2022 HSRA Interactive Home Staging & ReDesign Publication - January

HOME STAGING & REDESIGN ALLIANCE

Publication

JANUARY 2022

COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF: VOILA STAGING & DESIGN PREMIER HOME STAGING FOR NORTHERN VIRGINIA AND DC METRO.

e u s s IN iTHIS 03

FROM THE DESK OF JANA USELTON HSRA FOUNDER: JANA USELTON

12

THINGS I'VE LEARNED IN 2021

HSRA FOUNDER: JANA USELTON

20

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT HSRA XL GROWTH MEMBER: VICTORIA STRATMAN

BOOK OF THE MONTH

09 STAY READY

HSRA DIGITAL DIRECTOR: JILL JOHNSON

18

4 SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS YOU NEED HSRA SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR: JOY GACAYAN

24

PREPARATION IS KEY HSRA STAGING BUSINESS ADVISOR: JENNIFER GAINER

HOME STAGING & REDESIGN ALLIANCE

From the desk of n o t l e s U a n a J

Well, happy 2022!

This is something we want to continue to make you aware of; you must always, always

Are you ready for this incredible year that is

celebrate those wins.

upon us?

We often look at the things we need to We are so thrilled along with you. We're super

excited

about

all

of

accomplish and the things left to do.

the

accomplishments from 2021 and cannot

But we must take time - take a moment -

wait for what is to come within this

and celebrate those wins.

upcoming year.

As we move forward, this is the time to think This is a time to re-purpose, re-strategize,

differently. We know during the COVID crisis

and re-invent. When you look back at 2021,

we were stretched, we were strained, and

what

we were forced to reinvent ourselves.

would

you

have

wanted

to

accomplish? What did you accomplish?

Have you celebrated the wins with yourself and your team?

HOME STAGING & REDESIGN ALLIANCE

Perhaps 2021 was not your best year ever,

As you break down your numbers for this

but the best is yet to come. And with your

past

2022 Strategy, you can make that dream a

accomplish. If you haven't yet, go ahead and

reality.

take a moment to get those numbers

year,

you

know

what

you

did

updated, and then you can set your goals In this months publication, I'm going to be

with your Strategy for 2022.

sharing with you my top 10 “learns” from 2021. I know you have your own lessons

After that, come up with a theme or a word

learned, you have been through training,

that really describes your mission; your

and you have joined us for events. I would

vision or theme for this year that you can

encourage you to put that list together and

grab ahold of.

share it with someone.

You may have a personal word, as well as a We are thrilled about the new projects and

professional word or phrase that your

partnerships coming in this new year and

company gets a hold of and just runs with.

we hope that you will be on the journey

For us, we know Infinite is our big word.

with us.

When it comes to HSRA for me, the words are impact and influence.

It won't happen alone; we need dedicated people and companies that understand the

I want to make sure everything we do aligns

big vision of what we can accomplish

with those phrases - impact and influence

together. We've said it before - we do not

for infinite results. We are going to be taking

want "staging" to be an obsolete word or

you on the journey with us, with our HSRA

service.

family, as well as giving you guys new opportunities

to

continue

to

reinvent

If we want to preserve the value of our

yourself, reminding you the best is yet to

space in the Real Estate Industry, we must

come.

come

together.

We

must

reposition

ourselves and educate our clients that we

We believe that! I know that you believe it.

are a viable business and that we're here to

And we cannot wait to move into this new

stay.

year, this new season together alongside you

with

accountability

and

You guys know we talked a lot about Short

encouragement. When we can do things

Term Rental in 2021. It was a large part of

together, we're going to be stronger

strategy within our own staging business. It

together, we're going to make more of a

will be even more integral as a strategy

difference together.

concept within our 2022 goals.

