In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I talk with Grant Findlay Shirras, serial entrepreneur, financial strategist and co owner of Dekora, a luxury staging, furnishing and design company serving Calgary and Kelowna.

You will learn:

• Why Grant and his wife bought Dekora and how they turned the company around
• How Grant increased profits while simplifying systems
• Grant's philosophy on pricing and how raising prices actually increased sales
• How Grant ensures every labor fee is accounted for
• Why Grant encourages his team to lose more jobs
• The biggest bottleneck in  Dekora and how Grant plans to overcome it

Ever wonder what it really takes to stage multi million dollar homes in NYC?

In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I talk with the incomparable Jason Saft- a true powerhouse in the staging world. Known for his curated, design forward approach, Jason transforms high end listings into unforgettable spaces that connect with Buyers on an emotional level.

With a background in Real Estate and a sharp eye for design, Jason blends artistry with strategy, creating homes that not only wow, but create great returns for Sellers.

In our conversation, Jason opens up about  the wins, challenges and lessons he's learned while staging some of the most remarkable properties in New York and how you can take these insights to refine your own signature style- no matter where you are staging.

In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I interview Marissa Cortese of Vienna Lane Interiors. Marissa was a coaching client who had just started her business after being certified. In a little over a year, she has accomplished so much in her business and she shares her journey here.

You will learn:

• what fears Marissa had when transitioning from a career in tech to owning a Home Staging Business (and how she overcame them)
• how Marissa tripled her storage space, increased her prices, landed 14 staged homes (in 9 months) , won 2 design jobs and expanded into the luxury market
• What prompted Marissa to hire me as a coach after being certified
• What has surprised Marissa about growing her business
• How Marissa won the business of Real Estate Agents
• What Marissa sees for the future of her business

In this podcast episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I interview Kari Moffet of Poppy Home Staging.

I had the honor of coaching Kari in my Unlock the Power of Agent Referrals program as she transitioned from a career in teaching to a Home Staging Business.

You will learn:

• how Kari balanced teaching, bringing up her children and starting a staging career
• how taking my Unlock the Power of Agent Referrals and Boost Your Bottom Line program helped dial in Kari's messaging and win the Business of Real Estate Agents
• how Kari won a staging job after losing it to a low priced stager
• Who pays for the staging? Agent or Sellers?
• What Kari's largest source of business has been from
• Why Kari wants to lean more into occupied staging
• What Kari sees for the future of her business

In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire  I am doing a recap on some of the sessions that I attended at RESACON in Vegas.

You will learn:

• how Jess Harrington built a 7 figure Boston based business
• why Jess wished she had gone into debt sooner
• how to offer upsells that clients really want-with Michelle Lynn Pant
• different possible business offerings for upsells
• how to overcome fear and own your value with Luann Nigara
• what percentage you should be allocating for owner's compensation with LuAnn
• how Mandy Shields built a 7 figure staging business with one truck and a small team
• how to hire effectively with Mandy Shields
• what tech tools Mandy Shields uses

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