Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast 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

In this episode I talk with Heather Cook of Social Stager about the importance of creating a brand that sets you apart.

You will learn:

• Why a mission statement is foundational and serves as a litmus test for your brand
• How to dig into the details of your Ideal Client so that your brand message is on point
• Heather's process for choosing brand colors and how color psychology impacts the way your business will be perceived
• How to bring out your personaility with your brand while appealing to your Ideal Clients
• How to determine your business's core values and why that is an integral part of your brand
• What high level brand messaging is
• Ways to convey what sets your company apart in order to stand out in a noisy online world
• How content pillars help you create effective and strategic content

In this episode I talk about the struggle that many Home Stagers have when they feel as though they are losing jobs because of price and what to do instead. 

You will learn:

• How to prequalify online leads so that you make sure they are "real players" before wasting time on a preview
• How to easily calculate what you are making on each job so that you base your prices on profitablility
• Why you shouldn't worry about losing some cold leads
• The questions you should be asking yourself when you don't win the job based on price
• Mindset shifts to help you handle "price shoppers"
• Why you should know what your "going out the door price" is
• Why diversifying your business is important
• The most effective way to gain "warm leads" to gain business

In this episode I interview Heather Cooke. Heather's marketing firm, The Social Stager, caters to Home Stagers to help them simplify their Social Media marketing so that they boost their engagement online and get more sales. 

You will learn:

• what to do on Instagram if you are brand new
• the strategy behind posting reels, stories or posts
• how to gain a following of potential Ideal Clients
• why Heather loves Instagram stories
• what to do if you have more than 1 ideal client
• how to build brand awareness
• when and how to post about your personal life
• what the algirithm currently favors
• the importance of captions and how to use them effectively

Join Heather and I as we discuss how to create an effective instagram strategy.

In this episode I interview Danielle Hayden , CEO of Kickstart Accounting, Inc. where she helps business owners with book keeping, financial analysis and education.

You will learn:

• How our money "stories" impact our financial decisions
• The 4 money type personalities
• The importance of looking at the story the numbers are telling you when making business decisions
• How the power of 1% helps you to take small strategic steps in order to grow your business
• What to do if you are not being profitable
• The simple practice you can implement immediately to identify your money stories
• How forgiveness helped Danielle shift her mindset so that she felt empowered to invest in her business

In my latest  podcast episode I talk with David Neagle. David is a speaker, best selling author and founder of the multi million dollar glocal consulting company, Life is Now, Inc. David also hosts the podcast The Successful Mind.

In this episode you will learn:

• how your subconscious beliefs and values impact the results you get
• why affirmations don't work and what to do instead 
• what beliefs and values repel money and which ones attract money
• why David believes that everything you go through in your life and business is "for your own good"
• the number 1 area of growth that most people find difficult to handle
• how entrepreneurs think differently about investing in personal and professional growth   
• why you must grow as a person in order to grow your business 

In this episode I interview Joke Durojaiye of Genesis Home Staging. Prior to launching Genesis Joke was a licensed Real Estate Broker. Jokes's work ethic was formed in her early years, growing up in Lagos, Nigeria where she was surrounded by inspiration and an expectation of excellence.

You will learn:

• How Joke made six figures the first year in business
• What prompted Joke to take time off when her business was thriving
• How Joke won the business of Real Estate Agents
• How being in the Real Estate business helped Joke market her staging business
• How to use email marketing effectively and what metrics to follow
• A compelling question to ask yourself if your email marketing isn't working
• How Joke sets up expectations for her clients and team members
• Why you shouldn't cut back on marketing in any economy

In this podcast episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I interview one of my coaching clients, Andrea Bryant. Andrea went from a 20 year career in teaching to flipping houses to running a successful Home Staging Company in Tampa, Florida.

In this episode you will learn:

• How Andrea wins business from Investors and how she landed a big Florida Investor who was resistant to staging
• The mindset shift Andrea used to raise her prices in order to be more profitable
• What Andrea has done differently since we worked together
• What systems Andrea is putting into place as her business grows
• How Andrea carves out time to work on her business
• and much more......

In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I speak with my Yoga teacher, Donna Morin. Donna is a 500 hour certified Yoga instructor trained in the Tantra lineage. She also holds additional certifications in meditation instruction and somatic therapeutic techniques

You will learn:

• the physical, emotional and spiritual benefits of yoga
• How yoga helps you release tension in your body and create abundant energy
• How yoga helps you become more intentional in your focus, decision making and actions
• What somatic therapy is and how it helps you become aware of certain behavioral patterns
• Why resisting your feelings in life and in business causes them to become bigger
• How yoga helps you to stay present and release difficult emotions that keep you stuck
• What to look for in  yoga clas

In this episode I talk with Ashley Rapp of Hello Staging and Organizing. Ashley discusses how offering both Staging and Organizing services has helped her business grow.

