The Fastest 2-Month Design Business Transformation You’ll Ever Hear

What if two months was all it took to transform your interior design business completely?

In this inspiring episode, Rebecca sits down with Melissa McDonald, founder of MelMac Designs in Ottawa. After running her interior design business for over 15 years, Melissa reached a tipping point. Despite her years of experience and a steady flow of big projects, she realized her business wasn’t profitable—and she didn’t feel in control.

Cue: Power of Process.

Within just two months of taking the program, Melissa completely transformed her business. She restructured her services, confidently raised her fees (by 3 times!), hired her first administrative assistant, and began attracting the right clients—all while reclaiming her time and energy.

This is the story of what happens when experience meets intention and a clear process.

Melissa’s story is proof that it’s never too late to make a change—and that big results can come fast when you have the right tools and support.

episode highlights

1. Why 15 years of experience didn’t equal profitability—and how Melissa turned it around
2. The mindset shift that helped her finally stop giving her time away
3. How one binder wowed a contractor and changed how she runs projects
4. The power of niching down and removing services that don’t serve you
5. How hiring a note-taking assistant leveled up her client experience
6. What happened when she sent a proposal triple her usual rate—and landed the job
7. How she plans to use her new profitability to fund travel and family dreams

Episode Resources

• Learn more about Power of Process

• Learn more about Melissa at her website.

Read the Full Transcript ⬇️

00;00;00;04 – 00;00;18;08
Melissa McDonald
Value your time and who you give it to and how you spend it. Above anything else, you can’t get it back once it’s gone. How we spend it will determine so much of our happiness and who we spend it with. Some work with clients that make you happy and that really appreciate you and your value that you bring.

00;00;18;15 – 00;00;26;10
Melissa McDonald
And stop giving it away to people that don’t value your time. All right.

00;00;26;13 – 00;00;35;06
Rebecca Hay
I’m Rebecca Hay, and I’ve built a successful interior design business by trial and error, podcasts, online courses, and so.

00;00;35;06 – 00;00;37;08
Melissa McDonald
Many freaking books.

00;00;37;11 – 00;01;07;28
Rebecca Hay
Over the last decade, I’ve grown from an insecure student to having false starts to careers. And now I’m finally in the place where I want to be. Throughout my journey, it’s been pretty obvious that I’m passionate about business and helping other entrepreneurs do the same. Each week, I’ll share tangible takeaways from my own experience and the experiences of other badass women to help you build your confidence and change your business.

00;01;08;01 – 00;01;38;17
Rebecca Hay
Hey hey hey, it’s Rebecca and you are listening to Resilient by Design. Today I get to interview one of my poppers. That is the nickname that we affectionately use for our students of power of Process. She is a dynamo. You are about to witness the most incredible two month transformation you’ve ever seen. Melissa, who actually goes by Melle Mel, was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia, but then she moved to Ottawa in 2003 to pursue her passion for interior design.

00;01;38;20 – 00;02;01;09
Rebecca Hay
She studied at Algonquin College, and she’s been running Mel Mack Design since 2008. She loves renovations and she loves to reinvent any space, especially kitchens and bathrooms. Work life balance struggle is sometimes real for her. She’s a mom of two beautiful boys, and so free time can often be spent at hockey rinks, baseball fields, or cooking for many family and friends.

00;02;01;11 – 00;02;25;09
Rebecca Hay
Many of us can relate. She runs an incredible design firm. She signed up for Power of Process this past February March. The conversations recorded in May, so I’m not sure when you will be listening to this, but I just want you to pay attention to that. She took the course and two months later we had this call. I think you’re going to be inspired by what she has done.

00;02;25;11 – 00;02;32;02
Rebecca Hay
Enjoy my conversation with now. Welcome to the podcast, Mel. It’s Mel, right?

00;02;32;08 – 00;02;38;26
Melissa McDonald
Exactly. My name is Melissa, but since I was little, everybody’s always called me Mel. So that’s what I prefer. I love that. Yeah.

00;02;38;26 – 00;02;45;19
Rebecca Hay
Thank you. So I’m excited to have you in the podcast. I just want to dive right into all the things. But before we do, just introduce yourself to my audience.

00;02;45;23 – 00;02;59;09
Melissa McDonald
So my name is Mel and my business is Mel Mack Designs. And I’m based out of Ottawa, Canada. And I have been in the design world for 20 years, but solely independently running my own business for 15 of those.

00;02;59;16 – 00;03;01;16
Rebecca Hay
Wow. 15 years? Yeah.

00;03;01;23 – 00;03;03;01
Melissa McDonald
Go fast.

00;03;03;04 – 00;03;16;17
Rebecca Hay
You and I had a chat recently, and it was a part of the coaching program, but was part of power of process. And I was like, oh my gosh, I need to get you on the podcast because your story is such an inspiration. Oftentimes, I think that on the podcast, I bring in guests who have just started their business.

00;03;16;25 – 00;03;28;21
Rebecca Hay
But you haven’t just started? No. So I’d love to hear your story a little bit like, were you always an entrepreneur? And if not, you know, what were you doing before you decided to launch your interior design business?

