Toronto skyline viewed from Etobicoke. Credit: Chris McPhee

I have a client in Toronto, Etobicoke to be precise, who is struggling to accommodate her 5 kids in a 3 bedroom home. She doesn’t want to move right now but needs interior redesign help to make the home work better for her large family. I’m too booked up with my own staging clients to help her and I’d love to refer this project to a Staging Diva Graduate.

The homeowner prefers to use her own furniture in new ways, but is also open to new purchases.

She’s also anticipating that some renovations may be required. Personally, I look at renovating as a last resort and find with some creativity you can often make the existing space work better.

Plus, when clients are able to avoid the considerable expense and inconvenience of renovating based on our advice, they have no trouble investing in what we have to say!

I haven’t seen the house but I’m guessing it’s a fairly high-priced property since it’s in Etobicoke, where properties and lot sizes tend to be larger. In fact, did you know that in Kingsway South, which is part of Etobicoke, over 50% of households earn over $100,000/year?

It’s very common for home stagers to get asked to do interior redesign projects and often it’s the clients who would never dream of hiring an Interior Designer who call us! That’s why I’m really happy I decided to become a home stager instead of going to Interior Design School.

If you’re a Staging Diva Graduate and you’re interested in this interior redesign project, it’s really easy to apply. All you need to do is complete the form at the Staging Diva Home Staging Project Referral Service.

Please be sure to include “Toronto Interior Redesign Project” as the project location in the first line of the form.

This project will be referred first to members of the Staging Diva Directory of Home Stagers at no charge. If there’s not a Directory member available for this project, it will be open to any Staging Diva Graduate with a professional Internet presence. (It’s difficult to convince a client to hire you if they can’t review your home staging portfolio, after all!)

If you get any paid work through this referral, there will be a $250 referral fee, which you can build into your redesign consultation fee if you’d like. It’s entirely up to you. Remember you’ll be making money on this project from not only your consulting fees, but referrals to painters or handymen, plus you can make a commission on any furniture they buy if you follow the advice I give you in Course 5 of the Staging Diva Home Staging Training Program!

Because of all the traffic generated by my many home staging websites, I get lots of leads on staging, color consulting and interior redesign jobs from all over the United States and Canada, and as far away as England, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, South Africa and Israel! I will only refer jobs to Staging Diva Graduates.

I generate tons of traffic for anyone listed on the Directory. Just one good project would more than pay for your entire training program plus building and hosting your web page on the high-traffic Directory of Home Stagers for an entire year! When clients find you from your listing in the Staging Diva Directory, I do not charge you a referral fee.

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®

Home Staging expert Debra Gould also known as The Staging Diva is president of an internationally recognized home staging company that is frequently profiled in the media in both the US and Canada. Debra Gould developed The Staging Diva Program to create opportunities for others to grow their own profitable home staging businesses.

We’re more than half way through the important fall real estate season and I can’t believe how fast time is flying by. Apparently this escalates as we get older and I believe it having just celebrated a birthday days ago.

Time will fly by whether you’re:

• Doing what you want to or not.
• Taking action on your dreams or not.
• Focusing every ounce of attention on your family or you’re also paying attention to what you need to create in your own life.

If you’re a home stager (new or established) and you haven’t been making the money you had hoped this fall real estate season, then I strongly encourage you to check out the many specials on right now in the Staging Diva Store. I’ve slashed prices on home staging courses, “how to” guides, a listing in the Staging Diva Directory of Home Stagers and one-on-one coaching with me.

I hear from so many aspiring home stagers with stories like these:

“If I could successfully start and grow my own home staging business, it would be a dream come true!

I have just recently experienced the loss of my job of 20 years after the company I worked for recently closed. I made a vow that I would devote my time and energy in pursuing a career doing something that I know I would love, and for me, this would be a life changing experience.

My vision is to be able to work with the two things I love most and that is working with people and using my creative abilities to beautify their home spaces.” Diane F., Indiana

But here’s the interesting part, despite losing her job of 20 years, saying that building a new business as a home stager would be a “dream come true” and “life changing experience”, more than a year has gone by and Diane is in the same place she was when she wrote these words.

