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	<title>Home Staging Business Report &#187; Celebrating Entrepreneurs</title>
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	<description>Information Tools and Inspiration to Grow Your Own Real Estate Staging Business</description>
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		<title>Home Stager and Santa&#8217;s Little Elf</title>
		<link>http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/home-stager-and-santas-little-elf/</link>
		<comments>http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/home-stager-and-santas-little-elf/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:55:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Debra Gould</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Celebrating Entrepreneurs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home Staging Business Tips & Training]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home Staging in Slow Economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home Staging in the News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home Staging Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home Staging Website Tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Staging Diva Graduate Success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[holiday decorating]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home stager]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home staging business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing strategy]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/?p=6379</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As a home stager you have many creative talents that can help you make money, especially during the holiday season when there are fewer home sellers looking for our home staging services. Staging Diva Graduate, Monica Bunde of Create Home Staging takes her staging hat off at this time of year and promotes her services [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><div id="attachment_6380" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 250px">
	<a href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/MonicaBundeXmasTree.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-6380" title="Holiday Decorating for Home Stagers" src="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/MonicaBundeXmasTree.jpg" alt="Holiday Decorating for Home Stagers" width="250" height="376" /></a>
	<p class="wp-caption-text">Tree decorated by Monica Bunde for her client.</p>
</div>
<p>As a home stager you have many creative talents that can help you <a title="home stagers make extra money with holiday decorating" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/home-stagers-make-extra-money-with-holiday-decorating/" target="_blank">make money, especially during the holiday season</a> when there are fewer home sellers looking for our home staging services.</p>
<p>Staging Diva Graduate, Monica Bunde of <a title="Create Home Staging" href="http://stagingdivadirectoryofhomestagers.com/create-home-staging" target="_blank">Create Home Staging</a> takes her staging hat off at this time of year and promotes her services decorating for the holiday season.</p>
<p>For example, she just completed a holiday decorating project for a local senior&#8217;s home. She says that &#8220;A tree, a Santa&#8217;s village display, exterior pillars, railings and urns were transformed into a festive winter wonderland. The seniors were so very excited, almost as excited as I was to do it &#8230; and it&#8217;s those little things that just make this time of year so special.&#8221;</p>
<p>You could call Monica an international stager as she runs her staging business in both Ontario and Michigan. This is not as uncommon as you might think! Several Staging Diva Graduates spend part of the year in one location or travel back and forth between cities, states (and even countries), depending on the season, where other family members are, etc. That&#8217;s why when you <a title="how to join the Staging Diva Directory of Home Stagers" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/stagingdirectorygetlisted.html">join the Staging Diva Directory of Home Stagers</a>, you can choose up to 4 states/provinces and 10 locations to serve.</p>
<p>Monica will be continuing to build her <a title="home staging training to expand your staging business" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingtraining.html">home staging business</a> in the new year with a regular home staging column for a local news website, <strong>Today&#8217;s Windsor</strong>. This is an excellent <a title="how to plan your marketing strategy" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/store/#marketingplan">marketing strategy</a> for establishing yourself as a home staging expert and to have your name and company name appear more prominently in <a title="Google Adwords and trust" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/home-staging-website-hosting-google-adwords-and-trust/" target="_blank">Google search results</a>. Way to go Monica, you&#8217;re off to a great start for 2012!</p>
<p>Have you had any success marketing your holiday decorating services? How about writing for other publications or websites? Please share you thoughts and experiences here!</p>
<p><img title="Debra Gould, The Staging Diva" src="../../Imagesstagingdiva/logoimages/debrasignature.gif" alt="" width="100" height="50" /></p>
<p>Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®<br />
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging</p>
<p>Debra Gould has been an entrepreneur since 1989 and knows how to make money as a home stager. She developed the <a title="Staging Diva Training Program" href="../../homestagingtraining.html">Staging Diva Training Program</a> to teach others how to earn a living doing something they love. There are now more than 7,000 students in over 20 countries learning from her many <a title="products and services for home stagers" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/store">products and services for home stagers</a>.</p>
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		<title>Home Stagers, Will You Choose to Realize Your Dream?</title>
		<link>http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/home-stagers-will-you-choose-to-realize-your-dream/</link>
		<comments>http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/home-stagers-will-you-choose-to-realize-your-dream/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:00:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Debra Gould</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Celebrating Entrepreneurs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home Stager Confidence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home Staging Business Tips & Training]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home Staging Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Staging Diva Diary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Staging Diva Graduate Success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[confidence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dreams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home stagers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[journey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[success]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/?p=6330</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What a journey it is becoming a home stager! Many of us are born home stagers, we just don&#8217;t realize it for many years. What I mean here is that it&#8217;s a journey discovering who we are and what we are meant to do. Along the way, we take hundreds of baby steps that take [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p><a href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingtraining.html"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-3974" title="imagine living your dreams" src="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/imaginecrop11562895XSmall.jpg" alt="imagine living your dreams" width="250" height="123" /></a>What a journey it is becoming a home stager! Many of us are <a title="born to be a home stager" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/addicted-to-decorating-or-born-to-be-a-home-stager/" target="_blank">born home stagers</a>, we just don&#8217;t realize it for many years. What I mean here is that it&#8217;s a journey discovering who we are and what we are meant to do. Along the way, we take hundreds of baby steps that take our dream and make it tangible by bringing it into the world where we, and others, can see it.</p>