00;03;28;23 – 00;03;51;10
Melissa McDonald
I knew going to school for design, I my ambitions always were to be independent and run my own business. But after finishing in 2005, I want it to gain as much experience in a couple different areas as I could, just to be more confident when I was ready to launch my own business. So I worked at a couple furniture stores.

00;03;51;10 – 00;04;12;28
Melissa McDonald
I worked for Benjamin Moore for a period of time. I worked for a fabric and drapery store doing custom window treatments, and then I started at that time. During those five years, slowly putting my name out there, getting my own clients. And then it got to a point when I was working part time for somebody else and doing my own business part time.

00;04;12;28 – 00;04;31;07
Melissa McDonald
And I remember being so stressed that I had more clients on my own than I really could handle working for somebody else during that time. And I remember calling my dad and just explaining to him how stressed I was. He’s like, Mel, you just got to do it. You got to jump in. You got to go out on your own and just quit your job.

00;04;31;09 – 00;04;45;21
Melissa McDonald
I was like, yeah, but what if my phone stops ringing? Like, like, this is my paycheck. This is paying my bills. He’s like, you just got to go for it. So that night, I wrote a resignation letter, and I quit two weeks later. And I’ve been on my own ever since. So he was like, oh.

00;04;45;22 – 00;04;46;22
Rebecca Hay
My goodness.

00;04;46;22 – 00;04;48;03
Melissa McDonald
He’s a wise man.

00;04;48;05 – 00;04;50;20
Rebecca Hay
Always listen to your parents moral of the story, right?

00;04;50;22 – 00;04;51;26
Melissa McDonald
Yeah, exactly.

00;04;51;28 – 00;05;06;20
Rebecca Hay
So you were doing both. So that’s interesting because like, my experience is very different. I was working for a designer and then I left and, you know, started with my first project, but you were juggling your own projects in addition to working. Were you working full time for the other business.

00;05;06;21 – 00;05;24;28
Melissa McDonald
In the beginning? Yes. I started working full time and just sort of taking on little projects, especially when I worked for bench or more. I would do in-home paint consultations, but then you’ve already got your foot in the door, you’ve already built a relationship and a trust with them. So they’re like, oh, do you? Also, I’m looking at replacing some furniture.

00;05;24;28 – 00;05;42;28
Melissa McDonald
And I had worked at two different furniture stores, so I was like, yes, I can definitely help you with that. So yeah, and then it just progressed that you start building a relationship and clients call you back or they refer you to friends or I was meeting different contractors. So then they would refer me to to some of their clients.

00;05;42;28 – 00;05;47;10
Melissa McDonald
So it just sort of over time developed more on my own.

00;05;47;13 – 00;06;04;03
Rebecca Hay
I love that. So take me back to that moment. You said you called your dad. Take me back to the moment, or whether it’s that specific day or another moment or time when you realized that, like, something had to change. Paint me a picture of like what was really going on day to day.

00;06;04;06 – 00;06;29;05
Melissa McDonald
I felt like working for somebody else was taking up more time, and the focus I needed to be was in other areas. But when, especially if you’re working in a retail type setting like you’re asked to work from, say, 8 to 4, that’s a long time when I should be out. Like sourcing finishes or drafting plans or doing something that obviously paid me more too.

00;06;29;07 – 00;06;46;18
Melissa McDonald
So it just became pretty obvious that I was spending more time, even when I was only doing it 2 or 3 days a week. I realized quickly that this time that I’m spending here could be better placed somewhere else, developing my own business and working for my own clients.

00;06;46;20 – 00;06;57;07
Rebecca Hay
If this isn’t how you felt, tell me. But did you ever feel a little bit of like, resentment towards your job, that it was taking you away from the thing you really wanted to do?

00;06;57;08 – 00;07;00;22
Melissa McDonald
Absolutely. I never wanted to go to work. Not for a.

00;07;00;26 – 00;07;03;05
Rebecca Hay
Very long time. Yeah.

00;07;03;05 – 00;07;24;06
Melissa McDonald
And I, I know and I’m sure a lot of entrepreneurs can relate. I love the flexibility of making my own schedule. And as at the time, I didn’t have children. But now, being a mom of two kids, I need that flexibility. My seven year old had to dance often at school. I want it to be there for him because he asked me to be there.

00;07;24;06 – 00;07;37;20
Melissa McDonald
So I just took my own schedule around things that come up in life. So I always knew that I wanted that flexibility in my career and working for somebody else doesn’t give you that.

00;07;37;23 – 00;07;41;22
Rebecca Hay
So that that was impacting your daily life. Was this before you had kids.

00;07;41;24 – 00;07;55;10
Melissa McDonald
Yeah. It was, it was still just a shift of feeling stressed and feeling caught in a location that I knew I didn’t want to be for 6 or 8 hours a day, when I knew my time could be better used somewhere else.

00;07;55;14 – 00;07;57;00
Rebecca Hay
So how long were you doing?