You can dream all you like, but until you take action to achieve your dreams, nothing will happen!

Ask yourself these questions to determine if you’re ready to take action in your life:

1. Does your current work or how you spend your time let you feel you’re making a real difference in peoples’ lives?

2. Does your work, or how you spend your days allow you to express your creativity?

3. Are you still passionate about what you do everyday?

4. Are you so focused on money/security that you are willing to sell your soul for it?

5. Do you think anything will change if you keep doing what you’re doing?

If you answered “no” to 3 of these 5 questions, I encourage you to visit my BIG Birthday Sale before it comes to an end at 9pm Wednesday, November 2.

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Debra Gould knows how to make money as a home stager and she developed home staging courses, guides and coaching programs 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.

Starting your own home staging business is exciting. Unfortunately, some people who like to say they have a business actually only have a home staging hobby. Here are 5 warning signs that all you really have is a hobby even though you’d like to believe otherwise:

1. Your phone isn’t ringing with new projects right now. If you’re in North America, this is the busiest home staging season of the year, so you should be hearing from potential clients.
2. You’re running around doing free home staging estimates, but no one is hiring you to do a paid home staging consultation.
3. No one else takes your home staging business seriously, and if you’re painfully honest with yourself you might realize that you don’t either (this is often a symptom of being too afraid to really “go for it”).
4. You love shopping and buying cute decor pieces on sale. Now you have a collection of home staging accessories sitting in a storage locker costing you money, instead of home staging accessories sitting in your clients’ homes earning you rental income.
5. You aren’t actually making any money. A home staging business by definition, is one that makes money. If it doesn’t, then all you have right now is a home staging hobby.

Now, all is not lost! Many successful home staging businesses start out as hobbies. If you’re ready to take yours to the next level and start making real money doing what you love then I encourage you to listen to the FREE call I’m doing this week called, “5 Simple Secrets to a Home Staging Business: How to Make Money Doing What You Love.”

During this FREE conference call you’ll learn how to turn your staging hobby into a real business. I’ll share:

• How I took my own leap of faith in 2002 and got into home staging from an unrelated career

• What a day in the life of a home stager is really like, including examples from many successful stagers

• 5 simple secrets to help you start making more money as a home stager right now

There is limited space in this event, click here to learn more and get on my VIP list for this $79 mini-course absolutely FREE.

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Entrepreneur and Home Staging expert Debra Gould, The Staging Diva, knows how to make money as a home stager. Discover her secrets to business success in the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program.

Listening to a talk by author Neil Pasricha yesterday, I started thinking about all the things I love about being a home stager. The moments that make me say “Wow!”

I’ve included 10 of my own “WOW Moments as a Home Stager” here, and I hope my fellow home stagers will add to this list:

• Finding the right duvet cover that pulls all of the rest of the home’s accent colors together.

• Walking into my client’s home after the painter has finished removing the old wallpaper, covering the ugly wood paneling, and painting all the colors I chose for the house.

• Trying not to giggle while walking into a tiny condo bathroom to talk about how it needs to be staged because the camera man and lighting guy from HGTV are huddled together in the bathtub.

• Having my client (who was totally stressed out and feeling defeated when I arrived) hug me at the end of the home staging consultation and say she’s looking forward to selling her home.

• Re-rolling that final bath towel for the stack of 3 beside the jacuzzi and having it finally look like it does in the magazines.

• Getting a call from a reporter from CNN who wants to set up an interview about why home staging works in a slow real estate market on the very same afternoon that I’ve already spoken to The Wall Street Journal! It really did happen and I felt like I must have fallen into “The Twilight Zone”!

• Savoring those 10 minutes after the furniture delivery truck is gone and I’ve finished making the beds and placing all the accessories and I’m walking through the house taking in the “model home” I’ve created simply from my own creativity and hard work.

• Answering a call from a past client who tells me she feels like she “won the lottery” because she got so much for her home she’s debt free for the first time in her life.

• Spending 5 hours with a couple rearranging their home at our first appointment and realizing the house is totally ready to sell.

• Getting paid right away for my services and not having to chase my money.

