Home Stagers Learn Tips for Boosting Confidence

by Debra Gould on November 15, 2011

Summary

Staging Diva Debra Gould discusses methods that home stagers can use to boost their confidence while building their home staging businesses.

Home Stagers Learn Tips for Boosting Confidence

(UNITED STATES) November 15, 2011 – New business owners, including home stagers, often hold themselves back due to lack of confidence. On the Home Staging Business Report, expert home stager Debra Gould recently provided her readers with steps they could take to boost their confidence as home stagers.

“Take control of your home staging business by organizing your marketing efforts,” writes Debra Gould. “If you’re spinning in circles and not sure what to do first, you’ll stay stuck and your confidence will continue to erode. With a clear marketing plan, you’ll know what to do each and every day to move your business forward.”

Gould also encourages home stagers to visit open houses and walk through each room imagining what they would do to improve the homes if they had been hired for staging. In Gould’s opinion, practicing a home staging consultation in this way helps home stagers become more confident as they realize that their talents don’t come naturally to everyone.

In fact, Gould suggests that home stagers use these talents to help people in need: “If decorating your first client’s home feels too scary, practice on a friend, neighbor or charitable cause. Maybe there’s a woman’s shelter that needs your help. Maybe you know someone with an elderly parent who is moving to a nursing home, or a friend in financial trouble who needs to sell quickly. All you need is one opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life and I guarantee your confidence will soar!”

In addition, Gould recommends to home stagers that they find ways to exercise their courage, starting small by striking up a conversation with a stranger about home staging. She also feels that it is important for home stagers to reflect on their past successes in life and business.

As founder of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program, Gould provides a number of training products and services for aspiring and experienced home stagers. For more information, visit the Staging Diva website.

About Staging Diva

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 over 4000 home stagers to start and grow their own businesses.

Debra has gained international recognition through features in major media in the US and Canada including: This Old House, HGTV, CNN Money, CBC National News, CBS Radio, Global TV, City TV, The Wall Street Journal, Women’s Day, Reader’s Digest and more.

Contact

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva
Six Elements Inc.
416-691-6615
debragould@stagingdiva.com
http://www.stagingdiva.com

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Pharmaceutical Sales Rep Finds Success as Home Stager

by Debra Gould on November 7, 2011

Summary

Staging Diva Graduate Lori Fischer left a decade-long career in pharmaceutical sales to become a home stager. She gives credit to Debra Gould, The Staging Diva, for her early success.

Pharmaceutical Sales Rep Finds Success as Home Stager

Home Stager Lori Fischer(UNITED STATES) November 7, 2011 – Before becoming a home stager, Lori Fischer of Pennsylvania-based Rethink Interiors worked as a pharmaceutical sales representative. Despite her background in an unrelated industry, she has experienced early success as a home stager, and she attributes this to the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program founded by Debra Gould.

“I had my first staging job before I finished my home staging courses, and I had to listen to the recordings to coach me through many aspects of it,” Fischer says. “I successfully staged the home with the help of my trainer, Debra Gould, and that of my Staging Diva Network colleagues. Not only were the homeowners thrilled, they said that working with me was transformational. I couldn’t have received a higher compliment.”

From her first project, Lori generated four new leads, which brought in at least one additional home staging project.

“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. Debra not only provides the nuts and bolts, she also provides an incredible amount of support with coaching. She is that voice of confidence in the moments when doubt creeps in that keeps me focused and moving forward.”

Fischer is involved in a number of activities that have influenced her success. Besides staying active in the online discussion group, Staging Diva Network, she also has a listing on the Staging Diva Directory of Home Stagers so that local homeowners and real estate agents can find her. She also takes time to comment on industry blogs and uses Twitter to market her business.

“The Staging Diva Program has given me the roadmap to fulfill a dream that I have had for years but was too afraid to make happen,” explains Fischer. “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 Debra, 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.”

Many Staging Diva Graduates have found success as home stagers after making the switch from unrelated careers. For more information about the Staging Diva Training Program, visit the Staging Diva website.

About Staging Diva

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 over 4000 home stagers to start and grow their own businesses.

Debra has gained international recognition through features in major media in the US and Canada including: This Old House, HGTV, CNN Money, CBC National News, CBS Radio, Global TV, City TV, The Wall Street Journal, Women’s Day, Reader’s Digest and more.

Contact

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva
Six Elements Inc.
416-691-6615
debragould@stagingdiva.com
http://www.stagingdiva.com

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Debra Gould Encourages Aspiring Home Stagers to Strike Out on Their Own

by Debra Gould on November 1, 2011

Summary

Home staging expert Debra Gould, The Staging Diva, inspires her readers to become their own bosses by starting their own home staging businesses.

