can see how pricing, scope, clients, trades, documentation, procurement and boundaries actually behaved under pressure.
REAL PRICING DECISIONS IN CONTEXT
You’ll see how this project was priced, what assumptions sat underneath the fee, and what happened as the project grew. The point is not to copy my numbers. It is to see the decision-making in a real file.
WHAT HELD WHEN THE PROJECT GOT MESSY
The agreement, the scope, approvals and written processes all got tested. You’ll see where they protected us, where they needed more clarity, and what I would tighten today.
HOW TO HANDLE INEVITABLE PROJECT ISSUES
Scope creep, emotional meetings, and lots of project delays due to construction, vendors, damaged products and even the weather. You'll see how I handled some of these important obstacles that seem to surface without warning.
HOW TO RUN YOUR TEAM AND YOUR TRADES
My team was split between Los Angeles and Florida on this one. You’ll see who owned what, how we stayed coordinated, where responsibility sat between designer, contractor and trades, and what I would structure differently today.
WHERE THE REVENUE CAME FROM, PROCUREMENT INCLUDED
The design fee is only one part of a large project. You’ll see how product, markup, fulfillment, shipping, receiving and trade costs showed up in the records, and how I think about that mix now.
HOW TO DOCUMENT (AND TRACK TIME) LIKE IT MATTERS
Time records, invoices, approvals, scope revisions and so much more. Years later, that file got this client through an insurance claim in under 30 minutes. You’ll see what we tracked, why, and how each kind of time was handled.
THE FINISHED PHOTOGRAPH IS THE LEAST INTERESTING PART
The business story happened
behind the scenes.
THE PROJECT GREW ONE “SMALL” YES AT A TIME.
There was no single moment when someone announced, “Let’s dramatically expand the scope.” It accumulated through decisions, additions and change requests. You’ll see the trail.
A PROFITABLE PROJECT CAN STILL PUSH YOU TO THE EDGE.
This became one of our highest-revenue project ever, and there were still moments I seriously considered terminating the relationship. Those two facts belong in the same conversation.
YOUR SYSTEMS DON’T MATTER UNTIL SOMEONE TESTS THEM.
Agreements, approvals, How We Work procedures, invoices, notes and signatures repeatedly gave us something objective to point back to when opinions changed and boundaries were challenged.
THE PART DESIGNERS USUALLY KEEP PRIVATE
Most designers won’t even tell another designer their hourly rate.
I’m showing you how the fee was calculated, what the client spent, how the project generated revenue, how time was handled, where the scope changed, what our records proved when things got difficult, and the decisions I would change today.
HERE'S THE REAL TRUTH:
That level of transparency makes me a little uncomfortable.
That is also why I think it is worth doing.
SELECTED + ANONYMIZED FROM THE REAL PROJECT
I’M BRINGING
THE RECEIPTS.
I had excellent records. That did not make this easy.
I spent weeks pulling agreements, scopes, invoices, time records, client emails, internal team conversations, approvals, presentations, change documentation, punch lists and closeout records, then organizing them into a story another designer could actually use. You are not getting a pile of old files. You are getting the project reconstructed with hindsight.
A glimpse at the kind of paper trail we’ll be digging into. The selected project records stay inside the case study.
01 • WHAT WE AGREED TO
The Scope + The Fee
See the detailed starting point, how I calculated the fee, and the business assumptions underneath the project before it began to grow.
02 • WHAT THE RECORDS PROVE
The Money + The Time + The Changes
Follow the financial records, team time, written scope changes and internal documentation as the project became larger and more complicated.
03 • WHAT PROTECTED US
The Boundaries + The Documentation
See where agreements, approvals, notes and previous conversations gave us the proof we needed when the client pushed, disputed or changed direction.
THE PART I COULDN’T TEACH UNTIL I HAD DISTANCE
The project ended.
The lessons kept showing up.
Every project in my firm gets reviewed. This one deserved a second look.
A few years later, I can separate the emotion of the moment from the business decision underneath it. I can see which boundaries worked, where we adapted intelligently, which conversations should have happened earlier, and which systems became stronger because this project exposed the gap.
And the documentation kept proving its value. Years after completion, when the home suffered major damage, the client needed records for an insurance claim. Because we had documented the project so thoroughly, we were able to assemble what the adjuster needed in under 30 minutes.
That hindsight is built directly into the written case study.
DELIVERED OCTOBER 5
Read the project. Study the evidence. Keep the hindsight.
I’m rebuilding the project as a written, visual case study, with the documents, numbers and decisions placed right where they matter in the story.
