Designed for the Creative Mind™

In today's episode of Designed for the Creative Mind, I'm sitting down with Shelby Fowler Moss to talk about something that makes a lot of designers nervous: paid ads. Shelby is a paid ad strategist and sales expert who's helped businesses generate tens of millions of dollars through advertising, and she brings a refreshingly honest, no-fluff perspective to this conversation.
If you've ever felt like paid ads are risky, confusing, or something only "big businesses" can afford, this episode is for you. Shelby and I break down what actually makes ads work, why so many business owners get burned by agencies, and how designers can think about ads in a smarter, more sustainable way—without gambling their money or chasing vanity metrics.
We dig into what success with paid ads really looks like, why understanding the lifetime value of a client is critical before you ever spend a dollar, and how ads should be viewed as a long-term investment rather than a quick win. Shelby also shares why most agencies fail to clearly define success, how business owners can protect themselves, and what designers need to know even if they plan to outsource their ads.
One of my favorite parts of this conversation is Shelby's concept of "digital billboards" for local businesses. We talk specifically about how interior designers can use simple Meta ads on Facebook and Instagram to stay top of mind in the right zip codes, instead of wasting money on traditional local advertising that often ends up in the trash. If you've ever advertised in a neighborhood magazine and wondered if anyone actually saw it, this will hit home.
Shelby also walks us through her "attract, demonstrate, sell" framework and explains why showing your work, your process, and your personality builds far more trust than simply saying you're the best. We talk about creative fatigue, why video matters, and how designers can position themselves as the go-to expert in their market without needing massive budgets or complicated funnels.
This episode is a must-listen if you want to understand paid ads without the hype, learn how to think like an investor instead of a gambler, and explore smarter ways to grow your visibility and client base as a creative business owner.
If paid advertising has been on your radar but felt overwhelming or intimidating, Shelby brings so much clarity to what actually matters—and what doesn't.
 
Shelby Fowler-Moss is a paid ads strategist and sales expert who's helped her clients generate tens of millions of dollars from paid advertising. After running one of the top boutique ad agencies for 7 years, she now teaches entrepreneurs how to think like investors, using ads to build real leverage, not chaos. Her teaching style is straight-talking, high-energy, and rooted in what actually works in today's market, no fluff, no theory, just strategy that scales.
 
RESOURCES:
Fix the Leaks: The Hidden Places Your Business Is Quietly Losing Time & Money https://www.addevent.com/event/qjrn64tbm77l
 
How to Price Your Design Services with Confidence https://thedesignbakehouse.com/pricing-workshop
 
INTERIOR DESIGN BUSINESS BAKERY - Our year-long mentorship and coaching program:
https://thedesignbakehouse.com/interior-design-business-bakery
 
SIMPLIFY YOUR MARKETING, SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE. All-in-one software that organizes sales, marketing, and business services all in one convenient location.
https://mysidemark.com/
 
MARKETING MEMBERSHIP - Join our hands on marketing & visibility program, no contract, only $59/month.
https://thedesignbakehouse.com/lead-lab
 
Stay in touch with Michelle on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/thedesignbakehouse/
 
Join our Free Facebook Community:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/idbizlaunchpad 
 
Get clarity on your next best step today! https://www.designedforthecreativemind.com/reviewguide
 
Have ideas or suggestions or want to be considered as a guest on the show? Contact me! https://www.DesignedForTheCreativeMind.com/contact

Building a design business doesn't happen by accident.
In this episode, Melissa Fields shares what it really looked like behind the scenes — undercharging, no process, imposter syndrome, and learning the hard way that being busy doesn't equal being profitable.
From $100 consults to hiring her first employee and stepping fully into the CEO role, this conversation is honest, grounding, and incredibly encouraging for any designer in the "figuring it out" phase.
IN THIS EPISODE:
How Melissa transitioned from a 20-year military career into interior design

Why she started in home staging — and how she knew it wasn't the right fit

The reality of building a portfolio when you don't have clients or capital

How imposter syndrome shows up through undercharging and overworking

Why "being busy" doesn't always mean being profitable

The importance of developing a clear process and pricing structure

What finally pushed Melissa to invest in business coaching

How confidence grows when your skills, systems, and self-trust align


This conversation is for designers who know they're talented but feel stuck — overwhelmed, underpaid, and unsure of how to turn their passion into a sustainable business. Melissa's story is such a powerful reminder that confidence doesn't come before action — it's built through it. If you've ever questioned your worth, your pricing, or whether you "belong" in this industry, this episode will meet you right where you are.
 
