"Microwave Thinking" was a phrase that was coined when many devices and food items were invented to make our lives easier. Everything from instant breakfast to instant soup, instant dinners we could zap in our microwaves. With the internet - now we have instant access to everything. We have become a society where waiting for results is the exception - and one we don't enjoy. Who likes waiting weeks for doctor's test results or for plants to grow? We want what we want when we want it!
How about our Home Staging businesses? I find many Stagers apply the same microwave thinking to their business and expect to have results in a matter of weeks or months, and have not really thought long-term. Most Stagers can get results immediately when they have a ready network of users, and others have to take some time to plant seeds for growth.
Some Stagers have an immediate surge of business only to be followed by erratic workload based on their marketing or lack of it. There are those that are out there networking and not having success - and are disgruntled and ready to toss in the towel. But they have only given this business 6 months. Quitting after only a handful of months is not long-term thinking.
Let's face it. When compared to other businesses we have it pretty easy. We don't have to make a huge investment in our business to get started. For most of us, it is a few thousand dollars or less to get going, depending on whether we take a training class or not, and whether we have some skills on our own for marketing or have to hire it out. We need basic quality marketing materials and we are off. We are not like a franchise owner that spends tens-of-thousands of dollars on a store that may or may not make it. Even Realtors invest more than we do initially to get started - 5-10x what we do as Stagers.
Over time, our business investments to support and run our growing Staging company can get into the tens-of-thousands of dollars (or more!) range - but not at the start. So in terms of what is required by most businesses to get going, we have it pretty easy. Maybe that is the problem. We have it too easy so we give up easily too.
What I find more and more is that a long-term plan and a vision for the future don't exist and when the market shifts or things slow down Stagers are unprepared for the natural business cycle that all business owners experience when they are in business long term. Ask any Realtor that has been in business for more than 15 years and they'll share some survival stories with you - those that made it through tough markets in the past, and then were able to benefit from the strong markets.
Success takes Staying Power. Not just push the power button power.
We have to have more than a 1 year at a time plan. I heard from one Stager that spent (and I use that word on purpose) $50-$100K getting their business started - buying all sorts of inventory, truck, furniture, media ads, etc. - and they had no jobs yet to support expenditures of this size and type. Then after less than a year, they threw in the towel! That , to me, is a tragedy.
There are others that got in and rode the wave of a hot market - and now that the market is tough where they are, they are at a loss as to how to get business. It is not just falling into their lap - and they don't really know how to market or have a desire to do that, so they give up.
There was not a five year plan in place to support and account for market changes. And although we cannot predict the market - we can respond and put measures in place to stay viable as a business owner.
Looking to the future, if we plan on staying in Staging, we have to have a long-term mentality, and not expect quick results just because we want them. Being consistent in marketing efforts and riding out a wave of a slowdown is natural - because every downturn is followed by an upswing. Proper business planning accounts for highs and lows in a business, and suggests saving income for a rainy day (or slow year) so that we can stay viable in business.
Get out of the microwave and apply long-term planning for success in Staging. That is the only way we will have long term and life-long success.
- Jennie
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