And you’ll also get the complete case study as a clean Markdown file, so you can upload it into ChatGPT, Claude, or your AI tool of choice and use the project as a reference.
GET EARLY-BIRD ACCESS — $197ONE REAL PROJECT • ORGANIZED FROM START TO FINISH
The process is the map. The project is the lesson.
I use my Project Process to keep the case study chronological, from the first inquiry through closeout. That way you always know where we are when a decision, document or problem appears.
When a step matters to the story, you’ll see:
- Where we are in the process.
- What happened on this project.
- The record or evidence behind it.
- What I think another designer should notice.
- What I’d do today.
This is not the full Workflow course in written form. When you want the complete process, supporting systems and how-to instruction for a step, I’ll point you to the Complete Interior Design Project Workflow.
THREE THREADS THAT KEEP SHOWING UP
Agreement. Documentation. Team.
Not because I’m teaching a separate module on each one, but because they mattered over and over again in the real project.
MY ACTUAL AGREEMENT, IN ACTION
I’m opening selected, anonymized pages of my real agreement. This isn’t “you should have a contract.” You’ll see what a clause said, what happened, how that language held the boundary or put the responsibility where it belonged, and what I learned when it got tested.
DOCUMENTATION AND TIME TRACKING
How and why we kept detailed time records, invoices, product details, approvals, scope revisions, client emails and internal notes. You’ll see the different kinds of time we tracked and how each one was handled at billing. It’s more nuanced than “bill every hour you track.”
RUNNING A TEAM ACROSS STATES
One designer and I handled most site visits and meetings. The rest of the core team worked from another state. You’ll see how we divided the work, how we talked to each other, which meetings were in person and which were virtual, and how decisions got documented, and how we kept it all coordinated.
How the Case Study Unfolds
PART 01
WHAT WE SAID YES TO
The original project, the scope, the fee, the agreement, the guardrails we had already built, and the early decisions that set everything in motion.
PART 02
WHAT THE NUMBERS + RECORDS REVEAL
How the project grew, how money and time moved through the work, where responsibility sat, and what the documentation shows that memory alone never could.
PART 03
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THINGS GOT HARD
Tested boundaries, project delays, moments we considered walking away, professional closeout, and the decisions I would make differently now.
BUILT TO BE USED, NOT JUST CONSUMED
Read it. Reference it.
Ask it questions.
01
Read the designed project walkthrough
Move through the project from beginning to end with the story, records, numbers and present-day commentary organized into one visual case study.
02
Keep it as a project reference
Come back to the agreement, scope changes, pricing, documentation, boundaries or closeout when something on one of your own projects makes you think, “Wait. I remember how this went for John.”
03
Use the AI-ready Markdown edition
Upload the clean Markdown file into ChatGPT, Claude, or another AI tool and use this project as a reference source. Ask it to pull out the scope lessons, compare processes, find warning signs, or turn the documentation takeaways into a checklist for your firm.
WHAT YOU TAKE HOME
Not another course to finish.
A curated project reference you can actually use.
THE PROJECT TIMELINE
My Project Process, Used as the Map
I’ll identify where we are in the process as the project unfolds so you can see when each important decision, document and complication happened.
The complete step-by-step teaching remains inside my Complete Interior Design Project Workflow. Here, the point is seeing what those steps looked like in one real project.
TWO FORMATS INCLUDED
The Designed Edition + The AI-Ready Edition
Same project. Two very different ways to use it.
Read the polished written + visual case study when you want the full story and context. Use the clean Markdown edition when you want to search it, upload it to AI, or turn the project into a working reference for your own business.
ONE PAYMENT • LIFETIME ACCESS
Get inside the project for $197.
The early-bird price is $197. The regular price will be $247.
One complete case study. Both formats. Lifetime access.
THE DIFFERENCE IS CONTEXT
“Set boundaries” is easy advice.
Watching one get tested is something else.
You’ll see what happened when a boundary was actually tested in the middle of a high-revenue project. What the agreement said. What the records showed. What the client asked for. What I said. What happened next.
That’s what real project context gives you.
ONE PROJECT • TWO WAYS TO USE IT
Read it beautifully. Then put it to work with AI.
Same project. Same evidence. Two different formats included.
The designed edition gives you the full visual experience. The Markdown edition gives you a clean source file you can search, upload to AI, and use as a working reference.
FORMAT 01
Designed Written + Visual Edition
The complete project reconstructed into a polished, readable case study with the story, numbers, records, scope changes, decisions and present-day commentary organized in context.
