When you start a business, you are creating something that doesn’t exist. Even though you are likely entering an already established industry, your idea is something new. And for designer Daniela Michelle, manifesting ideas fuels her soul. As an entrepreneur, she believes starting a business is a great experience for everyone.
As a first generation American, Daniela adopted the “by all means necessary” approach to life she would need to become an entrepreneur. After college, her life became very fast-paced as she moved to Dallas with her fiance, Donovan Ruffin. They spent their time working, traveling, and networking, but above all, having fun. They created a YouTube series documenting all the luxuries and travels they experienced, and it wasn’t long before the Lifetime TV network approached them for their show Marrying Millions.
But Daniela has never been the type to sit still for long and she started to do some soul searching. As much as she appreciated helping Don with his business, she knew this was not what she was meant for. Daniela knew she loved real estate, and through her travels, she realized she was drawn to aesthetics and design. “I’ve always been inspired by the way things make you feel. I think a person truly is a product of their environment. To me, it is addicting to create something that didn’t previously exist,” says Daniela Michelle.
Daniela believes you gain power no matter if you win or lose when starting a business. She founded her design firm, Elevation Interiors, a couple of months after COVID started, making it difficult to network and build business. “One thing I relied on heavily was trusting my sense of design to get the job done but utilizing my sphere of influence and social media to be able to spread the word and also showcase my results… Overall I think you have to really want it because things don’t just come easily,” says Daniela Michelle.
As Daniela looks to the future, she is excited about motherhood, having given birth to her first child, and looks forward to her upcoming marriage to Don. She is continuing to showcase her designs on social media as she expands her design firm in the Dallas area.