You will learn:

• What types of questions Ashley asks on her intake form
• How being a member of the Key Guild has helped serve her clients better
• The software tool Ashley uses that helps her business exponentially
• Where most of Ashley's Staging and Organizing business comes from
• Resources that Ashley recommends to her clients for "re homing" their items
• How Ashley handles clients who are having a tough time letting go of their items

In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I discuss my thoughts and strategies for marketing your Home Staging or Interior Design Business.

You will learn:

• How to stand out in a noisy online market
• How Social Media typically warms people up online but it is not typically where you make the sale
• Why building an email list is important
• Why it is easier to "sell" your services to someone who has been following you online
• What I'm doing with my Instagram experiment and what I notice is working best
• Why knowing your marketing metrics is so important and what metrics to follow
• Questions you should ask yourself when creating marketing copy

In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire,  I discuss why inner game alignment is foundational for success.  As you grow your business, you grow as a person.

You will learn:

• Why taking action is great but it is not enough for you to get the best results
• Examples of how your mindset can sabotage your success or empower you to reach your goals
• How to handle your emotions in business
• How and when to set business boundaries
• How to look at things through a business lens so that you don't take things personally
• How certain habits have enriched my life and business
• Why dedicating time to work "on" your business is so important
• What types of business building activities you should devote time to

In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I discuss how I built my staging business by doing consultations for Real Estate Agents. After 18 years in the staging business I still love doing consultations!

You will learn:

• How I get great results with my staging consultations and enlist Sellers to do more than they might have in order to prepare their home for sale
• How consultations have led to all kinds of staging and design jobs through the years
• How I prepare Sellers to keep an open mind
• How I handle Sellers who are angry, defensive, talk too much or don't want to do anything I recommend
•  Why it is important not to "push" Sellers into doing things they really don't want to do and what to do instead
• My thoughts on whether or not to follow up with a report 

In this 100th episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire, I reflect on both the good and bad in life and business. I  share what personal development looks like to me and how it creates success from the inside/out.  I also share how I have made choices that keep me moving forward in spite of how I might feel. And I  talk about how I am intentionally living "full out" in order to create a life and business that is bigger than my grief (most of the time)..... This episode is for you if you are struggling in your oersonal life while growing your business.

Want to make sure that you are being profitable in your Interior Design Business? In this episode I interview Nancy Ganzekaufer. Nancy is a sought after Interior Design Coach, Certified Body Language Training Specialist, Keynote Speaker and Author.

We discuss The Key a tool that Nancy created to help Designers look at each job from a measurable profitability point of view. 

You will learn:

• The #1 thing Designers struggle with when pricing their services
• How The Key helps Designers price their jobs for different business models
• Nancy's thoughts on charging hourly vs, flat fee
• How The Key helps Designers confidentally price their jobs for profitability

Bonuses to The Key include:

• Project Scope Planner-Helps you think through every aspect of your project so that you include each and every detail
• Good , Better, Best Guide-A pricing guide to help you set expectations for your clients on the appropriate investment amounts (aka budgets) for each room
• Client proposal templates-Four fully customizable Canva proposal templates that align perfectly with The Key

I am a proud affiliate of The Key!

In this episode I talk about how I have gotten over 95% of my Staging business from Real Estate Agent referrals.

You will learn:

• Why Real Estate Agents are in incredible source of repeat business
• How getting business from Real Estate Agents leverages your time
• How I started my business by having Agents pay for my consultations and how it led to all kinds of staging and design jobs
• The reasons many Stagers think they aren't getting business from Agents (and the real reasons they aren't)
• How to articulate your value to Real Estate Agents in a way that sets you apart
• How to determine who your Ideal Real Estate Agent clients are
• How to gain loyalty from Real Estate Agents
• Why it's important to let Agents know all the ways you can help them
• How we might work together to get a steady stream of business from Real Estate Agents

In this episode I interview Heather Cook, a multi award winning Home Stager with over a decade of experience in building and running one of the most successful Home Staging companies in Canada. Today, Heather runs a marketing firm to help stagers simplify social media marketing, boost engagement and win more sales.

In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I interview Robin DeCapua, owner of the LA based Home Staging Company Madison Modern Home.

