Mentoring - A Real Kick

Last week I received a call from a woman in the area who is contemplating becoming a stager. She found me on the internet, saw that I was close by, and asked if I had time to discuss the business with her. I immediately said, "Absolutely!" What an honor to help bring someone else along into the wonderful world of staging!

We met for lunch a few days ago. She whipped out her sheet full of questions and the fun began. She asked questions such as, "Do I need to be accredited?" (Yes, I highly recommend it. It gives you credibility in the industry.) "What program would you recommend?" (That depends. Do you want to spend your money learning how to stage or learning how to set yourself up for business? Different programs are geared toward different ends.) "Do I need business cards, a brochure, a website, a car wrap?" (Yes; yes, soon; yes, but don't rush it or you'll have to have it rebuilt in a few months because your first pass didn't cut the mustard; no, but I do think car magnets are a good idea.) And on and on we went.

Have you ever seen the show, "What Not To Wear"? That's what the second half of our conversation reminded me of, only regarding staging. This dear woman had the benefit of learning from all the mistakes I've made in my (almost) 2 years of being in the biz. (I won't list them here. You would get tired of reading.)

I remember when I first started out, I asked several other stagers I came in contact with how long it took them to get their businesses up and running. They all replied, "Two years." I thought to myself, "Yeah, maybe for THEM!" Well, I realize now that they were right and it's actually very reassuring to me at this point to think back on their words, because it lets me know I'm right on schedule. My business is definitely growing and gaining momentum, but I don't quite have the consistency I'd like. So knowing that it took other successful stagers that long to get up and running is very reassuring.

My point is this: when mentoring others I think we can be the most help to them by being perfectly honest. They need to know what fun staging is, how every day is different, and that it is many things but NEVER boring; but they also need to know that it's not easy and there is a price to pay to build a successful business. Do I enjoy staging? Yes!!! Have I made mistakes? Yes!!! Would I do things differently if I were to start over again? Absolutely!!! Would I go into a different profession? NEVER!!!