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

In this podcast episode I interview David Cieslak, owner if Signature  Staging in Chicago, a boutique luxury staging company. 

David's talks about how his business has evolved over 20 years.

You will learn:

• How David built his staging business during the housing crash
• What David learned about business after being incredibly busy and what he learned about preventing burn out
• How vulnerability and asking for help impacted David's life and business
• How David shifted his mindset on money
• How David executes a stage without being at the install
• What is happening with staging trends

In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I interview Christine Rae founder of CSP International Staging and Decorating BUSINESS Academy.

You will learn:

• What Home Stagers struggle with the most
• What Christine learned about selling in the corporate world
• How working with Michael E. Gerber (author of the E Myth) helped Christine create a long term business strategy
• Why social media is not enough to get a steady stream of business
• How to differentiate your business so that you aren't competing on price
• Why we should stop talking about staging and what we should be saying instead

In this podcast episode of Home Stagers and Designers on FireI talk with Heather Cook of Social Stager.

You will learn:

• what intuitive website platform Heather recommends and why
• why an optimized home/landing page is important
• what to place "above the fold" on your lhome/landing page
• how your brand impacts how you tailor your website copy
• what to do before you start creating your website
• why showcasing transformations and case studies are so important
• how to write copy that is engaging and keeps the viewers interest
• how to speak to different ideal clients on your website so that they feel as though you are speaking directly to them

In this podcast episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I interview Alisa Sparks of Linden Creek. Alisa's experience and business acumen has enabled her to create a Franchise model for a well oiled staging business. In this episode Alisa talks about how she has managed to build a solid team culture and how you can too! 

You will learn:

• how Alisa has systemitized her hiring process and her 3 step process for finding the best candidates
• how Alisa develops employees into a robust team culture that works together
• Alisa's core values for her team and how it keeps the team focused on what is important
• Why Alisa hires out her moving team
• What "it's not magic, it's math" means and how it helps you look at your business objectively so that you take intentional action that moves the needle
• What Alisa's franchise model looks like and how her solid systems take the guesswork out of decision making

In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I talk with Debbe Daley, a 40 year veteran in the Interior Design world. You will learn what is trending for 2025 and what is going out.

We talk about:

• how antiques are big right now and how to incorporate them into your design
• how sustainability is changing the way furniture is being made
• what colors, patterns and surfaces are trending
• what is new and innovative in light fixtures
• how traditional is making a comeback (only different)
• what is happening in kitchens and baths
• how texture is playing into design trends