<p>There is something really empowering about <a title="Home staging courses dubbed roadmap to fulfill a dream" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/home-staging-courses-dubbed-roadmap-to-fulfill-a-dream/" target="_blank">manifesting our dreams</a> into something that exists outside of ourselves.</p>
<p>For years I had wanted to be an artist. I used to spend hours at craft shows hanging around the exhibitors, like a groupie hungry for any piece of information that would help me figure out what their secret was. How had they found the courage to create and to put their work out there for the world to see, judge, and hopefully, buy?</p>
<p>Eventually I gave up my six-figure business to find out and do it myself. Everyone said I was crazy, after all I was a single mom with a mortgage! I just realized one day that life is too short and that our passion doesn&#8217;t just show up one day and say &#8220;Here I am!,&#8221; it&#8217;s actually something you CHOOSE!</p>
<p>I built <a title="Debra Gould Home Collection" href="http://debragouldhomecollection.com" target="_blank">my first website to promote my art</a> in 1999. I knew I needed a photo of myself to put up there so I did my makeup, propped my digital camera up on a bunch of books on a table to get the right height, and used the timer to take a bunch of shots of myself.</p>
<p>It took me hours to get it right— running back and forth between the camera and where I would stand, trying to get the angle right and the lighting! How much easier it would have been to have professional lights or a tripod (I couldn&#8217;t afford either one) or even someone around to help, but I was new in town and didn&#8217;t know a soul (except my kid who was under 4 feet tall)!</p>
<p>After kindergarten pick up that day, I showed her my live website (a project I&#8217;d been working on non-stop for about 3 weeks), complete with artist photo.<br />
<strong><br />
She burst into happy tears and said, &#8220;I&#8217;m so proud of you Mommy!&#8221; </strong></p>
<p>That was definitely one of those great &#8220;Mommy Moments,&#8221; not only because she was proud but because I knew I had taught her an important lesson about following your dreams! She had witnessed the power of taking action rather than sitting around complaining or waiting to be rescued by someone else. This is a critical lesson for everyone, but I feel it&#8217;s especially important for girls!</p>
<p>I was reminded of this story recently when one of my Staging Diva Graduates took my advice about setting up a Gravatar so that her <a title="does your home staging business image follow you?" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/does-your-home-staging-business-image-follow-you/" target="_blank">photo would appear next to her blog comments all over the Internet</a> and she wrote, &#8220;Thanks! It was so fun to see my picture pop up everywhere. I didn&#8217;t realize how vain I was until I saw my picture and loved it!&#8221;</p>
<p>It&#8217;s not vanity though! It&#8217;s the thrill of seeing a tangible example of your dreams being out in the world. It&#8217;s scary at first, but it&#8217;s really gratifying and gets easier with every step you take.</p>
<p>Staging Diva Graduate, <strong>Traci Sampsell</strong> of The Finer Stage wrote, &#8220;I saw the first draft of my business cards today and I haven&#8217;t felt this proud since I graduated from nursing school! This is completely different, though, because it&#8217;s all my own!&#8221;</p>
<p>Yes, another step in the journey made tangible by having an actual business card. They cost under $100 but their value is priceless in the <a title="5 steps to boost your confidence as a home stager" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/home-stagers-5-steps-to-boost-your-confidence/" target="_blank">confidence boost</a> they give you, and the money-making clients they can bring you!</p>
<p>Staging Diva Graduate <strong>Katherine James</strong> of Set Sale and Go Home Staging wrote after her first project, &#8220;Debra, I had them eating out of the palm of my hand using your tips. The job went incredibly well and I could not tear the smile off my face after I left. I had to strongly resist the urge to skip back to my car in case the clients might be watching from their doorway.&#8221;</p>
<p>Staging Diva Graduate <strong>Red Barrinuevo</strong> of <a title="Redesign 4 More" href="http://stagingdivadirectoryofhomestagers.com/redesign4more-home-staging-and-design-solutions" target="_blank">Redesign4More</a> compares the excitement of starting his staging and redesign business to the day he got his first bike from his dad. Special moments we never forget because even as they&#8217;re happening we know they are life affirming and life changing.</p>
<p>Staging Diva Graduate <strong>Jodi Whalen</strong> of <a title="Pear Tree Home Designs" href="http://stagingdivadirectoryofhomestagers.com/pear-tree-home-designs" target="_blank">Pear Tree Home Designs</a> shares that she realized how far she&#8217;d come when she closed her books on her first 3 years as a home stager and realized she tripled her revenue every year!</p>
<p><strong>Perhaps you&#8217;re thinking it&#8217;s different for us, that this couldn&#8217;t be your story too.</strong></p>
<p>Maybe you believe I don&#8217;t understand how hard it can be. I&#8217;ve never publicly shared my whole story, but I do not lead a charmed life where everything just &#8220;falls into place.&#8221; I&#8217;ve worked my way back from abuse, serious health challenges, and more.</p>
<p>I do know what it&#8217;s like to feel hopeless. I also know life is the adventure you make it and that you are the one to choose your adventures.</p>
<p>So the first step is to choose. The next is to find some (even small) way to make your dreams real each day. Whether it&#8217;s:</p>
<ul>
<li>Taking your professional picture.</li>
<li>Going out to a networking event to talk about your business as though it exists (even if you&#8217;ve never had a client before).</li>
<li><a title="join our group coaching calls to get all your questions answered" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/divadialogpromo.html">Learning from others</a> who have already done what you&#8217;re trying to accomplish.</li>
<li>Or any one of a thousand things you could do today, tomorrow, the next day, next week and on and on.</li>
</ul>
<p>I promise one day (not so long from now) you will look back in delight and amazement at how far you&#8217;ve come!</p>
<p>Home stagers, please comment below and share any action you&#8217;ve taken this year towards realizing your dreams, I know you&#8217;ll get a kick out of seeing the progress you&#8217;ve made while inspiring others just starting out.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re totally new to home staging and just beginning this journey, please share what baby steps you plan to take in the months ahead to take your dream and make it tangible by bringing it into the world where we, and others, can see it. You&#8217;ll find your transformation begins just by declaring it!</p>
<p><img title="Debra Gould, The Staging Diva" src="../../Imagesstagingdiva/logoimages/debrasignature.gif" alt="" width="100" height="50" /></p>
<p>Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®<br />
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging</p>
<p>Debra Gould has been writing about marketing for small businesses since the early 1990s as a frequent contributor to Profit Magazine. A home stager since 2002, she developed the <a title="Staging Diva Training Program" href="../../homestagingtraining.html" target="_self">Staging Diva Training Program</a> to create opportunities for others to grow their own money-making home staging businesses. There are now 4,000 students in more than 20 countries following her formula for business success.</p>
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		<title>Home Stagers Pause To Celebrate Your Accomplishments</title>
		<link>http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/home-stagers-pause-to-celebrate-your-accomplishments/</link>
