Designed for the Creative Mind™

Hiring people is supposed to create capacity. But what happens when bringing someone onto your team actually makes your business feel more complicated?
In this episode, Michelle Lynne gets honest about one of the parts of business ownership nobody warned her about: hiring people would force her to confront how much of her business was living inside her own head.
When you've built a business around your own instincts, experience, and standards, it's easy to assume that what feels obvious to you will be obvious to everyone else. But your team can't read your mind—and they shouldn't have to.
Michelle shares the lessons she learned as her design firm grew, including why hiring initially created more work instead of less, how recurring team problems can reveal weaknesses in the business itself, and why delegation requires more than simply handing someone a list of responsibilities.
She also explores the uncomfortable reality that sometimes the problem really is the employee—but you can't fairly determine that until you've looked at the role, the process, your leadership, and the support you've provided.
In this episode, Michelle talks about:
Why hiring often begins with addition before it creates subtraction

How a team exposes the parts of your business that have been running on your memory, instinct, and unwritten standards

The difference between describing a task and actually defining what "good" looks like

Why "be more proactive," "use your judgment," and "take care of the client" aren't actually clear standards

The principle: "Every project is different, but the process should be the same."

How undocumented processes turn the owner into the answer to every routine question

Why capable owners can accidentally create dependent employees by solving problems too quickly

The difference between giving someone responsibility and giving them the authority to actually own it

Why offering your perspective is different from taking the work back

How delayed feedback can turn a simple conversation into a much bigger problem

Why caring about your team can sometimes become an excuse for avoiding difficult conversations

How to determine whether you're dealing with a people problem, a role problem, or a leadership/process problem

When you have to accept that someone simply isn't the right fit for the role

Why examining your own leadership doesn't mean taking responsibility for every failed hire

What Michelle does differently today as she leads her design firm

A question to ask yourself
If you're frustrated with someone on your team right now, don't start with:
"Is she a good employee or a bad employee?"
Instead, look at the role.
Ask yourself:
What has actually been made clear?

What authority does she have?

What feedback has she received?

What support has been provided?

Does the process actually support the work?

Have I communicated what needs to be communicated?

Have I given her enough room to make decisions?

If you've done those things and the same problem continues, you may finally have the information you need to address the person or the fit with confidence.
Because sometimes the answer is better direction.
Sometimes it's a better role.
And sometimes, uncomfortable as it may be, it's a different person.
The bigger lesson
Hiring isn't simply a way to purchase more capacity.
Hiring is a commitment to lead.
When someone joins your company, they're stepping into your clients, your history, your standards, your processes—and all of the assumptions you may not even realize you've made.
Your job as the owner is to make as much of that invisible information visible as you reasonably can.
Standards need to be stated.
Responsibilities need to be clear.
Processes need to be documented.
Feedback needs to happen while it can still be useful.
And authority needs to accompany responsibility.
Because the goal isn't to create a team that thinks exactly like you.
It's to create a business where talented people can make good decisions without needing the owner to be the answer to everything.
Work With Michelle
If you're in the middle of a team situation and you're too close to it to tell whether you have a people problem, a role problem, or a leadership problem, private coaching can help you step back, separate the facts from the frustration, and determine what needs to change.
Learn more about working with Michelle here: https://thedesignbakehouse.com/private-coaching
Keep Listening
This episode is part of Michelle's series about the parts of business ownership nobody warned us about—the messy, uncomfortable, and surprisingly valuable lessons that come with growing a company.
Because sometimes you don't need another business strategy.
You need to be willing to look at what your business is showing you.

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 episode of my new series, Nobody Warned Me About This Part, I'm getting honest about what happens when the business you built around your talent starts requiring something entirely different from you.
I'll share my own evolution from doing everything myself at by Michelle Lynn to leading ML Interiors Group, why stepping away from design was both liberating and surprisingly emotional, and what it really means to transition from being the designer to being the business owner.
Because here's the thing: Growth isn't just more clients, bigger projects, or a larger team. It's a transfer of responsibility. And the work doesn't disappear just because someone else is doing the designing.
We'll talk about:
Why the role of the owner changes as an interior design firm grows.

The emotional challenge of stepping away from the creative work that built your reputation.

Why leadership, pricing, processes, and capacity planning are not overhead. They're the work.

The uncomfortable middle stage where you have a team but still feel responsible for every decision.