00;07;57;00 – 00;08;27;21
Melissa McDonald
Both. It was five years of juggling. Wow. Yeah, but, I mean, it’s five years, but it didn’t start off really busy on my own. Just because you graduate school and you get a business card made and you set up a website, does not mean your phone is ringing right away. So, I mean, it really took a few years before I started, the wheels in motion of running my own jobs and getting to the point that it was like, okay, I need to do part time for somebody else.

00;08;27;21 – 00;08;45;11
Melissa McDonald
So I still have a secure paycheck coming in. Because the thing about being on your own, you never know, your phone could stop ringing. And that fear of that was definitely always weighing on me. And then it just started getting busier and busier that I knew I needed to make change. Because it was. I knew I enjoyed being independent more.

00;08;45;11 – 00;08;56;00
Rebecca Hay
So what would you say scares you the most about launching out onto your own, like running your own business? Would it be the fear of the financial insecurity?

00;08;56;03 – 00;09;17;24
Melissa McDonald
That was what it was for me at the time. I was single, so I didn’t have a support system of like, okay, if this month that’s my phone stock ringing, that’s okay. My partner will, he’s got the mortgage or he’s got the phone bills. Like, I can do this when you’re on your own, it’s you. So there’s a lot of stress that goes with that.

00;09;17;24 – 00;09;31;12
Melissa McDonald
But it’s also a motivational factor because you don’t have that safety net in place. So you really got to work at it to make sure you’re you’re working each month. So sometimes it it works for you. And instead of against you.

00;09;31;18 – 00;09;36;00
Rebecca Hay
Tell me a little bit about your business today. What type of design work do you do?

00;09;36;00 – 00;09;41;08
Melissa McDonald
Well, thanks to your course, I have definitely shifted in the past six months.

00;09;41;09 – 00;09;50;10
Rebecca Hay
Oh, okay. Wait, we have to talk about the shift before we get to the shift. What were you doing then at the beginning, when you first launched your business, what was the focus?

00;09;50;12 – 00;09;53;00
Melissa McDonald
Everything I would take on anything.

00;09;53;03 – 00;09;55;25
Rebecca Hay
I love that. Well, I focused on everything.

00;09;55;25 – 00;10;21;14
Melissa McDonald
Yeah. If somebody wanted custom draperies, I would do that. If they wanted a paint consultation, I would go do that furniture for their space. But what I really love is renovations. I love ripping a space apart down to studs and starting over. That’s where I really enjoy working more than the soft finishes. And that’s just through time that I’ve really discovered that I enjoy that process.

00;10;21;14 – 00;10;43;09
Melissa McDonald
Just taking on more renovation projects with my husband now, how we met is he was a contractor and I was his designer many, many years ago on a couple of his projects. We’ve built two of our own places, so I enjoy that whole process. And I know you tend to do more of the soft finishes, like you like the furniture and the fabrics.

00;10;43;09 – 00;10;50;07
Melissa McDonald
I also enjoy that. But what I really love is when somebody calls me to renovate their kitchen or bathroom, so I shift it.

00;10;50;09 – 00;11;09;00
Rebecca Hay
Why did you decide to sign up for Power of Process? You had been in the industry at this point for almost 15 years because you just took the course. Are you mentioned in our call that you only found the podcast, I think, in January, and you signed up for the course in February, like you’re a quick action taker, which, by the way, I love my action takers.

00;11;09;02 – 00;11;12;04
Rebecca Hay
But what what was it that made you pull the trigger?

00;11;12;07 – 00;11;40;08
Melissa McDonald
Oh, so the big moment, and I’m almost embarrassed to admit it, but I’m hoping it will help somebody else. I took the time last year to really focus on my paperwork and really understand my numbers. I’ve always had an accountant, and I would just put them in a folder each quarter and they’d get picked up and dropped off, and I’d sign here and pay what I needed to pay and I never really took the time to understand it.

00;11;40;10 – 00;12;06;05
Melissa McDonald
I was not profitable for two years in a row, and I needed to understand why. How am I bringing in these large revenue sales numbers? And there is nothing left over at the end, and even less than that, I actually was in the negative. So that was a huge eye opening experience to realize, like, I’ve had big projects and how am I not having money left over?

00;12;06;07 – 00;12;30;24
Melissa McDonald
I’m paying everything or almost so I knew I was doing something. I don’t want to say wrong. I could do better. And I knew there had to be a better way. And I think just through Facebook your name came up and I it was an advertisement, I think, for your podcast. So I started listening to that and I was just like a sponge, like there is so much information.

00;12;30;26 – 00;12;40;07
Melissa McDonald
So when I heard about your course, I was like, If I’m learning this much from snippets of these podcasts, what can I gain from a course that is more detailed?

00;12;40;13 – 00;12;41;10
Rebecca Hay
Amazing.

00;12;41;12 – 00;12;49;26
Melissa McDonald
Yeah, that was a big moment to realize that. Wow. Like I look successful, but when you look at the numbers, I’m not.