Please add your “Wow Moments as a Home Stager” by commenting here so that we can all remember how many incredible gifts this career brings to our own lives, as well as those of our clients. If we can get a good size list going, I’ll collect the best and put them into a free report to share with my readers, naturally you’ll get a copy too!

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Debra Gould staged hundreds of homes before creating the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program to teach others how to earn a living doing something they love. She has written 5 guides and appears on HGTV and in numerous magazines and newspapers.

If you’re planning to go out on a shopping spree this weekend, maxing out your credit cards on new cookware or electronics, I hope you realize those things aren’t helping you reach your goal of succeeding as a home stager and while you’ll have some cool new gadgets, you’ll also probably end up with a big spending hangover and feelings of guilt.

If you’re an aspiring or established home stager who looks forward to saving money during the Black Friday sales, I want to help you get something that will lead you towards a better future so I’ve decided to throw my own sale on home staging training resources!

From now until Friday November 26 at midnight EST (9pm PST) save 15% on everything in the Staging Diva Store when you spend $100 or more!

That translates to $500 off the Instant Download PLUS version of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program!

When you have $100 or more worth of merchandise in your cart – home staging ebooks, courses, reports or guides – 15% will come off your total when you check out.

This home staging savings event will be most beneficial to aspiring home stagers with such significant savings on the entire Staging Diva Program but there are also great discounts for established stagers and Staging Diva Graduates:

• Stock up on Staging Diva Ultimate Guides
• Save on Accelerator Coaching
• Get a Home Staging Website Checkup for $67.50 off regular price!
• Snag a listing on the Staging Diva Directory while it’s on sale

The entire nation is suffering from a bad case of “frugal fatigue” and it’s no wonder why. After two years of listening to economic doom and gloom stories in the news it’s time to move forward and invest in a better future for you and your family – not to mention all the home sellers who desperately need the help of a professional home stager right now!

Those home sellers with stale listings are anxious to sell before the holidays and they certainly don’t want to start a new year with a house they can’t unload. This is the perfect time to invest in your own education and/or the promotion of your home staging business.

Besides, who wants 2011 to look the same as 2010 did?

Give yourself something to really be thankful for this time next year when you celebrate Thanksgiving with your family, by laying the foundation for an outstanding year making money doing what you love as a professional home stager.

You’re only a click away from hundreds of dollars in savings so go ahead and shop for home staging training and resources now. Hurry because this event ends on Friday November 26 at midnight EST.

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Debra Gould knows how to make money as a home stager and she developed the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program to teach others how to earn a living doing something they love.

I turned 51 yesterday and I’ve been self employed since I was 30. When you decide to learn about how to make money in home staging from me, you’ll benefit from all of my business— and life— experiences!

Often what holds people back from achieving the success they desire is a lack of the right kind of information. They spin in circles worrying about all kinds of details rather than moving forward.

But when you can learn from someone who has been down that road already, they can point you in the right direction and save you so much time, energy and money.

In a nutshell, that’s what I do for the thousands of home stagers I’ve helped over the years.

Friday October 29th is the final day of my BIG Birthday Sale so if you’ve been considering a career in home staging (or looking for a way to improve the staging business you already have) today’s the perfect day to take action and fill in the information gaps that are holding you back.

Just in case you’ve missed prior blog posts about this promotion, on Monday I launched this great event with all home staging courses, and a selection of my ebooks and services marked down by up to 50%.

Here are some of the features of this sale taking place until 9PM Pacific Time Friday:

• Save up to $500 on Home Staging Course Packages
• Individual Home Staging Courses are only $199 each
• Spend an hour by phone, just you and me, solving your staging business challenges with Staging Business Coaching at half price. You don’t need to be one of my students to use this service.
• Save $100 on a Staging Diva Directory of Home Stagers listing
• Save $15 on each of the Staging Diva Ultimate Color, Design and Portfolio Guides
• Learn how to boost your staging business on Twitter for only $29
• Get the sales script I’ve used to make up to $10,000 a month in staging consultation fees for only $39!

I’ve put a lot of thought into the products I’ve marked down so that whether you’re just starting out as a home stager or you already have a home staging business, this is an important sale for you to be part of.

