Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Staging and Family how to find a balance

posted by StagedHomes.com at 1:01 PM

3 Comments:

  • When I started Staging my 4 children were ages 2-7 years old, and I was homeschooling them. I did homeschool for 5 years until the oldest was in 4th grade and my youngest was in Pre-school.

    Today they are 8-13 years old, and attend a private Christian school - and what I love about Staging is that they have had me at home because of this business! It is a luxury I do not take lightly and a commitment my husband and I made to each other.

    I made a vow to myself that I would never go back to the corporate 8-5 world after being home with my kids - and Staging gave me that gift of flexibility and income.

    But - it can be hard to stage with children and a spouse - and all the demands that go along with the various hats we wear. My advice is to work your Staging business in the cracks of time you have - and when you are Staging or marketing for your business, focus only on that. When you are with your family, focus on that.

    There are some days that I am running around as a chauffer taking my kids to practices and games, and other days where my time is invested in marketing and Staging.

    One thing I also love is that my children are excited about what I do and really want to be involved. As they have gotten older I have been able to use their help for organizing inventory, helping bring things to an from my car, and even in a house from time-to-time - to help "stage" certain areas. They love it. Their attention spans are not such that they could do a whole house, but they will get there.

    I think it's pretty cool that we are raising the next generation of Stagers - and proud that my children and husband (who is a Realtor) get to see first hand how this Staging business works and impacts many people.

    So, if you are sitting there and have a family that is also a focus of time for you - my recommendation is to appreciate the moments that you have - that we have - because they will not be little forever, and there will come a day when they will not need us. Until then there is the art of finding a balance - and you may end up burning the midnight oil more than you want to but it's worth it.

    I found "my time" was when the kids were asleep in bed - and I could get on my computer and catch up, work on marketing pieces, my Career Book, and plan my days.

    It's also really important not to compare your business to anyone else's because none of us are in the same pair of shoes. There are some Stagers that are working full-time and hoping to transition into Staging as a business. There are some that are at home full-time and hoping to transition into Staging - to supplement the household income. And then there are some that from the start are able to focus on this 100% full-time and really grow fast - but that does not mean they are "better" than the others.

    Over time - more time will be available, and I know my kids will only be small once so I appreciate them and being with them, as well as being an example for them for someone that has followed their passion and found a way to wrap a business around it. You can too!

    - Jennie

    By Blogger Jennie Norris, at 5:42 PM  

  • I agree 100% with Jennie, I homeschool my 2 children- 10 and 12. Fortunatly I have a husband who is totally supportive of my new business.

    When I'm Staging or marketing he is homeschooling and doing fun things with the kids. Everyday is a lesson in life and we are always learning.

    Like Jennie, I also made a vow to never go back to the (in my case 6am to 5pm or 1:30am to 7:00am or 5:00pm to 3:00am) world. We always worked opposite shifts when the kids were babies and never had baby sitters.

    I'm lucky now to have retired from that job and love the hours and time with my family and the support they give me.

    They (and I) love this business!

    By Blogger modern nest, at 2:50 PM  

  • I was debating whether to renew my ISAP(I just renewed my ASP) or just wait until I really had the time to dedicate myself to the staging business. I came upon Jennie's post and reading it made me feel good knowing I'm not the only one trying to find the balance. I am divorced with two kids-ages 7 and the youngest just turned 3 so those who are parents know it takes alot of energy-even if you have a spouse to help out. My first priority is my children. I am also a liscensed comsotologist, and may soon be working F/T in a spa-but my true passion is staging/redesigning rooms for clients. My question is this..is there a way to work with a designated team and just be "rented" so to speak. It is truly hard finding the time to commit myself to running my own staging business in the most profitable way right now-and be totally committed to clients as it should be. Has anyone just worked as a stager for a team on a f/t basis? I would love to know if there is an avenue with that.

    By Blogger Deborah, at 9:20 AM  

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