		<comments>http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/home-stagers-pause-to-celebrate-your-accomplishments/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 20 Oct 2011 17:29:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Debra Gould</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Celebrating Entrepreneurs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home Staging Business Tips & Training]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Staging Diva Diary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[accomplishments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home stagers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Staging Diva]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/?p=6186</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I recently wrote a post that has struck a chord with my readers called, Is Negative Self Talk Killing Your Home Staging Business? In it I confessed to realizing that I have been operating from a belief that if I don’t keep pushing myself to conquer ever more challenging business situations, my business will stop [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-6190" title="home stager accomplishments" src="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/womandecoratorstudycrop6082609.jpg" alt="home stager accomplishments" width="250" height="207" />I recently wrote a post that has struck a chord with my readers called, <a title="is negative self-talk killing your home staging business?" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/is-negative-self-talk-killing-your-home-staging-business/" target="_blank">Is Negative Self Talk Killing Your Home Staging Business?</a> In it I confessed to realizing that I have been operating from a belief that if I don’t keep pushing myself to conquer ever more challenging business situations, my business will stop growing and I’ll stop accomplishing anything.</p>
<p>Even writing it here, I have a little voice saying, &#8220;But that&#8217;s true!&#8221; Perhaps the difference is &#8220;how&#8221; we keep ourselves moving forward.</p>
<p>Do we do it with an imaginary whip that says, &#8220;Get back to work you haven&#8217;t done enough to <a title="how to build your home staging business" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingtraining.html">build your staging business</a>!&#8221; Or, do we motivate ourselves <strong>from a place of self-love and compassion</strong> that says something like, &#8220;Remember how important your dream of building a staging business is to you and how much you love decorating houses to sell? Why don&#8217;t you turn off the TV and stop looking at <a title="The Staging Diva on Facebook" href="http://www.facebook.com/TheStagingDiva" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and take that next step you promised yourself instead.&#8221;</p>
<p>Since 2005 I&#8217;ve dedicated much of my working life to inspiring and empowering others who want to make a living from their creativity. <a title="Debra Gould Bio" href="http://debragould.com/bio/" target="_blank">I&#8217;ve taken what I know</a> about building a successful home staging business, marketing and being an entrepreneur and I share it with thousands of people every day.</p>
<p>Yet, when I can&#8217;t think up a topic for another blog post for the <a title="Home Staging Busienss Report" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness" target="_blank">Home Staging Business Report</a>, or my monthly newsletter, <a title="Staging Diva Dispatch, subscribe here" href="http://www.stagingdivadispatch.com" target="_blank">Staging Diva Dispatch</a>, or I&#8217;m too tired to work on my next <a title="home staging training products" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/store" target="_blank">home staging training product</a>, I beat myself up that I&#8217;m not doing enough.</p>
<p>Deciding to enter the <a title="Debra Gould named as Finalist in 4 categories for Stevie Awards" href="http://debragould.com/debra-gould-named-as-finalist-in-stevie-awards-for-women-in-business/" target="_blank">8th Annual Stevie® Awards for Women in Business</a> was a great exercise in reminding myself of what I <em>have</em> accomplished over the past 12 months. I had honestly forgotten so many of the projects I finished until I had to document it all to prove I was worthy of an award for the 4 categories I entered:</p>
<ul>
<li>Best Coach/Mentor of the Year</li>
<li>Best Blog of the Year</li>
<li>Best Canadian Entrepreneur</li>
<li>Best Entrepreneur of a Service Business Under 100 Employees</li>
</ul>
<p>I&#8217;m proud to say I&#8217;m a <strong>Finalist in all 4 of these categories</strong> and the only non US-based company to be considered for Best Entrepreneur of a Service Business Under 100 Employees! This last category is probably a long shot since my competitors have pretty &#8220;big&#8221; organizations. I still operate out of my home office with 3 virtual assistants and no employees, but I did make the Finalist list out of 1300 applicants overall!</p>
<p>The reason I &#8220;forgot&#8221; what I&#8217;d achieved until I was forced to document it is that I&#8217;m usually jumping on the next idea rather than also pausing to celebrate &#8220;the mountain&#8221; I&#8217;ve just climbed. Perhaps you do that too?</p>
<p><strong>I can tell you from experience that it&#8217;s important to celebrate your victories and recognize how far you&#8217;ve come.</strong></p>
<p>Otherwise it begins to always feel like &#8220;work&#8221; instead of the joy of doing what you love. So I invite you to add your comment below. Share whatever successes you&#8217;ve had in moving towards your goal of running your own home staging business. Remember that what your inner critic might call a &#8220;baby step&#8221;, can actually be huge for you. We all start somewhere and every step we take brings us closer to our goals.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;ve been a <a title="5 steps to boost your confidence as a home stager" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/home-stagers-5-steps-to-boost-your-confidence/" target="_blank">home stager</a> for awhile, share your latest accomplishments and perhaps some words of encouragement to the new home stagers that are coming up behind you! There are so many <a title="10 wow moments as a home stager" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/10-wow-moments-as-a-home-stager/" target="_blank">WOW moments</a> when you&#8217;re your own boss and doing work you love. Take a moment now to remember and document some of them.</p>
<p>And if the idea of adding your comments is triggering that little negative voice in your head says, &#8220;It&#8217;s wrong to brag,&#8221; remember that you aren&#8217;t bragging when you&#8217;re speaking the truth of what you&#8217;ve accomplished. Besides, I know this community will get inspired and appreciate your sharing!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><img title="Debra Gould, The Staging Diva" src="../../Imagesstagingdiva/logoimages/debrasignature.gif" alt="" width="100" height="50" /></p>
<p>Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®<br />
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging</p>
<p>Intrepid entrepreneur Debra Gould has been self-employed since 1989 and reinvented her career many times to suit her interests and passions. She knows how to make money as a home stager and developed the <a title="Staging Diva Training Program" href="../../homestagingtraining.html" target="_self">Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program</a> to teach others how to earn a living doing something they love. There are more than 4000 Staging Diva Students in the U.S., Canada and 20 other countries. Debra is frequently profiled in the <a title="Debra Gould in the media" href="../../mediacoverage.html" target="_blank">media</a> for her home staging expertise and is the author of <a href="../../store" target="_self">5 guides for home stagers</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Barbara Corcoran on Home Staging &#8211; Great Clip for Home Stagers</title>
		<link>http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/barbara-corcoran-on-home-staging-great-clip-for-home-stagers/</link>
		<comments>http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/barbara-corcoran-on-home-staging-great-clip-for-home-stagers/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:00:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Debra Gould</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Celebrating Entrepreneurs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home Staging in the News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home Staging Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Barbara Corcoran]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home stagers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home staging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home staging marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/?p=6170</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Home stagers, isn&#8217;t it great when major TV shows share why home staging works with their viewers? Home staging marketing is SO much easier when potential clients already understand that decorating a house to sell is critical when you want to sell quickly and for more money. I love that Barbara Corcoran, a real estate [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>Home stagers, isn&#8217;t it great when major TV shows share <a title="why home staging works" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/whyhomestagingworks.html">why home staging works</a> with their viewers?</p>
