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PODCAST

Designed for the Creative Mind™

Your designs are beautiful, but you"re struggling with the business of your interior design business. Join successful interior design business owner, Michelle Lynne, of ML Interiors Group each Monday morning as she shares the processes she has found useful in growing her own 7-figure design firm, interviews industry related guests, and brings her own team of designers on for lively conversations. If you aren"t happy with the performance of your interior design business, are tired of trading your

arts design

All Episodes

34:15

Ep 245: Nobody Warned Me About This Part: When...

Designed for the Creative Mind™ ·

2026/09/28

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 somewhere along the way, the business grew… and your job changed. Suddenly, you're spending less time designing and more time managing people, making financial decisions, building processes, and carrying the responsibility for everything happening inside your firm. And nobody really warned you that this was part of the deal. In this first

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29:19

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

Designed for the Creative Mind™ ·

2026/09/21

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 the dream of owning an interior design firm: creative freedom, choosing your clients, setting your own schedule, and building something that is completely yours. And those things can absolutely be part of business ownership. But there's another side of the equation that doesn't always make it into the Instagram caption. Because when you

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52:48

Ep 243: The Art of Being Principal: Building a...

Designed for the Creative Mind™ ·

2026/09/14

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? In this episode of The Art of Being Principal, Michelle Lynne and Katie Decker-Erickson have one of their trademark conversations: part business strategy, part leadership lesson, and part "how did we get on this subject?" They dive into why strong operations are so important for design firms, especially as a business grows beyond the

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16:47

Ep 242: Tended, Pt 4 - When Everyone Else Looks Like...

Designed for the Creative Mind™ ·

2026/09/07

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 media is polished. They seem confident, successful, and completely on top of their business. Meanwhile, you're staring at a quiet pipeline, difficult clients, late shipments, team issues, or a slow month and wondering if you're doing something terribly wrong. In this final episode of Tended, Michelle Lynne gets unusually honest about a

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26:03

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

Designed for the Creative Mind™ ·

2026/08/31

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 of the hardest words for interior designers to say: no. Because every yes has a cost. Whether it's taking on a client you knew wasn't the right fit, quietly absorbing scope creep, accepting projects you've outgrown, or saying yes to every personal request outside of work, the easy yes often creates a much bigger problem down the road

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30:02

Ep 240: Tended, Pt 2 - The Energy Audit

Designed for the Creative Mind™ ·

2026/08/24

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 things and you're still exhausted? In this episode of Design for the Creative Mind, Michelle Lynne takes a deeper look at the difference between being tired from working hard and being depleted by the way your business is operating. Because sometimes the problem isn't that you need more rest. It's that your energy is being spent in

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39:21

Ep 239: The Design Besties - Friendship,...

Designed for the Creative Mind™ ·

2026/08/18

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 Design Besties: Nikki Watson, Lori Johnson, Robin DelaCruz, and Whitney Atkinson. What started with a chance meeting at the Vacation Rental Design Summit quickly turned into a daily group text, a genuine friendship, and eventually a nonprofit with a big mission: transforming teachers' lounges into beautiful, restorative spaces that give

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24:54

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

Designed for the Creative Mind™ ·

2026/08/10

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—but somehow, we put ourselves at the bottom of the list. In this episode of Tended, Michelle Lynne gets personal about what happens when the person running the business is running on empty. From skipping appointments and sacrificing sleep to giving up movement and carrying the mental load of both business and family, Michelle shares

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46:20

Ep 237: 5 Reasons You May Not Be Getting Affluent...

Designed for the Creative Mind™ ·

2026/08/03

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 interior designers ask: "Why aren't I attracting more affluent clients?" Spoiler alert: it probably isn't your pricing. Robyn specializes in helping interior designers position themselves to attract premium clientele, and she shares the five biggest reasons your website may be sending the wrong message—even if your work is

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23:21

Ep 236: The Human Advantage - Why AI Makes...

