MEGAN MOLTEN

Megan Molten:
I'm like, wait a minute. This could be a business. And I started doing the math in my head. That was a big part of the aha moment. But then after that moment, the fear set in.

John Perchik:
Today on The Market Makers, how Megan Molten built one of Charleston's most recognizable design brands. Megan is a designer, entrepreneur, and creative force behind her namesake interiors and retail shop. Megan's story is not just about aesthetics or success. It's really about being your authentic self. And if you really focus on what comes out of you naturally and creatively, you'll find what you're ultimately meant to do. And that really is the path that Megan has charted for herself.

Megan Molten:
And my friends were like, "Oh my gosh, Megan, you're really good at this."

John Perchik:
No path is straightforward. No path is linear. Megan is a great example. She had a big time corporate career for more than a decade. And through happenstance and opportunity and realizing some of her strengths that she hadn't recognized before, she and her husband effectively started a business without knowing they were starting a business by expressing themselves in their home. And through that, ultimately found really, her superpower, what she's great at. Megan has built a life and business that reflect exactly who she is. Thanks for being here with us today. I really hope you enjoy my conversation with Megan Molten as much as I have.
I'm here with Megan Molten from Megan Molten Interiors and Shop, the Charleston, South Carolina area. Thank you so much for being here today.

Megan Molten:
Thank you for having me.

John Perchik:
We're really here to share your personal journey of what's brought you to this place of great success and recognition.

Megan Molten:
Yes.

John Perchik:
Before we get to some of that, because we were just chatting informally, I know my wife's here with me in the Vegas market and Hugh, your husband is here. Just share a little bit about how much fun it sounds like you guys are having. You've been doing a lot of stuff these last few days.

Megan Molten:
Yeah. So when my husband joined the business after our second baby, and I'm literally in the hospital bed holding my newborn on my laptop, just working, working away. And it was that moment that my husband said, "It's time. It's time. I got to come in and do this." So he had a real estate company. He continues to work in real estate on the side, but came in and took over our operations that day. And we made a couple pacts at that time. And first was, he said, "A non-negotiable is if I'm going to do this, if we're going to work together, we're going to go talk to somebody." So we had our life coach and it really helped us understand each other and just our lanes in this business. But the other pact we made is that we do a lot of travel for our business and we decided that we always want to travel together.
This is his first time in Vegas. He's having a ball and it's just so much fun getting to experience this together, both personally and professionally. It's hands down the best decision we ever made. And so many of my friends will say, "I cannot believe, how do y'all work together? How do y'all do that?" I'm like, "Well, his office is across the parking lot from mine. So it's not like we're on top of each other all day." And he does the things that I don't want to do. All the accounting stuff and HR.

John Perchik:
So the operations, the backend?

Megan Molten:
Exactly. I'm not good at that. And so, that's another one of my big key points of success in this business is like, I call it your superpower. And so that's for me, I know what I'm good at and that's what I do, that's what I want to do. And if there's something else, there's probably someone better that can do it way better than me.

John Perchik:
Where do you think that philosophy originated? The superpower and notion of find what it is you're really good at and really stay there? Where does that come from?

Megan Molten:
So that came from my dad. My dad is also an entrepreneur. He's now retired. He had a successful ophthalmology practice and he had several offices across the state in Arkansas where I grew up. And so, he was a very good businessman and also a really good surgeon. But when I started my business back in 2018, that was my dad's main key point that he kept telling me is, "Megan, you do what you are so good at and let other people do everything else. If I can give you one lesson in business and life, that's it." And I just really took that to heart.

John Perchik:
Sounds like he had a huge impact on you.

Megan Molten:
He did. And my mom was an entrepreneur as well. She had retail businesses. So growing up in Arkansas was wonderful. I had an amazing school that I went to and friends, but I knew that I wanted to go somewhere else. That was very evident to me. And so when I graduated from high school, I went to school at Ole Miss. I fell in love with Oxford and just had an amazing experience there. And when I graduated, my sister and I did a little weekend trip to Charleston and I said, "This is where I belong. This hands down is where I'm meant to be." So I moved there a couple weeks later and I got a job in pharmaceutical sales.

