The Road to Success

In retrospect, my road to success has been a long and winding one, with many twists and turns ranging from frustrating disappointments to moments of doubt and instances of complete euphoria. Hailing from a one-horse industrial town of Sault Ste. Marie, a career in the creative world of staging property wasn’t even on the radar when I was growing up in an Italian furniture-business family (Crema Refinishing). I’m sure my parents would have preferred to groom me for the family busi­ness when they discovered my flair for rearranging the house decor as a child, wallpapering my room chocolate brown when it was hip, telling friends and family how disorganized their homes looked, and offering tips on how to decorate.

I was dissuaded early on and possibly put off track from fol­lowing my passion for interior design/decorating because I was told there was no money in it. Everyone wants to make their parents happy, so at 19 I decided to compromise to appease them and found an urban design course at Fanshawe College to satisfy my creative juices then follow through with a geography degree from Western to put the icing on my parents’ dream.

My early career in urban planning would find me toiling away in Australia, London, the Sault, and eventually Toronto, where I would settle down, get married, and start a wonderful family. With two children at home, a husband studying for his MBA and working 12 hours a day, we decided I would put my career on hold till our children were grown. Still, I bided my time decorating our homes and friends’ homes, folk-art paint­ing, teaching painting, and selling my photography. Soon the children were grown enough for me to once again pursue my quest for self-fulfillment. I would find myself flipping through my pile of Style at Home magazines when I saw an ad for a stag­ing career with Canadian Staging Professionals. This is where I first read about Ann Maurice and Christine Rae.

I researched home staging, coming to the realization I had finally found my calling. The void in my life would finally be filled. I would start a business that would incorporate my expe­rience in the furniture business, my background in painting and photography, my diploma in urban design, and my geography degree. I would mold it all into one profession called staging.

Within weeks I was enrolled and sitting in front of Christine Rae, listening to her three-day comprehensive course. I then had to open up a business and jumped in with both feet. I registered my business name, applied for insurance, PST#, GST#, and set up a space in the office to call my own. Voila, I was open for business! I needed a portfolio; I had to get samples of what I could do, but how was I going to get business if I just graduated?

The first thing I did was contact the mentors from CSP and started assisting them as an apprentice to learn more how-tos of staging. What inventory did we require to bring on a job ? What tools did we need to work with? What is the entire rental furni­ture buzz about? Aah…but what about getting the job in the first place? I studied this in class, but talk about stage fright!

To go out and talk to agents also meant hav­ing the confidence to do so, and I struggled with doubt and insecu­rity. This is when I went back to the three-day class as a refresher and took one of CSP’s continuing edu­cation courses, Marketing 101. It was in this class that I had my “eureka!” moments; I learned how I was going to grow my business through the 1-8 touches. I built up the courage to strike out into the world, realizing that if it’s worth having, it’s worth fighting for.

I really believe networking is one of the most important things to do to build your business. I keep my CSP membership current and I am also a member of RESA (Real Estate Staging Association). As the president of RESA for York Region, I con­nect with stagers through our meetings, invite speakers to attend, continue our growth in our businesses, and keep net­working so everyone benefits. It’s the sharing and reciprocating that makes it all possible.

Recently I received a call from a new graduate asking, “How long did it take before you felt that you made it?” I paused and answered, “It is always a journey.” I have been in business for almost three years now and mentor new stagers in my business, and I have to admit the first year was a little lean; but I realize I was building my confidence and expertise. I just kept assisting other stagers, building my inventory, networking in many groups till I found which ones worked best for me, and I also kept knocking on doors. After the first year and a half I felt that I was growing into my business, especially on a personal basis.

The more experience I gathered, the more the “shy little girl in me was disappearing and a business woman was appearing.” My first CSP convention in 2007 was just shortly after taking the course. It was an amazing experience. When I found myself surrounded with these professionals, I knew that I was doing the right thing. My first job followed the very next day with Annie, a colleague from CSP. We were helping a family sell their condo, and they were having a difficult time doing so. Once Annie and I worked with them and staged their condo, it sold in only eight days. Now their daughter could afford to go away to school by using some of the equity they received from the sale. Knowing I made such a pro­found difference in their well-being gave me the confidence to know I was marketable and had found the right venue for my skills and interests.

Once I landed my first job, others kept coming. When my clients move into their new home my staging jobs branch into staging for living jobs, requiring my expertise to help decorate. I truly believe if you work hard and persevere, your dreams real­ly do come true. It is amazing what you can accomplish when the right elements come together.