FORMAT 02
AI-Ready Markdown Edition
A clean Markdown version of the complete written walkthrough, built for the people who want to put the project into ChatGPT, Claude, or another AI tool and use it as a reference source.
Ask it about scope. Pull out the documentation lessons. Compare processes. Find warning signs. Turn the takeaways into checklists for your own firm.
BOTH FORMATS INCLUDED
$197
Early-bird price.
Regular price: $247. Lifetime access included.
YOUR GUIDE INSIDE THE PROJECT
John McClain
I’ve been running an interior design business for more than 16 years. I’ve managed teams, construction, purchasing, clients, contractors, scope changes, mistakes, successes and a lot of uncomfortable conversations in between.
I also believe designers get better when we stop pretending the business side is some private club. Most people in our industry won’t even tell you what they charge. I would rather show you what happened and let you decide what applies to your own firm.
I’m not teaching this project because I handled every moment perfectly. I’m teaching it because I have the records, the distance, and enough experience now to tell you exactly where I would do it differently.
IF YOU’RE NEWER TO THE BUSINESS
See the road before you have to learn every lesson the expensive way.
✓ See what a large, complicated project actually looks like behind the portfolio photographs
✓ See agreements, documentation and boundaries do their job when the client pushes
✓ Understand how scope, time, trades and expectations can change as a project grows
✓ Build a reference point for situations you may not have encountered yet
IF YOU’VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR YEARS
Compare another established firm’s real project against the way you already work.
✓ Compare fee structure, time, markup, documentation and responsibility against your own systems
✓ See where a highly profitable project still created unnecessary complexity
✓ Look at how another designer handled demanding clients, growing scope and tested boundaries
✓ Decide what you would keep, tighten, hand off or never do again
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS • WRITTEN EDITION
Most designers will never show you this.
I’m opening one of the largest and most important projects my firm ever completed, including the parts that are usually kept private.
How the fee was approached. How the scope grew. What the client spent. How revenue moved through the project. What the hours revealed. Where documentation saved us. What happened when the relationship became difficult. The moments I considered ending it. And what I would change now.
You’ll see the real numbers and selected, anonymized records inside the case study.
I’ll tell you where we are in my Project Process as the story unfolds, but I’m not reteaching the complete Workflow course here. The value is seeing what happened when a real project put the systems to the test.
Read the project. Keep the project. Or put it into your AI and interrogate the project yourself.
GET EARLY-BIRD ACCESS — $197You’ve got questions. Good.
If something is keeping you from joining, I would rather answer it than have you guess.
01 Do I need to run million-dollar projects for this to be useful?
No. The size makes the mechanics easier to see, but scope growth, pricing, documentation, boundaries, team time and client conversations happen at every project level.
02 Why this particular project?
It was one of the largest and most comprehensive projects our firm had taken on and one of the projects that tested our systems and boundaries most. It gives us an unusually complete business case to study.
03 Are these real numbers?
Yes. The case study is built from the real agreement, invoices, time records, internal project accounting and other documentation. Client-identifying information is removed.
04 Is this just a difficult-client story?
No. The client relationship is part of the story, but so are fee structure, scope growth, revenue, procurement, time tracking, team structure, construction coordination, documentation, professional closeout and the systems that worked.
05 Will you teach your entire Project Process?
No. My Project Process is the map for the case study. I’ll tell you where we are, what happened at that point, the record behind it, what I learned, and what I would do today. The complete how-to for every step and its supporting processes lives inside my Complete Interior Design Project Workflow.
06 Is this a course?
No. This edition is a curated written + visual case study that you can read, reference and revisit on your own schedule.
07 What is the Markdown edition?
It is a clean text-based version of the complete case study. It is included so you can search the project easily or upload it into an AI tool as a reference source.
08 Can I upload the Markdown file into ChatGPT or Claude?
Yes. Ask your AI to use the project as a reference, distinguish facts from the case study from recommendations it makes for your business, and then question it from there.
09 When will I receive it?
The written edition will be delivered October 5.
10 I’m in Design Success Academy. Is this included?
No. This is a separate case study built around one real project. DSA is my broader business program.
11 Is this the same as your Complete Interior Design Project Workflow course?
No. The Workflow course teaches the complete process, supporting systems and how-to instruction in depth. This case study uses that process as a timeline while we examine what actually happened on one real project.
12 What is the refund policy?
Because you receive all of the files immediately after purchase, all sales are final. If you have a question before purchasing, email us before you buy and we’ll answer it.
