In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I talk with Tori Toth, Realtor, Stager, Author and Industry leader.

Tori moved from NY to Arizona and recreated her life and business. Armed with a solid background in marketing and staging, Tori got her Real Estate license and began a new career, blending all of her talents in order to provide top notch dervice to her Buyers and Sellers. 

You will learn:

• How Stagers can win over Real Estate Agents
• Why Tori decided to focus on occupieds
• How Tori sets herself apart from other Agents
• Why it is easier for Stagers to find clients than RE Agents
• How Tori thinks we can "bridge the gap" between Stagers and Real Estate Agents
• What Tori challenges Home Stagers to do in order to win business

Listen on Apple, Spotify, most major podcast platforms or go to www.coachingbymarianne.com

Ever wonder what it's like to go from a corporate career to a thriving Home Staging business?

In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I talk with Mitch Bage and Luis Santiago of MDC Fine Living about what it was like transitioning from "safe" careers in Aerospace and Oil and Gas to the world of entrepreneurship.

You will learn: 

• how Mitch and Luis overcame fears about starting their business and what they put in place in order to make the transition easier
• why Mitch had Imposter Syndrome and how he overcame it
• how Mitch and Luis work together as a couple and what role each one plays in the business
• how Luis and Mitch are making sure they are being prrofitable and how that has impacted inventory purhcases
• why creating a signature style is important
• the importance of dialing in pricing for your specific area

In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I talk about the importance of thought leadership and how it sets you apart as the "go to" stager.

You will learn:

• how thought leadership builds the know, like trust factor
• the traits of a thought leader and how they set you apart from the others
• specific ways to become a thought leader
• an example on how to differentiate yourself as a thought leader when doing a proposal for a model home
• why thought leaders are chosen for their value instead of their price tag
• how you can get help with mindset blocks that are preventing you from being more visible and becoming the sought after thought leader in your area

In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I interview laura Zavelson, a corporate escapee turned serial entrepreneur, former professor of entrepreneurship and now business guide. 

You will learn:

• How Laura helps women leave a secure job in order to start a business
• Why Laura decided to specialize in Gen X women
• Why it is so important to define what success looks like to you
• How Laura recommends how to transition financially from a job to owning a business
• Why thought leadership and a network is important when building a business
• Where the first client typically comes from (hint-it is not Social Media)
• Why it is important to differentiate yourself and take a stand as opposed to following the crowd
• Why your concept of "failure" needs to change as an entrepreneur

In this podcast episode of Home Stagers and Designers I interview Michelle Minch of Moving Mountains Designs, a sought after LA staging company. Michlle has developed a pricing calculator in order to help stagers make sure that they are being profitable. 

You will learn:

• What the biggest challenge is for Home Stagers when it comes to pricing
• How new stagers might price differently at the beginning in order to be competitive
• Why crunching your numbers is the difference between having a successful and profitable business or a hobby business
• When and how Michelle is willing to negotiate on price
• Why Michelle's prices fluctuate
• How Michelle continues to market her 19 year old business in order to continually fill her pipeline
• How data motivates Michelle to do the things that bring in revenue

In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I interview Whitney English, author, interior designer and entrepreneur.

You will learn:

• the ups and downs of building  2 lucrative businesses
• how Whitney uses story in her design narratives (and how stagers may do this as well)
• how Whitney created a "cult like" following with her handmade journals that were sold at places like Target
• what the "slow styled" home is
• why Whitney loves the "messy middle" in her creative endeavors
• what Whitney's litmus test is for choosing items in a home
• how biophilic and wabi sabi design can be integrated into design projects
• how Whitney turned her ADHD diagnosis into an asset

and so much more!

In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I interview Laurie Graham of Boss Babe Creative and Visuals. Known as a vision caster and the ultimate hype girl, Laurie helps Home Stagers and Entrepreneurs build brands that reflect their value, attract dream clients and grow bold, beautiful businesses that they love.

You will learn:

• how Laurie helps clients define their brand
• how Laurie helps clients choose brand colors
• how fashion and location inform branding decisions
• how to use the 5 pillars in your content marketing plan
• what Laurie would love to see Home Stagers do instead of, or in addition to reels
• how Laurie builds a brand backwards

and so much more!

In this podcast episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I talk with Heather Cook of Social Stager about how to optimize your website and turn leads into customers.

This is part 2. Part 1 was episode #142.

You will learn:

• How to make your website user friendley
• What your home page should be about
• Why meta tags and descriptions are important
• What the main purpose is for your website
• How to convey pricing
• Why a website should be mobile friendley
• How to build trust with your website
• Why FAQ's are important
• What you should have on your portfolio page
• How to optimize your site for SEO

In this episode I interview Natalie Lorenz. Natalie is an award winning stager, designer, speaker and TV contributor with features on NBC, CBS, Elle Decor and more. We discuss how Natalie built a seven figure staging business in the Seattle area.

You will learn:

• Why it's important to know what it costs to keep your doors open when pricing your services 
• How Natalie determined her pricing structure
• The tool that helped Natalie understand her numbers on a more granular level
• How Natalie makes sure her furniture and accessories are making money
• The importance of tracking KPI's
• Why your staging aesthetic is a big part of your brand and how to be unique and still attract target Buyers
• How Natalie delivers top notch customer service in order to create clients for life
• Why tracking time and understanding logistics is important
• Why Natalie decided to add custom artwork into her staging

In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I discuss the importance of building your confidence muscle. Whether you are a new stager or have been in the business for awhile, pricing can cause uncertainty. In order to build a profitable, sustainable business it is extremely important that you know your numbers, know your market and own your value when setting your prices.

In this episode you will learn:

• how to confidently relay your price
• how to determine your price based on the value you bring, your market and knowing  your numbers
• what you need to do in order to get the prices that you are asking
• how to recognize money stories that may be sabotaging your success
• how to gracefully set pricing boundaries with family and friends
• an important clue that it's time to raise prices