Congratulations to Staging Diva Graduate Pat McArthur of Home Definition (ON) on her current project to stage a business office for an upcoming customer party. She’s keeping it simple to ensure that her client’s products remain center stage. Lots of fresh evergreens, holiday decorations and hurricane lanterns will set the party mood. This is a great example of the different ways home stagers can use their creative talents to expand their business. In addition to home staging and holiday decorating, Pat offers organizing, color consulting, and interior redesign services.

Congratulations also to Staging Diva Graduate and Staging Diva Dialog member Susan O’Connor who has given notice from her corporate job to focus on building her home staging business. Be sure to mark your “independence day” on your calendar Susan!

I did the same thing in 1989 to start my first full-time business (which happened to coincide with the beginning of an earlier recession) and I remember how big and scary that decision seemed at the time. But what I kept noticing afterward was that when I embraced my decision and stopped wasting my energy on “should I/shouldn’t I” and “what if,” life actually got easier because I was finally in control of my career. All my creative energy and ambition became laser-focused on building my business and that’s what made it work. In fact, in my first year I made more money than I had in my full-time corporate job, and I paid far less in taxes as a business owner.

Susan reports that to ease her transition into her new life as a full-time stager she’s already lined up a consulting job to give her income while her business gets going. This is a wise strategy. So many people forget that becoming a home stager doesn’t haven to be an all-or-nothing decision. There are many ways to ease into this new phase of your life!