Home Staging in Portland Oregon Blog

It's the very same in any small business...staging...or your own real estate practice...law practice...without marketing and guided growth, careful attention to overhead...poof...the start up is all gone.

What am I doing up at 4am reading this? Worrying about my business ... that's what! This article makes me sad. As an industry, staging is sold as an easy entry business by the training organizations. And in a way, it IS easy to get in ... but very tough to make successful in the long run. A huge percentages of businesses fail in their first two years, but now in the very tough economy, we are seeing businesses that have been successful and thriving for many years going out of business. It isn't just our industry. But as far as our own industry is concerned, I think that having a strong professional association that helps educate stagers with industry best business practices is key.

I agree with Sally and David.    Esp. in this economy, start up business are finding out that it's not what it's cracked up to be.

The busines seems to be doing well and bam it's time to pay the piper.  Uncle Sam, the state and the insurance companies are putting there hands out.  What you thought was profit is gone.

A sad but true post, Maureen.  What you have detailed here is happening to so many who have been taken in by what I consider "FALSE" advertising on the part of many Home Staging Educators that lure individuals in with the "low cost, great income, release your creative talent, blah, blah, blah"   It takes much more than decorating talent.

In fact, I think one may do better if they are talented at SEO and the business side and then just hire design labor to do the work!  I think many fail because they do not realize the time involved and the talents required in running a business verses decorating. 

I also think now staging has gotten too competitive to survive as a hobbyist at it.  Used to, a stager could tag onto a good Realtor or two and just be their stager for their occupied listings.  But there are so many staging companies now offering full service and eventually those agents find they need more staging solutions than what the hobbyist is offering.

One more thing, at this point and time, I am finding that many wanna-be stagers are calling me for work and am I hiring?  This is an unusual profession at this point and time in that there are few if any staging companies that hire stagers.  If you train to be a beautician, or an electrician, or a mechanic, you have lots of options for seeking employment.  If you train to become a home stager and you want work, then you better be prepared to start your own business.  So people that really just want to stage get dragged into more than they can handle.

Thanks for taking the time to post this.  I am responding here to the PUBLIC version, but will also post my comments in the MEMBERS ONLY version posted in the group http://activerain.com/groups/RealWorldHomeStaging  I have featured your post there incase anyone wanted to make a "MEMBERS ONLY" comment.

Sally & David -- you're right, in every small business there's a risk of failure if you don't concentrate on the important "business" end of your service.  It seems in the home staging business, many creative types get in but sadly don't learn how to mange the business financials.

Pangaea ~ it is very sad indeed!  Why so many seem to enter without more research or knowledge of the business is a mystery.  I think it's partially due to unscrupulous training companies who "sell" home staging as an easy-entry business ... which it is .... and partially due to a general lack of knowledge of sound business practices.  Education is key!

Virginia ~ you bring up a good point about the tax burden.  Home staging traditionally has a lot of expenses associated with start up for the first couple of years but in the long run you either have to pay Uncle Sam or it means you're not operating a viable business.  Caught between a rock and a hard place.

Karen ~ It's true that employment opportunites are limited for stagers.  If you own your own staging business, bringing in an apprentice is a positive when you need help, but you take the risk that you may be training your future competition.  Where's the advantage in that?  It's happened to many stagers I know.... a newbie stager would ask if they could just work as an assistant for an hourly rate as an independent contractor, and would even say they're not planning to start their own staging business, but eventually they do....so they've just learned a lot from you and you paid them to do it!  :-)  Thanks for suggesting that I post this in the Real World Home Staging for Newbies group as a "members only" post.

Maureen...are you talking to me....you don't need to comment.  (smile) 

Ginger ~ I'm talking to all of us, truly.  It's a serious topic and I find it sad that too many end up being frustrated and disappointed, especially those who were "sold" on the idea that it would be easy.   It's not easy, even you are both an experienced business person AND an excellent stager --  It's a real challenge, so those of us who keep at it are doing it because we love it.

I can't tell you in the last year how many people have called me and asked me about my company, how I started it, how much it cost, what are the pros and cons, etc.  One of the first things I tell them is I love my job, but it is A LOT of work and A LOT of money out of pocket up front.  I'm in my second year of staging and still have not profited.  I'm waiting for that big day when I can start saving instead of constantly spending.  I know it will be awhile, but I'm determined to do it.  Great post.

Maureen, well summed up - and hopefully before someone else gets into this 'easy' business they'll realize your list above only covered a portion of the expenses and obstacles.  Too bad the staging courses don't offer a Reality 101 course that is required before setting new stagers out on their own.  Great post.