<p><a title="get help with home staging marketing" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/store/#marketingplan" target="_blank">Home staging marketing</a> is SO much easier when potential clients already understand that decorating a house to sell is critical when you want to sell quickly and for more money.</p>
<p>I love that Barbara Corcoran, a real estate mogul with a $5 billion dollar business appeared recently on The Nate Berkus Show. As you&#8217;ll see in this clip, she tells viewers <strong>&#8220;Home staging is no longer optional in this real estate market. It&#8217;s what will make the difference in whether your home sells or not.&#8221; Then she goes on to say that home staging can add at least 5% to 7% to the sales value of a home!</strong></p>
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<h2>Home staging tips from this segment include:</h2>
<p>A larger rug will make a room look bigger. I totally agree with this, when you&#8217;ve got a small area rug it tricks the eye and makes you think the room is smaller.</p>
<p>Avoid bold patterns on walls and furniture that might turn off real estate buyers.</p>
<p>Update the decorating scheme for the current year where possible. This will make the home look more current to potential buyers.</p>
<p>Add fresh flowers, especially for open houses and important showings.</p>
<h2>Some fun facts about Barbara Corcoran</h2>
<p>I love <a title="Celebrate entrepreneurs with these stories from Staging Diva" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/category/celebrating-entrepreneurs/" target="_blank">celebrating female entrepreneurs</a>! Barbara Corcoran borrowed $1,000 and quit her waitress job to start her real estate business which is now worth $5 billion.</p>
<p>She is the author of: &#8220;If You Don&#8217;t Have Big Breasts, Put Ribbons on Your Pigtails&#8221; (how&#8217;s that for a title of a business book, not to mention a great analogy for what home stagers do for houses!?), &#8220;Nextville: Amazing Places to Live the Rest of Your Life&#8221; and her latest, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591844185/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=debragouldhom-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=1591844185" target="blank">Shark Tales: How I Turned $1,000 into a Billion Dollar Business</a><img style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=debragouldhom-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1591844185&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0" />. I think this latest book includes some behind-the-scenes stuff about being on ABC&#8217;s <em>Shark Tank</em>. I can only imagine what she has to say about Kevin (I only love money)  O&#8217;Leary!</p>
<p>What do you think of this home staging video clip? Have you found it&#8217;s easier to promote your home staging business when you&#8217;re not the first to explain to a potential buyer why home staging is important? Share your experiences by commenting below.</p>
<p><img title="Debra Gould, The Staging Diva" src="../../Imagesstagingdiva/logoimages/debrasignature.gif" alt="" width="100" height="50" /></p>
<p>Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®<br />
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging</p>
<p>Debra Gould knows how to make money as a home stager and she developed the <a title="home staging courses" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/store">home staging courses</a> to teach others how to earn a living doing something they love. Prior to becoming a professional home stager in 2002, Debra bought, staged and sold 7 of her own homes.</p>
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		<title>Home Staging Career Rises from a Bakery Storefront</title>
		<link>http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/home-staging-career-rises-from-a-bakery-storefront/</link>
		<comments>http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/home-staging-career-rises-from-a-bakery-storefront/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Sep 2011 13:00:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Debra Gould</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Celebrating Entrepreneurs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home Stager Confidence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home stager]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home staging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home staging career]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/?p=6064</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As a home stager and entrepreneur, you never want to pass up a golden opportunity, and the following story is a perfect example of this. A home stager named Jackie submitted this story for my upcoming book, Life as a Home Stager, and I think you’ll find it inspiring: “I have an insatiable appetite for all things [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-6066" title="bakery-staging-project" src="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/bakery-staging-project.jpg" alt="home staging project" width="167" height="250" />As a home stager and entrepreneur, you never want to pass up a golden opportunity, and the following story is a perfect example of this. A home stager named Jackie submitted this story for my upcoming book, <a title="Life as a Home Stager" href="http://www.stagingdivadispatch.com/fave-client-story/" target="_blank">Life as a Home Stager</a>, and I think you’ll find it inspiring:</p>
<p>“I have an insatiable appetite for all things décor, so when a friend asked me if I would be willing to help spruce up the storefront of a new bakery in town, I just couldn&#8217;t resist!</p>
<p>While decorating bakeries doesn&#8217;t exactly fall within the realm of home staging, it was in that bakery that I got a ‘taste’ of what it would be like to be a stager.</p>
<p>When this opportunity came about, I was at the end of a one-year contract teaching elementary school. I had been contemplating a <a title="career in home staging" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingtraining.html" target="_blank">career in home staging</a> for some time, so when the bakery gig opened up, I realized it was now or never.</p>
<p>I was so nervous! I had never done anything like this before. Where would I get the materials I needed? What if they didn&#8217;t like my ideas?</p>
<p>Before our first meeting, it was established that I wouldn’t receive any monetary compensation for my work but that I could take all the before and after photos I wanted.</p>
<p>I met with the bakery owners and discussed some ideas for the space. I asked them questions about what they wanted to convey to people walking by, what colors they liked and disliked, and so on. By the end of our first meeting, we were all quite excited!</p>
<p>With a one-week deadline staring me in the face, I had no time to dawdle, but the results were fantastic. The bakery storefront was a total success, so much so that it caught the attention of a local Chamber of Commerce worker walking by. She promptly went back to her office and reported the transformation to the local Economic Development Officer, who in turn did a photo shoot and ran a full article in the county tourism magazine. The article mentioned that I was a local home stager and included all my contact information!</p>
<p>My <a title="home staging career" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingtraining.html" target="_blank">home staging career</a> began with that little bakery and continues today. And remember that dear friend of mine who got me the job? Well, she&#8217;s moving away, and wouldn&#8217;t you know it—she needs a home stager! Lucky for her, I just so happen to know someone in the business.”</p>
<p>Congratulations, Jackie, for striking while the iron was hot!</p>
<p>Please share news of your first <a title="create your own home staging business" href="../../homestagingtraining.html">home staging project</a> below. I know your story will inspire others! And, if you&#8217;re interested in being featured in my upcoming book, <strong>Life as a Home Stager</strong>, please <a title="submit your story for Life as a Home Stager" href="http://www.stagingdivadispatch.com/fave-client-story/" target="_blank">click here to submit your story</a>.</p>
