We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Melanie Harder a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Melanie , appreciate you joining us today. How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? We’d love to hear the backstory the illustrates how you grew your brand.

When I first began working on design projects in the real world I fell in love with not only the vast array of materials available but also with seeing my creative vision being brought to life. I was helping clients remodel their kitchens and bathrooms with the anticipation of seeing the smile on their faces when all was said and done. I love making a house a home and began looking for ways to be able to work on as many homes as possible. This lead me to real estate where I began working with numerous clients on their investment properties. I gained a lot of knowledge about the remodel process and how to be quick and efficient by project managing homes I was also designing. I was able to see what my clients needs were and figure out how to offer design services which specificially cater to the fast-paced, in-budget needs of their projects. This has allowed me to work on countless projects each year with numerous great investors, while simultaneously creating a special home for their future buyer or renter. Every project has its speedbumps and victories and it is never a dull moment in the home flipping industry. While my days are currently filled with site meetings and calls discussing trends and ways to maximize profit with the remodel, it was not too long ago that I was getting just as many calls about properties with break-ins, floods, fires, stolen items, etc and had to solve whatever issue came my way.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I began my journey into the interior design field at San Diego State University. After I graduated I worked for a residential designer in Point Loma where we got to work on a few high end homes at a time. I also spent time working in a paint store and tile showroom so I could learn more about materials, refinishing, and the construction process. From there I began my venture into Real Estate Design. I spent a few years designing as well as project managing to learn as much as I could about the process of flipping a home. I have been designing for real estate investors in Southern California for almost a decade and am able to help my clients get the maximum return for their investment. By creating a remodel plan we are able to explore all options a home has to offer before starting any manual labor. I am also able to help the project move along quickly by selecting and ordering numeruous items for the project so that material can be ready for the crews when they need it. Not only am I remodeling the plan and ensuring the projects look great, but I am also able to save my clients a lot of money by extending my trade discounts to them. It is typical for my involvment in a project to save my clients more money than I am charging them for my services.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I wish I had more exposure to other like minded people when I started my journey. Being surrounded by as many other motivated and supportive people as you can is what has allowed me to grow as much as the hard work I have put in.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Creating a better home for as many people as possible is what motivates me on a daily basis. There is nothing more rewarding than knowing that someone’s day to day life is a better than it could have been had I not had the oppurtunity and taken the time to create the best layout for the home they live in.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/melanie.rene.designs
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/MelanieReneDesigns

Image Credits
Rancho Photos