Melissa Fields is the CEO and Principal Designer of Shades of Gray Design Studio, a boutique interior design firm in San Antonio, Texas. After a 20-year career as an officer in the United States Air Force, Melissa followed her passion for design and built a thriving studio known for
its elevated client experience, meticulous attention to detail, and deeply personalized approach to whole-home transformations.
 
Today, Melissa specializes in designing modern, livable, luxury spaces for established homeowners and empty-nesters who want to invest in high-quality, long-term design. Her unique combination of leadership, discipline, and creativity has allowed her to scale her business
intentionally while maintaining a high-end, service-driven process.
 
Melissa is passionate about empowering other designers—whether they're just starting out or well established—to embrace their strengths, trust their creative instincts, and build businesses that reflect their own values. She believes great design changes how people live, and that a strong, well-run design business is just as important as a beautiful final reveal.
 
Fix the Leaks: The Hidden Places Your Business Is Quietly Losing Time & Money https://www.addevent.com/event/qjrn64tbm77l
 
How to Price Your Design Services with Confidence https://thedesignbakehouse.com/pricing-workshop
 
RESOURCES:
 
INTERIOR DESIGN BUSINESS BAKERY - Our year-long mentorship and coaching program:
https://thedesignbakehouse.com/interior-design-business-bakery
 
SIMPLIFY YOUR MARKETING, SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE. All-in-one software that organizes sales, marketing, and business services all in one convenient location.
https://mysidemark.com/
 
MARKETING MEMBERSHIP - Join our hands on marketing & visibility program, no contract, only $59/month.
https://thedesignbakehouse.com/lead-lab
 
Stay in touch with Michelle on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/thedesignbakehouse/
 
Join our Free Facebook Community:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/idbizlaunchpad 
 
Get clarity on your next best step today! https://www.designedforthecreativemind.com/reviewguide
 
Have ideas or suggestions or want to be considered as a guest on the show? Contact me! https://www.DesignedForTheCreativeMind.com/contact

As this year comes to a close, I wanted to have a very honest conversation—one rooted in experience, not perfection. In this episode, I'm reflecting alongside another seasoned firm owner, Katie Decker Erickson, on the mistakes we've made, the lessons we learned the hard way, and what actually matters when you're trying to move your business forward with clarity instead of chaos.
This isn't about beating yourself up for what didn't work. It's about looking back clearly—without ego or shame—so you can recalibrate your direction, trust yourself again, and make smarter decisions as you head into 2026.
In this episode, I talk about:
Why you can't change direction in your business without honestly looking in the rearview mirror

How growing just for the sake of growth often leads to stress, misalignment, and regret

Why busyness, headcount, and "looking successful" can hide deeper operational problems

The real cost of ignoring your intuition—and why it always shows up eventually

How intuition becomes powerful when it's supported by data, not separated from it

Why avoiding your numbers only creates bigger problems down the road

What I call the "toll of the soul," and why some profitable work still isn't worth it

How letting go sooner—clients, projects, models, or people—can lead to faster alignment

Why leadership requires hard conversations, not avoidance

How reflection is meant to recalibrate your business, not keep you stuck in regret

This episode is for designers who know something needs to change—but don't want to burn everything down to make it happen. My hope is that this conversation helps you look at your business with more honesty, more confidence, and a lot more self-trust as you step into what's next.
You don't need to have all the answers for 2026 right now. But you do need to be willing to look clearly at where you've been—so you can choose where you're going on purpose.
If you're ready to move forward with clarity instead of guesswork, this episode is for you.

