As we come to the end of what has been a very successful year for Lemon and Lime as a business it is inevitable that we reflect on what we might have done better and what we will do going forward. A number of recent conversations at the Home Staging Forum with stagers relatively new in their businesses has also got me thinking. If I were to go back to the start of my business knowing what I know now, what would I have done differently?
- I would have been clearer about our niche in the market from the outset. I wasted a lot of time and energy in the first couple of years talking to agents whose houses I didn’t want to stage
- I would have talked far more from the beginning about the return on investment of staging. I thought the benefits of staging would be as obvious to estate agents and vendors as they were to me looking at ‘before and after’ photos. It took me a long time to realise that wasn’t the case
- I would have tried to get into the headspace of an estate agent more quickly. I would have asked more questions about what was important to them instead of preparing lengthy presentations based on my agenda
That’s the hyper-critical bit of me speaking. Starting a business is hard and it’s easy to look back and think about how it could have been easier. The fact was, and still is to an extent, staging is still a very early-stage industry in the UK. We are all still feeling our way.
To look at the flip side; was there anything I think we did well from the start that has really helped our growth?
- I always collected data. Every house, right from the first. I knew the guide price pre-staging, guide price post-staging, time on the market pre and post, offer agreed in what time frame, cost of staging and so I could work out the ROI to use as a marketing tool
- I networked. I was lucky in starting the business at a late career stage and so already had a wide network of friends and contacts through my earlier businesses. I have never been shy of picking up the phone and asking for a meeting or for an introduction
- I employed someone to do the admin from the start. This was a legacy from my coaching business. I had some admin help in that business and added a few hours to my employee’s contract to help me with the start up. This was invaluable, I hate admin, I am not a detail person and I knew the investment in time for someone else to do this would pay dividends even in the short term
My top 5 list to anyone at the beginning of their staging journey today:
- Decide on your market, be clear and be focused
- Talk about numbers, data is gold
- Employ before you need to. The financial risk will pay off
- Talk about your business everywhere and to everyone
- Listen to advice but don’t be paralysed by it, it’s your business
