Staging Sips

A missed renewal, a lost proposal, a delayed payment… we often brush these off as "one of those weeks." But often, these tiny, mundane moments are actually red flags pointing to a much larger problem. Working more closely with staging CEOs lately, I've noticed a pattern: a quiet drain on time, energy, and money. It's not that these Stagers are disorganized; it's that their systems are failing them...

Today, let's dip into the world of mindset to talk about something I see come up over and over again as most CEOs grow their staging business. Not strategy, not pricing, and believe it, not even systems. It is guilt. And not in the way you might think. I am talking about the guilt that creeps in when you try to step back, when you hand something off to a capable team member you trained really well...

Think of client filters as your business's "red velvet rope." They're not about turning people away. They're about creating alignment between your home staging services and the clients who benefit most from them. When that alignment is clear, your staging projects run more efficiently, expectations are easier to manage, and your team can focus on delivering the high-impact results that you actuall...

If you feel like you're solving the same problems on repeat, this episode is your wake-up call…in the best way. In this staging CEO Reset episode, we're unpacking a powerful shift: moving from reactive problem-solving to intentional leadership. When your staging business grows, your old ways of fixing things stop working. And what once felt productive can quietly keep you stuck in cycles of overwh...

If your business feels harder to run than it should, it might not be your strategy. It might be your capacity. This week, I'm sharing a real-time decision I had to make when I hit a wall with my own staging business capacity and why I chose not to push through. Overextending yourself doesn't just happen in big, obvious ways. It shows up in squeezed calendars, last-minute yeses, and the quiet press...

Let's break down a pattern that quietly creates friction for staging business owners: how clients pay you. What seems like "being flexible" can lead to delayed cash flow, extra admin work, and unnecessary mental load. Every payment method comes with a built-in workflow. Some create ease. Others create chaos. Still, you are in charge of what your business allows and what it no longer supports. When...

Renewal Pricing Is Where Profit Can Be Maximized Some numbers in a staging project feel more defined than others. The initial staging fee is usually built with care. It reflects scope, inventory, labor, and experience. It has structure behind it. Renewal pricing tends to sit in a different category. The number is there, but the reasoning behind it is not always as clearly outlined. It can be influ...

What happens when a stager with a tech background gets tired of duct-taping together Trello, QuickBooks, and a CRM that wasn't built for her? She builds something better. In this episode, I sit down with Kate, co-founder of Hutch — a purpose-built project management and inventory platform designed specifically for home stagers. Kate shares her journey from SaaS startup life to staging side hustler...

Last time, we talked about overhead allocation —the cost of just turning the lights on in your business. Today we're continuing with the other two pieces that make up the three checks every staging project needs to write for you: the people check and the furniture check. The people check covers what it actually costs to deliver the service. Your team's time, movers, truck rentals, fuel, all the ad...

If you've ever posted in a Facebook group asking what other stagers are charging, first of all — no shame. We've all done it. But you probably walked away more confused than when you started, because pricing a vacant staging business is genuinely complicated and a comment section just can't hold that conversation. This is an expensive business model to run, and if the pricing isn't right, it can r...

Running a staging business means dealing with all kinds of client requests. Some reasonable, some feeling like they are meant to test your boundaries . " Can you install tomorrow?" "I'll give you a lot of business, so can you give me a better price?" "We don't like the art—can you come change it before photos?" If requests like these stress you out or leave you feeling devalued, you're not alone....

Over the past couple of weeks, I've been sharing some things in my business that were genuinely challenging. The systems that stretched me, the decisions that felt uncomfortable, the seasons that required me to shift my thinking. I've talked about what was hard and the mindset shifts that came from it. But what I realized I haven't really talked about is how I got to those mindset shifts in the fi...

There's a business season that doesn't get talked about enough; the one where growth stops feeling exciting and starts feeling heavy. It's a different phase from when you are the only person and you are tired from being overwhelmed. Here, you're no longer doing everything yourself. What you have running are systems, training, and leadership, but these feel harder than any work you have ever done....

Heather Russo is building a luxury staging business in the Boston area. And her path here? Eighteen years in insurance first. I know, right. She is like most of us out there who didn't set out to build a staging business. Today, Heather and I talk about what it really looks like to grow a staging business intentionally. From learning how to manage seasonality and capacity, to making decisions that...

We love to say we want things to be simple. Simple workflows. Simple systems. Simple days. But if you've ever felt exhausted by something that looks straightforward on paper, please come closer. On Staging Sips today, I am pulling back the curtain on why "simple" workflows in a staging business often feel anything but simple. Also, why that doesn't mean you're doing something wrong. Rather, it mea...

Building an email list was invaluable for growing my staging business. And no, not in a flashy, overnight way. I mean in a steady, reliable "this actually works" way. And why am I bringing this up again, it is because it is one of the most valuable yet untapped points of growth for your business. As the CEO of your staging business, one of your most important roles is keeping your pipeline full of...

Today's episode is intentionally gentle.  We would rather end the year not forcing goals, not creating pressure, and not deciding who you are supposed to become when the calendar turns. Instead, this is a guided CEO year beginning ritual meant to help you step into the year ahead feeling steady, supported, and clear in your role as a staging business owner. Why? Because the truth is constant "A ne...

What if the most powerful tool in your staging business isn't your inventory or marketing strategy but the thoughts you choose to think? What if "I am an in-demand stager" was your most practiced, intentional thought? How would you show up differently? What actions would you take? How would your entire business shift? The truth is, we get to choose the sentences we tell ourselves. And when we choo...

Can I be honest with you? Most of us are growing our businesses all wrong. We're adding more clients, more inventory, more team members, more stress and wondering why we feel like we're being dragged behind the business we created instead of leading it. You've probably 10x'd your to-do list, your warehouse space, and your sleepless nights long before you've 10x'd the care you give yourself. And th...

The newest data from the Real Estate Staging Association just dropped for Q2 and Q3, and I need to share something with you that honestly broke my heart a little bit when I saw it. The ROI numbers? Absolutely extraordinary. We're talking about the kind of returns that would make any financial advisor pause and say, "Wait, are we talking about a Ponzi scheme here?" But here's what got me: The avera...

Most homeowners move so rarely and so few have ever worked with a staging company, that it's no surprise they arrive nervous, unsure, and unclear about what to expect. And that confusion can lead to preventable hiccups for you and your team. The good news? A little intentional communication goes a long way. In this episode, I'm sharing simple ways to anticipate your clients' questions, address the...

Let's talk about something so many stagers quietly struggle with: figuring out how to stand out in a sea of gorgeous rooms and beautifully staged homes. If you've ever caught yourself scrolling and thinking, "We're all posting pretty pictures… so how am I supposed to be different?" this is your "guide to"  I'm sitting down with Heather of Social Savvy Stager today. Heather ran her own staging busi...

"If this task had to be repeated 100 times, would you still want to be doing it?" This is the question I ask every staging CEO, and honestly, it's the one that opened the door to the world of automations for me. In this episode, I am sharing why automations became one of my favorite leadership tools. Not because they're techy or trendy, but because they create clarity, consistency, and real breath...

Ever look up and realize you've been so busy staging homes that you haven't actually led your staging business? That's exactly what we're unpacking in this episode. I'm taking you inside our 2026 Planning Day with the staging CEOs in my Accelerate program. We talked about what worked, what didn't, and the power of asking one simple question: Where did hesitation cost me this year? You'll hear how...