How staying involved in every detail can unintentionally turn you into the bottleneck.

The difference between having high standards and communicating those standards effectively.

Why hiring more people doesn't automatically create freedom.

How to determine whether you actually want to lead a larger firm or prefer a business that keeps you closer to the design work.

The questions every interior design business owner should ask before pursuing the next level of growth.

The question to consider: If your business doubled over the next two years, how would your daily job change? And would you actually want the life that comes with it?
Because there is no one-size-fits-all definition of success. You get to decide what kind of business you want to build.
 
Ready for Support?
If you're navigating the transition from designer to business owner and need help figuring out your role, your team, or what comes next for your firm, private coaching with Michelle Lynne can help you get clarity and create a business that supports the life you actually want.
Explore Private Coaching with Michelle Lynne at https://thedesignbakehouse.com/private-coaching.
 
Connect with Michelle
Follow Michelle Lynne here at the Designed for the Creative Mind podcast for more honest conversations about the business behind the beautiful designs.
This is the part nobody warned us about. And it's worth talking about.

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 own the business, you're not just the designer. You're also the salesperson, financial manager, problem solver, technology department, decision-maker, and the person who ultimately has to deal with whatever goes sideways.
In this episode, Michelle Lynne gets very honest about what it actually means to own an interior design business—and asks a question that more designers should be asking:
Do you actually want to own a business, or do you want to be an interior designer?
Neither answer is wrong.
Working for an established design firm can offer the opportunity to focus on the creative work without carrying the full weight of sales, finances, operations, and business risk. And for some designers, that may genuinely be the career they want.
For others, the autonomy and opportunity that comes with ownership are worth the responsibility and uncertainty.
The important thing is knowing which one you're actually choosing—and making that decision based on the life and work you want, rather than what sounds more ambitious or impressive.
In this episode, Michelle talks about:
The difference between being an interior designer and being an interior design business owner

Why design is only one part of the job when you own the firm

The reality of being responsible for sales, finances, technology, and problem-solving

Why impressive revenue numbers don't necessarily mean a business is profitable

The personal development that comes with putting yourself—and your work—out there

Rejection, perfectionism, imposter syndrome, and vulnerability as a business owner

The financial risk and uncertainty that come with starting a firm

Why working for another design firm is not a fallback or a failure

What you can learn by working inside an established design business

How to think about ownership versus employment based on the actual life you want

Why you're allowed to change your mind about the path you've chosen

The question to sit with:
What do you want your actual days to look like?
If you want to spend most of your time sourcing, designing, presenting, and installing, working inside an established firm may be exactly what you're looking for.
If you want to build something that's yours, make the decisions, take the risk, and reap the rewards—and you're willing to engage with the unglamorous parts of running a business—ownership may be the path for you.
There's no prize for choosing the harder option.
There's no shame in changing your mind.
And there's certainly no reason to build a business simply because everyone around you says that's what successful designers are supposed to do.
Choose the career that actually fits the life you want to live.
Want to work with Michelle?
If you're wrestling with whether to start, grow, change, or rethink your interior design business, private coaching gives you the opportunity to look at your specific situation—including your goals, numbers, circumstances, and what you actually want your work and life to look like.
Learn more about private coaching with Michelle Lynne by visiting https://thedesignbakehouse.com/private-coaching
 
Share this episode
Know an interior designer who's trying to figure out whether they actually want to own a business?
Send this episode their way. Sometimes the most useful thing we can give someone isn't permission to make a particular choice—it's a clearer picture of the choice they're actually making.

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 principal doing everything herself. From documenting processes and empowering your team to conducting project postmortems and creating space to step away, they explore what it actually takes to build a firm that can function without you.
And yes, they talk about Fiji.
Michelle shares her "Fiji Factor"—the idea that if she and her lead designer could disappear to Fiji tomorrow, the business should still be able to operate. Katie adds her own twist: processes should be consistent, but not so rigid that there's no room for the unique needs of a luxury client or the lessons you learn along the way.
The conversation also gets into one of the biggest leadership shifts a principal can make: stopping yourself from being the person who solves every problem.
Because when your team has responsibility and the authority to make decisions, something important happens. You get your time back. Your team gets stronger. And the business becomes less dependent on you.
In this episode, Michelle and Katie talk about:
Why documented processes are essential—even for small and solo design firms