Debra Gould Encourages Aspiring Home Stagers to Strike Out on Their Own

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva(UNITED STATES) November 1, 2011 – While working for three different companies early in her career, Debra Gould realized that working for someone else was not for her. Gould faced a number of challenges from her bosses, including sexual harassment, anger issues, and alcoholism. She set a goal to become her own boss by the time she was 30—a goal she can proudly say she achieved. She tells her story in the Home Staging Business Report so that aspiring home stagers can learn from her experiences.

“When you work for yourself, you don’t have to put up with difficult or abusive bosses,” explains Gould. “Plus, if you’re the kind of person who works as long as it takes to get something done right, you actually make more money because you’re the one reaping the rewards for your efforts instead of your employer.”

Gould has supported her family as an entrepreneur since 1989 when she started her own marketing consulting company. Ten years later, she risked it all again to pursue more creative endeavors. After a four-year journey of personal and professional reinvention, she launched her home staging company, Six Elements Inc. Within her second year, Gould was making up to $10,000 per month staging homes.

Gould, who is also the founder of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program, readily admits that home stagers are not safe from dealing with difficult people. She explains that home staging clients range from “nasty to wonderful,” but that home stagers typically work with clients on a temporary basis.

“I’ve found that the wonderful clients stick around,” says Gould. “They’re the ones that come back years later to stage the next house they’re selling, or refer me to their friends and relatives.”

It is Gould’s mission to inspire others and give them the knowledge and training they need to become their own bosses and earn a living. “I followed my dreams and want to teach others to do the same,” she says.

Aspiring home stagers can find additional information about Debra Gould and the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program at StagingDiva.com.

About Staging Diva

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 over 4000 home stagers to start and grow their own businesses.

Debra has gained international recognition through features in major media in the US and Canada including: This Old House, HGTV, CNN Money, CBC National News, CBS Radio, Global TV, City TV, The Wall Street Journal, Women’s Day, Reader’s Digest and more.

Contact

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva
Six Elements Inc.
416-691-6615
debragould@stagingdiva.com
http://www.stagingdiva.com

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Staging Diva Explains Why Home Staging Projects Require Compromise

by Debra Gould on October 25, 2011

Summary

Debra Gould, also known as The Staging Diva, discusses the details of a home staging project and explains why tradeoffs were required for practical reasons.

Staging Diva Explains Why Home Staging Projects Require Compromise

home staging tradeoffs(UNITED STATES) October 25, 2011 – It is very rare that a home stager has the opportunity to work with a blank canvas or a blank check. Instead, home stagers are asked to work within certain constraints, such as the client’s budget, the listing date, and the price point and target market for the house. It is also common for homeowners to put a house on the market while they are still living in it, which makes certain staging recommendations impractical.

“There is really no end to the ideas we can dream up when staging a real estate property, but there are many factors that will limit us as stagers,” says Debra Gould, founder of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing though. In fact, I’ve often found it makes my own home staging projects more creatively challenging because not only do I have to find visually appealing solutions, I also have to find solutions that work for everyone concerned.”

In a recent post on her blog, the Home Staging Business Report, Gould shared photos of a specific client’s home staging project and explained how home stagers are often required to make tradeoffs when providing home staging recommendations. Gould described how the basement in her client’s house was painted a dark color, and while she would have preferred to repaint the entire basement, there were many factors indicating that it would be best to work with the existing paint color.

“In this particular case, the client’s house had to be listed on the market very quickly, so the time constraint was uppermost in my mind as I went through every room during the home staging consultation,” Gould says “There’s a delicate balance we have to walk as home stagers. We need to recommend the most important things while also not overwhelming the client to the point where they think it’s hopeless and decide not to implement our suggestions at all.”

Gould explained that the homeowners also had two small children, and she felt there were limits to what she could expect from the busy family just days before the first open house. Changing the dark wall color would have required priming and several coats of paint, making the children’s play space unusable during this time. In addition, the paint odor likely would have lingered since the basement had no windows for ventilation.

“While the wall color in the basement wasn’t optimal, it was a pleasing color and had been well maintained. With the other changes I had recommended, I was able to work with it,” says Gould. “This allowed for a safe and out-of-the-way place for the children to play while other changes were being made to the rest of the house. I made a tradeoff: I gave up a new wall color in the basement in order to implement more important changes in other parts of the home.”

Gould provides detailed information about how she conducts home staging consultations in Course 3 of the Staging Diva Program, “Taking the Mystery Out of Home Staging Consultations.” The course also includes a free consultation checklist with client planning forms.

About Staging Diva

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 over 4000 home stagers to start and grow their own businesses.

Debra has gained international recognition through features in major media in the US and Canada including: This Old House, HGTV, CNN Money, CBC National News, CBS Radio, Global TV, City TV, The Wall Street Journal, Women’s Day, Reader’s Digest and more.

Contact

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva
Six Elements Inc.
416-691-6615
debragould@stagingdiva.com
http://www.stagingdiva.com

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Home Staging Yields Homeowner $15K Above Asking Price

by Debra Gould on October 24, 2011

Summary

Staging Diva Graduate Lavonne Clifford proves that home staging works after selling her own home for $15,000 above the asking price.

