Designed for the Creative Mind™

Ep 245: Nobody Warned Me About This Part: When Growing Your Design Firm Changes Your Job

You started your interior design business because you love design. You wanted to create beautiful spaces, work with clients, and build something of your own. But somewh

Ep 244:Do You Actually Want to Own an Interior Design Business?

Being an interior designer and being an interior design business owner are two very different jobs. Have you actually decided which one you want? We talk a lot about th

Ep 243: The Art of Being Principal: Building a Business That Doesn't Need You Every Minute with Katie Decker-Erickson

What if the real measure of a successful design firm isn't how much the principal can personally accomplish—but how well the business operates when they're not there? I

Ep 242: Tended, Pt 4 - When Everyone Else Looks Like They Have It Together

Have you ever looked around at other interior designers and thought, What do they know that I don't? They're booked out. Their projects look incredible. Their social me

Ep 241: Tended, Pt 3 - The Word No Has a ROI

Saying no doesn't come naturally to most people—and it certainly didn't come naturally to Michelle. In this episode of Tended, Michelle makes the business case for one

Ep 240: Tended, Pt 2 - The Energy Audit

You've probably heard all the advice: get more sleep, exercise, drink more water, take a vacation, take better care of yourself. But what if you're doing some of those

Ep 239: The Design Besties - Friendship, Collaboration & Designing for a Bigger Purpose

What happens when four professionals in the design industry meet by chance, become fast friends, and decide to use their collective talents to give back? Meet the Desig

Ep 238: Tended, Part 1: You Are a Business Asset

As business owners, we're really good at taking care of everything else. We protect our clients, our teams, our projects, our cash flow, our systems, and our businesses

Ep 237: 5 Reasons You May Not Be Getting Affluent Clients w/ Robyn White

In this episode of Designed for the Creative Mind, Michelle welcomes back website strategist Robyn White of RDW Design Studio to talk about one of the biggest questions i

Ep 236: The Human Advantage - Why AI Makes Value-Based Pricing Non-Negotiable for Interior Designers

Ep 235: The Human Advantage - AI Isn't Your Biggest Threat. The Noise Is.

Everywhere you look, someone has a new opinion about AI and the future of interior design. One expert says AI will replace designers. Another says it never could. The con

Ep 234: The Human Advantage - What You're Actually Selling in the Age of AI

AI can generate a beautiful mood board in seconds. But that's not what clients are actually hiring you for. In this episode, Michelle Lynne kicks off a brand-new seri

Ep 233: The Art of Being Principal Series - Why Referral-Only Is Holding Your Business Back with Katie Decker-Erickson

Many interior designers wear "referral-only" like a badge of honor—but what happens when the referrals stop? In this episode of The Art of Being Principal Series, Miche

Ep 232: The Art and Science of Procurement - In-House, Outsourced, and Everything In Between

Procurement can either elevate the client experience or become the biggest bottleneck in your business. In this candid roundtable discussion, Michelle Lynne sits down wit

Ep 231: Business Behind the Design #2 - AI, Client Delays, and the Future of Design

Are your prospective clients taking longer to sign contracts? Are projects stretching across years instead of months? Are clients questioning purchases, breaking projects

Ep 230: From Clinical Precision to Creative Vision - Embracing Your Past to Build a Profitable Design Business with Katie Rainey

What if the experience you think makes you an outsider in the design industry is actually your greatest advantage? In this episode of Designed for the Creative Mind, Mi

Ep 229: Profit Isn't an Accident Part 4 - Stop Duct-Taping Your Business Together

If you've ever ended the day feeling like you worked nonstop but still didn't get to the things that actually move your business forward, this episode is for you. In th

Ep 228: The Art of Being Principal: Conversation with Katie Decker-Erickson

What does it really mean to be the principal of an interior design firm? In this first episode of The Art of Being the Principal, Michelle Lynne and Katie Decker-Ericks

Ep 227: Profit Isn't an Accident Series - You're Paying Someone to Do It Twice

In this third episode of the Profit Isn't an Accident series, Michelle Lynne dives into the hidden operational cost that many interior designers don't realize is quietly

Ep 226: Messaging Secrets to Stand Out in a Saturated Market with Kamala Nair

In this episode of Designed for the Creative Mind, Michelle sits down with copywriter and brand voice expert Kamala Nair to talk about the missing piece in so many interi