How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Redisign, Redecorating, and Home Staging Business: With Companion CD - ROM
Are you planning to become part of this redesign or real estate staging network? During this time of phenomenal growth, these businesses may be worth your investigation. If you can answer yes to the following questions, then the redesign or home staging business may be just right for you.
- Do you love decorating your home?
- Are you addicted to home decorating shows and magazines?
- Do you know exactly what someone should do to sell their home fast?
- Are you constantly moving your furniture around?
- Do you find yourself decorating for your friends and family for free?
- Do you have a flair for decorating?
Keep in mind, however, that Redesign and Real Estate Staging are more than just having the talent and skills to do the job. The business of the business is the part that can be tricky.
Readers of this book will fall into one of the following categories:
- Those With a Second Career: You already have a successful career and are looking for something new. In fact, the design field may be totally unrelated to anything you have ever done before
- Those Wishing To Be Their Own Boss: You want to have more control over your day and how it goes. Being your own boss allows you to be flexible.
- Those That Are Business Beginners: You have started your own business, and are finding that the small business tools that are available just do not apply to the design industry.
- Those That Want To Grow Their Design Business: You already are fully engaged in your own design business and need sound marketing principles to grow your business further.
- Those That Are Curious: You just want to know what the design industry is all about and find out if you can develop your passion into a thriving business.
No matter which description fits you, this book will be instrumental in your success of the business side of redesigning and home staging.
In these chapters, you will learn whether you are cut out to be an entrepreneur, what to offer as a redesigner, redecorator, and real estate stager, what to charge for your services, how to create both a simple and formal business plan, how to set up your home office, the legalities of owning a business, how to market, how to give a presentation, the day to day workings of your job, and professional design techniques. You will read expert examples and business blunders. You will receive tips, scripts, and templates.
After you are finished with this book, you will be ready to start your own redesign, redecorate, and real estate staging business. More importantly, you will be ready to succeed.
Please visit our web site http://www.atlantic-pub.com/ .
Four stars! Very useful companion CD that contains an editable business plan in Word, and the handy forms from the book for print-out. The author is credible, as she is a contributor on HGTV’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, who has operated her own interior design business since 2001. Apparently, Laure Gill of TLC’s Property Ladder uses this book to train design students. Larsen’s target reader lacks an interior design license, but has at least $500 of start-up capital, talent and business savvy. Redesign, redecorating and home staging will appeal to readers who are decisive, quick thinkers, capable of working to strict deadlines. Larsen’s aim is for her reader to make back that $500 initial outlay (or more) with the first client. Larsen teaches readers how to improve homes in one day, using existing furnishings, to make them saleable or more livable. The target market is middle-income earners who would not hire an interior designer because of the perceived high cost of buying everything new, and the time spent on endless consulting over paint chips and fabric swatches. That means the novice redesigner must avoid consulting too much with clients – if they knew what they want and could redesign it themselves, they would have already done so, not hired you. Larsen advises, “Let your potential clients know that you have now removed hundreds of decisions that could cause stress.”
How to Open and Operate a Financially Successful Redesign, Redecorating, and Home Staging Business is a quick read because of its chronological structure, plain language, and organizing lists. It relies heavily on computer technology. Readers must be tech savvy and willing to blog to derive all the possible benefits from this book. Larsen suggests readers learn virtual design software programs to expedite their work. She describes how color choice works in theory, but does not provide any illustrations, like color wheels or before-and-after shots of rooms that have been improved by a change of color or furniture placement. For those readers who require a hands-on approach, Larsen recommends hiring your competition to re-do your own home before embarking on the redesign business yourself, and then emulating the things your competition does well.
Larsen keeps the novice firmly focused on making money. She does not advocate quoting hourly rates, or providing free redesigns as advertising, because she considers both exploit the novice. “You can work hard all week long, look back on the week, and realize that nothing you did brought you a new client or brought in a paycheck. . . .No matter what you do, write it down. Once you know how your time is spent, you can increase the time you spend on tasks that grow your business and cut down on tasks that have little value.” Instead of give-aways, Larsen suggests establishing yourself as an expert in the field with some ingenious marketing techniques. Downtime can be better spent manufacturing publicity by teaching classes, writing newsletters, and tucking “your business cards inside library books related to your services”. Larsen suggests anticipating future redecorating changes your client may want after the redesign, and expanding your redesign/staging business into lucrative sidelines like organizing, painting, window treatments, shopping and moving services, and party decorating. Readers looking for a reliable business primer will find How to Open and Operate a Financially Successful Redesign, Redecorating, and Home Staging Business a worthwhile initial purchase, but should be willing to supplement it with technical design manuals. Buyers can receive free bonus lessons by visiting the author’s personal Web site. Animal lovers, a portion of the profits from your purchase of this book will be donated to the Humane Society of the United States.
Comment by Theresa McCuaig — February 12, 2008 @ 11:06 am
Five stars. The title to this book is key. I don’t want my business to just be successful. I want it to be financially successful. Right off the bat the author advises, if you don’t have the money to open a business, don’t do it. Once it’s established that you are not just an HGTV guru and you are able to financially get things off the ground, you’ll find the book has excellent tips.