Designed for the Creative Mind™ ·

2026/07/27

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18:31

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

Designed for the Creative Mind™ ·

2026/07/20

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 constant stream of predictions, hot takes, and fear-based headlines can leave even experienced designers questioning their business. But what if AI isn't actually the problem? In this episode, Michelle Lynne explores why the biggest threat to your business isn't artificial intelligence—it's allowing industry noise to distract you from

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18:25

Ep 234: The Human Advantage - What You're Actually...

Designed for the Creative Mind™ ·

2026/07/13

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 series exploring what artificial intelligence really means for interior designers. Spoiler alert: this isn't another conversation about the latest AI tools or which software you should be using. Instead, Michelle dives into a much bigger question: What are clients actually paying you for? If you've been feeling uneasy watching AI create

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44:49

Ep 233: The Art of Being Principal Series - Why...

Designed for the Creative Mind™ ·

2026/07/06

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, Michelle Lynne and Katie Decker-Erickson unpack one of the biggest misconceptions in the design industry: that referrals alone are enough to build a sustainable business. The truth? Referrals are wonderful—but they're not a strategy. If you want consistent revenue, predictable growth, healthy profit, and the ability to actually step into

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45:38

Ep 232: The Art and Science of Procurement -...

Designed for the Creative Mind™ ·

2026/06/29

Procurement can either elevate the client experience or become the biggest bottleneck in your business. In this candid roundtable discussion, Michelle Lynne sits down with Alicia Taylor of Alicia Taylor Interiors, Ryann Swan of Ryan Swan Design, and Blair Ryan of The Dove Agency to talk about the realities of procurement in interior design firms. From in-house teams to outsourced solutions, these powerhouse women share how they manage procurement, communicate with clients, charge for their services,

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32:36

Ep 231: Business Behind the Design #2 - AI, Client...

Designed for the Creative Mind™ ·

2026/06/22

Are your prospective clients taking longer to sign contracts? Are projects stretching across years instead of months? Are clients questioning purchases, breaking projects into phases, or running your designs through AI before making decisions? In this episode of Business Behind the Design, Michelle Lynne is joined by Ruth Ann Jansen, Melissa Lee, and Erika Bonnell for an honest conversation about the realities interior designers are facing right now. The panel discusses how shifting client behavior,

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35:03

Ep 230: From Clinical Precision to Creative Vision -...

Designed for the Creative Mind™ ·

2026/06/15

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, Michelle Lynne sits down with interior designer Katie Rainey to discuss her journey from Doctor of Physical Therapy to owner of a thriving interior design firm specializing in waterfront and lifestyle-driven homes. Katies design philosophy is that beauty and function are necessities, not luxuries. With a Doctorate in Physical Therapy

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30:21

Ep 229: Profit Isn't an Accident Part 4 - Stop...

Designed for the Creative Mind™ ·

2026/06/08

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 the final installment of the Profit Isn't an Accident series, Michelle explores what happens when all of the little operational problems in a design firm pile up at the same time. The delayed vendor emails, missed lead follow-up, disconnected systems, inconsistent marketing, and never-ending procurement tasks aren't separate

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39:25

Ep 228: The Art of Being Principal: Conversation with...

Designed for the Creative Mind™ ·

2026/06/01

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-Erickson join forces to have the candid conversations most design business owners need—but rarely hear. No fluff. No trendy buzzwords. Just honest discussion about what it takes to lead a profitable, sustainable interior design business. Together, they explore the transition from designer to CEO, why so many firm owners get stuck operating

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35:03

Ep 227: Profit Isn't an Accident Series - You're...

Designed for the Creative Mind™ ·

2026/05/25

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 draining their profits: double entry. From project management platforms to accounting software, Michelle breaks down how disconnected systems create unnecessary labor, reconciliation headaches, bookkeeping expenses, and unreliable financial visibility. She shares real examples from her own firm, ML Interiors Group, and explains why

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35:39

Ep 226: Messaging Secrets to Stand Out in a Saturated...

Designed for the Creative Mind™ ·

2026/05/18

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 interior design businesses: messaging that actually connects. Kamala shares why stunning portfolios alone are no longer enough to stand out in a saturated market and explains how strategic storytelling can help designers attract the right clients, communicate their value, and create a brand that feels memorable and magnetic. From finding

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