So have an incredible season of planning, strategizing, and getting everything into alignment, and be ready to roll out into an incredible new year. You guys have a blessed day.

n o t l e s U a n xoxo-Ja

HOME STAGING & REDESIGN ALLINACE

MEET THE TEAM

2022 JANA USELTON & o e c nder fou

MY FAB 4:

Training Authority within the Real Estate Service Industry representing Staging and Re-Design Business Owners - focused on attending events and learning from the experts!

Partnerships & Collaborations - Growing relationships in and out of Every so often, We like to do a formal introduction, so hello and welcome! 2021 was a year of exponential growth for

the Staging Industry in order to bring about solutions, opportunities, and growth for our HSRA Companies

HSRA and our team so we wanted to take a moment to re-

Speaking & Events - By sharing on other people's stages, I am able to

introduce ourselves. We have added some team members

educate and spread awareness for our industry

and elevated some as well. As I discussed in last month's

Content Creation - By investing in educating myself and partnering

publication we are focusing on our FAB 4 this year and

with others in Real Estate, we can then create products and services

wanted to share our team's "fab 4"with you!

to help grow as service providers within the industry.

HOME STAGING & REDESIGN ALLIANCE

LAURIE GRAHAM t n e d i s e pr MY FAB 4 ARE:

vice operations of

Integration of new products & programs for our HSRA Family

Staff Lead & Personnel, to oversee the day-to-day productivity and function of the HSRA Staff and to provide guidance, support, and motivation.

PR & Branding developing brand strategies, promoting brand growth and expansion.

New Business Relationship & Ventures ensuring that new partners and vendors understand the industry requirements of our members and is able to provide services that meet these needs

JILL JOHNSON l a t i ig d director MY FAB 4 ARE:

HubSpot "pro"! HubSpot is the best CRM tool for all Staging companies and I am here to help decide the best Hubs for your company.

Platforms and Programs for a better user experience. I take care of any questions regarding getting logged into your member training center or any other programs.

Marketing Ideas to increase Staging business knowledge and expand out sphere.

Task Master. Give me a task and I'll knock it out or figure it out!

HOME STAGING & REDESIGN ALLIANCE

JENNIFER GAINER s s e in MY FAB 4 ARE:

s u b g n i stag advisor

Coaching and Advising - Need a shoulder, an ear, or a swift kick? Jennifer is your girl!

Writing, Editing, and Content Creation - Jenn's favorite place is curled up with a good book, and her dream is to write many herself!

Support at all Levels - for our HSRA staff and in our community - you need something done? She is on it!

Speaking and Teaching - Jenn loves to share from her own life experience and knowledge - helping people to grow and expand as she does the same!

JOY GACAYA a i d e m l a i c o s r o t a n i d N coor MY FAB 4 ARE:

Social Media Creator- Responsible for developing Social Media Graphics to engage, educate and grow the HSRA Community Social Media Coordinator - Schedule and track performance of social media on all platforms Leads Management - provides customer service by acting as the contact between the Staging Community and HSRA membership Research

and

Content

Development

-

researches

industry

standards, pain points, new trends, and opportunities for education and developing content around them for HSRA Membership and Community

HOME STAGING & REDESIGN ALLIANCE

RAMON REYES MY FAB 4 ARE:

l a t i dig oordinator c

Website management and optimization

Website strategy to support: growing the brand, HSRA automation, possible knowledge base Website visibility of efforts and result in building new partnerships Facebook ads and lead generation

KIM DIAMANTE l a t i g di ditor e MY FAB 4 ARE:

Video Editor - Creating, Cutting & Repurposing footage to educate our industry Content Creator - Build new content and repurpose content for the purpose of growing our industry Youtube Coordinator - Grow, optimize and monetize HSRA's channel Social Media Assistant - Assist Social Media Coordinator in creating video content to distribute on social platforms

HOME STAGING & REDESIGN ALLIANCE

STAY READY Jill Johnson DIGITAL DIRECTOR

STAY READY Jill Johnson

DIGITAL DIRECTOR

Welcome to 2022! The year of growth, expansion, and new opportunities!

