Requiem for a Home Stager ~ What went wrong?

Hi Maureen. Thanks for the excellent post and you've pinpointed many of the questions that I asked myself before getting into this business just a few months ago. I never thought of it as a "get-rich-quick" deal and I agree that most training companies don't paint a true picture of the business of home staging, but then until one has experienced first-hand the inner works of any business and without business training and experience how would you really know? I am personally taking it very slowly as I can see the start-up costs sky-rocketing if I don't pay attention to everything. I network with other stagers and seek a lot of help and support as I'm getting started.

I've had 3 people email and call me today alone about wanting to start a "career" in Home Staging.  And last week I had 2 ladies contact me that had taken courses and wanted to know what to do now.  After giving an example of the weekend I'd had pulling two all nighters, etc., they both were dismayed and said they hadn't thought of some of the areas where they may have to do physical work.  One admittedly said she couldn't be moving furniture, and I said, well, that's what you do, unless you hire someone to move it for you.  She seemed appalled. 

Locally our company has decided to open our inventory to select stagers (if you are in the greater Charleston area and reading this, shoot me an email for more info).  Hopefully this will help make more stagers in our area successful with quality merchandise and competitive prices while providing our company an additional revenue source.  (there are no good rental companies around here)

Thanks so much Maureen....now instead of spending some much of my time of the phone with inquires of new stagers who want to start a staging business in Raleigh and how I did it...I can just refer then to your blog, so they can see what it's really like!

What a great post Maureen!  Having only been staging for a little over 2 years, I fully understand why so many become disillusioned and give up.  Fortunately, I am also a realtor and have that income as well or else I would not have made it either.  Without another income or a healthy savings, many just cannot survive a new business.

I also think it's especially hard for "creative people" who may not also have a good business sense.  Not everyone has both, and whatever our weakness is, we need to find a way to overcome it.  My business partner is very organized and careful with money but I'm not.  I'm better at marketing than she is.  It's important either to learn the skills needed or team up with someone who adds that balance.  

I think people getting into any home business should realize, you have to market yourself and your company constantly.  Also they must be willing to take the ups and downs just like any business.  I am doing staging full time and new to having my own company.  I think you get out of it, what you put into it.  The more effort the better the pay off.  And I do think TV is misleading to new stagers.  Business plans are very important.

I will not give up!

Great post...

Yes your post was disheartening but it is ALL TRUE!  I totally agree with the following:

1.  Training companies all state this an inexpensive business to get into and this is NOT true.  I'm in my second year as well, and unfortunately due to the economy, business is down and therefore income is still not covering expenses.  Thank God for my severance pay last year and my savings this year.  Also, I have good furniture rental companies nearby so don't have to have my own furniture inventory.

2.  Yes you must have both a business AND a creative side.  I also recommend E-Myth Revisited book by Michael Gerber.

3.  Yes it is a lot of work - many hours, physical work.  Some of my friends can't understand why I say I'm busy even when I don't have staging jobs.  Well, that's because I'm spending most of my time marketing and promoting, attending networking events, and then squeezing in paperwork, paying bills, managing inventory etc.

4.  I too get lots of calls from wanna be stagers looking for employment and they all seem to think we staging companies have a staff of full time stagers.  I then tell them unless they are prepared to start their own business (after warning them about 1, 2 and 3 above), they probably won't be hired by anybody.  I have bookmarked this post and will send to them when they contact me.

Wow - this post has hit all the frustrations my partner and I have been dealing with over the past year and a half since we started our own business!

We are consistently getting busier and busier (a great thing) but it stresses us out especially  thinking about the possibility of having to hire part time help with some of our staging jobs. We have deliberately tried to limit our inventory to only accessories - we don't want the headaches of owning furniture, housing furniture, shipping furniture and moving it into houses. Unless we become super famous and rich (haha) this is not likely to ever happen. Sure I have dreams of a great warehouse with furniture we can pull off shelves and "stage" like in the show the Stagers but the reality is, we would never make a profit if we did that!

Every few days we are contacted by newbie stagers, wannabie stagers or stagers who want to be mentored. It seems that they are either considering becoming stagers and could we please advise them on a staging course or they want a job. One lady begged me on the phone to hire her, almost in tears and I had to very gently, but firmly, tell her no.

I hate all the media blitzing on home staging. It makes staging seem like some cute hobby and not the sometimes back breaking, sweaty, HARD work that it is. One recent student recently commented that she'd finished her course and now it was all about the fun! Don't get me wrong - I do think our job is fun - but I take it very seriously because its my business and not a hobby.

My partner and I often say we don't know how we would do it without each other. We are both incredibly different and handle different aspects of the business. Our vision however, is consistently, the same for our staging projects. Many people have expressed concern about splitting profits two ways however so far, what profits we have had have gone right back into our business. We have "renovated" our website and logo - costly but essential - and its paid off already! Could I have done this all on my own. Probably. Would I want to. Most definitely not! Its also nice when money worries happen we can cheer each other up - or do some shopping therapy together!

I hope we'll make it - we're working hard to make smart, business decisions which will help our business grow in steps which we can handle. Nothing is ever for sure, all you can ever do is give it your best shot!

This is great advice and good information to share, I am growing my business/invenotry per job and teaming up with an other stager on projects is a great way as well.

Had to revisit this, what a great idea to send to newbie stagers that call, I think I'm going to find some previous posts and maybe do a blog, and say here is the information you need!  Or, I'll just use your's and not dig any deeper since I'm still on vacation.  That within itself should tell a newbie the job never stops!

Maureen and Everyone,

Great, great comments and insight! This is a very rough industry, rough time of year, etc. Since I started Staging, two of my strongest competitors became agents and some other companies just disappeared (there are still a few out there, too). There is something to be said for staying power. In thinking about people who want to get into Staging and don't realize HOW MUCH WORK AND BUSINESS SENSE it takes to be successful, it reminds of the public perception of Interior Designers. Those that are successful in interior design work their butts off!!  It takes a lot more than picking out a color and a fabric and calling it a day. In life to be successful at anything it takes a lot of hard work and I don't know why so many people don't realize that about Staging before getting into it.