Summary
Home staging expert, Debra Gould, discusses what might have happened had Oprah let the fear of failure stand in her way when she started her TV show 24 years ago. Gould suggests the start of a New Year is the ideal time to finally take the plunge and start a home staging business.
Aspiring home stagers might take a cue from Oprah
You’ve probably heard that Oprah is ending The Oprah Winfrey Show next fall, after a hugely successful 25 year run. However, she’ll hardly be retiring. Aside from her current media empire, she’s launching her own cable TV channel and will in all likelihood have her own program on there.
In a recently televised interview from 24 years ago, Oprah was asked “what if your new show fails?” Without missing a beat she replied, “I’ll be OK. I’m not defined by my TV show.”
Imagine if Oprah had let the “what if I fail” question stand in her way back then or at one of the many points since where she obviously took another risk to try something new? She has helped so many people because of her kind nature and the influence she carries. And if she stopped trying new things (launching a book club, starting a school for girls in Africa, creating a magazine and cable network for example) she certainly wouldn’t be one of the most respected or the richest woman on the planet!
During a recent Ask Staging Diva Live event a 56 year old woman asked Staging Diva, Debra Gould the very same question. The caller said, “I love decorating homes to sell. I have a career I don’t like. But how can I switch now to have a home staging business, what if I fail?”
Indeed, what if?
What if, she actually discovers she was born to stage homes? That it’s the most fun she’s had in years and she realizes she can actually make money at it, quits the job she hates and has the time of her life for the next 10 or 15 years?
The Staging Diva says, “My biggest “what if” fear is that I’ll get to the end of my life and realize I wasted it not being happy or not doing what I was meant to do. That’s what keeps me out here pushing myself in new directions, testing my talents in new ways, risking failure but going ahead anyway!”
Gould adds, “Do you think if Oprah Winfrey had been the type of person to let the fear of failure stop her that she would have become a household name? I assure you, if Oprah had stopped when she felt the same fear you’re feeling now, that an idea wouldn’t pan out, that nobody would ever have heard of her.”
The Staging Diva would like anyone in this same situation to consider the following: If you were sitting down across from Oprah talking about your talent and your dream to become a home stager, what do you think she’d say if you told her the only reason you hadn’t started the business is fear that it won’t work out?
“I know you’re afraid of failing, but my advice to you is the same as Oprah’s would be,” says Gould. “Do it anyway because even if it doesn’t work out, living with the failure of a business is better than living the rest of your life never knowing what could have happened if you’d only followed your dream.”
December 31 is the last day of this decade and it’s also the last day of the Staging Diva Season for Savings where you can save $200 on the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Through the Staging Diva program, Debra Gould has helped more than 4000 men and women around the world follow their dream of starting a home staging business.
If this marks the end of another year that you haven’t gone ahead and seriously pursued your career in home staging, will you make 2010 the year you finally go ahead and follow your dream?
About the author
The creator of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program, Debra Gould has staged millions of dollars worth of real estate, including seven of her own homes. She is the president of home staging firm SixElements.com and has trained thousands of home stagers to start and grow their own businesses. Gould created the Staging Diva Directory of Home Stagers to help home sellers and real estate agents locate staging services in their area.