Home Staging Yields Homeowner $15K Above Asking Price

Home Staging Living Room(UNITED STATES) October 24, 2011 – Before Staging Diva Graduate Lavonne Clifford had ever heard of home staging, she was reaping its benefits.

When Clifford was preparing to sell her home, all the real estate agents she spoke with said that she wouldn’t get more than $330,000 for it. After she staged her house, it was listed for $350,000 and sold in less than 10 days for $365,000 after bringing in multiple offers.

“Our real estate market is horrendous,” says Clifford. “A local real estate agent called me last week thanking me for the best neighborhood comp in over a year. As one agent put it, ‘I see hundreds of houses, but every year there are one or two that take your breath away.’ I always strive for that ‘take your breath away’ feel. It sells houses!”

Home Staging BedroomAs a dedicated mother and full-time volunteer, Clifford spent years focused on others. Now that her children are in high school, she is focusing on her home staging business, Big Dog Staging based in Atlanta.

About the home staging training Clifford received from Staging Diva, she says, “The program helped me set some goals, which is the first step towards achieving them. Baby steps!”

For more information on the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program, visit the Staging Diva website.

About Staging Diva

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 over 4000 home stagers to start and grow their own businesses.

Debra has gained international recognition through features in major media in the US and Canada including: This Old House, HGTV, CNN Money, CBC National News, CBS Radio, Global TV, City TV, The Wall Street Journal, Women’s Day, Reader’s Digest and more.

Contact

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva
Six Elements Inc.
416-691-6615
debragould@stagingdiva.com
http://www.stagingdiva.com

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Debra Gould Named as Finalist in Stevie Awards for Women in Business

by Debra Gould on October 19, 2011

Summary

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva, was recently named as a Finalist in four categories for the Stevie® Awards for Women in Business.

Debra Gould Named as Finalist in Stevie® Awards for Women in Business

Staging Diva Stevie Awards Finalist(UNITED STATES) October 19, 2011 – Debra Gould, founder of Staging Diva®, was named a Finalist in the 8th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business. Gould is chosen as a Finalist in four categories, including Best Entrepreneur – Service Businesses with Up to 100 Employees, Best Canadian Entrepreneur, Blog of the Year for the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Report, and Mentor or Coach of the Year.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business honor women executives, entrepreneurs, and the companies they run—worldwide. The Stevie Awards have been hailed as the world’s premier business awards.

Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word “crowned,” winners will be announced during a gala event at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York on Friday, November 11. Nominated women executives and entrepreneurs from the U.S.A. and several other countries are expected to attend. The presentations will be broadcast live on radio in the U.S.A. by the Business TalkRadio Network.

“Women entrepreneurs and executives continue to innovate, excel, and impress,” said Michael Gallagher, president of the Stevie Awards. “Regardless of general economic conditions, the achievements of women-owned and –run organizations around the world remain high, and are reflected in this year’s impressive body of Finalists.”

More than 1,300 entries—a record for the competition—were submitted this year for consideration in 75 categories. Finalists were chosen by business professionals worldwide during preliminary judging. Members of the six final judging committees will select Stevie Award winners from among the Finalists during final judging.

Finalist Debra Gould, president of Six Elements Inc., is recognized internationally as one of the top five experts in the home staging industry. As creator of the Staging Diva Home Staging Training Program, Gould has been teaching students how to earn a living decorating houses to sell since January 2005. While Staging Diva is based in Canada, Gould has leveraged the power of the Internet to teach over 4,000 students in 21 countries. Her company is the only non-US company in the list of Finalists for Best Entrepreneur – Service Businesses with Up to 100 Employees.

“My mission is to inspire others and give them the knowledge and training they need to be able to use their natural talents to earn a living,” says Gould. “I followed my dreams and want to teach others to do the same.”

Additional information about Debra Gould and the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program are available at StagingDiva.com.

About Debra Gould

Internationally recognized home staging expert Debra Gould is President of Six Elements Inc. and creator of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. A published author and an entrepreneur for 22 years, Debra has staged millions of dollars of real estate and trained over 4,000 students worldwide.

Believing life is the adventure you make it, Debra is a master at personal transformation. Although a single mother, she walked away from a successful career to follow her dreams. Debra’s mission is to empower women to pursue their own passion and turn it into a profitable and fulfilling career.

About The Stevie Awards

Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at www.stevieawards.com.

Sponsors and supporters of the 8th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business (as of October 12) include the Business TalkRadio Network, Coloredge, KeyBank | Key4Women, Melilea International Group of Companies, SDL, and Smart Reader Worldwide.

Contact

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva
Six Elements Inc.
416-691-6615
debragould@stagingdiva.com
http://www.stagingdiva.com

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