00;12;49;29 – 00;13;02;19
Rebecca Hay
I love that you share that. By the way, thank you for your honesty and for sharing that. I know a lot of people would be afraid to say that publicly, and I really appreciate you for sharing that the whole time you’re talking. I’m nodding my head because I can relate to your experience. As you know, you know my story.

00;13;02;19 – 00;13;24;09
Rebecca Hay
But the thing that really pushed me to start teaching designers and entrepreneurs was this idea that, wait a minute, just because I can design, just because I’m talented, just because I can make a space frickin beautiful and I can get it publish and I can get all this praise, that doesn’t mean I know how to run this business and make it profitable.

00;13;24;11 – 00;13;40;18
Rebecca Hay
And that is something that I learned year over year over a year. You know, my story is actually finding out that I owed taxes to the CRA, that I didn’t actually have the money to pay. So that’s a hard truth. And it’s not like that happened one time. You know, I’m going to be honest with you, it didn’t just happen once.

00;13;40;18 – 00;13;57;29
Rebecca Hay
And I was like, I’m going to get this shit in order, right? It’s like you, it’s like over, you know, time and time again, you’re noticing, wait a minute. Like it’s just not adding up. So thank you for being honest and sharing that. I know there’s other designers listening who can relate, or there’s someone even listening who’s saying, shoot, I don’t even know if I’m profitable, right?

00;13;58;00 – 00;13;58;21
Melissa McDonald
That was me.

00;13;58;25 – 00;14;13;29
Rebecca Hay
Because I can tell you in the beginning I wasn’t paying attention. Right. In those first years, when you say that was you, was it that you just were too busy to really look at the books? Or were you just, like, hoping that if you just kept making money it would be fine? Like paint that picture? I’m curious how that was for you.

00;14;13;29 – 00;14;15;15
Rebecca Hay
The very beginning.

00;14;15;17 – 00;14;37;03
Melissa McDonald
It could be a number of things, to be honest with you, because you’re just so excited when you start. I mean, most of us, I would assume, love helping people. That’s why we do this. We love helping our clients. We can provide something that they need, and you get to stand back at the end of a project, and you have this beautiful space that you’ve designed.

00;14;37;03 – 00;15;01;18
Melissa McDonald
So there’s so much satisfaction in being like, that was beautiful. My clients are happy, I’m happy, it’s great. And there’s a lot of day to day stuff that you you have to do for running a business and a lot of hats to wear. And it’s really hard to take the time to do everything. So you’re so focused, or at least I was very focused on the design aspect of it.

00;15;01;21 – 00;15;27;13
Melissa McDonald
Where I was falling short was the paperwork side of it. I had an accountant and I thought that was good and that’s all I needed to do, but I needed to do more, and I needed to understand those numbers and not just sign here and pay this invoice to the government. So I think I just didn’t make the time because I was so focused on doing the stuff that I enjoyed.

00;15;27;15 – 00;15;49;21
Rebecca Hay
I’m totally thank you for sharing that. Okay, so let’s talk about power of process because you said your business has changed. So I’d love to know, like how specifically did Power of Process or Pop, as we like to call it, you’re a popper. That’s the nickname get Lucky you. How did you find that that course helped you? And what shifts have you made in your business since?

00;15;49;23 – 00;15;52;09
Melissa McDonald
How long is this podcast? I don’t think I.

00;15;52;11 – 00;15;55;08
Rebecca Hay
Just pick that. I love that we’ll pick the highlights.

00;15;55;14 – 00;16;15;29
Melissa McDonald
So many changes. Rebecca. It’s incredible. I mean, one of the very first in such a simple thing was a discovery call. I would get a lead on somebody who’s interested in my services, and I would just book a in home consultation and I would do it for free. I would show up and I would consider it a meet and greet.

00;16;15;29 – 00;16;40;26
Melissa McDonald
Let’s see if they want to work with me. Never crossed my mind that maybe I didn’t want to work with them. They were calling me. That’s how I used to do things. And now I start with an investment guide. So as soon as I get a lead through an email, I have this whole beautiful document that talks about my new process and how I work and my typical fee range, and they receive that first.

00;16;40;26 – 00;16;57;13
Melissa McDonald
And if they decide that they still want to chat, they already have an idea of how my fee structure works and how we work. So it’s already a great foundation. And if it scares them away, they’re probably not somebody I want to work with. So it’s saving me time, it’s not wasting my time and I’m not wasting theirs.

00;16;57;15 – 00;17;15;07
Melissa McDonald
And then I book a phone call if they’re still interested. After reading that guide, we chat, and that gives me an opportunity to see if it’s a project that I even want to work on. Because now I have a clear understanding about what type of projects I really want to focus on, and that was something I picked up.

00;17;15;07 – 00;17;22;12
Melissa McDonald
There was something funny you said that really resonated and you called it a charcuterie board of services. It sounds lovely what? You say it that way.

00;17;22;14 – 00;17;24;25
Rebecca Hay
I know it’s so funny because it’s a visual.