Click here to visit the Staging Diva Store to participate in this savings event.

I don’t throw sales very often so this is a rare opportunity for you to get your Staging Diva Training at a discounted price. Remember, the sale ends at 9PM Pacific Time tomorrow (Friday) so hurry now to save BIG!!

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Debra Gould knows how to make money as a home stager and she developed the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program to teach others how to earn a living doing something they love.

As a Staging Diva Graduate, I know you’re not interested in saving money on home staging courses but there are plenty more savings for you to take advantage of right now during my Big Birthday Sale which ends this Friday, October 29.

Here are some ways you can save during this promotion, even if you’ve been a a home stager for awhile:

The Staging Diva Ultimate Guides are all marked down to only $60 so it’s the perfect time for you to add one or two of these great titles to your home staging library, whether you want to brush up on your color or design skills or get detailed help in polishing your staging portfolio.

One-on-one home staging business coaching with me is 50% off right now. If you’re struggling through a business challenge or want to breathe new life into your business plan, a business coaching session will quickly get you back on track.

If you want more tips for converting prospects into paying clients, don’t miss the Staging Diva Sales Script while you can save $20. This is the actual script I use to get new clients and it will more than pay for itself with the next potential client you speak to.

Pick up the Home Stager’s Guide to Twitter for only $29 and learn how to make the most of this social media phenomenon. Unlike anything else on the market today, the information in this step-by-step guide is geared specifically towards home stagers!

Get your listing on the Staging Diva Directory of Home Stagers at a savings of $100 and you’ll even get your own free company brochure!

Your directory listing can act as your home staging website because it includes your before and after photos, sales copy and detailed contact information. Even if you already have your own website, by joining the Staging Diva Directory of Home Stagers, you’ll exponentially increase the chances of someone finding you when they’re searching for a home stager in your area.

I don’t know of many other ways you can have a professional, search engine optimized webpage AND a full color brochure created for you for under $300!

There are so many ways a Staging Diva Graduate can benefit from this sale – it’s not only for someone wanting to take home staging courses, though naturally we have those too!

Remember, this promotion will end at midnight Eastern Time (that’s 9PM if you’re on the west coast) on October 29 so don’t let Halloween plans distract you!

Visit the Staging Diva Store now to take advantage of these BIG birthday savings.

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Debra Gould knows how to make money as a home stager and she developed the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program to teach others how to earn a living doing something they love.

Having a birthday during breast cancer awareness month makes me extra thankful to be healthy, happy and over 50. Instead of sulking about getting older, I’ve chosen to celebrate all the great things in my life, including being in a position to inspire others to pursue their dreams of starting a home staging business.

Please celebrate with me by participating in my BIG Birthday Sale which kicks off today and will run until October 29.

During this sale, all home staging courses are on sale for less than $200 each and many other resources that can help you make more money in home staging are discounted by up to 50%.

The Staging Diva Ultimate Design, Color and Portfolio Guides are marked down to $60 and you can even get one-on-one business coaching with me for half price during this promotion.

If you’ve been thinking of investing in the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program, this is the perfect time because the download version of the program is only $895, or you can have the entire home study program mailed to you for only $1195. This is a savings of $500 compared to buying all the items at regular price!

Staging Diva Graduates can also benefit from my Birthday Sale by ordering a new full page listing on the Staging Diva Directory of Home Stagers now to save $100, plus I’ll even throw in a free company brochure!

Home stagers, this is the perfect time to stock up on business coaching at half price if you want any help with the growth of your business. I’ll help you fine tune your marketing, update your pricing strategies, or give you an audit of your home staging website. How you use our time together, is entirely up to you. Once you’re a member of my coaching program, it’s like having me in your back pocket! Whenever you need help, just go to my online calendar, book an appointment and you’ll have my undivided attention and access to everything I know from running a staging business since 2002 (not to mention being an entrepreneur since 1989)!

My Big Birthday Sale only happens once a year and it will be over on Friday, Oct. 29. So I suggest you visit the Staging Diva Store and see if a home staging product you’ve had your eye on is marked down for this event.