A new year is always my favorite because you have a blank page to work with. Of course, change can and should take place at any point during the year, but a new calendar year definitely makes things feel more accomplishable.

As you begin this year, think about the things you are wanting to change or remove in your personal and business life, almost like spring cleaning. This is the perfect time to say “out with the old and in with the new”.

As I think about what this year will bring, I see SO much change about to happen in my personal and professional life. As many of you know, my husband and I will be bringing a little one into the world in June and that alone brings plenty of change, so I’ve heard. Along with that, there is still professional life. At HSRA, we have TONS of ideas up our sleeves! I can’t share too much about now, but when we can, you will be the first to know.

Along with those secret ideas,

When

monetary

many of you know about our

increase, it affects your entire

virtual assistants. If you haven’t

company.

heard about them, they are

sometimes even warehousing. If

absolutely a game changer and

you are wanting growth, just be

have helped assist in so many of

prepared

our projects. We would not trade

members to your team OR

anything for them, that is how

increase pay for your current

amazing they are. They are just 1

team. Whichever you decide,

example of growth, expansion,

your team is going to be very

and new opportunities and if you

important to have for growth.

are wanting to accomplish any of

Always remind them of the vision

those, that is the route you are

and the mission of the company.

going to want to take. The moral

This will encourage them to

of the story, there is a lot that is

continue and to push forward

about to happen, so just be

even in the hard times. And just

ready… which is exactly what I

remember, virtual assistants, are

wanted to share with you how to

a wonderful way to add staff that

do!

isn’t required for fieldwork! Send

That

to

numbers

means

add

staff,

additional

us an email if you are interested As

we

think

about

new

in learning more.

opportunities and growth, we want to be ready for those things

2. Get comfortable being in

to happen. The way to do this is

the spotlight:

by always staying ready. I wanted

This one is an interesting one.

to share a few tips on how to do

Growing up, I have never been

this for the coming year:

one that wants to be in the spotlight. I, of course, am not a

1. Remind yourself of what

spotlight lover now either, but I

growth means for you and

definitely have been pushed out

your company: Growth is more

of my comfort zone within the

than

last 3 years.

just

increasing

monetary numbers.

your

STAY READY Jill Johnson

DIGITAL DIRECTOR

I have always thought of myself to be a humble

4. Listen to experts and align with the right

person, thinking humility meant you sit in the

people:

back and stay quiet, which is not the case at all.

If you are reading this article, you are doing this

According to C.S. Lewis, best-selling author,

already. You have aligned yourself with an

humility is not thinking less of yourself, but

organization here to help you grow and achieve

thinking of yourself less. I think this is perfect

your personal, professional, and financial goals.

when it comes to being in the spotlight because

Continue to dive into the “members only”

when that is happening, it does not mean that

Facebook group, your publication, the resources

you are not being selfish, it means that you are

that are given to you, and the events you are able

being selfless - sharing and being willing to help

to attend. If you are not fully plugged into each of

others. So if you have ever had a fear of the

those, we highly encourage you to make this the

spotlight or think the spotlight is for the selfish, I

year you dedicate time each day to your

would challenge you to change your thought on

education within the business, even outside of

that.

Staging. We have mentioned plenty of times how important it is for Stagers to get their Real Estate

3. Make sure people are in the right place:

license this year. So many amazing benefits come

This is a big one! Have you ever applied for one

along with this.

job position but later realized you would be better in a different one? Or do you currently have an employee with average performance in one

Make 2022 the year you focus on your business.

position, but you see potential in them in a

You have the ability to grow as big or as little as

different one? I encourage you to sit down and

you want. But I encourage you to do something

figure out a game plan to move them to that

different this year. Be prepared for anything to

position where you believe they would excel.

happen. Now let’s make 2022 the best year yet!

When you are preparing for growth, everyone needs to be in their perfect position. If you do strategy, this is the perfect time to hear your team’s updated goals and skills.