00;17;24;28 – 00;17;26;02
Melissa McDonald
It is, and it’s great.

00;17;26;02 – 00;17;28;20
Rebecca Hay
There’s something about having these visual comparisons.

00;17;28;24 – 00;18;03;01
Melissa McDonald
And that was me. I was doing everything. I was doing paint consultations and I was doing window treatments, and I was doing staging, and I was doing kitchens and bathrooms. And through your process, one of the assignments was really focusing about what services do you want to provide and focus on that? I started changing my whole marketing in terms of what’s on Facebook and Instagram, and I started deleting photos, which is a really hard thing to do to delete projects off your site and changing my website to be like I do kitchens, bathrooms, and whole home renovations.

00;18;03;08 – 00;18;35;27
Melissa McDonald
Those are my services now, so even just making those changes have been huge. And it also made me really think about who are the type of clients I want to work with and how do I attract them. One of the assignments on creating your ideal client avatar, as you called it, it made me think about and I’m fortunate because I know there’s a lot of girls or guys listening that are just starting out, so they don’t have a client base of, you know, a few years of clients to reflect back on.

00;18;35;29 – 00;18;58;22
Melissa McDonald
So I have that fortunately, that I sat down and I made a list of all my favorite clients. And what did I love about working with them and what were their traits? And that’s who I focus on. That’s who I want to work with. And then even during the construction process, even a simple change that I made, which, you know, what I’m going to say was creating a site binder.

00;18;58;24 – 00;19;01;09
Melissa McDonald
I have never done that in all these years.

00;19;01;12 – 00;19;22;04
Rebecca Hay
Okay, I have to just pause you and tell everyone who’s listening. The best thing that happened in your cohort. I think one of the best things or other great things was inside the Facebook group, because when you take the course, there’s a private Facebook group that you know is there for the duration of the course where everybody gets to share and you shared the best photos, which you took the picture, your client took the picture.

00;19;22;04 – 00;19;32;11
Rebecca Hay
I think my client, your client took a picture of you, like, I think you’re like on the floor is were you on the floor with the site binder? Somebody was on the or the contractor was on the floor with the site binder.

00;19;32;11 – 00;19;35;19
Melissa McDonald
Contractors mailing. Not a dusty, dirty floor.

00;19;35;20 – 00;19;40;03
Rebecca Hay
But there you are with your site binder and and tell us what you shared in the Facebook group that day.

00;19;40;07 – 00;20;06;00
Melissa McDonald
So it was actually her contractor. So it’s the first time I’ve worked with him, and it’s the first time I’ve created a job site binder. I used to when I would have a project on the go, I would, you know, staple or tape floor plans and millwork drawings to the walls. And I created this binder that has everything in it, all the plumbing specs, all the millwork drawings, all the paint color, everything is in this one beautiful little binder.

00;20;06;02 – 00;20;25;03
Melissa McDonald
And it’s the first time I’ve ever used it. And my client was on site when I presented it to her contractor, and he was just like, blown away. He was like flipping through the pages. He’s like, this is great. And my client was there with her phone and she’s like, I have to take a picture of this. So she took a picture because he was just so excited about this binder.

00;20;25;06 – 00;20;28;04
Melissa McDonald
It was a really cute moment and I’m so happy it got captured.

00;20;28;06 – 00;20;50;14
Rebecca Hay
I love that it was captured. I love that you shared it inside the community because you inspired others. What I have seen as almost like an outside observer is that I see designers who engage inside that Facebook group who share what’s going on, whether it’s a photo like you did in a story or it’s just typing up, you know, a sentence about something that they did or something that they’re learning.

00;20;50;16 – 00;21;07;16
Rebecca Hay
It inspires somebody else in the group to take that leap and to do that next thing. And so I know that so many designers were commenting and they were like congratulating you and saying how fun it was to see that. But they were also inspired to do their own. And so that’s what is so cool about the community.

00;21;07;18 – 00;21;19;01
Rebecca Hay
I’m curious, what was your experience like? What role did the community inside of Power of Process help you in either working through the course or learning?

00;21;19;03 – 00;21;50;02
Melissa McDonald
I mean, it’s encouraging. It’s encouraging because I’ve been independent for all this time. I mean, I’ve had I have some girls working with me and I’ve had some girls over the years, but for the most part, you’re solo and you get to make your choices on how you run your business. So hearing from other designers and knowing that you’re either on the right track with certain areas or hearing of other ways that they’re doing things that could improve how you do things to make things better is so encouraging.

00;21;50;04 – 00;22;07;05
Melissa McDonald
And to know that some of my own insecurities about certain things, I wasn’t alone. Some of the ways that I was feeling and or discouraged I wasn’t alone. There was other girls that had the same experience, and often when you shared or somebody else shared, it was so relatable.

00;22;07;12 – 00;22;25;04
Rebecca Hay
Yeah, totally. And you know, we didn’t mention but part of that community piece is the breakout rooms on zoom. So we have zoom calls right where it’s yes, I’m there to answer questions, but it’s also for everyone to connect in smaller groups. And the breakout rooms is a great opportunity for people to even get to know each other further.

