We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Skye Fingalson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Skye below.

Skye, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, so one thing we think people don’t talk about nearly enough is investments – either time or money. What’s one of the best or worst investments you’ve made and what did you learned from the experience?

The best investment I have made as a business owner has been finding the right employees and investing in their opportunities, growth, and success. Without good people on your team, it is difficult to run an effective business. What you give to your employees, they will give back to you ten fold. By giving them all of the tools they need to perform their day to day tasks, along with an environment they love to be in, they will love coming to work! Here at Design 2 Sell and Allure, we cultivate an incredible atmosphere.

Skye, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Starting my internship at the age of 19 in the Interior design industry, I was once told that once you started in this industry it would be impossible to leave. They were 100% correct! It was an industry that I easily fell in love with and was very passionate about. I worked in two other companies for the next 14 years before deciding it was time to open my own store (Design 2 Sell). Growing as in Interior Designer and now as a business owner, I have learned so much. Although it has been challenging at times, it’s been such a blessing to my life. I have never been more proud of our tremendous growth in the last 4 1/2 years. I wouldn’t change a thing! In October of 2022 we opened up our Sister Store (Allure) which offers Designer-Inspired Furniture & Lighting. Design 2 Sell is a full interior design firm and offers all types of flooring, countertops, design consultations, interior decorating, mood boards, and more! With both stores, we can offer all things interior design related from start to finish of any project! This is what set us apart. We truly are a one stop shop and are able to execute a project with all of the details so the end result is a truly well-designed, well- thought- out space with both function and beauty. We also offer full project coordination so we are able to remove the stress from our clients by handling their renovation project. We gather all estimates, schedule everyone in and out, and complete the project on a given timeline. Detroit Lakes is a major tourism town with 412 lakes within a 20 mile radius so most often we are dealing with clients who have their lake home as their second home. This means that it is inconvenient for them to line up their own renovation projects and be present as it occurs, but that’s exactly where we fit in. We give them a one-line communication through their designer who manages the project for them. We are someone they can trust and rely on to oversee their project and their property when they can not be present.

How did you build your audience on social media?

The power of social media is so strong in today’s society! It was a risk I took back in 2020 when I decided to hire a full-time marketing director to take over our social media on all platforms including Facebook. Instagram, Website, LinkedIn, YouTube, Tik Tok, Pinterest, and more. I knew the great level of importance that this would play in growing our business on a daily basis but creating effective content for all of these platforms and I also understood the time that it would take in order to manage all of these. It truly is a full-time job, and it’s also something that needs to be completed on a daily basis in order to be aggressive and make an impact. Social media is a powerful tool that is also free, so why not elaborate on what you have to offer and get it out there to your target market? There are so many benefits that include being able to track how well your posts perform. At Design 2 Sell and Allure, we also send out mailers to anyone who has just purchased a new home, stating “Hey, we’re here and we’d love to help you make your new house a home!” Realizing that I’m only one person and letting go of the reins and saying, “I don’t have the time to create great content and manage all of these platforms” was the best decision as a business owner I could have possibly made for our companies. Let the experts be the experts at what they do. The investment in a Marketing Manager was by far a home run and has paid off. Our marketing manager also handles all of our scheduled events. SO worth it!

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I truly believe that passion drive purpose and if you have passion and drive about what you are doing in life, there is no way that you could possibly fail and be bad a what you do. Having just shy of 20 years of experience in the industry, I have created so many beautiful spaces for clients to enjoy and have also provided a high level of customer service. This creates repeats and referrals as well as reputation. At Design 2 Sell and Allure. we always strive to provide exceptional customer service, as well as immaculately beautiful design projects, and we truly care about our clients and the way each of their projects turn out. It’s a standard that you need to have and meet every time. It’s being able to walk away from every project and know that you did your very best. Customer Service is worth its weight in gold in a community of our size. Expressing confidence in what you do, what you can do, and who you are creates trust which also creates relationships.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shopdesign2sellatthelakes.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/design2selldl/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/design2selldl
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/design-2-sell-at-the-lakes/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lakelivingdesigns2047