Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melanie Zaelich. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Melanie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I have such a passion for sharing. That is why I started Happy Place Interiors in the first place—so I could share my interior design talent with others. I fully believe that our space impacts how we feel and that having a home that brings us joy can help us relax and focus on life.

The Happy Place Interiors business model has always been a little different from conventional designers as I guide and advise people on what to do with their home and how to do it. Empowering homeowners to do it themselves, even when they think they can’t.

Taking Happy Place Interiors to the next level was bound to happen as soon as I discovered that it was possible to create Digital Courses. This way, I can continue to to teach regular people who want a joyful home the skills, rules and techniques that designers use, so they can apply to their own home and have skills for a lifetime.

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

I started Happy Place Interiors in 2016 after a long career in advertising and graphic design. While I loved the creative side of that work, I realized what I really wanted was to help people fall in love with their homes by making them both functional and beautiful. So, I went all in—went to interior design school, took staging courses, and did some specialized color training to really sharpen my skills.

Fast forward to today, and Happy Place Interiors has been a huge success! But I want to reach even more people now, which is why I’m rolling out a few exciting new services: Virtual Consultations where people can get personalized design help from anywhere, Digital Home Decorating Courses made for homeowners (not pros), and the Happy Place Design Club—a fun, creative space for design lovers to get inspiration and guidance.

I’m really excited about these new ways to connect with homeowners and help them create spaces they love, no matter where they are!

If you have multiple revenue streams in your business, would you mind opening up about what those streams are and how they fit together?

Happy Place Interiors has a few revenue streams. First, and foremost, is the revenue generated by our work with clients. Secondly, we earn a commission on some affiliate products, and we are in the process of creating Digital Courses, Products and a Membership—which will be new revenue streams.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Our website has always been the main way we bring in new clients. It’s where people go to check out our services, browse our portfolio, and get a sense of our design approach and process. Most of our clients find us through the website. The second biggest source is word-of-mouth referrals, which makes me happy because it shows our clients love what we do.

When I first built the site, I knew I needed it to stand out online, so I met with a local marketing expert who gave me a killer SEO checklist. It covered everything from keywords to making sure the site loads fast and works well on phones. I’ve stuck to that checklist religiously, and it’s really paid off by keeping us visible and attracting new clients regularly.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.homeismyhappyplace.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happy.place.interiors/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/happyplaceinteriorsmn
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@happyplaceinteriors_melanie_z
• Other: Pinterest:

  https://www.pinterest.com/happy_place_Interiors/

Image Credits

Spacecrafting Photography