HOME STAGING & REDESIGN ALLIANCE

n o t l e s U a Jan

10

TOP 10 THINGS I LEARNED THIS YEAR Moving forward into a new year, it’s always a good practice to reflect and see how you have changed personally, professionally, and financially. How has your business changed?

What are the lessons learned? How have your team members changed? When we can reflect on these concepts separately and as an organization, big things happen.

In my personal reflection on this past year, I quickly discovered it was a time of growth and learning. I forced myself to get uncomfortable. I went to several conferences by myself, where I was surrounded by numerous professionals in their own sectors of real estate. My key lessons definitely come from some of those pivotal moments.

HOME STAGING & REDESIGN ALLIANCE

n o t l e s U a Jan

SOME LESSONS LEARNED WERE BRAND NEW, WHILE OTHERS REINFORCED CURRENT PRACTICES BEING PLAYED OUT IN PARTICULAR SCENARIOS. SO, HERE GOES...

CREATED WITH LOVE BY SILVERSTAG

n o t l e s U a Jan

This applies to business as well as our personal approach to accomplishing goals. Iron truly sharpens iron. People have been gifted; investing years into perfecting their craft with knowledge and experience.

Finding the right people to partner with continues to be our focus.

My "TOP 10" list in no particular order:

3. Go find a deal.

I have to laugh at this one. It is a concept

1. Don’t think too small.

Throughout

the

constantly

multi-family investment. He talks about finding

reminded of this concept. As I met people like

a deal, doing a deal, and learning from the

Elena

Dawson,

deal. Conversations about multi-million dollar

professionals from Clubhouse, as well as

investments can seem a little stressful.

several doctors that mastermind with my

Reverting back to tip #2, Power in Partnership

husband, I was constantly forced to think

is key to achieving success. I love learning the

bigger

concepts

Cardone

based

year,

Grant talks about all the time, particularly in

and

on

I

was

Brandon

their

current

of

multi-family

investing,

and

accomplishments and new goals shared with

understanding it’s not as complicated as we

me. We should all dream so big that it scares

may think. In Real Estate, why close on 1 door

us, and find people who have accomplished

when you can close on 100? We are excited to

similar goals who are willing to help us get

grow our investment opportunities in 2022 in

there ourselves.

multi-family, and share the knowledge that stretches us all.

2. There’s power in partnership.

I can’t do everything. I can do some things,

4. One person can make the difference.

while others do some, and together we can do

This one person could be a client, team

everything.

member, or significant other. We are all one person away from our next opportunity.

This also can have a negative twist. One person can bring you down, get you off track, or ruin all that you have created if you let them. Let’s focus on the right people that make the right difference going into this new year.

WE ARE ALL ONE PERSON AWAY FROM OUR NEXT OPPORTUNITY. 5. Fight the good fight.

Whatever you believe, stand up for it. The time has come for us to speak truth and love; to a badgering client, a friend that is talking negatively, or to support a mission or cause we believe in.

Yes, we can all be sweet, but we also need to know there are moments in our lives destined for us to stand up and speak our beliefs - whether it is popular or goes against the grain. We must know who we are and why we do what we do. I know each of us at our core wants to make a difference, and we will continue to do so in this coming year.

6. Don’t give up before the blowup.

This Covid crisis has definitely tested and challenged us all. With the constant pressure of uncertain times, some people have chosen to readjust their plans. For many, it was a good decision, but others needed encouragement to stay the course. On many occasions, we were part of discussions and reach-outs about their options.

As we all continue to assess and adjust as needed, I am constantly reminded to press forward through the uncertainty, gaining more ground. I believe we are more abundantly blessed in the choice to continue to grow, rather than retreat or remain in neutral.

DON'T UP DON'TGIVE GIVE UP BEFORE THE BLOW UP BEFORE THE BLOW UP 7. Be OK with being uncomfortable.