00;22;25;04 – 00;22;32;03
Rebecca Hay
Share and connect. Would you say that that was a highlight of your experience? Because I a lot of people say that it may not be. I’m just curious.

00;22;32;03 – 00;22;57;10
Melissa McDonald
I did love them. Absolutely. And depending on the group, because some groups I had girls that had as much or more experience than I did, and then I had other girls that were just starting out, so I felt like I could be in different roles. And those two breakout areas. One is I was an eager Beaver listing to see what they had to say about what’s working for them and the process that they are in.

00;22;57;13 – 00;23;10;19
Melissa McDonald
And then the new girls. I felt like I was taking on a different role while I was sharing my experiences more. So it was it was helping them. So it was it was great to have both experiences in those breakout rooms.

00;23;10;24 – 00;23;30;18
Rebecca Hay
Yeah, actually, I’m glad you said that because it’s something I don’t think about much. It’s true. It’s your opportunity and you don’t go into it thinking like, oh, I’m going to help other people, right? You go and you’re like, I’m here to learn and I’m going to take all of this and I’m going to improve my business. But in those calls, especially where you get to see people face to face, there’s people in there who are like yourself 15 years into the business or more.

00;23;30;21 – 00;23;51;17
Rebecca Hay
And then there’s other designers who either only a couple of years in or maybe haven’t even launched yet. And so there’s such, a breadth of knowledge and experience and the new people come to with their own ideas and ways of doing things that the rest of us that have been doing this for a while wouldn’t see. And so it’s really kind of neat to see how everyone could help each other, regardless of what stage you’re at in business.

00;23;51;17 – 00;23;56;25
Melissa McDonald
Yeah, absolutely. No, I love that. And it was just great to to be surrounded by like minded people.

00;23;56;29 – 00;24;07;08
Rebecca Hay
Totally. Was there a turning point for you or an moment while you were taking the course? Is was there a specific time where you got insight and you were like, OMG,

00;24;07;11 – 00;24;29;00
Melissa McDonald
I mean, I had a few. One big one was you were talking about having an admin assistant and having somebody who comes to all your consultations and take your notes, and that was a huge moment for me, because at the time, every morning I walk my dog with a girl friend of mine who has been a stay at home mom for the past 13 years.

00;24;29;00 – 00;24;47;02
Melissa McDonald
She kind of helps her husband with, his business, but she had been recently complaining about trying to get back into the workforce and trying to find an admin position, and I was just walking along every morning listening to her talking about this. It never registered. And then I went into one of your meetings and you were like, iron admin assistant.

00;24;47;07 – 00;25;10;15
Melissa McDonald
It can be your daughter, your cousin, a girlfriend. And it was like, oh my gosh, why didn’t I think of this sooner? And it’s been game changing. It’s such a simple thing and it’s not a huge investment. She comes to all of my appointments, takes all of my notes, and what I find it’s doing is it’s creating a team type atmosphere for my clients to see, oh, she’s coming as a team.

00;25;10;19 – 00;25;41;20
Melissa McDonald
And it also improves my client relationship when I’m in a consultation, because now they have 100% of my full attention. I’m not trying to listen to them and take notes and look back up and take notes. I am completely focused on my conversation with them, and she’s writing everything down for me. And after a follow up appointment, she types everything up and sends it to me in this great little key form, and it allows me to copy and paste and edit it out and put it in my proposal.

00;25;41;20 – 00;26;00;13
Melissa McDonald
So she’s saving me so much time, as opposed to reinventing the wheel every time of having to type everything out after a follow up appointment to give them the fee proposal and the overview. So that was like an moment to ask for help and how much it improves. Everything else is is game changing for me.

00;26;00;15 – 00;26;13;02
Rebecca Hay
When you share that with me, that you were like, oh my God, this person’s like right in front of me, I can hire them, just like Rebecca suggested. Like I don’t need them to be like a junior designer. They just need to take notes at the console. You were like.

00;26;13;04 – 00;26;31;15
Melissa McDonald
Oh, light bulb. And she has zero design experience. She’s not coming from a design world. Sure, her background was in medical, so for anybody out there that was in a position or is even thinking about it, think outside the box. It doesn’t have to be somebody that’s another designer that you can hire. And she’s been wonderful.

00;26;31;22 – 00;26;58;12
Rebecca Hay
I love it. We’re recording this in May. The course started in March, so let’s just do some math. April, May. So that’s what two months said starting the course. Maybe if we want to be generous because a two and a half months and like it sounds to me like your business is already transforming, could you maybe share one of your recent biggest achievements and maybe paint a picture for us of what it looked like?

00;26;58;12 – 00;27;22;22
Melissa McDonald
Yes, absolutely I can. So there was a client that it reached out who was doing a whole home renovation. So my ideal job, I did the whole new process of, here’s my working with us, let’s do a discovery call. Let’s do a paid consultation, check, check, check. All of those steps, fill in and they were interviewing myself and they told me two other designers.