Click here to learn about the different Staging Diva home staging resources currently on sale and remember, this promotion will be over on October 29 so don’t waste any time!

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Debra Gould knows how to make money as a home stager and she developed the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program to teach others how to earn a living doing something they love.

Do you love decorating so much that you often find yourself wondering if you have what it takes to be a home stager?

Do you dream of using your creativity to help others?

Are you addicted to HGTV and all things related to home staging?

Do you want to make more money while remaining in full control of your time?

If you’ve answered yes to those four questions then you do not want to miss the free call I’m hosting tomorrow evening called 5 Simple Secrets to a Home Staging Business: How to Make Money Doing What You Love.

There are many myths out there about what it takes to become a successful home stager, many of them could be standing in your way when you could be making some serious money.

I’ll be debunking those myths tomorrow night and I’ll also be sharing the 5 Simple Secrets you need to know to make money in home staging.

If you’re already a Graduate of the Staging Diva Home Staging Training Program don’t bother registering for this call because you already know these 5 simple secrets to making money as a home stager! This free event is for aspiring and struggling home stagers only.

Space is limited and this event was completely packed the last time I offered it, so don’t delay! Sign up now at 5 Simple Secrets to a Home Staging Business: How to Make Money Doing What You Love.

The call starts at 8pm EST tomorrow, Thursday, October 14. It is a free event but you have to pay long distance charges you normally would to place a call in the US (to area code 760).

Please leave a comment below, sharing your biggest fears about starting a home staging business. If I can address your concern on the call I will.

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Debra Gould knows how to make money as a home stager and she developed home staging courses and has written several guides to teach others how to earn a living doing something they love.

I’m really excited about a new FREE event I’m hosting this Tuesday, September 14 called: 5 Simple Secrets to a Home Staging Business: How to Make Money Doing What You Love.

This is a free telephone conference call and you really don’t want to miss it if:

• You love decorating and wonder if you have what it takes to be a home stager
• You need a way to make more money while still having control over your time
• You dream about using your creative talents to help others
• You are an aspiring home stager or you’re struggling to make money in staging
• You are addicted to HGTV and all things related to home staging

In this call, I’m going to bust through many of the myths about being a home stager that stand in the way of making real money.

I started staging client homes in 2002 and since then I’ve met/and or taught thousands of home stager students worldwide. So many of them struggle with the same issues because they’ve made assumptions about how they should run their home staging business.

Just because most home stagers follow a faulty formula doesn’t mean you should blindly follow what they’re doing. There really are 5 simple secrets that can save you a ton of time and help you make money right away. This is what I’m going to share with my listeners on September 14th.

This call is NOT for you if you’re already a Graduate of the Staging Diva Home Staging Training Program, because you already know all these secrets and more! But if you’re an aspiring home stager, or you have a home staging business and you’re tired of struggling because no one ever taught you how to make money as a home stager, then you really don’t want to miss this FREE conference call!

It should take about 75 minutes for me to share my 5 simple secrets. I know you’ll be relieved to learn them because you will quickly see all the grief it will save you when you know what’s wrong with how most stagers run their businesses!

Event Details

When: Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Where: From the comfort of your own home, you’ll be calling a US phone number

Starting time (by time zone):
8 PM (Eastern – Boston, NY, Miami, Toronto)
7 PM (Central – Minneapolis, Houston)
6 PM (Mountain – Denver, Boise, Calgary)
5 PM (Pacific – Los Angeles, Vancouver)

Length: Approx. 75 minutes

Cost: There is no fee for this FREE event, but you will have to pay the long distance charges for a normal long distance call in the US to area code 760. Your rate depends on your long distance plan, likely $3.00 or less. If you have a flat-rate long distance plan, you won’t pay anything extra!

If you’d like to join me for free, you can sign up right now before the remaining spots are taken at 5 Simple Secrets to a Home Staging Business: How to Make Money Doing What You Love.

I would also love it if you would comment on this post by sharing your biggest fears about making a decision to become a home stager.

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Debra Gould knows how to make money as a home stager and she developed home staging courses and has written several guides to teach others how to earn a living doing something they love.