You will learn:

• how Robin integrated her marketing, PR and visual experience into building her staging businmess
• how Robin has structured her family team so that each of their talents are optimized
• how Robin makes sure that her company is staying profitable
• what Robin thinks about being competitive
• how Robin is thinking of diversifying her income
• how Robin developed her signature style and how she adapts it to the trends and location of the property
• why getting press recognition helps seo
• how Robin has used her PR background to land great press in media outlets

In this episode I interview Dawn Drew, a successful Home Stager, Designer, House Flipper and Real Estate Agent. Dawn will soon be releasing her first book Joy and Ease: Are You Ready to Change Your Life.  We discuss:

•  what it means to be in alignment with your core values and how this impacts business
• how the business you build reflects who you are
• how Dawn's core values have impacted her pricing, marketing, messaging, etc. in her business
• how to determine the "highest and best" use of your time
• how Dawn prices jobs based on value instead of competing on price
• why solid contracts are important, especially for "people pleasers"
• how "self respecting conversations" prevent problems
• how Dawn helped her Real Estate Agents build their brand on her stagings

In this episode I talk with Shanice Miller- a business productivity consultant. You will learn:

• what a business productivityconsultant does
• how a business productivity consultant helps you grow and scale your business
• why systems and processes are so important in hiring, training, selling, marketing and client delivery
• how a business productivity consultant can help you leverage your marketing with metrics
• ideas for automating sales
• how Shanice helps you identify operational deficiencies in order to leverage your time and streamline your processes
• how to make more money when selling your business (with solid systems and processes)

In this episode I interview Donel Beals about how her business has evolved from being a visual merchandiser to a sought after Home Stager and Interior Designer on Cape Cod. Donel talks about how she has built her business her way while honoring her life's top priorities- her 2 sons and husband.

In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I interview Monica Murphy of Preferred Staging LLC.  You will learn what it is like to build a dedicated team of talented Home Stagers who help you win business, collaborate with each other on jobs and honor your company culture. 

In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I talk with Jodie Evans of Envision Staging and Design about what is involved with designing model apartments. You will learn:

• how Jodie won the business from Property Managers and Regional Managers
• different services you can offer for model apartments
• how Jodie determines pricing
• Jodie's advice for Home Stagers and Designers who would like to add model apartments to their business model
• the software Jodie uses for design boards and how she uses them as part of her process

In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I interview Jennifer Mello, Broker Owner and top producing Real Estate Agent. You will learn:

• What Jennifer would say to Broker/ Owners when reaching out to them (if she were a Stager)
• Clear ways that you can add value to Real Estate Agents that win them over
• Why Real Estate Agents need you to be specific and obvious about the services you provide
• The #1 thing to do before you make a sales (service) call
• How to use Social Media to gain attention from select Agents or Brokers
• How Agents may decide to pay for staging (or not)
• Why follow up and consistency is so important, especially with Real Estate Agents, and when to stop following up

In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I talk about what it means to be fulfilled in your life and business. A fulfilled life is sometimes described as being perfectly alive, filled with purpose and satisfaction, involving vision and requiring intensive alignment with what you value most- a highly meaningful life. You will learn:

• why it is so important to choose a business model that fulfills you and optimal ways to create your business model by design
• why it is so important to make life and business decisions that are in alignment with wihat you value most
• the difference between conscious based decisions and fear based decisions
• why setting clear boundaries is so important in the pursuit of fulfillment
• How being in alignment with your core values attracts people to you

In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I interview Tracy Molendi. Tracy started her business as a Professional Organizer. She then added Staging Services, Design Work, Senior Downsizing, Estate Sales, and a Retail Store to her menu of services. Recently Tracy added Real Estate Sales to her offerings.Tracys willingness and ability to pivot based on the needs of her clients has been one of her secrets to creating a profitable business in Midwestern Ohio.

In this episode I talk with Debbe Daley about what it was like to work on a new build design project from exterior to interior.  Debbe shares the trials and tribulations of working on this oceanfront property and what it was like working with a project manager and subcontractors who were new to her. You will also learn about Debbe's just released book- Interior Motives-Designing a Career with Passion.

Are you a Home Stager who doesn't want to cold call Real Estate Agents in order to win business?

Do you dread doing open house "pop bys" but aren't sure how you can gain business without doing them?

If this is you, you are going to love this podcast episode. In this episode I interview Cathy Lee Cibelli of C.L. Designs in the Bay area of California. You will learn how she built her highly successful business by volunteering in her community. 

As a Home Stager and/or Interior Designer building a website can feel daunting. And to top it off, you "don't know what you don't know". In my latest podcast episode , web designer Judy Bigham talks about:

• why the back end of your website is so important
• what you need to know about security and privacy issues,
• backing up your site 
• google analytics
• why Judy favors wordpress
• and so much more!

In this episode I talk with Amy Powers about how to add Short Term Rentals to your Home Staging or Interior Design Business. You will learn the difference between staging a home for sale and presenting a home for guests. Amy also shares the software tools and resources that have helped her create a nationwide STR business and her #1 tip for those who are thinking of adding this to their menu of services.

In this episode I talk about one of my favorite subjects-mindset and 3 ways it effects your success. And I also talk about how your brain is wired and how important it is to understand this so that you can reframe your mindset in order to achieve your goals.