If I had a nickel for every person that’s asked to buy me coffee and pick my brain about how to start a staging business, well… I should have been charging for it so I’d have all the nickels! I knew nothing about staging, real estate, or design when I started a few years ago and I definitely don’t claim to know everything now, but there were a few nuggets I wish I’d had in my arsenal before I threw myself into this career.
One quick thing before we get into the nitty gritty: There is no right or wrong way to start a business. It’s great to do your research and make some kind of plan, but the most important thing is to START. The fastest way to learn is to just do.
Here are answers to the questions you all asked. If this sparks any others, be sure to ask in the comments!
What’s step one?
Step one for me was deciding that life is too short for me to do something every day that doesn’t fill my cup. Step two is just doing it. (Waddup, Nike?) Seriously, though. I hadn’t even heard of home staging just weeks before I decided to start a home staging business. It was risky and bold and, frankly, I don’t know what I was thinking… but I put everything into it and I’m so glad I did.
Did you start as a side hustle? If so, at what point did you decide to make it full-time?
I went all in when I started, but only because I had no other choice. I was totally checked out of my advertising job – miserable, actually – and when I got laid off I knew it was the universe telling me to get my life together and do something meaningful. I had some savings and used my severance to float me while I hunted down my first staging job. This was a dark time for me, working every day at something with no paycheck in sight. But after two months we landed our first job and suddenly it was all worth it.
That said, side hustles are fantastic if you can manage it. But if your side hustle is your passion and you can take the brief financial risk of dropping your day job, I say go for it. I’m a firm believer that if you focus all of your attention and energy on your side hustle, it will become your main hustle. Looking back, it seems crazy to me that I spent 60+ hours a week doing a job that sucked the life out of me and didn’t start staging sooner.
How much money do I need to start?
This totally depends. I chose one of the more expensive business models (because I didn’t know there was another way) and decided to buy all the inventory for each job. By doing so that meant I had to pay to move it and store it as well, but that I can use it over and over again. If you go this route I recommend having a solid line of credit because cashflow issues are very real, especially when you’re fronting the money for all the inventory before getting paid.
There are plenty of ways to stage without the burden of massive overhead costs. You can start by doing occupied stagings (styling just the owner’s things) while you slowly collect furnishings. You can rent furniture and supply your own decor like plants, pillows, art, etc. You can also take on one small job at a time. Go at a pace that works for you! There’s no one way to make it work.
How did you learn to stage? Did you take any classes or have a mentor?
I leaned pretty heavily on my business partner, Michelle, at the time. She got a home staging certification and was able to lay out some of the basics – how to charge, what your contract should say, floor plans, etc. – and that was helpful. What we realized very quickly, though, was that there’s no amount of preparation you can do that equates to the learnings you’ll get by just doing it. We got SCHOOLED in our first few jobs and looking back, I still can’t believe we got paid for the work we did.
The best advice I can give is to just keep staging for anyone who will let you, ask for honest feedback every job (from realtors, photographers, other stagers, etc.), and know that it is a process.
How do you know if you’re good at staging or design?
I’ve always heard that you can teach design but you can’t teach taste. This terrified me. I had been told by friends that I had good taste but I had no idea if I could translate that into an actual space. I did an accelerated online interior design program through NYIAD just to get the basics and I think it gave me a bit more confidence. There are home staging classes like HSR and School of Home Staging that you could also explore.
That said, the fastest way to know is to ask those closest to you what they think of your home. I emailed 10 friends/family members and asked them questions like “what do you think I’m good at?” and “what services would you pay me to do?” Nine of them answered “interior design.” That sealed the deal for me.
Is there anything you wish you’d known then that you know now?
Oh, child. Yes! Everything! But what would be the fun in that? There’s something to be said for creating something from scratch and learning as you go. Even still, I wish I had known the schlepping to styling ratio. Unless you grow your team, I’ve found that 80% of a stager’s job is schlepping, hauling, moving, admin-ing, etc. and 20% is actual styling. It wouldn’t change my decision to do this, but I probably would have gone to the gym a lot more.
How has your business grown since you started?
It has stretched and grown in many unexpected ways. Staging quickly opened me up to various interior and commercial design projects, like this cabin I just finished in the gorge, and now the business is equal parts staging and interior design. Who knows where it will go from here, but I’m sure enjoying the ride.
Brea says
Thanks for the info! Do you move furniture by yourself?? I want to stage but its just me!
Copeland + Co says
Great question! It definitely takes at least two people to move furniture if you decide to do it yourself. You can bring a friend or partner along or you can hire some help from a platform like TaskRabbit. I use a moving company currently because moving multiple times a week was too tough on my back.
