In this candid article, Melissa Lunardon—Interior Designer and Business Mentor—shares how she intentionally scaled her design business to create more freedom and balance. From spending six months in New York to preparing for motherhood, Melissa walks us through the mindset shifts, systems, and tools (like Programa) that helped her step back from the daily grind without sacrificing growth. You’ll learn practical steps for simplifying your workflow, building trust in your team, and setting up your business to thrive—so you can grow your studio without the overwhelm.
Interior designer and Business Mentor Melissa Lunardon, shares how she built a business that could run without her - first while living overseas, and later while starting a family. In this honest piece, you’ll learn how she simplified her workflow, set up smart systems and created space to grow without working around the clock.
Before I even started planning for a family, I began thinking seriously about scaling my business - and not because of pressure or necessity, but out of pure desire.
Back in 2022, my husband and I made a bold decision: we moved to New York City for six months, just because we wanted to. There was no grand plan, no big reason, just a deep craving to stretch outside our comfort zones, experience the energy of the city that never sleeps, and immerse ourselves in something completely different.
We asked ourselves: “If money wasn’t an issue and work wasn’t an obstacle, what would feel amazing right now?”
The answer: live in NYC, travel the States, and figure out the rest as we went.
But to make it happen, I had to stop being the bottleneck in my own business. I had to see myself as separate from ML Interior Design. I wasn’t going to be physically in the country, yet I still needed the business to run and money to come in.
That’s when the idea of scaling with intention took root.
I didn’t want to pause the business. I wanted it to grow while I was gone. So I built a plan that could function without me and and it worked.
Yes, there were hiccups (nothing is ever perfect), but that time away became the best possible test run for what life might look like with a family. And the beauty of being your own boss? If something’s not working, you can fix it. No red tape. Just better decisions.
The truth became clear: I was the bottleneck.
Once I handed over control to my team and trusted subcontractors, ease finally flowed in.
So, by the time we did start thinking about having a baby, the groundwork was already in place. I knew I didn’t want to spend every day glued to my desk while someone else raised my child. And “maternity leave”? It’s not a real thing when you work for yourself, unless you create the structure and support ahead of time.
Even if having a family isn’t your reason, I know so many creative business owners who get to a point of sheer exhaustion. Tired of doing everything. Tired of wearing all the hats.
Scaling doesn’t have to mean more work. You can grow your business and make space for your life, your creativity, and your wellbeing.
Melissa LunardonFounder & Creative Director
If you’re replying to every email, specifying every product, and approving every decision, you’ll never feel spacious.
Start by asking:
When I stepped back, I could finally focus on the things I do best: creative direction, client experience, and business vision.
Stepping back was only possible because I had systems that I trusted and Programa was a big part of that. It helped me create consistency in how we presented information and managed projects, which made onboarding team members and delegating tasks much smoother. When your systems are solid, you can trust others to follow through and that’s exactly what gave me the freedom to travel, scale, and eventually transition into motherhood with more ease and less stress.
Being “flat out” doesn’t mean your business is thriving, it usually means the opposite.
Success isn’t about longer hours. It’s about working on the right things. That might look like better systems, stronger boundaries, or charging properly for your expertise.
Build a business that supports your life, not one that consumes it.
Asking for help doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It means you’re ready to grow.
Whether that’s hiring a VA, refining your systems, or getting support from someone who’s been there, letting go creates space.
And here’s the kicker:
I now earn more working two days a week than I did full-time!
Once you stop trying to do it all, everything changes. And your business? It becomes exactly what you dreamed it would be.
If you were advising another designer trying to step back or prepare for a major life change, how would you recommend they use Programa to help?
I’d tell them to get everything out of their head and create a braindump of your process, to create a SOP. From there, you can start to implement the right software to help alleviate the extra work and Programa is the perfect platform for that. Having one central place where your FF&E schedules, product specs, and project details live makes it so much easier to delegate with confidence. Programa allows your team to step in and keep things moving, even when you’re not right there.