I

learned

new

concepts,

terminology,

I always try not to burn bridges and want and

everyone to thrive in their own way. We must all

processes over this last year. In reactivating my

be OK with catching people with talent and

Real Estate license, I am learning more about

releasing them at the right time for them and for

commercial properties, finance structure, and the

us with no ill will or regrets.

Short-Term Rental business, and am pushed in greater ways to understand more about the

9. Expect greatness in others.

opportunities around us all. I also understand that

Setting the bar high for your team members

a company primarily specializing in Staging

because you see potential only does them a favor.

services is only a vehicle to bigger opportunities

Anytime we create an environment that doesn't

within the Real Estate world. It’s not the main

promote growth and excellence, we must readjust

business; it’s a way to gain an advantage Into

immediately. We have had to do this several times

investment properties and build multiple streams

throughout the year as we continued to focus on

of income using this vehicle.

the day-to-day activities that make us great.

Having tough conversations is part of the deal. In

8. Catch and release.

the past, I wanted to avoid them, but have learned

People come and go and it's OK. It doesn’t mean

to go ahead and ask questions that help people

we’ve done anything wrong, although there could

understand and get more clarity behind a

be lessons learned. It’s up to us to see what is in

problem or situation. I fell many times, but when I

front of us and grow through it. People may be

can

with us for a season, a reason, or a lifetime - I

empowerment to others, I’m not only helping

think that’s a Justin Bieber song. Not everyone

them, I’m helping our entire organization. Instead

currently in your life will remain, and we must not

of me being so busy and expecting greatness of

be dependent on them in an unhealthy way. They

myself only, I must continue to pause and see

do not define us. We can love others from a

greatness in others and speak it. They may not

distance but it doesn’t mean they continue to stay

see it in themselves, and the reminder can

in our inner circle. We must always assess and

definitely help.

take

a

moment

to

speak

life

and

reassess, and give permission for those that are contributing, supporting, and pouring into us as

10. Fall in love with math.

we are to them, to remain in our life. We all must

Yes, it’s true. My love for math has a new purpose.

ask the question, "am I better or worse if this

Unlike in school, where I solved problems for a

person is in my life?“ Team members will come

grade, math has a whole new meaning - money.

and go, and hopefully, we have deposited some

Yes, math to me means money. Money is not a

wisdom, greatness, or value they can take forward

bad thing. The love of money is the root of all evil.

into the next opportunity.

We must only focus on what money can bring and do for others, as a vehicle. Money can mean impact, influence, and the ability to make a difference.

I’ve learned the concepts of "napkin math" for multi-family

and

commercial

purchases

based on occupancy, with Cap Rates and NOI. I have learned how many Short Term Rentals it takes to earn 1 million in revenue annually, I have fallen in love with knowing the critical numbers needed to run our Staging business, as well as dialing in the profit and loss statements. I’ve learned about creating a pricing matrix and how to pitch corporate structure deals based on results.

We also better understand the financial health of a company based on a comparison of full-time team members and revenue in the door. Yes, now I love math because math equals money, and as business owner's we must understand the numbers that drive our companies. If numbers don’t add up then we go back to our KPI‘s and client relationships.

Money is the result of providing products and services the public uses because they are making a difference.

.

There you have it - my TOP 10 list. I would love to know your list as well. Please go to our HSRA members-only Facebook page and put your list of lessons learned throughout the year. It may just inspire others to do the same

n o t l e s U a n a xoxo-J

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HOME STAGING & REDESIGN ALLIANCE

4 Types of Social Media Tools Every Staging Business Must Have

Joy Cecille Gacayan | Social Media Coordinator

It's the time of the year again where most

1. Content Curation Tools

business’ are strategizing for the coming new

Social media isn’t just all about unceasingly

year. So whether you have done your 2022

feeding your audience your own content, but

Strategy or not make sure you set some time

more about what you believe brings value to

aside to strategize on how to grow your company

them.

through social media.