John Perchik:
Saw that.

Megan Molten:
Yeah. And that's what my sister was doing. It was a great job right out of college, great benefits. I got to travel. It was a really amazing career. And I honestly thought that that's what I was just going to do forever. I was growing my way up into a management role and it allowed me to purchase my first home on my own. And I did that and I started designing it myself. And I started just posting it on social media for fun. And my friends were like, "Oh my gosh, Megan, you're really good at this." And I'm like, "Oh, okay." And so I just kept posting things. And then my friends were at a time where they were purchasing their first homes. So I started helping them and I would post the before and afters.
Probably a few months later, I got my first client, like real client, someone I didn't know that wanted to hire me. And so I didn't even know what to charge. I didn't know what I was doing, but I did it and I figured it out. So all this is happening while I'm still in my other career and about six months goes by and it's like I had this like aha moment and it was like, "Oh my gosh, this is what I'm supposed to do."

John Perchik:
You organically, naturally, you buy a house and you start to design it. That's what you do.

Megan Molten:
Yeah.

John Perchik:
And so you do that. And it's a time where social media, you're posting it and then people are reacting in a very unexpected way, it sounds like. Maybe share a little bit about that moment. When you introspect and think about that moment, why did your brain stop and say, "Whoa, wait a second. Something's happening." What was going on right then?

Megan Molten:
Yeah. I think I realized, honestly, once I... I started listening to LuAnn Nigara, A Well-Designed Business, who I love. I love her so much. She's like a mentor of mine. I started listening to that podcast and I started understanding the business behind design. It's not just decorating my home, making it pretty and posting photos. I'm like, "Wait a minute, you can charge a lot of money for this." This could be a business. And I started doing the math in my head. I'm like, "Wait a second, I could make this a career." And so, that was a big part of the aha moment. But then after that moment was the fear set in.

John Perchik:
Speak to that.

Megan Molten:
Okay.

John Perchik:
What was the fear?

Megan Molten:
So when I realized it was immediate like, "Okay, what are the next steps?" I guess I'd have to quit my job and really go for this.

John Perchik:
From the security of a paycheck to uncertainty.

Megan Molten:
Of the benefits, the paycheck. And I remember calling my dad and I'm in tears and I'm like, "I really want to do this, but I'm terrified. What am I going to do if this doesn't work?" And my dad was like, "Megan, the worst thing that can happen is you will just get another job. You'll be fine."

John Perchik:
Right.

Megan Molten:
"You'll be fine." I'm like, "Oh yeah, I have 12 years experience in the workforce. Yeah, I could go get another job." Okay. And so, I did it. I called HR and literally crying on the phone. I'd been with this company for seven years. I loved it. I loved the people and I said, "I'm putting in my notice." And she was like, "What? You can't. No." And it was like, "No, it's time. I'm going to do this." And they were wonderful, had this whole sendoff for me and really supported me and all my friends were rooting for me, my family. And so I made it official. I was like, "I'm going to quit my job. My last day will be December 31st and my first day..."

John Perchik:
So this is like I'm going to the gym, Jan one. This is like, I'm changing my life.

Megan Molten:
Exactly.

John Perchik:
Wow. So often in life, we're fearful of things and that's totally normal and healthy. It's an animalistic instinct. It's survival. But the key to dealing with fear as what your dad did for you, I think, and trying to... Digesting it back, is he broke it down into its parts and said, "You're not going to die. You're not going to get injured in a terrible way." The worst thing that happens is you get another job. It just totally removes the sting and the thing that was going to prevent you.

Megan Molten:
Yes. My dad was the one that put things in perspective for me. And that's something I speak to a lot. I have a lot of wonderful young women that approach me all the time. I try to tell them that, put things in perspective and that you will be okay. You will figure it out. If you want this bad enough, you will figure it out.

John Perchik:
Right.
We all face many points in life where we plan, we prepare, we think we're ready, and in the end, we either choose to jump in or we don't. The best way to jump in is to set a date that says now is the moment we have to go. Fear can be an amazing motivator. It can be a paralyzer. It can be an empowerer. It's the most primitive of all emotions. We either flee or we fight and we all feel it. And in the end, we make that choice. We either hold back or we put that date on the calendar like Megan did and we jump and we go. New Year's Eve comes and whatever day of the week it is, the first, you're open for business, so to speak.

