Home Stagers and Designers on Fire

In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I interview Michelle Minch of Moving Mountains Designs in LA.  You will learn: What it takes to be a million dollar stager What prompted Michelle to stop renting furniture and own her own inventory instead How owning her own inventory impacted Michelle's business model and profitability What numbers to look at to make sure you are being profitable The 3 types of potential staging clients and the 1 type Michelle spends most of her marketing dollars on Why competing with low priced srtagers is a "race to the bottom"

In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire, I talk with Ellen Mann of Chrysalis Creative Home Staging. Ellen left a lucrative 30 year job in corporate to pursue a Home Staging Business. You will learn: how Ellen handled the emotional challenges of being laid off and building a staging company from scratch what Ellen told herself at the beginning of her staging business in order to "keep her head in the game" what commitment Ellen made every day in order to move her business forward how Ellen built her Social Media strategy in order to enlist her Ideal Clients 2 things Ellen took from corporate that helped her in her staging business how to network and build community in order to win referral business what advice Ellen would give to a new Home Stager

In this podcast episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I am sharing tons of information from the RESACON Convcention in Vegas., I have attended many conventions since starting my staging business in 2005 and I always come home with a different way of looking at things, great business tips and lots of wonderful memories. This year was no exception!  In this episode you will learn: how to fill your client pipellne with quality customers "go to" trade and retail sources what biophilic and fractal design is how to easily add design to your menu what data you should know for marketing and profitability how to pack your truck for a stage in order to save time favorite software programs and so much more!

In this podcast episode I interview Steve Denny, a partner at Innovative Business Advisors and coauthor of the book You Don't Know What You Don't Know.  This book details the steps you need to take to build a successful staging company that will net top dollar when you go to sell. In this episode you will learn: how to get top dollar for your Home Staging Business what business advisors look for when deciding on the value of a staging company the difference between a Buyer who wants to own a job and one who wants to own a company what "owner freedom" means and how it impacts the value of your company 3 different "Buyer personas" and which is easier to sell to and finance why financing a Staging company may be easier than you think what 2 numbers you should be looking at every day how SCORE can help you with your business what Steve does as a Business Advisor for staging companies and how he is compensated

What does success mean to you? Are you looking to build a 7 figure business with a team? Or are you happy keeping things small and simple and making enough money to travel and do the things that tug at your heart? Success means different things to different people and it is so important that you create your business and life on your terms, not by what others are doing. In this episode I explore what success is and how you can create your vision of success-your way. I also give you some "straight talk" on what it takes to build a successful Home Staging Company.

In this podcast episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire, I interview Heather Cook of the Social Stager. We discuss the benefits of using Pinterest as a marketing strategy. You will learn: What is really hot right now on Pinterest Why Pinterest is not like Social Media  What types of content you should be posting on Pinterest How to drive traffic to your lead magnet How Heather schedules pins How often you should be posting on Pinterest How to make sure that local Real Estate Agents can find you on Pinterest How to optimize your profile for SEO

In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I interview Lani Savvidis of Brightspot Bookkeeping.  You will learn: Common tax deductions that Home Stagers often overlook What financial data to look at in order to make better business decisions How to handle fluctuating and seasonal business When you should think about going from an LLC to an SCorp (check with your CPA) What a BOI is and who has to file this The difference between Independent Contractors and Employees and why it is important to check with your CPA on this Who should be getting W9's

In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire, I talk with Rebecca Ward, Interior Designer and mentor. You will learn: The big "aha" that Rebecca learned about making money in the Interior Design business How Rebecca offers different services for different budgets Rebecca's thoughts on charging a flat fee vs. hourly What Rebecca would recommend to those starting an Interior Design Business Current Design trends in flooring, kitchens, walls,metals, colors, etc. Rebecca's favorite software for running her business How Rebecca "sifts out" clients Why understanding data in your business is important

In this podcast episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire, I talk about how I might 10x my efforts in order to win more business from Real Estate Agents. You will learn: why posting on Social Media is not the quickest and most effective way to win the business of Real Estate Agents 11 ways that I would reach out to Real Estate Agents and my #1 most needle moving way how you can join my FREE (limited time) masterclass -The Key to Winning Consistent Agent Referrals

In this episode I interview Kristyn Perriera of Reforma Interiors. Krysten began her career as a Home Stager in a family owned business. When she decided to go out on her own, she was drwan to "wellness design" and has built her design company by creating spaces that are an oasis for her clients. In this episode you will learn: What wellness design is and how it impacts Kristyn's clients What biophilic design is  How Kristyn transitioned from a career in Home Staging in order to build her Design business Where Krisyn has found her clients and why Real Estate Agents are a great source of referral business How to NOT network (and what to do instead) Kristyn and I also get very transparent and  personal about how we have transformed our homes after dealing with life challenges. and the impact that our environmen thas on our well being.