Content curation entails finding content relevant We can't dispute that using social media to

to your audience from a variety of sources and

market products and services is one of the most

adding value through your social media. For

efficient ways to do so in our current time.

example, sharing a post from your favorite

However, it can consume some of your valuable

furniture brand with your own context is an

time when you don’t have the right tools to use.

example of content curation. So, what’s up with content curation tools?

So, here are four types of social media tools as well as recommended apps that are user-friendly and may help you optimize your productivity.

HOME STAGING & REDESIGN ALLIANCE

CONTINUE READING ON PAGE 25

With content curation tools, you not only can

If you need help in designing your branded

gather content for later use, but also you can

graphics and videos, check out Canva. It has

share it right away across your social media. If

ready-made templates with a variety of elements

you are just a newbie content curator, you can

that can help your social media posts be

try timesaving free curation tools such as Feedly,

optimized.

Pocket, and Elink.io Aside from Canva, you can also try mobile apps 2. Social Media Scheduling Apps

such as Adobe Spark and Ripl App for content

Impromptu posting of your content is okay, but

creation.

how about on your busy days when you don’t have the time to create content?

4. Social Media Analytics Tools Exploring social media platforms is great, but it

If you want to be consistent in your social media

should serve the purpose. If the platforms don’t

posting, you will need to organize with a strategy

work for you, it’s okay. You can just focus on

and a content calendar. Once your content is

growing your audience on your outstanding

figured out, you can start scheduling.

social media platform.

Remember, scheduling content doesn’t mean

By using social media analytics tools, you will

you can run away to do something else already.

determine not only the numbers but also the

You still have to give time to your audience

activity, engagement, and information of your

engaging in your posts by engaging back.

audience. Make sure to check on the analytics tab of each social media platform or you can also

For starters when scheduling, you may try

explore more progressive analytic applications

Hootsuite, Buffer, Edgar, Sprout Social depending

that

on what you need or you can explore the free

Followerwonk, Iconosquare, Sprinklr, etc.

give

you

precise

results

such

as

scheduling option of Facebook Creator Studio and Facebook Business Suite.

To avoid becoming overwhelmed, decide what data is actually relevant to your business and

3. Content Creation Tools

focus on that data. The analytics you track and

Creating a consistent brand for your social media

measure should be in line with your overall social

platforms can be challenging. Yes, you may just

media goals.

create whatever, but establishing your brand can also help entice prospects to follow your business on social media.

HOME STAGING & REDESIGN ALLIANCE

VICTORIA

n a m t a r St

Voila Staging & Design Premier Home Staging for Northern Virginia and DC Metro.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT Voila Staging and Design is a multifaceted home staging and interior design company founded by Victoria Stratman in 2013. Victoria melded her lifelong passion for interior design and her 20+years of business

experience

in

mortgage

banking

and

construction lending to build a dynamic growing company that specializes in staging homes to sell and staging homes to live.

Along with her business partner and designer Wendy Etheridge, Victoria and Wendy have grown Voila Staging and Design from a garage startup to designing and staging more than 250 homes for clients in 2021.

Victoria has a finance degree from the University of Maryland, and masters staging certification from the International Professionals. include

Association Her

Luxury

of

additional

Staging

Home

Staging

certifications

Specialist

and

also Senior

Relocation Specialist.

Voila Staging and Design plans to expand its interior design business into the different areas of the real estate market in 2022 while continuing to build its home staging and design business.

Q: TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND WHERE YOU ARE IN BUSINESS TODAY. I started the business on a part-time basis as others have or are doing now. I was a mortgage banker for 20 plus years and just wanted to do something different. My banking experience helped me from the very beginning in organizing and starting my business. I soon became so busy I brought in a partner, Wendy Etheridge. She had the marketing experience along with the design eye. This has made our business successful as we both have different strengths.