Megan Molten:
That's right.

John Perchik:
Tell us where your head is at that point and what that was like.

Megan Molten:
Oh my goodness. So I start my business officially, make it Instagram official. I made my website. It was terrible, but I have a website. I'm listening to my podcast every day. I'm learning the business of design. Wow, I have clients. I have a lot of clients. And it was January. It was the month of January. And one of my dear friends came over to my house with her three-month-old baby. She's about to go back to work in her corporate job and she says, "Megan, you're going to hire me." I'm like, "Ellie, I can't hire you. What? How am I going to pay you?" And she's like, "I don't know, but we're going to figure it out because you need help and I'm going to help you and I don't want to go back to my job." And so, I'm like, "Okay, yeah, I do need you."
And again, I'm calling my dad like, "Okay, I think I'm about to hire my first employee. Am I making a huge mistake?" And he's like, "No, absolutely. This is going to be the best decision you ever made." So February, my friend starts with me. She does all my inquiries, project management, orders, tracking, damages, all the behind the scenes stuff that has to get done. She was handling that.
Then comes, fast-forward a couple months, we start getting projects that are like renovations, new builds. I start getting plans, CAD files. I don't do CAD. I don't even know how to read plans. Ellie's like, "Megan, I think we need a designer, like a trained designer that knows how to do CAD." Like, "Ellie, how are we going to hire a designer?" She's like, "We can do it." So I have this friend supporting me. We start interviewing girls, new grads. We got a very talented new grad right out of High Point University with an interior design degree.

John Perchik:
Shout out to High Point, by the way.

Megan Molten:
Yes.

John Perchik:
Right there. Yeah.

Megan Molten:
Amazing. And I told her, "Look, you're our first hire. Don't really know what we're doing yet, but if you're willing to come on our team and figure it out with us."

John Perchik:
You're not exactly giving her the hard sell.

Megan Molten:
No.

John Perchik:
What I love about your perspective is you're so authentic and true. It's like, "We don't know what we're doing, but you should join us."

Megan Molten:
Yeah. Come on. It'll be fun. And thank God she did. She was with me for five years and she started her own business. Good for her. But she was incredible. She was exactly what we needed at that time. And so we're at my dining room table in my little tiny one bedroom, Friedman's Cottage in downtown Charleston, and then we needed more help. We needed another designer and we couldn't all fit in this little space. So we got an office.

John Perchik:
And where are we now time? So Jan 1/18, where are we? 19-ish? Just ballpark. Is it the first year?

Megan Molten:
Still 2018.

John Perchik:
Wow. So a lot was happening in 2018.

Megan Molten:
A lot was happening.

John Perchik:
You're going through the classic growing pains of a business that has more demand than it knows what to do with. The challenge was growing the business and figuring out at what moments to bring on somebody and to have other infrastructure, office, another person, et cetera. Those are your biggest challenges.

Megan Molten:
Yes. And so, I met my husband in March of 2018. That's another thing.

John Perchik:
Wow. Three months? That's a big year. 2018 was a big year.

Megan Molten:
Yeah. That's another thing. I was in my 30s. All my friends are married. They're starting to have babies. I feel like once you figure out your place in life, when you're doing what you're meant to be doing and you're happy and you're thriving, it's like things just start falling into place. And so, he was instrumental at that time because he saw us all working around my dining room table. We're crammed in there.

John Perchik:
So he's like, "Wait a second, there's not a seat for me."

Megan Molten:
Yeah.

John Perchik:
"Where's my seat?"