00;27;22;24 – 00;27;46;06
Melissa McDonald
So part of my other processes I do flat fees. So before a client agrees, I send them a fee proposal. I sent them that. I think back now it’s at least almost triple what I would have charged before I took your course. And for three days I was sweating. I sent the proposal and I didn’t hear anything for three days and I was sweating.

00;27;46;06 – 00;28;00;05
Melissa McDonald
I was like, I asked too much. It’s it’s too high. They’re not going to go with us. And sure enough, after three days, I got an email. We had decided that we would love to work with you in your team. So I got the job, which is great and I’m currently working on their project now.

00;28;00;06 – 00;28;01;08
Rebecca Hay
Congratulations.

00;28;01;11 – 00;28;03;12
Melissa McDonald
Yeah. Thank you. That was a huge win.

00;28;03;17 – 00;28;25;06
Rebecca Hay
Just pause for a second there. I just want us to sit with what you just said. You were competing with two other designers, which immediately some of us think, oh, we’re competing. I want to make sure that I’m competitively priced. And there’s all the that shit that goes on in our head. You’re like, no, I’m going with this is my new process, this is my pricing.

00;28;25;08 – 00;28;33;29
Rebecca Hay
And you charged triple. That’s three times for anyone listening, three times what you would have charged for the same project only two months earlier?

00;28;34;02 – 00;28;55;09
Melissa McDonald
Absolutely. Yeah. I think about what would I have set a fee proposal on this prior to taking this? And I was like, I probably would have landed somewhere around here. I asked them once they, agreed to hire us, and I said, what made you decide to choose us over the other two? Their answer, one is they felt really good about working with me.

00;28;55;09 – 00;29;07;01
Melissa McDonald
They just had a good feeling. They liked my personality. And he said in terms of our fee, I was almost identical in pricing to one other designer and to the other one I was twice as much.

00;29;07;04 – 00;29;08;00
Rebecca Hay
Interesting.

00;29;08;07 – 00;29;29;14
Melissa McDonald
I know I was excited that I was comparable to the other one, and when he responded that I was twice as much as the other one, I said, well, that tells me that they’re probably newer and working independently. I said I had came to that appointment with my new admin assistant, and I also have a junior designer working with me, so I came with her, whereas I’m a team.

00;29;29;14 – 00;29;38;26
Melissa McDonald
So, you know, I have more operating expenses. And aside. So she was probably newer starting out. He’s like, yeah, she was she was newer. It’s like.

00;29;38;26 – 00;29;40;03
Rebecca Hay
Okay, but for you.

00;29;40;03 – 00;30;01;07
Melissa McDonald
Thank you. The confidence it gave me to do that was achieved through taking your program. I would have not had the confidence to do that. I would have sent my usual and then would have felt deflated and frustrated towards the end, when I would send the invoice and realized I wasn’t making any money at it.

00;30;01;09 – 00;30;03;08
Rebecca Hay
Then the resentment comes in.

00;30;03;08 – 00;30;07;00
Melissa McDonald
Yeah, and you can’t blame them. I’m in charge here. So,

00;30;07;03 – 00;30;27;07
Rebecca Hay
I mean, that says a lot to hear someone who’s been doing this or been in this industry for 15 years, to say that you wouldn’t have had the confidence two months ago, I mean, that’s amazing that you found the answer that you were looking for. And now, I mean, there’s still lots to learn, but you go at it with a different perspective.

00;30;27;10 – 00;30;47;28
Rebecca Hay
Absolutely. You’re really treating your business like a business. I’m so proud of you. I’m so excited for your future. I cannot wait to follow your journey. Before we wrap up today, what has this massive transformation in a very short period of time? What is it meant for your personal life and your family life? Has there been a shift?

00;30;47;28 – 00;31;12;16
Melissa McDonald
I mean, part of what drives this shift is I want to provide things for my family, and I love to travel, and I want my children to experience that. And I’ll get to do that together. And I don’t want all that responsibility to fall on my husband’s shoulders. But in order to travel, he needs to pay for that vacation.

00;31;12;16 – 00;31;31;12
Melissa McDonald
I want to say to him, listen, I’ve had a really great year. We’re going to go to Portugal or Spain or Greece or somewhere, and I’ve got this. I can do this for our family. That’s where I want to see. So I hope that we talk a year from now and I can tell you the fabulous vacation I paid for this.

00;31;31;15 – 00;31;35;05
Rebecca Hay
I can’t wait. I’m going to be following very intently, I cannot wait.

00;31;35;12 – 00;31;44;16
Melissa McDonald
I am also happy to say that we are what are we and may and I’ve been tracking all of my finances in every month. I have been profitable, so that’s good.

00;31;44;19 – 00;32;12;06
Rebecca Hay
Yay! Oh, I’m so freaking proud of you. Proud doesn’t even begin to describe it because. Thank you. I didn’t do anything. You did it all. I’m so excited for you. Okay, one more question, and then I want to hear your nugget. But before we get there, if you were speaking to a fellow interior designer or decorator who was considering taking power of process, but maybe is still feeling hesitant, what would you tell them about its value for your own business?

