Ever wondered how your fashion choices could determine your success? Today, we’re exploring the power of aligning values with your ideal clients rather than hard-selling and how your style choices – from your wardrobe to your eyewear – can impact your brand's image. We’re looking at the undeniable allure of fascination–which is why making an outrageous eyewear statement, for example, could actually be a game-changer for your business, taking cues from icons like Elton John and Iris Apfel. Who kn...
Nov 20, 2023•39 min•Ep. 61
Get ready to be captivated by Jenna Wedemeyer of Schnabel Interiors as she dishes on her journey from nearly burning out to finding the perfect work-life balance and uplifting her business. Jenna's narrative of finding joy in horse riding, reconnecting with a long-lost sweetheart, and successfully moving her life and business proves that personal happiness can coexist with professional accomplishment. Jenna and I plunge into deep discussions about the significant aspects of business investment a...
Nov 13, 2023•42 min•Ep. 60
Struggling to shed those last 10 pounds taught me a lot more than just the importance of discipline and perseverance - it also taught me about growth. Personal growth, yes, but also business growth. What started as a quest to shed weight evolved into a passionate exploration of the powerful connection between personal and business transformation. In this journey of personal and professional evolution, I discovered the power of restructuring your business framework. I'm not talking about a simple...
Nov 06, 2023•42 min•Ep. 59
Ever struggled to balance your creative instincts with the cold hard facts of business profitability? At the recent High Point Market, I had the chance to sit down with three successful designers - Isabel Ladd, Duvall Reynolds, and Justine Knox - to unlock the mystery of building a profitable creative practice. Now, I want to share some of those insights with you all. The best part is that these four ingredients are all things that you already have going for you! What are these four essential in...
Oct 30, 2023•34 min•Ep. 58
Social media is an amazing tool that, when used correctly, can serve and support your business’ success. It is not something that you need to dedicate gobs of time to either, as long as you can use it strategically. Selecting only certain feeds to follow, setting specific goals for engagement and activity, and not overwhelming yourself by managing too many accounts are just some of the strategies I’ll be diving deeper into throughout today’s episode. Today, I’m sharing with you 12 specific princ...
Oct 23, 2023•46 min•Ep. 57
We all hit a rut at some point in our design careers. Perhaps you've gotten to a place where business seems to have slowed down and you want to hit the refresh button to jumpstart yourself into a new market of clients. Or, maybe you are a budding new designer, trying to build up your portfolio and make it into your ideal client market. Whether you are new to the game or simply looking for a new perspective, you need to step outside of your comfort zone and use the tools you have at your disposal...
Oct 16, 2023•33 min•Ep. 56
I’m thrilled to have Lisa Scott, the creative genius behind the highly successful Scott Design Studio in Florida, as our guest for this episode. Lisa's story is an inspiring one. In a short span of just 18 months, she's managed to skyrocket from having no clients to making a whopping one and a half million in revenue! Today, we're excited to dive deep into her journey and the secret strategies behind her rapid success. Lisa's journey is inspirational, not only because of her rapid rise but also ...
Oct 09, 2023•40 min•Ep. 55
On todays episode of The Affluent Creative, I have the pleasure of featuring my guest client and dear friend, Deanne Bridenstine to discuss her journey from architecture to entrepreneurship. Deanne is the principal designer and CEO of Pure Design Interiors, as well as the director of merchandising and design for Tailored Closets and Premier Garages. I’ve been so fortunate to watch her growth as a designer and am delighted to give her the opportunity to share her insights and journey with you. Th...
Oct 02, 2023•36 min•Ep. 54
Believe it or not, I see so many designers flying without a net, which is what I call it when you work without a letter of agreement or with one that has absolutely no protection for you in it. A letter of agreement is just another word for a contract, but it sounds much friendlier. Most importantly, a letter of agreement will outline all stipulations, clauses, and information that you and your client need to set up a positive and professional project timeline. Your business needs to have a docu...
Sep 25, 2023•55 min•Ep. 53
In many parts of the country, we are seeing a downturn in business. The kneejerk response for many designers is panic mode–and that might be your reaction as well if you are dealing with the uncertainty of losing your steady stream of client inquiries. Economic uncertainties are bound to happen, but they shouldn't dictate the trajectory of your creative business. It’s easy to panic and worry when inquiries aren’t pouring in, but remember - what you focus on expands, what you think about you brin...