Megan Molten:
And so he found us because he was in real estate. He found us this little office and it had just a little tiny conference room. And then it had a big storage room in the back. And he's like, "Megan, I found the perfect space for y'all. It's perfect." And I went and looked at it and I'm like, "This isn't exactly what I had in mind. I was expecting some beautiful space and this wasn't really that." But he's like, "No, no, no, no. Trust me, you're going to need this space back here." So in May of 2018, we launched our shop online and we had mostly accessories, artwork, rugs, pillows, lamps, smaller items. And people were buying them. We, again, didn't know what we were doing, made a Shopify site, put our favorite stuff on there that I had in my storage unit and people started buying it. So Ellie would run to the UPS store, box it up, ship it out. We were clueless.

John Perchik:
Within six months, you started a business, you meet your future husband, you have an office space, you have your design business has more demand than you can accommodate, and you have now a shop.

Megan Molten:
Yes.

John Perchik:
All within six months?

Megan Molten:
All within six months. We launched our e-commerce shop. People start ordering stuff. Again, Ellie's like, "Man, what are we going to do? I'm running the UPS store every day, like shipping this stuff out. We don't know what we're doing." I'm like, "I know. I think we need a shop person, like a shop manager, shop sales, something." Every single time we did something, I took a risk. I took a huge risk with the shop and hiring this e-commerce manager, but I believed in the shop. I knew we could do it. And I knew if I had someone who was way better at it than me, that we could be successful. And so she came on in June and that's when my husband found this space. I said, "I don't get it." But he's like, "No, no, trust me. You can put all your shop stuff in back in this warehouse. Y'all can ship it out of there. It makes so much sense. It's cheap." And so I'm like, "All right, let's do it."
So we painted everything pink, made it as cute as we possibly could. My husband went to Lowe's and just got these racks and put all of our shop accessories on these racks. And we had a little shipping station. He set up a computer and we printed our labels and shipped stuff out. And probably in the fall of 2018, locals started messaging us on Instagram, "Hey, I love that vase or I love that bowl or that piece of art, but I'd really love to see it in person. Can I just come by?" And so we were like, "Sure, yeah, come by." Well, before we knew it, people are coming by all the time and we're trying to work on design projects, but we have all these people coming by wanting to look at stuff.
So again, it clicks. It's like, wait, we have an online shop. We don't have a brick and mortar shop. I need stocking dealer accounts with all these vendors because my design business is growing, but they want me to have a brick and mortar store to do that. I'm like, wait, so let's have a brick and mortar store.

John Perchik:
You, in that moment, just made that decision to become omnichannel from having been pure eCommerce at that point.

Megan Molten:
Yes.

John Perchik:
And again, somehow you were striking a nerve with people. Your designs and your selections in terms of merchandising was speaking to lots of people.

Megan Molten:
Yes. And that's a good point that I forgot to mention when I started designing my home. I had this design style, this aesthetic that was just naturally like I was just doing what I loved. And it's this light, bright, modern, coastal, airy style. It's very Charleston. And at that time, that's when Serena and Lily really started blowing up and that style was really popular. But what clicked with that is that I realized how many people loved it and how important it was that I had a very clear, distinct design style and brand with my business. So we really honed in on that and we still do.

John Perchik:
Well, and let's shift to that because it is distinct. And what I'm starting to appreciate, the more I get to know great designers is it all starts with a true to yourself authenticity because if it's not, I think it won't consistently speak to people.

Megan Molten:
That is the key word. It's being your true, authentic self in everything that you do. And so, that's always like a piece of advice I give someone who wants to start a design business. Is like really figure out your aesthetic, your niche, right? And just hone in on that. I literally eat, sleep, breathe it in every single thing I do and how I dress, everything. It's just me.

John Perchik:
It's just you expressing yourself.

Megan Molten:
Yeah.

John Perchik:
The words you used so perfectly describe it and use the words of like make you feel like you're floating and airy and like fresh, crisp breath of air.

Megan Molten:
Yes.

John Perchik:
I just love those words because they're not physical, yet they express, they give you a physical sense of the soft colors you use and a lot of white and a lot of light give that sense.

Megan Molten:
And that's why our clients now come to us. They see this work, they like the way it makes them feel, they want that feeling. But even with that, we have to click, as I call it?

John Perchik:
Sure, right?

Megan Molten:
It is such a relationship and it's taken me a long time to figure that out. The relationship portion of this whole thing is like 80% of it, and then the pretty design stuff is like 20%.