<p><img title="Debra Gould, The Staging Diva" src="../../Imagesstagingdiva/logoimages/debrasignature.gif" alt="" width="100" height="50" /></p>
<p>Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®<br /> President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging</p>
<p>Debra Gould has been using her creative talents to stage homes since 2002. She knows how to make money as a home stager and shares her formula for staging business success in the Staging Diva <a title="home staging courses" href="../../store">home staging courses</a>.</p>
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		<title>Staging Diva Graduates Get Media Attention in Chicago, Nashville and Kenosha</title>
		<link>http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/staging-diva-graduates-get-media-attention-chicago-nashville-kenosha/</link>
		<comments>http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/staging-diva-graduates-get-media-attention-chicago-nashville-kenosha/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:00:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Debra Gould</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Celebrating Entrepreneurs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home Staging in the News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home Staging Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Staging Diva Graduate Success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home staging marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing idea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[media attention]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Staging Diva]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/?p=5583</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In course 4, Staging Diva Sales &#38; Marketing Secrets to Boost Your Home Staging Business, I provide tons of marketing ideas that you can use with your 4 key target markets for home staging. One of these targets is the media because I&#8217;m a big advocate of free marketing (where you can get it) and [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-5837" title="Home staging in the news" src="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/BreakingNews.jpg" alt="Home staging in the news" width="150" height="108" />In course 4, <a title="Staging Diva Sales and Marketing Secrets" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/store/#course4">Staging Diva Sales &amp; Marketing Secrets to Boost Your Home Staging Business</a>, I provide tons of marketing ideas that you can use with your 4 key target markets for home staging. One of these targets is the media because I&#8217;m a big advocate of free marketing (where you can get it) and the media will always get you in front of a larger audience than you can reach yourself.</p>
<p>Imagine what it would have cost me to buy an ad on the front page of <a title="Debra Gould in The Wall Street Journal" href="http://debragould.com/tricks-of-the-trade-setting-up-a-home-for-sale/" target="_blank">The Wall Street Journal</a>&#8216;s Home Section? Yet there I was in a feature article called &#8220;Tricks of the Trade: Setting Up a Home for Sale&#8221; about how I stage my own homes for sale. This front page story not only raised awareness of home staging in general, but of my services in particular. Now did I get any home staging projects from it? No because it&#8217;s <strong>The Wall Street Journal</strong>, not my local paper. Though I did get contacted by a New York literary agent, which was very cool.</p>
<p>Clearly, being featured in the media also provides a significant boost to your credibility as a <a title="home staging expert" href="http://www.sixelements.com/" target="_blank">home staging expert</a> in your market. Do not under estimate the value of this. You may not get a project immediately that you can directly trace to your media appearance, but if you make sure potential clients know that you were featured, it will help many of them make a decision to hire you.</p>
<p>Here are some recent media appearances for Staging Diva Graduates that I happened to learn about on <a title="The Staging Diva on Facebook" href="http://www.facebook.com/TheStagingDiva" target="_blank">Facebook</a>. (Note: You can improve the chances of being featured on my blog— which gets your name out there even more— if you send me your <a title="how to send success stories" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/staging-success-stories/">success stories</a>!)</p>
<p><a title="nashville staging diva graduate" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/home-staging-attracts-full-price-offer-in-nashville/" target="_blank">Nashville Staging Diva Graduate</a> <strong>Gary Baugher</strong> of An Eye 4 Change was featured in the Home Improvement section of <strong>Hendersonville Star News</strong>, with huge photos of one of his home staging projects, a photo of himself and a full article on how staging a house gives home sellers an edge in today&#8217;s market. In fact, he&#8217;s the only stager quoted in the entire story! Gary writes, &#8220;Aside from my own talents and ambition, I attribute my success to the Staging Diva <a title="home staging courses" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingtraining.html">home staging courses</a> and your continued support. Most of all you helped me gain the confidence to put myself out there and follow my dream. Debra, You truly are an inspiration to us all.&#8221;</p>
<p>New York Staging Diva Graduate <strong>Donna Dazzo</strong> of Designed to Appeal is frequently quoted in the media, her latest story is in the <a title="Staging Diva Grad in Chicago Tribune" href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/sell/sc-cons-0602-home-staging-20110603,0,6525839.story">Chicago Tribune</a>. By the way, Donna came to home staging after a layoff from her 25+ year career in financial services and I doubt she would have predicted all the magic that lay ahead of her when she decided to follow her passion and use her creative talents! <a title="career change home stager" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/craving-a-career-change-reinvent-yourself-as-a-home-stager/">Learn more about how others have reinvented themselves as home stagers</a>.</p>
<p>Wisconsin Staging Diva Graduate <strong>Leah Fritz</strong> of <a title="Perfect Place Home Staging" href="http://stagingdivadirectoryofhomestagers.com/perfect-place-home-staging" target="_blank">Perfect Place Home Staging</a> was featured in a full page spread in <strong>Kenosha News</strong> including 3 sets of before and after shots from her staging projects. What a way to get her <a title="home staging portfolio guide" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingportfolioguidepromo.html">home staging portfolio</a> in front of a local audience of potential clients and real estate agents!</p>
<p>I&#8217;ve always had the media seek me out which is why a strong online presence is so critical &#8212; you need to be easy to find and have a professional web presence that positions you as an expert. In fact, the reporter told Gary Baugher specifically that she found him by Googling &#8220;Nashville Home Stager&#8221; and loved his website. And when the <strong>CNN</strong> reporter found me, it was because of my <a title="home staging website Six Elements" href="http://www.sixelements.com" target="_blank">home staging website, SixElements.com</a>.</p>
<p>Please add your comments about any media attention you&#8217;re received about your home staging business and let us know how the reporter found you. I know your input will inspire other home stagers. Besides, why not take a moment to pat yourself on the back for your own success?!</p>
<p><img src="../../Imagesstagingdiva/logoimages/debrasignature.gif" alt="Debra Gould, The Staging Diva" width="100" height="50" /></p>
<p>Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®<br />
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging</p>
<p>Discover the ONLY <a href="../../homestagingtraining.html">Home Staging Business Training Program</a> taught by a seasoned entrepreneur who has successfully grown her own   home staging business. There are many ideas for marketing to real estate  agents in course 4, <a title="staging diva sales and marketing secrets" href="../../store/#course4">Staging Diva Sales and Marketing Secrets to Boost Your Home Staging Business</a>. Debra has been featured in the media across Canada and the United States and first started writing about marketing as a regular contributor to Profit Magazine in the 1980s.</p>