In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I break down the settlement that the National Association of Realtors has recently agreed to. You will learn: how this may or may not impact the Staging Industry why I believe that home prices will not be effected why positioning and messaging is even more important to win the business of Real Estate Agents how top Real Estate Agents set themselves apart (and why this may be to your advantage) how I coach my clients in order to position their servicesas a "value add" to Agents

As a new Home Stager it can be overwhelming to decide what to focus on when growing your business. And it can get easy to get caught up doing things that can wait and not doing enough of the things that get business in the door. Let's face it.... we all want to do things that feel comfortable and shy away from things that get us outside of our comfort zone. The truth is....without getting business in the door ,you won't have a business and I want you to succeed. In this episode I talk about the ten mistakes I see new Home Stagers make when growing their business and what to do instead. You will learn: When you should (or shouldn't) invest in inventory Why getting certified is not enough to gain traction building your business Why it is important to try different business models when building your business The strategies and mindset issues that make it challenging for Home Stagers to reach out to Real Estate Agents (and effectively win their business) The fastest way to get money in the door What some new Stagers do instead of the "needle moving activities" that will propel their business forward What systems to focus on when building your business What to do if you are stuck on creating your website Three compelling questions to ask yourself and journal on in order to grow

Have you ever wondered how AI might help improve your design skills, work more effectively, work remotely, leverage your time or streamline your processes? Have you heard about Chat GPT but aren't really sure about ways that you could incorporate it into your business? If this is you, you're going to be blown away by the insight my guest, Jenna Gaidusk provides in this episode.  You will learn: Jenna's "go to" AI tools and how she uses them The difference between the paid and free version of Chat GPT What tools Jenna uses to print custom designs How you can do remote model homes virtually How Jenna sees the future of AI and the Interior Design Business And so much more!!!

Have you ever wondered what the most common struggles of new Home Stagers are? Or seasoned Stagers? Are you curious about how the Home Staging business has evolved and what is in the cards for the future? Join Shell Brodnax and I as we discuss all of this as well as: Shell's top strategies for hiring team members The difference between data driven decisions and gut instinct How RESA is educating the public about the benefits of Home Staging How the Staging business has evolved in the last 20 years How to compete with low priced Staging companies And much more!

Have you ever wondered where the best place to spend your time is when it comes to marketing your business? In this episode I talk with Heather Cook of Social Stager, about why email marketing is her #1 strategy to grow your business.  You will learn: How to strategically build an email list of Ideal Clients Why segmentation is where the money is How to personalize your emails What the industry standard is for open rates and how to optimize your open rates How to create compelling subject lines Why you should cleanse your emil list How often you should send out emails

If you are confused about where to put your marketing efforts for optimal results, you'll love this podcast episode. I interview Heather Cook of the Social Stager and she talks about her top 10 marketing strategies. You'll also learn: Free resources to market your business online Heather and Marianne's favorite email CRM platform Heather's #1 tip for finding out what content will resonate with your Ideal Clients Marianne's tip for creating compelling subject lines and get a higher open rate for emails

Have you ever gotten stuck writing content for emails, your website, blog or social media posts? Or maybe you don't send out emails to your Ideal Clients or market your business on social media because you don't have the time. If this is you, you'll want to tune into this episode. You'll learn: Different ways to use Chat GPT in your business so that you leverage your time Pros and cons of using Chat GPT Why the prompts you give Chat GPT are so important Why it is important to tweak the results you get from Chat GPT How to use Chat GPT to streamline content creation

In this podcast episode I discuss how to start a business and life plan for 2024 and why it is so important to reflect on 2023. It gets personal and transparent as I reflect on what gave me purpose, what I did better in 2023 and what I will do moving forward into 2024. You'll learn: Compelling questions to ask yourself when planning for 2024 What I did differently the year I doubled my income in my Home Staging Business Why it is important not to have too many big goals Why a sense of purpose is like jet fuel for your life and business Why it is so important to focus on your 2023 wins How we might work together to build a life and business that excites you

In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire, I speak with Samantha Brown, Pro Organizer Coach. You will learn: Different ways you can work with organizers What a "decluttering specialist" does that sets her apart Why Samantha trained as a life coach in order to serve her clients better What is different about working with "disorganized people" Where most of Samantha's business comes from and Samantha's tips for SEO Why setting up client expectations is so important How Stagers and Organizers might work together or refer each other

Home Stager- have you ever thought about offering a "menu of services" to your business model but you weren't sure how? Do you wonder if you can sell services that are aligned with your innate talents? In this podcast episode I interview Julea Joseph and we discuss how she built a thriving Chicago business by offering a progressive menu of services. You will learn: How Julea has curated a menu of services that fills her pipeline while only doing the types of jobs she loves How public speaking has helped Julea build her business Why a well thought out business plan and understanding your Ideal Client is so important Why Julea shifted her business model when she moved from San Francisco to Chicago How Julea began her business by working 4-5 hours a day and how her business grew as her children did How Julea has created a referral based business without going to large networking events