In today's episode of my MythBuster series, I'm talking about one of the most persistent beliefs in the interior design industry: that you need design school to succeed. This one hits close to home for me, because I didn't go to design school — and for a long time, I carried that quietly, wondering if it would eventually expose me as someone who didn't belong. What I've learned over the years, though, is that this myth doesn't just affect designers without formal education. It affects everyone.
What I see again and again is this gap — the gap between learning how to design and learning how to run a business. And no matter how you entered this industry, almost every designer hits it eventually.
In this episode, I talk about:
Why not going to design school does not disqualify you — and why going doesn't automatically prepare you either

The real gap most designers face between creativity and business ownership

How education and preparedness are often confused (and why that leads to self-doubt)

The emotional weight of business ownership that no one warns designers about

Why burnout is usually a systems problem, not a personal failure

The identity shift required to move from "designer" to confident business owner

At the end of the day, designing beautiful spaces is only part of the job. Running a sustainable interior design business requires an entirely different skill set — one that can be learned intentionally, without shame, and without burning yourself out in the process. If you've ever felt like everyone else has a manual you never received, I want you to hear this clearly: you're not behind, you're not missing something, and you're not failing. You've simply reached the part of the journey where leadership matters more than talent.
If this episode resonated with you, I hope it gives you permission to release the idea that there was one "right" path into this industry. There are just different roads, and they all eventually lead here — to learning how to build a business that supports your life instead of consuming it.
RESOURCES:
 
INTERIOR DESIGN BUSINESS BAKERY - Our year-long mentorship and coaching program:
https://thedesignbakehouse.com/interior-design-business-bakery
 
SIMPLIFY YOUR MARKETING, SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE. All-in-one software that organizes sales, marketing, and business services all in one convenient location.
https://mysidemark.com/
 
MARKETING MEMBERSHIP - Join our hands on marketing & visibility program, no contract, only $59/month.
https://thedesignbakehouse.com/lead-lab
 
Stay in touch with Michelle on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/thedesignbakehouse/
 
Join our Free Facebook Community:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/idbizlaunchpad 
 
Get clarity on your next best step today! https://www.designedforthecreativemind.com/reviewguide
 
Have ideas or suggestions or want to be considered as a guest on the show? Contact me! https://www.DesignedForTheCreativeMind.com/contact

In today's episode, I'm continuing my myth-busting season and tackling one of the biggest beliefs holding designers back: the idea that clients only care about money. If you've ever taken pricing questions personally or felt pressure to lower your rates just to keep projects moving, this conversation is for you. I'm breaking down what's really happening when clients push back on price — and why it's almost never about trying to save a few dollars.
In this episode, I talk about:
Why clients aren't price shoppers — they're confidence and clarity shoppers

How money questions are often a signal of uncertainty, not rejection

The real reason designers internalize pricing resistance (and how to stop)

What clients are actually buying when they hire a designer

Why leadership, process, and clarity matter more than being "competitive"

How shifting from price-focused to value-led changes everything in your business

At the end of the day, your clients aren't looking for cheap — they're looking for smart. They want to feel safe, supported, and confident that they're making the right decision. When you lead with clarity and step fully into your role as a professional, pricing stops being the problem and starts making sense.
If this episode hits home, keep your eyes open for what's coming next. Inside Back to School and the Interior Design Business Bakery, this is exactly the work we do — helping you communicate your value, own your expertise, and build a business that supports you instead of draining you. Remember: you're not selling sofas. You're selling transformation, leadership, and a beautifully guided experience.
 
RESOURCES:
 
INTERIOR DESIGN BUSINESS BAKERY - Our year-long mentorship and coaching program:
https://thedesignbakehouse.com/interior-design-business-bakery
 
SIMPLIFY YOUR MARKETING, SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE. All-in-one software that organizes sales, marketing, and business services all in one convenient location.
https://mysidemark.com/
 
MARKETING MEMBERSHIP - Join our hands on marketing & visibility program, no contract, only $59/month.
https://thedesignbakehouse.com/lead-lab
 
Stay in touch with Michelle on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/thedesignbakehouse/
 
Join our Free Facebook Community:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/idbizlaunchpad 
 
Get clarity on your next best step today! https://www.designedforthecreativemind.com/reviewguide
 
Have ideas or suggestions or want to be considered as a guest on the show? Contact me! https://www.DesignedForTheCreativeMind.com/contact