Monique Gooden says
Hello I am miserable at my job as well . I want to leave and have a strong interest in staging . I have my degree in visual arts . What is the first thing I should do to start my business .
Copeland + Co says
I’m sorry to hear you’re miserable at your job, but staging is one of the fastest growing industries in the US and could use more people to help service the demand! I’ll give you my top 3 steps for starting a staging business.
1. One of the most important things I did when starting out was to tell everyone I knew that I was a home stager (even weeks before I had booked a single staging job). If you know any realtors ask them if they’d be willing to try out your services. You never know who in your network might need you.
2. Figure out how you’re going to fund the business. Are you going to rent furniture so you don’t have any overhead? Are you going to slowly buy furniture as you go? It’s good to have a plan in mind before you take out $20k in credit card debt. 🙂
3. Take as many photos as you can and post them to your social media and website. It could be your house, a friend’s house that you help style – anything as long as it showcases what you’re capable of. The majority of my business comes through Instagram because of how visual the platform is, so it’s important to keep it updated.
Hope this helps!
Angela Deniston says
Thank you for this article! I’m just getting started and have been in advertising for 20 years. Most recently I’ve been planning styled food photography for a national grocery retailer. Like you, I was ready for a change and I’ve always had a knack for decorating. I’ve gone through my own journey of moving, remodeling, helping friends and family, etc. so I decided to dive into staging. The biggest thing for me is debating on investing in a certification. Most seem to teach about marketing, pricing and running a business, which I’m already confident about (I’ve contracted as a freelancer for a long time). Do you think it’s worth the $2k+ when I could invest that into inventory, photography, etc.? The only reason I feel I would is to gain credibility with realtors. All of the courses online bash each other, saying they started a course because they didnt learn anything from the others. Do you find customers ask about or prefer certification?
Copeland + Co says
Hi Angela, and thanks for your comment! I will never tell someone not to go back to school because there’s always something new to learn, but I have not found a staging certification to be necessary in this industry IF you have a good eye for design, some business 101, and a little grit. $2000 can go toward quite a bit of inventory and that is essentially what will give you the highest ROI. The steepest learning curve for me was understanding floor plans to best showcase the home (you see some crazy stuff out there!). I recommend speaking with a real estate photographer to better understand layout and the angles they prefer to shoot. Once I mastered this formula, staging became a well-oiled machine. Best of luck!!
Patricia Busch says
Thanks
Alicia Ochoa says
I don’t know how I ran into your article. I’m so glad I did. I was 12 years old when my Mom walks into my room and says what are you doing? I was moving my furniture with my back. I told her that I wanted to re- arrange my room. I’m now 52 years old. At 18 I made it into the Interior Design School in LA. At the same time my Mom left my Dad. I was devastated. It tore me apart and never showed up to to my first day. At 19 I opened up Alicia’s Findings (Baja Shows). I would bring artifacts, home furnishings and accessories from Mexico and set up your living room. Baja Shows… Instead of Tupperware and Princess House, it was unique items from Mexico. It would take me 2 hours to set up.
At 21 I had my daughter. Worked fulltime as a Manager at a local restaurant. At home, I was still consistently re-arranging my little apartment. I never lost that passion. Being a single Mom was tough. I didn’t want to send my daughter to day care. So I finally opened up Home Creations. A costume furniture store in Rancho Cucamonga. My manufacturer was in Pasadena. Imported look but made in the USA. With a cross of wrought iron, wood and glass.
Eventually the rent was to high. Being a single Mom and with that being my only source of income I had to close it down and go back and work for corporate America.
I’m happy to say after 19 years I’m following my passion once again. I’m starting my own Staging company. I’m soooo excited. I have my 1st client but with the Covid 19 it’s on hold.
I work fulltime at the moment. I also have a non-profit called The HOPEful GOoDy Bag to help our less fortunate. Please look us up on Facebook.
Any other advise you can give me I would greatly appreciate it? You already inspired me.
So happy I ran into you.
Keep filling homes with endless opportunities and love…
I hope to hear back from you,
Alicia
Victoria says
Hi, I’m a Realtor in Florida. I had another job that I got laid off from. And staging Always was my dream. Now, I decided to start to doing it, my question is that do I need to open my LLC for that?also, is the staging course help with the steps and writing a contract?
What staging course is more reasonable in price and information?
Thank you
Victoria
JoAnn Hinman says
I’m going to NYIAD for home staging and I am almost done. I was wondering which certification is the best one to take to have. ASP I heard about but it’s very expensive what do you think?
Leslie says
Which home staging classes do you recommend?