Q: FROM THE BEGINNING UNTIL NOW, HOW HAS YOUR BUSINESS CHANGED? We have gone from my garage and 5-6 storage units to sharing a warehouse and then moving to our present warehouse of 6000 sq ft. We rented trucks from Penske and after a couple of years, they came to us and offered us a lease on a new 16’ truck totally wrapped with Voila Staging and Design. That has been great advertising for us. People see our trucks everywhere in Virginia, Maryland, and DC. We started with only contractors and we now have seven employees. All our management is in place and we have all our procedures, job descriptions, etc completed.

Q: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE STARTING OUT? Start slow, take your first stage and buy what is needed for that home. Don’t go into debt for furniture and accessories immediately. Add these things as your business grows.

Q: HOW ABOUT SOME ADVICE FOR THE PERSON DOING MOST EVERYTHING IN THEIR BUSINESS? Hire contractors first and build your business to a point that they can become employees Q: WHAT SUGGESTIONS DO YOU HAVE ON MANAGING INVENTORY AT AN EARLY PHASE AND

MOVING

TO

A

MORE

SEASONED

BUSINESS? (if you have inventory) Start with a good basic inventory program and hopefully you will grow with that company so you won’t

need

to

change

inventory

programs.

Inventory management is a very expensive and time-consuming task but absolutely necessary for cost management.

Q: WHAT PROCESSES NEED TO BE IN PLACE IN A BUSINESS SUCH AS YOURS? A business plan first and foremost is the most important piece. You can’t start a business without one. It is your road map and just as you are using your GPS for each appointment, you will use your business plan in the same way.

HOME STAGING & REDESIGN ALLIANCE

Change it as needed but always follow that road map. We put procedures in place for stagers, warehouse people, movers, and our accounting firm.

Make sure you have someone or yourself to do the business side because of its importance to your viability as a business.

e h t y o j En Business You need to be looking at your books each day and when paying invoices, review completely what you are paying.

When I started the business, I used only Excel and I would run reports showing the profit per stage after inputting all sales and costs per job per invoice. Then I would look to see where we could improve our procedures or adjust our pricing. We also had a small proprietary program for pricing in Excel. This was very helpful to make sure we were adding all the costs for each job to our pricing

for

each

stage

or

design

consultation.

Q:

ANY

LAST-MINUTE

ADVICE

FOR

OUR

MEMBERS? Q:

WHAT

ARE

SOME

LESSONS

LEARNED?

Enjoy the business and understand it’s not just staging; the business side is as important or more

We learned to have our warehouse

important than the stagings. If you don’t have the

properly organized to reduce costs and

money under control you can’t stage properly

to properly train movers to avoid costly

because you will run out of money and not

repair costs to inventory or for clients.

understand what happened.

PREPARATION IS KEY

HOME STAGING & REDESIGN ALLIANCE

Got your STR signed, sealed, and delivered?

Awesome! Now you are “rolling right along”, ready to begin setting up. You set a day to hit your local garage sales, maybe hit up Walmart, possibly check FaceBook marketplace...WAIT!!

Full. Stop. Right. Now. “What's wrong?”, you ask. Well...just about everything if you are wanting to create a highly profitable, competitive, and interesting space

JENNIFER GAINER

for people to stay in!

staging buisness advisor

Now, don’t get us wrong...we LOVE a good deal, and we are comparison and bargain shoppers right along with you. However, you

The quality is less-than-stellar, so you are going to

cannot sacrifice quality for cost savings if you

have to replace items much sooner. That means the

want to receive the highest return on your

photos you took to list your unit are no longer

investment!

current. The design is not the same, the items have changed, and the look and feel is not consistent. Your

I will say that again...you CANNOT sacrifice

“ideal client” shows up expecting to see what they

quality for cost savings for the best ROI!!

liked in the photos; instead they feel highly disappointed because everything is different.