John Perchik:
Megan's design process becomes the backbone of it all, how she listens, collaborates, and brings each client's story to life. I learned from my grandfather a long time ago that if my gums are moving, I'm not learning. And what he was really saying was listening and learning are synonymous. One of Megan's amazing powers is active listening. Megan is able to ultimately be a better partner to her customers, to her clients. She can collaborate and engage with them in a way that is uniquely meaningful.

Megan Molten:
So when we get an inquiry form, my design assistant interacts with them usually through a phone call or email, series of emails, really trying to understand their project. And just from what she knows about the client and the project and location and what they're looking for, if we might be a good fit. And I can tell within five minutes if this is a good fit or not. These projects are 18 months to two years that we're with these people. And so, we've become like friends, like family and most of my clients, I'd want to hang out with them. I'd want to go to dinner with them. It has to be that kind of relationship. And if that's not there, it's just not going to work.

John Perchik:
What I'm so appreciating about the world you've created is back to authentic. It's like manifest destiny because you're connecting with your clients in a certain way, you're getting to not handpick your clients, but in a sense, you're creating a world that fits with you. And again, that's like authenticity off the charts.

Megan Molten:
It really is. And I feel very fortunate that I'm at a place to be able to do that. It took me a long time.

John Perchik:
I think we all hope someday to earn the acquisition where we can be highly selective of who our clients and where our customers are. And that's exactly where Megan has taken herself. And because she has done so, she has the ability to create better outcomes because ultimately, the people she's selecting, they're self-selected. They're people she feels an energy with, she feels a connection with. And because of the synergy and mutual understanding, she's able to achieve great outcomes for these people.

Megan Molten:
You have to put in the work to get there, but I really had an aha moment with a client this year. I literally got my dream job and they are dream clients. It really put everything into perspective for me and made me realize like this, this is what I've worked so hard for and this is what I want to do.

John Perchik:
So can you share what that dream job is that you just told us about?

Megan Molten:
Yeah. So it's actually a home renovation in the Bahamas. The home is every single detail of it is so special and so unique and they are just a dream to work with. He is a very successful business owner. He has a family business that's been in his family for 100 years and he just gets it. He gets the value that we bring to the table and we're working very closely with his architect, with his builders, and it's just on this like next level. It's a next level project, unlike any project I've ever done before. And it's a dream. It's truly a dream. And it just was like, this is what I want to do, this.

John Perchik:
So looking ahead then, taking that dream job because of the relationship, because of how you're valued.

Megan Molten:
Yes.

John Perchik:
What does that mean for your business going ahead? How does it change how you think about your future clients?

Megan Molten:
Well, now that I've had this amazing clients and project, it does, it changes my perspective. So now when I speak to new potential projects or clients, it's now easier for me to say no.

John Perchik:
I see.

Megan Molten:
Because now, I get it. This is what I worked for. This is what I want. And it's almost like Lori Paranjapey is a designer who I adore and she said, "When I talk to clients now, it's almost like I'm talking them out of working with me," right? Interesting. She's like, "I'm telling them all the bad stuff." What is the saying like under promise and over-

John Perchik:
Under promise and over deliver.

Megan Molten:
Under promise over deliver, right? It's like, get all that stuff out out there in the open. She's like, "I'm telling them all the bad stuff, the stuff that can go wrong."

John Perchik:
We're just getting it out of the way on the front end.

Megan Molten:
Yeah. Like, "Yeah, I'm expensive. Yeah, this costs a lot of money. Yes, you're going to go over your budget. Yes, this is going to take longer than you want." All the things. And I just love how she does it. It's so authentic, but you know what? She's like, "I'm doing the projects that I want to do."

John Perchik:
Right. I love that. There's this Maslow's need hierarchy at the very bottom is you need food and air to live and you can only get to the next level if the first level is satisfied. And the highest level on the pyramid is self-actualization. And the very top is what you're talking about where you're at a place now where you have these other pieces that now give you the... It doesn't mean you get there. It just means you have the chance to get there. But now, through this one project, it's made you have a different awareness of what it is that you really, really, really want to become really.

