Ever wondered how lessons from dog training could help you thrive as an interior designer? In this episode of the Six Figure Designer Podcast, I sit down with my brilliant sister Kelly Elvin, a former lawyer who built a luxury dog-training business from scratch in small-town Michigan. Together, we explore what it really takes to thrive as a second-career entrepreneur, make your expertise irresistible, and build a business that serves both you and your clients. Here are the real-life strategies and surprising parallels you won’t want to miss.
Carving a New Path: It’s Never Too Late to Start Again
As someone who’s spoken with hundreds of designers making bold pivots, I know first-hand how common it is to doubt whether you can start over. Kelly’s story as a lawyer-turned-dog trainer proves that it’s possible—and that past skills aren’t wasted, just repurposed. Her sharp legal communication and research savvy became major assets as she moved into pet care and business ownership. The shift wasn’t easy; she faced skepticism from both her old profession and her new one. But as Kelly reminded me, identity doesn’t have to stay tied to your first career, and it’s more than okay to change lanes at any stage.Don’t let anyone—including yourself—tell you when it’s too late to pursue a dream. Everything you’ve already learned will help you, even if the dots only connect in hindsight.
Market Education: Showing People What’s Possible
One thing that struck me was how Kelly built an entirely new market at a premium price, but only after educating people about what modern, positive reinforcement dog training could be. Her market literally didn’t know that “dog training without yelling,” as she put it, was even possible. By standing firm in her values and communicating the “why” behind her methods, she made clients realize they wanted what she offered. It’s identical to our work as designers—clients often don’t realize how much expertise, planning, or credentialing goes into our work until we spell it out in terms that matter to them.
Go beyond listing your certifications. Explain—plainly—how your expertise makes the project smoother, the results better, and the entire process less stressful for your client.
Building Community Connections: Mutual Gain, Not Just Referrals
Early in Kelly’s business, she and her husband went “boots on the ground”—connecting with local, independently owned pet shops, daycares, and veterinarians. They didn’t just ask for referrals. Instead, they offered to run classes and events that brought new customers to these businesses. (And yes, a little bag of snacks for the staff went a long way!) As interior designers, we can adopt this approach by hosting events in trade showrooms, offering workshops, or collaborating on community gatherings. When we bring value to others, the goodwill comes back tenfold.
Be generous—collaborations work best when both sides win. Find concrete ways to support local partners, and you’ll become unforgettable in your network.
Raising Rates with Confidence: Don’t Be Afraid to Be the Best
Talking about pricing is always tricky. I’ve seen the nerves in clients who worry about charging what they’re worth—especially if they’re in a small or cost-sensitive market. Kelly’s journey reassured me (and hopefully you!) that while raising rates is tense at first, it attracts a better, more trusting clientele in the long run. She learned the hard way that undercharging only made her resentful and stretched thin, while regularly updating their prices filtered out the “tire-kickers” and invited in clients who respected her expertise.
Your rates should reflect your experience, the quality of your service, and the value you deliver. Review—and raise—them regularly, not just when things feel desperate.
The Value of a Pause: Scheduling Downtime to Fuel Growth
We entrepreneurs are notorious for thinking we can do it all. But when Kelly and her team hit the wall—overworked, exhausted, even dealing with panic attacks—they did something bold: they paused new intake for three whole weeks and communicated that to everyone. The response? Clients didn’t vanish; they waited. When you create boundaries and honor your own time, people take your work (and well-being) more seriously.
Since then, Kelly’s become a big advocate for scheduled downtime—on the calendar, every year—to recharge and realign. I couldn’t agree more. When our businesses grow, our systems (and our boundaries) have to evolve or we risk burning out.
Block off regular time to rest—put it on your calendar and treat it as non-negotiable as a client meeting. Your creativity, clarity and happiness will skyrocket as a result.
I loved bringing my sister Kelly onto the podcast—not just because she’s family, but because her story echoes so many struggles and triumphs I see in the design world daily. Reinvention, education, authentic connection, courageous pricing, and the power of rest—these aren’t just buzzwords; they are the pillars of a sustainable, joyful business.
I hope these insights inspire you to build a business that’s true to who you are, in every phase and every pivot. Remember: your clients are looking to you for leadership—don’t be afraid to show them what’s possible!
Want even more inspiration?
Check out this episode of the Six Figure Designer Podcast for the full conversation, and stay tuned for my other blog posts to more ways to supercharge your design business—no matter where you’re starting from.