Hiring a redesigner to work on your own house is a great idea. Initially the purpose is to check out the competition. But if the person actually comes in your house to work, you should be upfront and tell her that you are looking to start your own similar business.
One tip I was surprised to see was not to design plans specifically for clients. Instead, this expert suggests going in and educating the client on how they can benefit from working with you.
There were great tips about pricing and when or if you should do services for free. Also advice on actually picking a name was good. Instead of going for an out there unique name, just make sure people can spell it. I thought it was funny when the author suggested to make your calendar look full. You don’t want your client to think you have an empty calendar. Your client doesn’t have to know the appointment on the 20th with Janet is really with Janet the hairdresser.
Comment by Shelly — February 27, 2008 @ 4:13 pm
Five stars. The title to this book is key. I don’t want my business to just be successful. I want it to be financially successful. Right off the bat the author advises, if you don’t have the money to open a business, don’t do it. Once it’s established that you are not just an HGTV guru and you are able to financially get things off the ground, you’ll find the book has excellent tips.
Hiring a redesigner to work on your own house is a great idea. Initially the purpose is to check out the competition. But if the person actually comes in your house to work, you should be upfront and tell her that you are looking to start your own similar business.
One tip I was surprised to see was not to design plans specifically for clients. Instead, this expert suggests going in and educating the client on how they can benefit from working with you.
There were great tips about pricing and when or if you should do services for free. Also advice on actually picking a name was good. Instead of going for an out there unique name, just make sure people can spell it. I thought it was funny when the author suggested to make your calendar look full. You don’t want your client to think you have an empty calendar. Your client doesn’t have to know the appointment on the 20th with Janet is really with Janet the hairdresser.
Comment by Shelly — February 27, 2008 @ 4:14 pm
Five stars. How to Open a Financially Successful Redesign, Redecorating & Home Staging Business definitely stands out in the “be your own boss” genre. The never-ending wealth of information practically sets up your business for you, no matter how little you know about what you’re getting into. Other how-to business start-up books tend to jump right into the thick of things, overlooking key facts that beginners might not know. Mary Larsen’s book was the exact opposite—even beginning with questions about whether or not you are cut out to be an entrepreneur.
While there was a ton of information packed in, I never felt overwhelmed with facts. Everything was broken down into easy-to-use tidbits, like questions to ask yourself and your clients, common business myths, why extras are important, naming, testimonials, and the pitfalls of freebies. The focus placed on marketing, especially e-mail and Web marketing, was especially helpful. I’m not a very tech-savvy person, so the in-depth discussion of marketing in this way was great—no “techie” language that I couldn’t understand, just the basic facts. Larsen also helps out by reminding the reader that sometimes you just have to start your business and build from there—everything doesn’t have to be perfect for your first client. Besides, with Larsen’s book, there’s no way you could fail!
Even if you already consider yourself an expert in redesign, redecorating or home staging, Larsen’s book is a necessity, even if just simply for the appendix, which provides a quick reference and worksheets that can help you grow your business from day one.
Comment by Heather — February 29, 2008 @ 9:55 am
How to Open and Operate a Financially Successful Redesign, Redecorating, and Home Staging Business by Mary Larsen with Teri B. Clark gives detailed information on how to go about starting a business doing interior design and decorating. The authors discuss the types of decorators as well as what it takes to be an entrepreneur. They dispel commonly held myths about entrepreneurship and give practical advice for the reader to determine if they have what it takes to start their own business.
The authors give step by step instructions on what it takes to start your own design business such as deciding what skills you have and how to charge for services. The next sections of the book deal with the legal and financial concepts of structuring a business. The authors do a good job of explaining the intimidating ideas of business planning, finance, and operation in terms that non business savvy people can understand. Anyone considering a career in design or decoration would benefit greatly from reading this book
**** 4 Stars
Comment by Fantasmike — March 10, 2008 @ 1:14 pm
Rating: 4 Stars
Larsen’s book starts right off by defining the differences between redesign (for living) and staging (for selling) so there’s no misunderstanding of what these potentially lucrative businesses are all about.
The popularity of HGTV-DYI-type shows have spawned an interest in people wanting to redecorate their own homes Fortunately for anyone wishing to operate this type of business there will be more than enough work for you to do. Many home decorators get all excited about redecorating their homes but then find that once they get started (or are in the planning phase) they don’t have the skills or the time to follow through.
The book offers a lot of solid advice. For instance, Larsen reminds readers that it is vitally important to continuously educate themselves as trends change constantly- what’s hip today will be out tomorrow.
Mary’s Trade Tips are sprinkled throughout the book making you feel like you’re getting insider information. Larsen offers advice on ways to market your business including getting testimonials from current customers, giving presentations including a list of possible topics and an outline detailing how to present the topic. Details important things you need to know to stage a home for a real estate sale, offers before and after pictures showing great design work that you can easily do and gives basic design tips that offer suggestions on room elements such as color, shape, and spacing. You’ll also find a list of tools you will most likely need and an appendix with more than enough resources to get you started including easily modifiable forms, sample contracts, a list of tools you will need and sample sales letters.
For some reason I found myself getting kind of bored toward the end of the book but overall a good resource for anyone wishing to start this type of business. Could also be a good basic guide for anyone wanting to simply redesign or stage their own home.
Comment by Myra T — March 13, 2008 @ 4:17 pm