Megan Molten:
Yes, exactly.

John Perchik:
That's amazing. Something I found really, I really appreciate it in looking at your background a little bit. I used to like to land on a future looking perspective like that. But the Mod Pod and you, and there's a part of it, I made up a name for it, so this is my not necessarily yours, but it's like Hugh's Trinkets.

Megan Molten:
Oh my gosh.

John Perchik:
So tell folks what the Mod Pod refers to, how it differs from your normal design, not approach, but manifestation, and what are Hugh's Trinkets?

Megan Molten:
So funny that we're talking about this. Hugh's going to love this. So the Mod Pod, Hugh and I bought our first home together right when we got married. We got married in May, we bought our home in June. The home went on the market. We were looking for this very particular style home. We wanted a more modern home. We knew that, but it doesn't really exist in the area where we live in Charleston. So this home goes on the market that morning, we literally, that afternoon put in a full price offer. We knew this was our house. We knew. It was an '80s, very angular house that had not been touched. Popcorn ceilings, blue bathroom, carpet, you name it, not touched by the ladies since she bought it. Perfect.
And I remember posting the video like, "We bought a house, the Mod Pod coming soon." And all my friends were kind of like, "We don't get it. What is this house?" Because it was so ugly. It was bad. But no one saw the potential but Hugh and I. We saw it.

John Perchik:
It's perfect.

Megan Molten:
We had a vision and we renovated it together. We did all the work ourselves. We hired all the subs ourselves and we created the Mod Pod. And it's very much a combination of Hugh's style and my style.

John Perchik:
Because it's not just your style. It is a little bit different.

Megan Molten:
Oh, yeah. Like I said, I love the white, bright, airy, coastal modern. Hugh likes collected. He likes very primary colors, like red, blue, green, orange, very primary. He loves collecting things. Like you said, his trinkets, it gives me a lot of anxiety. I don't like a lot of stuff or clutter and he couldn't have enough.

John Perchik:
And the trinkets speak to, when you would travel, bring something back.

Megan Molten:
Which now I really do appreciate. Every time we go somewhere, we do end up at an antique store and pick something up really cool.

John Perchik:
We do a lot of that, my wife and I too.

Megan Molten:
Yeah. It's honestly had to grow on me. We've created our own home style together and it's very unique. And everyone says, "Your home is so not what I would expect." Honestly, I've had a lot of design clients come to me and say, "That's my favorite project you've ever done." I love it so much.

John Perchik:
I love the aspect about the relationship aspect of it. That's my takeaway. Maybe it sounds corny, but I like that about it. It takes the physical and makes it something more and it's just something neat. And again, his trinkets are that nostalgic thing, but also, it'd be so easy for you as a designer to just say, "I'm the designer. I'm the expert. We're doing it this way."

Megan Molten:
Yeah.

John Perchik:
And instead, to commit to the relationship where you're doing this 50/50.

Megan Molten:
Yeah, it's 50/50 and it's very cool.

John Perchik:
Well, that's awesome. Well, Megan Molten, I'm so grateful to have the time with you.

Megan Molten:
Yeah.

John Perchik:
The time has just passed.

Megan Molten:
It was so fun.

John Perchik:
I really enjoyed it. I love your perspective. I love your design work.

Megan Molten:
Thank you. Thank you.

John Perchik:
And I love your stories about how you became who you are. So thank you so much for being here today.

Megan Molten:
Thank you for having me. It was so fun chatting.

John Perchik:
Megan followed her instincts. That's really the story here. She trusted what felt right and built something remarkable because of it. Even when the path isn't clear, you have to trust your gut. Surround yourself with people who see what you see, who believe because you do, because building something beautiful, a home, a business, a life, always starts with one bold decision, to begin. Megan's still building. She's still evolving. Her spaces, her business, and her purpose continue to grow, reflecting who she is today and who she's becoming along the way.
Thanks for listening to this episode of The Market Makers. I'm John Perchik. If you've enjoyed today's conversation, follow along and join us each week for more stories of transformation from the people shaping how we live, work and gather. Because behind every beautiful space, every thriving business, there's someone brave enough to begin the process.