"Ms. Mellie" is a nick-name one of my dearest designer friends gave me as we cut our early teeth in gallery design. It has remained my name for that aspect of myself that shares from the soul. While this first chat will be about the unfolding of this site and my business model, it will not always be around that subject. My hope is that you will find comfort, camaraderie and inspiration here. Anything I reference has a background body of research, so shoot me your questions and I will give you my leads. If it is purely 2 + 2= 4… I will be the first one to let you know. It will be a monthly chat, to hopefully unfold by the third Monday of the month.
With a cup of coffee, I invite you to share the good, bad and the ugly as only other professional designers and sales associates would understand. I always remember what another dear friend over a mound of fabrics would say…. “Thank goodness this is not heart surgery...or we'd be in a heap of trouble!”
Having researched my territory, North and South Carolina, it is staggering to me to discover all the incredible Interior Design and sales talent here; as well as, the land development that is booming. The Carolinas, are truly brimming with opulent lifestyles and people like myself that do not mind saving for finer things. You will find that I am a diverse person with lots of interest and I am passionate about solutions and networking people together, whether I make my cut in the mix or not. My success will manifest as the sum of the whole.
I take my role in your life seriously and if we cannot enjoy what we are doing, why participate? We designers and home furnishings specialist participate in a relationship/partnership business. We often share the intimacies of our customers’ life. We are therapists, analysts, coaches, soothsayers, intuitives and often best friends. It is our task to pull out of our customers their thoughts, dreams, preferences and organize them into a cohesive conversation..…in short, we translate their past, present and future into a cocoon they can thrive from. My position is to support you in closing the sale with your customer. There is nothing like a third party endorsement to often reinforce the proposal at hand. Call me to chat about the unique services that I offer in that arena due to the close proximity of this territory to the factories I represent.
Our industry is in an unprecedented place. The business model I referenced on the home page speaks to a new, more defined level of integrity. Most people view integrity as a function of time and appointments. You are either "on time at your appointment" and with integrity or "not on time or miss your appointment" and out of integrity!! I am talking about personal integrity. The integrity that comes out of clarity of purpose: saying who you are and being it. The business relationship that can occur when two people or groups focus on the best for all: each other and the customer.
Partnership: Caring about the impact of my thoughts, actions and business integrity with regards to another person.
Feeling Good: Confidence that the energy I am expending is being equally returned. I am delivering a quality product and receiving a fair compensation with the people/animals/plants in the chain being treated right.
Responsibility: Having an investment in the successful outcome of a project. Stepping up to the plate accepting successes as well as resolving mistakes; taking the appropriate actions to amend ones that are mine and supporting my other partners when the mistake is theirs.
When you work with me or any of my companies, I want the “Feel Good Feeling” to roll down hill. I am often over the top with my “FGF”, because with each relationship tier, hopefully a little bit will get absorbed.
What that looks like is sliding in sideways with a cloud of leathers, fabrics and bits of pictures and catalogs everywhere; a smile on my face, wrinkle cream intact, and laughter in my eye!
So if I want the end user of my products to get a small inkling of “FGF”….. I have to blow you all out of the water with enthusiasm and inspiration!!