Chrissie ~ Your experience is probably the norm for many of us.  It can take until the 3rd year to make any profit (and that's if you're really monitoring expenses) so this business is certainly not a "get rich quick" scheme.  But sadly there are training companies that claim it is.  Somehow they need to show the reality of the business and not just go after the $$ of their students. Even if you only work on occupied homes and rent, rather than buy, furniture, the profit margin is very low.  Thanks for sharing your own experience.

David ~ Well we could write a book about all the obstacles and challenges, couldn't we?  Don't get me started .... seriously, we need a "staging reality 101" class and it should be required for anyone getting into the business.  Want to work on putting  something together?

Sure - let's do it!  I'll call you this week...

How many times have I told someone I'm a stager and heard "Oh, I want to do that!"  First of all, no, you don't, because I don't' need competition, dearie.  They do all seem to think it's a simple process, little investment, fun, fun, fun.

Not so much fun when there's three feet of snow on the ground and it's still falling.

In order to succeed (at least when you stage vacant homes and are acquiring inventory) one has to be prepared not to make a dime for the first few years.  I think far too many beginning stagers depend on some income right away and that's why so many fold.  We see that happen here all the time. 

Folks need to remember that offering staging courses is a business itself.  They're going to enhance the fun and potential profit and neglect to mention the hard work and the time it takes to become establshed.  What they REALLY overlook is whether or not their students have the talen to stage.  I can teach somebody how to knit.  That doesn't mean they'll actually be able to.  Stanging is not paint-by-numbers.  You have to have an inate ability to stage.  I feel badly about all those who pay good money for courses when they haven't (a) got what it takes and/or (b) can't afford to wait it out until it turns a profit.

Wendy ~ You've made some good points here ... it DOES take natural, innate ability to be a good stager, plain and simple. Although you can learn a "few tricks" in a class or from another stager, you either have it, or you don't.  So -- the training companies make a FORTUNE "selling" potential students on the idea that it's all easy.  And who loses?  In the end, everyone involved except the training company.  Hmmm... there must be a better way!

IMHO, most Newbies get their judgment clouded by, as Karen D. stated, "false advertising" and empty promises as an "easy money, little to no inventory required, work on your own time" start-up.  This is a BUSINESS, and needs to be run like a BUSINESS.  Just as more than 75% of restaurants will close their doors in the first 18 months. MOST companies do not show a profit for the first 2 years, and most people don't realize that they may not be bringing home any income for that period of time ~ so they close up and go back to a 9-5

Hi Maureen, I was fortunate in that my stage training emphasized this was not an easy way to make to make money she was very honest!

This is an excellent post Maureen, a must read for all who want to get in the profession. You've hit on all the details one really doesn't think about when seeing visions of accessories dancing in their heads.

Cynthia -- HA,HA -- I LOVE THAT -- "seeing visions of accessories dancing in their heads"!!!

Hi Maureen - What went wrong?  2 key pieces are missing:  "business plan" and "continuing education."  A failure to plan is a plan for failure - it is not isolated to just Stagers.  2 great books to read about this are The E-Myth Revisited and The E-Myth Contractor both of them by Michael E. Gerber.  

Great post!    

Connie ~ Most aspring stagers don't realize the time it takes to stay "in the black" and give up after 2 or 3 years ... which is usually close to the time that if they stayed in, they'd make a profit.  Go figure.

Cynthia ~ So glad to hear that your training addressed this issue!  That is refreshing -- good for them for being honest.

Karen ~ Wasn't that a cute phrase from Cynthia?  Very clever!

Margaret ~ You made some excellent points ... however I've known some talented stagers who had a business plan, and actually followed it, and who did continuing education.  Still, their business is gone.  Spmething just isn't right about that.

Perhaps the biggest hurdle is being able to "hang in there".  Our community has seen a number of stagers come and go.  I believe we may be the only one that has continued for over a year - that may not be saying much in some places, but here it's a miracle.  A few Realtor friends foward emails to us from other Realtors asking if anybody knows of a stager.  Often  they preface their conversation wiith us with "are you still in business?" which tells us they hear that too frequently.  Because we are still around and work hard to keep a high profile, we hope that Staging Wizards will soon be like Rooter Router (hmm, maybe a bad example) - the automatic got-to stagers.

The bottom line is that it takes TIME to achieve that level of recognition as a stager, and one has to be able to stick it out.

It would be interesting to see Maureen how many start up staging businesses fail as compared to other businesses. I wouldn't be surprised if the failure rate is pretty comparable. The fact is no matter how glamorized a business is it takes a certain type of person who can not only be creative but be able to stay on top of the business end at the same time.

