BusyBee Refinishing with MelDidItHerself

In Episode #54 of Busybee Refinishing with MelDidItHerself, I explore some of the limiting beliefs or objections you may have for why you shouldn’t start up a side hustle selling your painted and refinished furniture, or why now is not the “right time”. We explore the fear of failure, putting yourself out there publicly and being vulnerable, not having adept business knowledge, setting expectation...

In Episode #53 of Busybee Refinishing with MelDidItHerself, I bring you 6 things to consider when starting a furniture refinishing side hustle. If I could start from scratch and do it all over again, these are the key elements I would focus on to start and grow a profitable side hustle. I also announce my upcoming FREE Furniture Refinisher’s Bootcamp: Two Weeks To Launch Your Side Hustle which you...

In Episode #52 of Busybee Refinishing with MelDidItHerself, I let you in on six lessons I’ve learned over the first year of running my podcast. There have been life lessons I’ve had to learn and re-learn, harsh realities that I’ve had to come to terms with, and exciting discoveries I never would have thought of. Join me as I tell all! If you have wondered: What goes into starting a podcast? Should...

In Episode #51 of Busybee Refinishing with MelDidItHerself, we have the next installment in the 101 series talking all about furniture strippers: the two types of furniture strippers and the advantages and disadvantages of each, things to consider when choosing your stripper, some popular brands and the ones I usually gravitate towards, how to use it and my tips for doing so, and finally some comm...

In Episode #50 of Busybee Refinishing with MelDidItHerself, I bring you five furniture flipping life hacks that will save you time, effort and frustration during your furniture makeovers. Try out these quick wins on your next furniture refinishing project… it’s important to learn one new thing a day, after all! If you have wondered: What are furniture flipping hacks? What are tricks to make furnit...

In Episode #49 of Busybee Refinishing with MelDidItHerself, I walk you through 6 tools/apps/websites/software that I use day-to-day in my furniture painting and refinishing business to keep things running smoothly and efficiently as a solopreneur running a small business. These tools, many of which are free, help to save me time and effort so that I can spend more time on the things in my business...

In Episode #48 of Busybee Refinishing with MelDidItHerself, I’m bringing you the first session of the BusyBees in Business Strategy Session series! Today I’m sitting down with Laura, recent graduate from the Lurker to the Hobbyist in the Furniture Refinishers Success Spectrum, to discuss her refinished furniture listings. We discuss ways to improve her photos, additions she can make to her product...

In Episode #47 of Busybee Refinishing with MelDidItHerself, I walk you through, from head-to-toe, the safety equipment and safety gear you should be wearing to keep you safe and protected when painting and refinishing furniture. The products we use and tasks we do when working on our furniture makeovers present risks and can be are harmful to us and our bodies if proper protection isn’t followed....

In Episode #46 of Busybee Refinishing with MelDidItHerself, I bring you 6 different tips, tricks and strategies to try out the next time you’re lacking the motivation and inspiration to work on your furniture makeovers. These approaches and questions to ask yourself will help you to explore where your motivation block is when it comes to furniture painting and refinishing (or whatever it is that y...

In Episode #45 of BusyBee Refinishing with MelDidItHerself, I walk you through my new Furniture Refinishers’ Success Spectrum framework. This outlines the different phases or stages you may find yourself in after discovering the world of furniture painting and refinishing and getting the itch for more.  Whether you’re a Lurker, a Dabbler/Hobbyist, a Side Hustler or an All In-er, I’ll highlight wha...

In Episode #44 of BusyBee Refinishing with MelDidItHerself, I discuss five methods (and one bonus method!) for removing the finish off of your furniture that you’re looking to refinish. Whether you’re planning on painting, staining or leaving your piece raw wood, there is a technique for removing the stain, paint or topcoat from the furniture you’re working on that will fit within your budget, tim...

In Episode #43 of Busybee Refinishing with MelDidItHerself, I give you the inside scoop on five more of my lessons learned throughout my time doing furniture refurbishing and walk you through the second five mistakes having to do with sanding and painting that I made early on when doing my furniture makeovers and let you know how you can avoid making them for yourself! If you have ever wondered: H...