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		<title>Home staging courses dubbed “roadmap to fulfill a dream”</title>
		<link>http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/home-staging-courses-dubbed-roadmap-to-fulfill-a-dream/</link>
		<comments>http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/home-staging-courses-dubbed-roadmap-to-fulfill-a-dream/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 05 May 2011 13:03:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Debra Gould</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Celebrating Entrepreneurs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home Stager Confidence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Staging Diva Graduate Success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Debra Gould]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home staging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home staging courses]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home staging program]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home staging training]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Staging Diva]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/?p=5389</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[While I love hearing stories from all of my Staging Diva Graduates, the ones I enjoy most are those that come from men and women who have made drastic changes in their career to pursue their dreams – people like Lori Fischer of Pennsylvania based Rethink Interiors who, before becoming a home stager, worked as [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>While I love hearing stories from all of my <a title="staging diva" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com" target="_blank">Staging Diva </a>Graduates, the ones I enjoy most are those that come from men <a href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/lorifischer-headshot.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-5391" title="home stager lori fischer" src="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/lorifischer-headshot.jpg" alt="home stager lori fischer" width="159" height="225" /></a>and women who have made drastic changes in their career to pursue their dreams – people like Lori Fischer of Pennsylvania based <a title="pennsylvania home stager" href="http://stagingdivadirectoryofhomestagers.com/rethink-home-interiors" target="_blank">Rethink Interiors</a> who, before becoming a home stager, worked as a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative.</p>
<p>Lori writes, “I had my first staging job before I finished your  home staging courses and I had to listen to the recordings to coach me through many aspects of it&#8211;thank goodness you were here! I successfully staged the home with your help and that of my <a title="join a network of home stagers" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/network.html">Staging Diva Network</a> colleagues. Not only were the homeowners thrilled, they said that working with me was <strong>transformational</strong>. I couldn&#8217;t have received a higher compliment.”</p>
<p>From that, her first project, Lori generated four new leads &#8211; homeowners and <a title="real estate agent and realtor not the same thing" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/glossary/index.php/term/Home+Staging+Dictionary+and+Glossary+of+Terms+for+Home+Stagers,Realtor%26%23174%3B.xhtml" target="_blank">REALTORS</a>® &#8211; who saw her work, leading to at least one more home staging project so far.</p>
<p>Comments like this one from Lori make teaching <a title="home staging courses" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingtraining.html">home staging courses</a> so satisfying: “Each morning I wake up and am energized by what I am doing and what the future is going to bring. I honestly could not, and most likely, would not have made this leap to fulfill my dream had I not found the Staging Diva. You not only provide the nuts and bolts, you also provide an incredible amount of support with coaching. You are that voice of confidence in the moments when doubt creeps in that keeps me <strong>focused and moving forward</strong>. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”</p>
<p>It’s no accident that Lori has had so much success with her home staging business right out of the gate! Besides staying active on the Staging Diva Network and sopping up all the knowledge she can, Lori also has a full listing on the <a title="directory of home stagers" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/stagingdirectorygetlisted.html">Staging Diva Directory of Home Stagers</a> so that homeowners and real estate agents searching online for a stager in her area can find her. She also takes time to comment on this blog and she’s quite actively marketing her business using <a title="twitter for stagers" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/twitterguideforhomestagers.html">Twitter</a>.</p>
<p>Lori finished her note by saying:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">“The Staging Diva Program has given me the road map to fulfill a dream that I have had for years but was too afraid to make happen. Staging Diva training has given me tools to make this passion a lucrative career and at the same time provides outstanding follow-up coaching to achieve the personal growth that needed to happen for me to take this big step. Thanks to you, I have been able to leave a decade-long career that never fit and have replaced it with a passion, joy and zeal that I had craved for so long. I really can&#8217;t say enough about the absolutely incredible and generous person that you are.”</p>
<p>Wow, thank you Lori for totally making my week with your feedback!</p>
<p>Readers, I too left a previous career to become a home stager which eventually lead me to creating home staging courses for other creative types, who like myself, struggled to find a way to make money from their talents (perhaps you caught my recent post about working for <a title="working for mad men before being your own boss" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/working-for-mad-men-or-being-your-own-boss/">Mad Men Before Being My Own Boss</a>)! What career did you have before becoming a home stager, or what career are you still in while you get your staging  business established? <strong>Please share your comments below, I love to read about the diverse backgrounds home stagers come from!</strong></p>
<p><img class="alignnone" title="Debra Gould, The Staging Diva" src="http://www.stagingdiva.com/Imagesstagingdiva/logoimages/debrasignature.gif" alt="" width="100" height="50" /></p>
<p>Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®<br />
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging</p>
<p>Debra Gould has been a home stager since 2002. She knows how to make money as a home stager and she developed the <a title="Staging Diva Training Program" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingtraining.html" target="_self">Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program</a> to teach others how to earn a living doing something they love. There are more than 4000 Staging Diva Students in the U.S., Canada and 20 other countries. Debra is frequently profiled in the <a title="Debra Gould in the media" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/mediacoverage.html" target="_blank">media</a> for her home staging expertise and is the author of <a href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/store" target="_self">5 guides for home stagers</a>.</p>
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		<title>Home stager helps client stop paying two mortgages</title>
		<link>http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/home-stager-helps-client-stop-paying-two-mortgages/</link>