For example, all those art schools offering students the chance to get into the exciting world of computer design and offering the chance of full employment. Well the fact is there are a limited number of opportunities in that field and only the very talented or tenacious will make it.

There is no easy way to start any business and now in the internet age, information and selling of information has become another stream of income for those who want to take their expertise and make money from others who want an easy ladder to success.

Staging is a challenging business as it hasn't really hit mainstream yet. In a way its no different than becoming an REA. There are a lot of expenses to incur before you can even start thinking about making any profit.

I think if there were more avenues for stagers to connect and work together - share the financial risk and spread the expertise around - that might be a way to survive. But I refuse to get discouraged. I think you just have to work smarter and be willing to make that investment of time and energy. Great post!

Wendy ~ thanks for coming back with your thoughts.  Hanging in there is a big part of it ... nothing happens overnight. It's good to hear that in your area, your name and reputation are getting around.  Keep at it!

Tessa ~ I agree 100% that networking with other stagers -- whether in a professional organization or actually working together on staging projects -- is a way to survive in this business.  We do have to work smarter.  Thanks for joining into the discussion!

Thanks, Maureen.  I don't think we're any better at staging than anybody else who's taken a stab at it here - the difference is we're STILL here.

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.

Debby ~ It sounds like you're making very sound decisions to take it one step at a time.  I'm sure with your networking and open attitude you'll be successful.  The ones I'm worried about are those that don't know any better than to just jump in and then find it's overwhelming.  Thanks for sharing your experience ... it will benefit others here.

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. 

Cindy ~ Wow, someone thinking of getting into staging was "appalled" they'd have to move furniture?  HELLO!

This really supports the idea that newbie stagers just aren't being told the "whole truth" or they're just not doing enough research.  It's very sad.

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!

Melissa ~ Renting out excess staging inventory sounds like it could be a profitable endeavor.  Let us know how it works out!

Michele ~ please feel free to point anyone inquiring about home staging as a career to this post.  I plan to do the same thing!

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.  

Michele ~ how lucky (and smart) you are that you and your business partner have complementary skills.  Glad to hear that staging and listing your properties has worked out so well for you.  For so many trying to run a home staging business, it's a struggle to use both sides of the brain!

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.

Shawna ~ Your point about having a business plan is excellent.  Without one, a stager is like a small ship without a compass  floating out to sea.

Donna ~ I think we've all found some degree of truth in the points you listed above.  Funny you should mention about friends  wondering what you're "doing" all the time even when not staging -- so true!  Thanks for your well-thought out comment.

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.

Heather ~ Good to hear your experience and how you and your partner are making it work.  You mentioned The Stagers?  Keep in mind that Dekora is the "rental facility" for those guys!  I rent the main furniture pieces as well and have a large inventory of accessories and for me, that business model works best.

Your comment could not be more true:  "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!"

How else would the training companies make money other than saying that?  I've heard them myself (having taken several of them).  One trainer even put up a chart showing how you could "realistically" make over $80 your first year.  Right! 

No doubt the best way to operate varies depending on your market, whether you're a partnership or sole proprietor, your past business experience, etc.  So many factors come into play.  Hopefully we can all keep working towards education on the "reality" of running a successful home staging business.

Barbara ~ Teaming up with another stager on projects can be an excellent way to manage your business.  There are probably some jobs you can do by yourself and others where help is needed.  Finding another talented stager can be a good solution to the labor issue.

Great post, Maureen.  This market is not the best for home staging now.  But we all need to keep focused on the business end of things. Since I'm not busy in staging now, I've worked on my business plan, upgraded my website, interviewed a couple of assistants (found one), looked at other options for furniture - buy or rent - and have contacted Realtors. I'm also staying in the industry of real estate and helping Realtors with short sale assistance.

A business plan details a proposed existing venture, explains intended vision and status, anticipated needs, and defined target markets with projected results. A strategic plan focuses on organizational development and transition from a start-up to professionalism.  You certainly have to have persistence, stamina and you can't give up. A positive attitude doesn't hurt either.

Diane ~ Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this topic.  It's good that you've found other activities related to staging and real estate to keep you busy in a slower market.  Let's hope that business picks up soon!  As you said so well, persistence and stamina are necessary -- along with that positive attitude!

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!

Cindy ~ Enjoy your vacation -- you deserve it!  Newbie stagers need all of the help and advice they can get from experienced stagers.  There are lots of good comments here to help them.

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.  

Tori ~ Professional home staging surely is more than selecting fabric, color, etc....as you said.  SO much more hard work!   Maybe people just think they'll be the exception to the rule and jump right in and make a mint .... if so I wish them lots of luck since they'll need it.  :-)