00;32;12;06 – 00;32;14;09
Rebecca Hay
What would be your recommendation to them?

00;32;14;12 – 00;32;34;16
Melissa McDonald
I mean, it’s the changes that it’s made for me I cannot put a price on. I know there is the investment and especially if you’re just starting out, but I was not profitable, so the funds were not there yet in order to invest in my business and in myself. However, I knew what I was doing wasn’t working, so I needed to make changes.

00;32;34;16 – 00;32;56;11
Melissa McDonald
And I felt like this may be the answer to give me a direction of a better way of doing things, and even just by doing that one project, by charging significantly more than I would have a few months earlier. It’s already paid for itself, and I’m only just beginning, so every project moving forward will only get better.

00;32;56;14 – 00;33;01;14
Rebecca Hay
Oh my God, I love it! Amazing. What is your nugget of wisdom for those listening today?

00;33;01;19 – 00;33;02;11
Melissa McDonald
I have two.

00;33;02;15 – 00;33;04;08
Rebecca Hay
Okay, fine, you could do two but I’m.

00;33;04;09 – 00;33;24;03
Melissa McDonald
Getting greedy. I’m taking two, I’m taking two. So the first is put in the time to develop your process. Put in the time to develop what services you want to offer, and put in the time to be clear about who you want to work with. And my second would be value your time and who you give it to and how you spend it.

00;33;24;03 – 00;33;46;07
Melissa McDonald
Above anything else because you can’t get it back once it’s gone. How we spend it will determine so much of our happiness and who we spend it with. So work with clients that make you happy and that really appreciate you and your value that you bring. And stop giving it away to people that don’t value your time and love that.

00;33;46;09 – 00;34;12;04
Rebecca Hay
That’s a good one. I don’t think we’ve had that one before, which is impressive. I love that. Oh, and I love everything you’re doing. Thank you so much for joining us today and sharing your story. Thank you. I know that you’re going to inspire so many. It doesn’t matter where you’re at on your journey of running a design business, there’s always an opportunity to grow and change for the better and be profitable and build that confidence.

00;34;12;04 – 00;34;16;21
Rebecca Hay
So I love that message. So thank you so, so much for joining me today Mel.

00;34;16;27 – 00;34;20;17
Melissa McDonald
Thank you. Thank you for being you, Rebecca, and being a part of my life.

00;34;20;17 – 00;34;42;18
Rebecca Hay
It’s an honor, a total honor. How great is Mel? I love that after 15 years decided I think I’m ready. I think I’m ready to, like, really step it up. And, you know, she and I chatted after the recording a little bit about how the reason it took her 15 years is that she had other things going on in her personal life.

00;34;42;18 – 00;34;59;17
Rebecca Hay
She had other things happening that meant that maybe she wasn’t at that mental capacity to start and invest in something like power of process. And so if many of you are listening, I don’t want you to be hard on yourself. If it’s taking you longer or if you’re waiting and waiting until the right time, it’s not always the right time.

00;34;59;17 – 00;35;18;10
Rebecca Hay
You will know in your gut when it is time and when you are ready to invest in your business. Whether you are running in a full fledged interior design firm, whether you are about to launch your business, or whether you’re just kind of treating it as a hobby and it’s on the side only you know when you’re ready.

00;35;18;16 – 00;35;40;01
Rebecca Hay
If you’re listening to this episode, though, my guess is you’re intrigued by the transformation that is possible. You are intrigued by the fact that in only two months, someone can make that many changes in their business. Imagine if you had the blueprint I share inside power of process from the get go. Imagine if that’s you right now and you’re just starting out.

00;35;40;04 – 00;36;09;25
Rebecca Hay
You are so lucky. I wish I’d had something like this when I started my design firm. And if you’re further along, like Mel, there is still hope for you. She tripled tripled her design fee. Guys, I didn’t even do that when I started implementing a process. This just goes to show the power of when you get your business system set up, when you feel like this is organized, this is professional, you show up more confidently, and that’s when the change happens.

00;36;09;25 – 00;36;31;24
Rebecca Hay
So if you are ready to invest in your business and join us inside Power of Process. I am so excited to welcome you into the next cohort. It’s going to be amazing. It is going to be the transformation that you want it to be. Ultimately, it will be what you need. You will put in as much as you want and you’ll get out whatever you put in.

00;36;31;27 – 00;36;49;00
Rebecca Hay
It is one of those courses that is there to support you. I am there to hold your hand. You can’t get it wrong. I will literally walk you step by step in our zoom calls in the breakout rooms. You’ll have the support of the other designers. There’s also the Facebook group and all of the recorded modules and lessons.

00;36;49;07 – 00;37;15;16
Rebecca Hay
There are dozens of lessons in this course that walk you step by step how to do exactly what Mel has done. If you’re ready to take the plunge and join us for this session of Power of Process, go on over to rebecca.com/power of Process and I will see you in the zoom soon.