The "Fiji Factor" and why your business should be able to function without you

Why 90% of your process should stay consistent while leaving room for the other 10%

Charging appropriately for high-maintenance or high-touch clients

How to stop being the person who has to know and solve everything

The difference between responsibility and authority when managing a team

Why hiring for "care" and character can matter more than hiring for every skill on the job description

How to trust your team while still having checks and balances

Why project postmortems should capture what went RIGHT—not just what went wrong

How to recognize when an old process no longer serves your clients or your firm

The importance of auditing your processes, subscriptions, tools, and systems

Why the right tools can save you from working harder just to get the same result

How creating white space in your business gives you room to think, create, and breathe

Why principals need to take real time away from the business

The connection between good operations, sustainability, and actually enjoying your business again

One of the biggest takeaways from the conversation is simple:
Operations may not sound sexy, but they're what give you the freedom to build the business—and the life—you actually want.
Whether you want to grow a seven-figure firm, take six clients a year, spend more time designing, or simply be able to take a vacation without your phone exploding, the goal is the same: build a business that doesn't require you to hold every piece in your head.
And sometimes, the best leadership move you can make is to step back and let your people figure it out.
Because you don't have to know everything.
You don't have to solve everything.
And your business shouldn't need you to do everything.

Connect with Us
You can learn more about Michelle by visiting https://thedesignbakehouse.com/ or following her on IG: https://www.instagram.com/by_michelle_lynne/

You can learn more about Katie by visiting https://successbydesign.coach/ or following her on IG: https://www.instagram.com/successbydesign_coach_podcast/

Want to get on the waitlist for Sidemark 2.0? This software will be THE software to run your entire interior design business. A true all-in-one. https://api.mysidemark.com/widget/form/4Ug6Rgg2uqCX0MydoJ2v?notrack=true

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 season when her own business looked successful from the outside—but felt anything but successful on the inside.
After unexpectedly losing two key team members in 2023, navigating the launch of Studio Works and Sidemark, and then experiencing a prolonged slowdown in leads through 2024 and 2025, Michelle found herself questioning everything—including whether she should walk away from her design firm altogether.
And yet, if you had followed ML Interiors Group on social media during that time, you probably would have had no idea.
The projects were still being photographed. The posts were still going out. The business was still moving.
That's the point.
You are comparing your behind-the-scenes to someone else's highlight reel.
And that comparison can lead you to make decisions based on information you don't actually have.
In this episode, Michelle talks about:
What it feels like to go through a genuinely difficult season while your business still looks successful from the outside

Why social media gives you an incomplete picture of another designer's business

The danger of assuming that a designer who is "swamped" is necessarily profitable or successful

Why busyness and business success are not the same thing

How industry events and conversations at market can fuel comparison

Why year-end highlight reels can make a slow season feel even worse

How Michelle pulled herself out of the comparison spiral by returning to her own numbers, pipeline, margins, clients, marketing, and team

The difference between learning from another designer and reshaping your business because of what you see them doing

Why slow seasons don't necessarily mean you're falling behind

The reminder that you are not uniquely behind and probably aren't missing some magical secret everyone else has figured out

The big takeaway
The version of someone else's business that you can see is always edited.
You don't know their margins. You don't know their client relationships. You don't know whether they're profitable. You don't know what is happening behind the beautiful project photos or the confident conversation at market.
So before you change your positioning, blow up your brand, restructure your services, or decide that everyone else has figured something out that you haven't, come back to your own business.
Look at your actual numbers. Your pipeline. Your margins. Your clients. Your marketing. Your team. Your goals.
Your business needs a North Star—not a comparison.
And perhaps most importantly, remember:
You are not separate from your business.
Tending to yourself isn't the soft work or the extra work. It's part of the work.
Running an interior design firm is hard. You don't have to pretend otherwise.
Ready for support?
If this episode—and the entire Tended series—hit a little too close to home, private coaching may be the right next step.
Michelle works with interior designers who want experienced guidance from someone who understands the realities of building and running a design firm.
Learn more about Private Coaching at Design Bakehouse.
 
Join Michelle at the Northeast Design Conference
Michelle will be speaking at the Northeastern Design Conference during the first week of October. 
Use code MICHELLE10 for 10% off your registration.
Check the show notes for conference details and registration information.