In Episode #42 of Busybee Refinishing with MelDidItHerself, I give you the inside scoop on my lessons learned throughout my time doing furniture refurbishing and walk you through the first five mistakes I made early on when doing my furniture makeovers and let you know how you can avoid making them for yourself! If you have ever wondered: What mistakes should I avoid when doing a furniture makeove...

In Episode #41 of Busybee Refinishing with MelDidItHerself, I bring you five tips and tricks for finishing touches to make your furniture makeovers look and feel more professional (even if you are an amateur furniture flipper!). If you have ever wondered:  How can I get the best finish on my furniture makeover?  What are ways to make my furniture flips look professional?  What are w...

In Episode #40 of Busybee Refinishing with MelDidItHerself, I discuss how to market your furniture painting and furniture refinishing business. Things that are covered in this episode: How to determine who your ideal client is; How to get yourself in front of your ideal client; How to effectively use your social media to market your furniture flipping business; How to reach a local audience on soc...

In Episode #39 of Busybee Refinishing with MelDidItHerself, we go back to basics in our 101 Series and discuss chalk paint for furniture painting. We discuss what chalk paint is, where it was created, and what makes it different from latex or acrylic paints. I also provide insight into my preferred chalk paint brands, when I like to use chalk paint for my furniture makeovers, and the pros and cons...

In Episode #38 of Busybee Refinishing with MelDidItHerself, I bring some tough love and we get real talking about how and why you need to start treating your furniture painting and refinishing business like a business, and quit treating it like a hobby. We dive into the reasons why we often play small and hold back on stepping into our roles as business owners and the fear that can arise, and talk...

In Episode #37 of BusyBee Refinishing with MelDidItHerself, I outline different approaches you can take to modernize your outdated wood furniture in your home to give it a new feel, look and vibe. From simple hacks that take seconds to a more thorough makeover, these options will leave you with plenty to consider the next time you look at an old piece of wood furniture in your home and debate whet...

In Episode #36 of BusyBee Refinishing with MelDidItHerself, I discuss the thing we probably all groan about… taxes. Filing and submitting your business tax return for your furniture painting and refinishing business doesn’t have to be a bummer- set yourself up right and it will make them a breeze to complete. I discuss my favourite tax software, QuickBooks, to keep track of my income, expenses, mi...

In Episode #35 of BusyBee Refinishing with MelDidItHerself, I guide you through the pesky world of dealing with bleed through. We discuss: What is this grease stain on my painted furniture? Why won’t my paint stay full coverage on my wood furniture? How do I avoid bleed through on my furniture makeover? What do I do when my furniture flip starts bleeding through? How can I effectively prep my wood...

In Episode #34 of BusyBee Refinishing with MelDidItHerself, I walk you through the five biggest lessons I’ve learned so far in my furniture painting and refinishing business– however, these lessons are relevant to entrepreneurs and business owners in any industry! Tune in to hear my lessons learned on staying organized and well-planned, focusing on my learning and development, paying attention to...

In Episode #33 of Busybee Refinishing with MelDidItHerself, I give you an overview of everything you need to know about mineral paint. If you have ever wondered:  What is mineral paint?  What are mineral paints used for?  Is mineral paint the same as chalk paint?  What is the difference between mineral paint and chalk paint?  What is the difference between mineral paint an...

In Episode #32 of Busybee Refinishing with MelDidItHerself, I discuss something I hope everyone is doing as we start a new year: setting expectations for themselves & their businesses. Since we have a clean slate to start from, setting up your expectations and checking yourself and your outputs, your perspective, and your thoughts surrounding your goals and intentions is super important. We’ll...

In Episode #31 of BusyBee Refinishing with MelDidItHerself, I take a beat to look back on the year that was 2022– a pretty crazy one for me and my business! In the spirit of transparency, I dive into the analytics to give you an idea of the back end of my business and data that I track including social media following, my email list, and milestones of things I started and accomplished throughout t...

In Episode #30 of Busybee Refinishing with MelDidItHerself, I provide strategies for finding a way to get your butt into the workshop to work on your furniture makeovers, whatever your excuse is! Whether you’re too busy with other life commitments, have lost your motivation to push your pieces forward, keep forgetting to get out there to work on your projects or are feeling low on yourself and you...