Sep 18, 2023•56 min•Ep. 52
Ever wondered why some client interactions leave you feeling frustrated and undervalued? The answer may lie in how you manage the design process for your clients. On today’s episode, we’re all about taking command and elevating your client interactions to streamline your design process. I’ll share insights from my decades of design experience to help remind you why you should be the one in control of the project, not your clients. First, we delve into leading our clients as affluent creatives. W...
Sep 11, 2023•35 min•Ep. 51
If you’re anything like the many designers I coach, you may feel like your focus is pulled in so many directions that it is hard to clear a path forward to higher profits. Something that I have found is true of most of these designers, however, is that they are often focusing too much on the wrong things. When you give our attention too frequently to small, low-dollar tasks, you are not helping your business move forward. Those small tasks are taking your focus away from the high-dollar tasks th...
Sep 04, 2023•51 min•Ep. 50
When did you last professionally check in with your team members? Have you ever tried utilizing a third party to collect self-evaluation answers from your team members rather than relying on skewed answers from bringing these questions up during evaluations? Today’s episode of The Affluent Creative is one you won’t want to miss, whether your team is local, remote, or maybe not even yet existent. Chances are, even if you don’t yet have a team working for your design business, you will eventually ...
Aug 28, 2023•41 min•Ep. 49
When was the last time that you invested and treated yourself to some quality self-care time? Is self-care something that you allow for yourself regularly or do you find yourself putting it off until you’re less busy? The way that you view self-care is directly connected to the path of burnout. And though it may sound daunting at first, it is very possible to build a successful creative practice without compromising your well-being. You just need to give yourself permission. Today’s episode aims...
Aug 21, 2023•40 min•Ep. 48
High Point Market is only two months away! Can you believe it? If you haven’t already signed up to join me on my VIP tour of the best sourcing sites you’ve never heard of, you can head to www.melissasviphpmkttour.com to secure yourself the exclusive treatment of being shown to all of my favorite outlying sources at High Point. And for those of you who aren’t able to make it this time, or that just want to get your hands on some stellar sourcing resources right now, I’ve got you covered in the me...
Aug 14, 2023•51 min•Ep. 47
How faithful are you to your process? Do you find yourself sometimes skipping over, ignoring, or avoiding steps? Maybe they make you uncomfortable or just don’t seem important enough at the time. However, whether accidentally or intentionally, when you break your process, you break your profit. Your design process needs to be followed tightly because it will lead you to more profit, save you time, and increase your productivity. Having a process takes you out of winging it and puts you into winn...
Aug 07, 2023•32 min•Ep. 46
Comparison can be a destructive force, leading us to undermine our confidence and personal success. Today, I’m sharing ten secrets to escape this trap and claim your success, focusing on recognizing your unique blend of education, experience, expertise, talent, personality, hobbies, and interests. First, we’ll explore the all-too-common problem of falling into the comparison trap. Together, we delve into understanding the triggers that lead us to destructive comparisons, often exacerbated by the...
Jul 31, 2023•34 min•Ep. 45
When was the last time you took care of yourself? Really take care of yourself? Not just eating healthy and getting enough sleep, but doing something that made you feel good, something that made you happy, or made your creative genius shine? If you can't remember, or if it's been a while, it's time to make some changes. Taking care of yourself is not selfish, it's essential! When you're taking care of yourself, you're better able to take care of others, especially your business. You're more prod...
Jul 24, 2023•42 min•Ep. 44
I’m willing to bet that if you are about to tune into this show, there is a 90% chance that you are a perfectionist. I can confidently make that claim because I have yet to meet a creative who wasn’t! As creatives, we often fall into the trap of postponing opportunities and stalling our business progress in the name of achieving that "perfect" standard. We may laugh it off or even try to turn it into a strength, but this bad habit can harm our business profits. In today’s episode, we’re having a...
Jul 17, 2023•49 min•Ep. 43
With such unprecedented demand for design since the pandemic, a lot of designers ended up putting themselves in overdrive. They got so busy producing and delivering the work that they lost sight of their actual goals and are now feeling depleted, wiped out, and that they've lost their passion for design. If that sounds familiar, I encourage you to really lean into this episode, as I've got some simple and small steps for solutions. Sometimes we all find ourselves stuck in a creative rut, feeling...
