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Why My Business Works with Megan Dahle

Why My Business Works with Megan Dahle

By: Happy Little Business
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About this listen

A podcast for creative women building right-sized, joy-filled businesses

If you’re a small-but-mighty business owner - the kind who loves her work, her clients, her team, and the life she’s building - this podcast was made for you.

Why My Business Works takes you behind the scenes of real interior design and architecture firms run by women who aren’t chasing “scale at all costs.” They’re building businesses that feel good, make money, and support the lives they actually want.

Each episode opens the door into a different creative business so you can see not just what they do for pricing, marketing, staffing, client experience, operations, etc., but why they do it that way. You’ll hear the principles and personal values behind their decisions, the messy experiments that taught them what works, and the moments that changed everything.

This isn’t another podcast telling you the “right” way to run a business.
It’s a permission slip to build the business that’s right for you.

You’ll find:
• Honest conversations about money, capacity, boundaries, markups, and the realities of creative service work
• Women sharing the decisions behind their flat-fees, hourly structures, procurement processes, and team structures
• Stories that spark ideas and remind you you’re not alone
• The kind of perspective that simmers in the back of your mind until it shows up later as a stroke of genius

If you run a heart-centered, community-minded, women-led business (whether it’s just you or a small team you adore) this is your space.
A space to feel inspired.
A space to feel understood.
A space to remember that joy in your work is not an accident, it’s a design choice.

Copyright 2025 All rights reserved. Art Economics Leadership Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Everything’s a Metaphor: How Real Relationships Build Real Businesses with Susan Yeley

    Everything’s a Metaphor: How Real Relationships Build Real Businesses with Susan Yeley
    Dec 5 2025

    In this episode of Why My Business Works, Megan sits down with designer and longtime friend Susan Yeley to talk about the power of proximity, authentic connection, and leading a company that genuinely takes care of its people.

    Susan built her firm the same way she builds homes: with curiosity, presence, and a deep respect for the humans involved. She shares how her business grew alongside her young family, why she hires by “letting the universe reveal the right people,” and how supporting her team through real-life challenges became one of the most meaningful parts of entrepreneurship.

    They talk about joy as a business tool, design as a form of storytelling, and how integrating work and life can make you a better leader and a more grounded creator. If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like to run a business that is both beautiful and deeply human, this episode will feel like a warm, steadying breath.

    In this episode, we cover:

    • Why proximity shapes everything from creativity to capacity

    • How Susan built her team through trust, intuition, and genuine affection

    • The moment she decided to put employees on payroll and what that commitment really meant

    • Her design philosophy and why “we do not discard our histories in our homes”

    • How joy, rest, and presence fuel better creative output

    • The privilege of design work and her dream to bring good homes to underserved communities

    • What it looks like to prioritize people in the real moments — illness, babies, transitions, life

    • Why everything really is a metaphor, and how it shapes the way she leads

    Links

    Susan Yeley Homes

    Prospect Refuge

    Heather Peterson

    Robins Architecture

    Reath Design

    Jessica Helgeran

    1% Project

    Zoey Feldman (scroll down for her Giving Back section)

    About Susan Yeley

    Susan is the founder of Susan Yeley Homes, a Bloomington-based design firm known for thoughtful, layered, deeply personal spaces. Her work blends art, heart, and structure, and her leadership centers on care, generosity, and building a team that thrives together. Explore her work at susanyeleyhomes.com.

    If you loved this episode:

    Subscribe to the show, share it with a friend who treasures her people, and leave a review to help more heart-led business owners find us.

    Music in this episode: Sweet Honey (Instrumental) by Scarlet Parke Sugar (Feat. Esabalu) (Instrumental) by The Artist "Me" You and I by Hannah Gill & The Hours

    Music licensed by Audiio
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    43 mins
  • Be the Sun, Not the Moon: Stop Pretzeling for Clients and Build a Business That Fits You

    Be the Sun, Not the Moon: Stop Pretzeling for Clients and Build a Business That Fits You
    Nov 24 2025

    Note: This episode includes occasional adult language.

    What happens when you stop contorting yourself into whatever clients want and start showing up as the sun in your business? In this first episode of Why My Business Works, Megan sits down with holistic interior designer Gala Magriña to talk about claiming your niche, valuing your work, and building a business that feels aligned from the inside out.

    Gala shares the moment a business coach told her she was “turning into the moon” on sales calls, and how stepping into her full voice changed everything. They dive into flat-fee pricing, transparent money conversations, the power of a small-but-mighty team, and the spiritual roots of Gala’s design philosophy. If you’ve ever doubted your value or hesitated to stand firm in your process, this episode will feel like a mirror and a megaphone.

    In this episode, we cover:

    • Why “pretzeling” for clients erodes your value (and your joy)

    • How Gala attracts the right clients by going all in on her niche

    • Flat-fee pricing, transparency, and why she ditched markups

    • Building an aligned team and leading as a grounded, human-first CEO

    • The origins of holistic design and how it’s reshaping the industry

    • The power of designing a business that works for your soul

    Links

    Gala's Podcast

    Sean Low

    Hasani Reyes

    Flack Studio

    Kelly Behun

    About Gala Magriña

    Gala is a holistic interior designer, speaker, and founder of Gala Magriña Design. She blends beauty, function, and wellness to create spaces that support mind, body, and soul. She also hosts the Talk Purpose Podcast, where she explores the deeper meaning behind how we live and work.

    If you loved this episode:

    Subscribe to the show, share it with a friend who needs the reminder to stand in her power, and leave a review to help more right-sized, heart-led business owners find us.

    Music in this episode: Sweet Honey (Instrumental) by Scarlet Parke Knew That It Was Right (Instrumental) by Spearfisher La Vuelta (Instrumental) by MARSCOTT

    Music licensed by Audiio

    Content note: Contains strong language used for emphasis and honesty.
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    43 mins
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