177: Why You're Losing Money In your Interior Design Practice
Design Business Freedom
Fee structure is one of the most powerful – and most misunderstood – pieces of running a profitable interior design business. In this episode, Melissa pulls back the curtain on why your current revenue model may be silently sabotaging your success. Whether you're still billing hourly, unsure how to charge for the real value you deliver, or feeling like your business is "busy but broke," this episode will show you how to fix the foundation. This isn't just a pricing conversation – it's a structural shift. Melissa dives deep into the difference between charging for time and charging for...
info_outline
176: Interior Design Team Building for Sustainable Growth
Design Business Freedom
Building a team is one of the most powerful and often misunderstood growth strategies for interior designers. In this episode, Melissa unpacks the real reasons hiring feels overwhelming—and how structure, not just staffing, is the key to sustainable success. Whether hiring a first intern or building a high-functioning team, getting clear on roles, expectations, and systems can be the difference between burnout and freedom. This episode dives deep into the foundational shifts required to move from reactive to strategic hiring. Discover why the first hire shouldn't be another designer, how to...
info_outline
175: 10 BIGGEST Reasons Designers Attend High Point Market
Design Business Freedom
Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting to build your interior design business, this episode breaks down exactly why attending markets—especially High Point—is one of the most strategic decisions you can make. From sourcing fresh vendors to elevating your visibility, Melissa shares the ten most impactful reasons designers prioritize High Point and how to make the experience truly transformative for your firm. This is more than just about seeing pretty things. It’s about building relationships that drive profit, stepping into the spotlight of your industry, and intentionally...
info_outline
174: What to Do When an Interior Design Team Member Quits
Design Business Freedom
Employee Turnover in Interior Design Firms: What to Do When a Team Member Quits Here is your calm leadership framework for replacing a team member, redesigning roles, and protecting capacity. When a team member leaves, most interior design firm owners feel two things at once: operational disruption and emotional impact. Projects don’t pause, clients don’t wait, and the principal often ends up carrying everything again—quietly, constantly, and at a cost. In this episode of Design Business Freedom, Melissa Galt—interior design business coach and former firm principal of 30 years—shares...
info_outline
173: Why Successful Interior Designers Choose a Word for the Year
Design Business Freedom
Why Successful Interior Designers Choose a Word for the Year: How Interior Design Firm Owners Use Focus, Clarity, and Authority to Lead Better Businesses As an interior design firm owner, clarity and confidence matter more than motivation. In this episode of Design Business Freedom, Melissa Galt, interior designer, firm principal, and business coach with 3 decades of experience, explains why choosing a word for the year is not a mindset exercise, but a powerful leadership tool for interior designers running real businesses. When designers reach the principal seat, they’re no longer just...
info_outline
172: Interior Design Contracts: The Clauses Designers Need to Protect Time, Profit & Sanity
Design Business Freedom
In this episode of Design Business Freedom, Melissa Galt - interior designer, firm owner, and industry veteran of nearly 30 years - details the contract clauses interior designers secretly wish they could include, and what those wishes reveal about where your agreement needs to be stronger. From unpaid redesigns and client indecision to boundary violations, scope creep, and emotional labor, these real-world scenarios are costing interior design firms time, profit, and peace of mind. Melissa walks through the professional contract language and structural fixes that protect designers while...
info_outline
171: Interior Designer Profit Pipeline Playbook
Design Business Freedom
If your design pipeline feels a little light as you head into the new year, this episode is your ultimate remedy. We're not talking about frantic marketing tactics or overwhelming reinventions—just 20 simple, strategic, and relationship-driven ways to seed your client pipeline with high-quality opportunities. These aren't just ideas; they're actionable and powerful plays straight from the Profit Pipeline Playbook. From thoughtful client reconnections to visibility-boosting strategies and authority-building tips, these tactics are designed to help you become magnetic and memorable—without...
info_outline
170: Interior Design Burnout: When Success Becomes Unsustainable
Design Business Freedom
Success should feel empowering—not exhausting. But for many interior design firm principals, what looks like “making it” from the outside is actually draining them dry behind the scenes. In this episode, Melissa peels back the curtain on what happens when design success becomes unsustainable, and burnout becomes the price you’re paying. If you’re constantly juggling all the roles, overwhelmed by client work, and finding that your profits are flatlining despite your growth, this conversation is your wake-up call—and your lifeline. Melissa shares the five critical steps every...
info_outline
169: 12 Beliefs Blocking Your Interior Design Business Growth
Design Business Freedom
In this episode, we're dismantling the 12 beliefs quietly sabotaging your interior design business growth, the limiting mindsets about pricing, portfolios, networking, and visibility that keep talented new designers stuck, undercharging, and invisible. If you're in your first or second year and wondering why marketing feels hard, why clients question your pricing, or why you're still waiting for that "big break," this episode shows you what beliefs to release and how to reframe them for real momentum. In this episode, you'll hear: (04:15) Why you don't need an office to hit six figures (06:30)...
info_outline
168: The Hidden Costs of Interior Design Success (And How to Take Back Your Profit)
Design Business Freedom
In this episode, you’ll discover the hidden costs of running an interior design business, the quiet money leaks, emotional spending habits, and overlooked subscriptions that slowly chip away at your profit. Instead of tightening everything to the point of restriction, we walk through how to make more intentional, aligned investments so your business feels lighter, more transparent, and far more sustainable. If you’ve been wondering where your profit is going, or why your business feels more expensive than it should, this episode shows you exactly where to look and how to take back control....
info_outlineIn this powerful and mindset-shifting episode, you're going to break free from the outdated belief that interior design is a "nice hobby" or a side hustle. Melissa takes a deep dive into what’s truly possible in the world of interior design when you treat it as a serious business—one with the potential to earn six figures in your first year and scale into the multiple six and seven figures. You'll hear real success stories of designers who shattered income plateaus and made strategic changes that led to exponential growth—without burnout.
Melissa shares personal insights from her own journey, along with lessons from the countless designers she’s coached. Whether you’re new to design or have been in the game for years but feel stuck, this episode will ignite your ambition, remind you of your power, and give you the clarity and courage to aim higher. If you're ready to stop treating your talent like a part-time gig and start treating it like the business it is, this one's for you.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL HEAR:
- (01:05) Why six and seven figures in design aren't just possible—they're within reach
- (04:20) How one designer hit $1.5M in 18 months after going out on her own
- (06:36) The real ceiling in your business and how to dismantle it
- (13:02) Why doubling revenue doesn't have to mean doubling your workload
- (16:45) How to grow strategically even during a slow season
- (21:36) The three key traits every successful designer must have: passion, persistence, and ambition
SUPPORTING RESOURCES:
- Follow Melissa on Instagram: @melissagaultofficial
When you’re ready to step into a bigger vision in your design business and create exceptional results and celebrations, book-a-call to explore how coaching can take you there faster, with a solid plan, proven process, and smart strategies.