Jul 10, 2023•49 min•Ep. 42
When aiming for success, sometimes the biggest obstacles are your own personal thoughts and beliefs. Whether you are limiting yourself, doubting yourself, or just not pushing yourself hard enough, all of these can hold you back from the greatness that you are so capable of! That’s where the Three Gs of Success will help. I’m talking about Gratitude, Goals, and Grit, in that order. These three qualities are so important in pushing yourself to become the best creative that you can be. You need to ...
Jul 03, 2023•23 min•Ep. 41
Unless you are a designer that works in furnishings only, you are going to have to work with a contractor at some point. I don’t just mean general contractors either—plumbers, electricians, painters, drywallers, roofers, flooring specialists, wallpaper, hangers, appliance installers, cabinet makers and the list goes on. Contractors are an integral part of design, remodeling, renovation, and new construction. Unfortunately, there are great and not-so-great contractors out there and you are going ...
Jun 26, 2023•32 min•Ep. 40
As a creative business owner, it's crucial to regularly check in with your practice to ensure you're on the right track toward success. One effective way to do this is by asking yourself a few questions every week which can help you identify areas for improvement, celebrate your achievements, and maintain a healthy balance between your personal and professional life. There are so many ways that you may not be allowing your business to flourish to its full potential if you aren’t regularly reflec...
Jun 19, 2023•51 min•Ep. 39
Welcome back to another episode of The Affluent Creative where today, we are uncovering the secrets to constructing a powerful circle of influence and income within your design business. Building a robust circle of influence is a foundational element of your creative design firm’s success. Yet, very few designers actually know how to cultivate this circle or are neglecting the circle they already have. That’s why I wanted to dive in and share my strategies for maintaining effective marketing and...
Jun 12, 2023•40 min•Ep. 38
Are you tired of feeling held back by bad habits in your design business? Think of habits simply as patterns of behavior that have become routine. There are healthy habits and unhealthy habits, and we all have a bit of both. Unfortunately, some of these unhealthy habits can be costing you a lot more in your design practices than you might realize and they can be very easy to fall into but trickier to break. In today’s episode, I am going to walk you through a list of some of the bad habits that ...
Jun 05, 2023•42 min•Ep. 37
When you're working at the right end of the market, it’s actually incredibly rare that a client won't move forward once they've been educated about the value of your design proposal, even if they give some initial pushback on pricing. So, if you find yourself struggling to seal that deal with your ideal client, you need to look at some of the other, surprising factors that may be making your ideal client hesitate to work with you. That’s why today, I want to share with you 15 reasons that might ...
May 29, 2023•45 min•Ep. 36
Time is our greatest non-renewable resource. There never seems to be enough of it, but worrying about not having enough time only limits you further. When we worry about feeling overwhelmed or lacking the hours in a day to get everything accomplished, we give into the kind of time-shrinking thoughts that interfere with our productivity. Today, I want you to identify your limiting beliefs around time to take better control of your time once and for all. In today’s episode, I am diving into the be...
May 22, 2023•43 min•Ep. 35
Let’s face it, as designers, we are in a business that is very complex, which can create a lot of frustration for our clients through everything from the long lead times to construction challenges. Your communication can not only land you the project, but it can also keep your client happy through that long dark tunnel of design. As designers, we’ve got to remember that while we are used to the stress and frustration of the design process, our clients aren't. But, if you are following the most i...
May 15, 2023•42 min•Ep. 34
As a creative, one of your biggest assets is your talent. You have the ability to envision, create, and orchestrate things in ways that others might deem impossible for themselves. This is your scope of genius and it is something you really need to lean into within your design practice. When your clients see your expertise, they treat your services differently. You essentially become a superhero: someone who can anticipate and identify their problems and find creative solutions for them in ways ...
May 08, 2023•44 min•Ep. 33
Are you marketing? Often, when I ask designers this question, many tell me they have acquired a full practice by being word-of-mouth only. And while that is impressive, it can also leave you in a lurch. In our ever-changing economy, there are going to be times when that word of mouth goes silent–they could be right around the corner, and we’ll never know! If you don't have other engines for marketing ignited and running in your business, such uncertain times are going to be especially stressful ...
May 01, 2023•43 min•Ep. 32
