Melissa Elbers on Starting Over: The Real Challenges of Growing a Design Studio in a New Country

Starting over is never easy. Especially when you are not just moving your life, but your business, your network, your materials, and your way of working. For Melissa Elbers, founder of Nimbus Design Shop, expanding her studio from Peru to the United States has been one of the most rewarding, and demanding, chapters in her career.

Melissa’s background is rooted in architecture. She studied in Lima and started working in the field while still in school. But her curiosity led her beyond building design. She discovered a passion for handmade ceramics, and soon she began merging architecture with object-making, creating intentional pieces that live somewhere between function and art.

When she moved to the U.S., she did not just pack her tools and start again. She had to learn how things worked in a completely different system.

Starting Fresh, Without Starting Over

One of the biggest opportunities she found in the U.S. was access to materials, tools, and collaborators. The larger scale of the design and construction industry gave her room to explore techniques she had not used before and connect with specialized vendors. This opened up more flexibility and creative possibilities in her work.

But that freedom came with a learning curve. In Peru, she had built a reliable network of vendors, contractors, and systems. In the U.S., everything had to be rebuilt, from scratch. She had to understand local permitting, and new building standards, and figure out where to source the right materials.

Transitions like these can easily stall momentum. But instead of rushing to recreate her old processes, Melissa slowed down, listened, and adapted. She started small, tested new partnerships, and learned how to navigate unfamiliar systems, all while staying rooted in her design values.

Finding the Balance Between Structure and Flexibility

Melissa’s approach to design has always been thoughtful and structured, but moving her studio to the U.S. showed her the importance of staying flexible too. The environment here brought different expectations, workflows, and even ways of communicating on projects.

Rather than fight it, she leaned in. She used the shift as a way to sharpen her systems, improve how she collaborates, and expand the scope of what her studio could do.

What remained constant was her focus on design with intention. Whether it's a lamp or a living space, everything Melissa creates is built to last, not just physically, but emotionally. Her pieces are quiet but bold, functional yet full of character. That clarity in her work made it easier to stay grounded, even when everything around her was in change.

Lessons That Stick

What Melissa learned through this transition was not just about business, it was about resilience. She discovered that growth does not have to mean going bigger. Sometimes it means going deeper, into your process, your values, and the way you lead.

She also learned the value of community. Finding the right collaborators in a new country took time, but once she found them, they became key to her studio’s success.

Takeaway: Growth is a Process, Not a Destination

Melissa’s story is not about a sudden leap to success. It’s about the slow, steady work of rebuilding, adjusting, and staying true to your core while learning something new. For anyone growing a business, especially across borders, it’s a reminder that challenges are part of the path.

The key is not avoiding those challenges. It’s how you meet them, with patience, clarity, and a willingness to learn. Growth does not always look like a breakthrough. Sometimes, it looks like starting over, just a little smarter than the time before.