		<comments>http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/home-stager-helps-client-stop-paying-two-mortgages/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Mar 2011 16:55:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Debra Gould</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Celebrating Entrepreneurs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home Stager Confidence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Proof Home Staging Works / Staging Statistics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Staging Diva Graduate Success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home stager]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home stager success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[proof staging works]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Staging Diva]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/?p=5229</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I’ve written about Staging Diva Graduate Holly Battaglia before. She has a very inspiring story as she manages to work over 20 hours a week as an Oncology RN on top of running her successful Maryland home staging business, Holly&#8217;s Home Matters. She&#8217;s also a busy mother of four children aged 9-15! She recently wrote [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>I’ve written about <a title="Staging Diva Graduate" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/registered-nurse-and-mother-of-4-finds-success-in-home-staging-business/" target="_blank">Staging Diva Graduate Holly Battaglia</a> before. She has a very inspiring story as she manages to work over 20 hours a week as an Oncology RN on top of running her successful Maryland home staging business, Holly&#8217;s Home Matters. She&#8217;s also a busy mother of four children aged 9-15! She recently wrote to share the impressive results of one of her latest home staging projects.</p>
<p>Holly was called to do a <a title="home staging consultation checklist" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingchecklist.html">home staging consultation </a>on a house that had sat on the market for 7 months with <strong>65 showings</strong> and <strong>no offers</strong> despite a <strong>$40k price drop</strong>.</p>
<p>The home was vacant and in poor condition with old, outdated paint colors, beat up molding and mismatched carpets.<a href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/oldpaintcarpet.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-5230" title="before home staging" src="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/oldpaintcarpet.jpg" alt="before home staging" width="169" height="225" /></a></p>
<p><strong>The home was way beyond being tarted up with some new furniture and accessories.</strong> Holly recommended some fresh new paint colors, upgraded carpets and hardware and lighting updates throughout the entire home.</p>
<p>Holly selected everything that would be brought into the home except for the granite which was chosen before she arrived on the scene.</p>
<p>She recommended painting the kitchen cabinetry a dark brown color with brushed nickel accents. The clients didn’t want to do that so they elected to spray paint the door hinges, knobs and handles. Holly notes, “I DO NOT recommend doing this – it’s very labor intensive!”</p>
<p>On the final day of staging, the new carpet was being installed while a buyer’s agent came through early in the day to preview the home for his clients. Before he left, he said, “this home is going to sell quickly.”</p>
<p><a href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/updatedblueroom.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-5231" title="paint and carpet updated" src="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/updatedblueroom.jpg" alt="updated for home staging" width="225" height="169" /></a>He was right. That evening while Holly was at the house helping to install new exterior lighting, he returned with his clients who bought the home the next day. There wasn’t even any time to post updated photos online!</p>
<p>Holly’s clients were very grateful as they’d been paying two mortgages for 7 months while waiting for the home to sell. Imagine if they had contacted her before dropping their asking price by $40,000!</p>
<p>About the <a title="home staging training program" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingtraining.html">Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program</a>, Holly says, “The business aspect of the program has helped me achieve my goals by simplifying how I do business. There are tons of resources available! I feel like Debra is a master marketer and hope to learn more from her.”</p>
<p>If you’re a Staging Diva Graduate I would love to write about you too! Simply <a title="submit your staging succes" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/staging-success-stories/" target="_blank">click here to submit your story idea</a>.</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" title="Debra Gould, The Staging Diva" src="http://www.stagingdiva.com/Imagesstagingdiva/logoimages/debrasignature.gif" alt="" width="100" height="50" /></p>
<p>Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®<br />
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging</p>
<p>Debra Gould knows how to make money as a home stager and she developed the <a title="Staging Diva Training Program" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingtraining.html" target="_self">Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program</a> to teach others how to earn a living doing something they love. There are more than 4000 Staging Diva Students in the U.S., Canada and over 18 other countries. Debra is frequently profiled in the <a title="Debra Gould in the media" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/mediacoverage.html" target="_blank">media</a> for her home staging expertise and is the author of <a href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/store" target="_self">5 guides for home stagers</a>.</p>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<title>Staging Diva Graduate gets stale NY listing sold in 7 days</title>
		<link>http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/staging-diva-graduate-gets-stale-ny-listing-sold-in-7-days/</link>
		<comments>http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/staging-diva-graduate-gets-stale-ny-listing-sold-in-7-days/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 22 Mar 2011 13:00:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Debra Gould</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Celebrating Entrepreneurs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home Stager Confidence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Proof Home Staging Works / Staging Statistics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Staging Diva Graduate Success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Debra Gould]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home staging success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Staging Diva]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[staging diva graduate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[staging success story]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/?p=5165</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Before becoming a home stager, Staging Diva Graduate Jodi Whalen of New Jersey-based Pear Tree Home Designs had an exciting career as a Marketing Director at the Food Network. As a home stager, though, this mother of a very active toddler has much more flexibility over her schedule. Despite working part-time as a  home stager, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>Before becoming a home stager, Staging Diva Graduate Jodi Whalen of New Jersey-based <a title="pear tree home designs" href="http://stagingdivadirectoryofhomestagers.com/pear-tree-home-designs" target="_blank">Pear Tree Home Designs</a> had <a href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/peartree-kitchen-before.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-5166" title="kitchen before staging" src="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/peartree-kitchen-before.jpg" alt="kitchen before staging" width="225" height="150" /></a>an exciting career as a <strong>Marketing Director at the Food Network</strong>. As a home stager, though, this mother of a very active toddler has much more flexibility over her schedule.</p>
<p>Despite working part-time as a  <a title="home stager training" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/store">home stager</a>,  Jodi has been able to triple her staging income every year since she started. And, she&#8217;s helping her clients achieve pretty amazing results as the following story demonstrates.</p>
<p>A friend and ex-coworker of Jodi’s called her in December to see if she could help sell her one bedroom Brooklyn apartment after it had sat on the market (vacant and furnished) for <strong>nine months without a single offer</strong>.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/pear-tree-kitchen-after.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-5167" title="kitchen after home staging" src="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/pear-tree-kitchen-after.jpg" alt="kitchen after home staging" width="225" height="150" /></a>Her friend took the apartment off the market over the holidays for one month. During that time Jodi staged it by taming down the shade and the gloss of the loud paint color, bringing in new furniture on a better scale for the size of the apartment and giving it a sense of style to match the trendy city it was located in.</p>