You have spent all of this time planning the BEST unit ever! You have nailed down your

What if we told you there was a better way? Not

avatar - so you know what they are going to

necessarily the lowest cost upfront, but a better way

need AND want to see in a unit, and where

to set up your units?

they are going to want to stay. You landed the perfect spot and now you are ready to set it

The standard we have found for most units would be

up. Why would you consider cutting corners

starting around $18-20 per square foot if you have a

now? We know...we know - the budget is what

professional company come and assist you with the

it is. And believe us...we get it! With 6 of our

design and set up of the property. Most of you are

own units for Model Stay, LLC, and more

already running a staging company, so you have the

coming soon, we understand the pain of

design aspects on point! There are some amazing

making these up-front investments. But you

standards of setup that can assure your guests have

have to maintain the long-term vision! You

everything they need, and even some of the extras

cannot just look at today...you need to see

they want, and you still don’t have to break the bank.

where you could be 3-6 months from now!

Let’s get hypothetical for a moment. You invest

First off - why not look in your own garage,

all this time on the front - find the perfect

warehouse, or storage unit! You likely have some

place, plan it out, etc. Then you go in with the

amazing pieces in your own inventory you could “buy”

bare minimum, a mismatch of the right “items”,

from yourself, and let those be your foundational

and nothing feels cohesive.

pieces.

HOME STAGING & REDESIGN ALLIANCE

WE WOULD DEFINITELY RECOMMEND GOING WITH SOME DARKER TONES We would definitely recommend going with some

DId you just want it to have a particular vibe? Are

darker tones for the primary pieces (sofa, accent

you creating a “hashtag space” for people to

chairs, etc) just to minimize wear and tear. The next

share on social media? Have you thought about

stop is accessories - and in this, you are going to take what you would put in a “staged to sell” property and cut it by about 30% - especially in areas like the bathroom.

Think of a hotel room - what types of things do they place, and why? In a short-term rental, think function over form in most aspects. The guest is likely going to be bringing a lot of their own personal items and will need places to store and display what they are bringing in. In addition, the more small accessories

including an accent wall, inspirational area, or special decor to make sure your unit tells the story for itself? These extra steps may add a bit on the front side, but will pay off in a major way with your occupancy rates and Average Daily Rate.

Your goal should be to set your unit up in such a way that you can receive a full return on your upfront investment within 6 month! Thinking of

and items increase the ability for things to “walk

how long you will likely keep your unit listed, that

away” in between stays. The final step is thinking

is not a bad situation to be in!

about the “wow factors” - how have you designed this unit? Is it based on a theme park, sports team, movie, or some other ideal your avatar would have?

- Jennifer Gainer

2- Day Interactive STR Master Training Workshop

LIVE STR tour with Jana Thursday | March 3, 2022 - Attend the interactive portion of the workshop.

Tour live short-term rental properties and get ideas for your own

SIGN UP NOW

ATTEND THIS 2-DAY INTERACTIVE SHORT-TERM RENTAL MASTER TRAINING WORKSHOP WITH HSRA, THE HOME STAGING, AND REDESIGN ALLIANCE.

THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2022 - 1:00 PM TO 5:00 PM FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2022 - 8:30AM TO 4:30PM HSRA TRAINING CENTER: 2550 114TH ST #170, GRAND PRAIRIE, TX 75050

THIS MASTER TRAINING WORKSHOP IS OPEN TO MEMBERS AND NON-MEMBERS OF HSRA. MEMBERS WILL RECEIVE $100 OFF, USE CODE: STRMEMBER

MASTER TRAINING WORKSHOP Friday | March 4, 2022 - Attend the Master Training Workshop all day with the best of the best

ELEVATE YOUR HSRA MEMBERSHIP

ASHLEY FUENTES OWNER: STAGING THE NEST HSRA EXECUTIVE LEADER XL GROWTH MEMBERSHIP

I am so loving being a part of the XL Growth Membership program!

During our last meeting, we did a high-level check on our business growth over last year and I am excited to share that Staging The Nest's revenue is up over 77% over last year - year to date! I am so proud of our amazing team!

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CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS HSRA INC. 2550 114th St. Suite 170 Grand Prairie, TX 75050 855.85. STAGE myhsra.com | info@myhsra.com