<p>Website traffic on the listing tripled due to the great new photos and <strong>within 7 days of the first open house after staging, the apartment sold for 94% of its asking price.</strong></p>
<p>Jodi writes, “The <a title="home staging training program" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingtraining.html">Staging Diva program</a> was worth every single penny! I<strong> made it all back in my very first staging job</strong>. And, I would have never had the confidence to charge what I do to make the profit that I&#8217;ve been making on my current jobs. I&#8217;m now staging homes that are in the $1-2 million range and trust me <strong>they still need our help</strong>.”</p>
<p>New and aspiring stagers, if you enjoyed this story, you&#8217;d probably love my free collection of home stager success stories. <a title="home stager success stories" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagersuccessstories.html " target="_blank">Click here to download your copy</a>.</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" title="Debra Gould, The Staging Diva" src="http://www.stagingdiva.com/Imagesstagingdiva/logoimages/debrasignature.gif" alt="" width="100" height="50" /></p>
<p>Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®</p>
<p>President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging</p>
<p>Debra Gould knows how to make money as a home stager and she developed the <a title="Staging Diva Training Program" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingtraining.html" target="_self">Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program</a> to teach others how to earn a living doing something they love. There are more than 4000 Staging Diva Students in the U.S., Canada and over 18 other countries. Debra is frequently profiled in the <a title="Debra Gould in the media" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/mediacoverage.html" target="_blank">media</a> for her home staging expertise and is the author of <a href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/store" target="_self">5 guides for home stagers</a>.</p>
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		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
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		<title>Home staging services add value to paint color specialist&#8217;s business</title>
		<link>http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/home-staging-services-add-value-to-paint-color-specialists-business/</link>
		<comments>http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/home-staging-services-add-value-to-paint-color-specialists-business/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 24 Feb 2011 18:13:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Debra Gould</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Celebrating Entrepreneurs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Color Consultations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home Stager Confidence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Staging Diva Graduate Success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Debra Gould]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home stager]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home staging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home staging services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home staging training]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Staging Diva]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/?p=5044</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When you have a passion for home staging and/or interior design it’s impossible to keep it stifled inside.  I love hearing from Staging Diva Graduates like Pamela Sholty who have left behind jobs they despised to reinvent themselves as home stagers. Pamela works from Fresno, California, as &#8220;The Color Coach of the Central Valley&#8221;.  She [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>When you have a passion for <a title="home staging training" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/store" target="_self">home staging</a> and/or interior design it’s impossible to keep it stifled inside.  <a href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/the-color-coach.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-5045" title="home stager Pamela Sholty" src="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/the-color-coach.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="267" /></a></p>
<p>I love hearing from Staging Diva Graduates like Pamela Sholty who have left behind jobs they despised to <a title="reinvent yourself as a home stager?" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/craving-a-career-change-reinvent-yourself-as-a-home-stager/" target="_self">reinvent themselves as home stagers</a>.</p>
<p>Pamela works from Fresno, California, as &#8220;The Color Coach of the Central Valley&#8221;.  She always considered color and design to be her first loves but she hasn’t always earned her living from her passion. Pamela spent some time immersed in color application and home renovation for several years but she put design on the back burner when she started what <strong>would become a 20 year career as an insurance underwriter</strong>.</p>
<p>She always knew she’d return to design and after she’d had enough of the insurance industry, Pamela pursued an education in skin care and image consulting. Next, she renewed her training as a paint color specialist bringing her back to her passion and the world of interior redesign. She chose to <strong>round out her design and color selection services</strong> by adding real estate staging to her clients and in order to do that, she signed up for the <a title="home staging training program" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingtraining.html" target="_self">Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program</a>.</p>
<p>Pamela writes:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">“I wanted to find the very best training so I selected Staging Diva as the jumping off point in my staging education. The training with Debra helped me pull all of my design work together to offer my clients the best in staging, re-design and paint color selection for every stage of their lives.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">The Staging Diva Program provided many professional tools that I was able to use to develop both the business side of The Color Coach as well as the staging and design side of my business; everything from marketing ideas to business forms that I could adapt for my own personal needs. I especially appreciated the encouragement to be confident in my talents and skills and to charge fees accordingly.”</p>
<p>Home stagers, do you have a story like Pamela’s to share? If you’re a Staging Diva Graduate, <a title="staging diva graduate success stories" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/staging-success-stories/" target="_blank">click here and send me the details so I can write about you too</a>!</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" title="Debra Gould, The Staging Diva" src="http://www.stagingdiva.com/Imagesstagingdiva/logoimages/debrasignature.gif" alt="" width="100" height="50" /></p>
<p>Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®<br />
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging</p>
<p>Debra Gould knows how to make money as a home stager and she developed the <a title="Staging Diva Training Program" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/homestagingtraining.html" target="_self">Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program</a> to teach others how to earn a living doing something they love. There are more than 4000 Staging Diva Students in over 20 countries. Debra is frequently profiled in the <a title="Debra Gould in the media" href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/mediacoverage.html" target="_blank">media</a> for her home staging expertise and is the author of <a href="http://www.stagingdiva.com/store" target="_self">5 guides for home stagers</a>.</p>
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		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
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