info@PresStaging.com1 888 296 3148
Hello,
Thank you for taking the time to read your PRES® Entrepreneurs ezine. I am almost finished my book which needs to be at
the publishers by the end of August. I've also been busy working on my new website Empowered Women In Business. Even
though it is not officially up I am working with new clients already who are struggling with attracting more clients - and I
am helping them get them!
Enjoy your week and until next time, focus on what you really want and dream BIG.
Dana J. Smithers
PRES Staging Resource Centre
Founder & Creative Director
Empowerment Mentor
PS: A great big Welcome! to all the new readers who joined the PRES Staging Community this month. Enjoy!
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Growing THROUGH Adversity
The Merriam-Webster dictionary says that adversity is a state, condition or
instance of serious or continued difficulty. All of us solopreneurs in the home staging business have certainly faced
situations that were full of adversity. In the beginning of your business you may not have learned the secrets to learning
and growing from all the adverse business situations that come into your life. I am going to share some of those with you.
But first, let me tell you some stories about me that I have not shared with very many people because I was a bit embarrassed
by them. When I first took my training I actually set the house on fire! When I did my very
first redesign (home makeover for living) my client was horrified and put everything back
that night! When I staged my first vacant my client refused to pay me the next month's rent
on the furnishings! I could go on but you get the picture. I was just starting out and all this adversity was staring me
right in the face!
5 SECRETS TO WALKING RIGHT THROUGH ADVERSITY
So how did I go from all these 'first' horrors to becoming as successful as I am today? Here are my secrets you can learn from:
What if... you had an accident - when small accidents happen in my training course I have always just asked the group to stop, breathe and ask 'Did anyone die?' If not, then we decide how we can solve the problem. There is a solution to everything - focus on what the solution is. If you cannot fix what has been done, then let the client know and pay for the damages. It is usually less than your deduction anyway.
What if... your client thinks you have charged too much - the best way to avoid this situation is to make sure you have provided a written estimate or quote that they have signed. That way everyone understands what the terms are, and when payment is expected i.e. upon completion or a deposit. You would have the terms on your quote. Every good home stager is worth her/his weight in gold. We do amazing work for very little money compared to the overall amounts of money that the home seller and Realtor will make!
What if... your client does not want to pay you - in Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich he describes a little girl who was sent to her mother's employer to collect her pay cheque. The employer did not want to pay it. The little girl did not budge; she just kept saying I am waiting for payment. At one point it seemed that the employer was going to throw the little girl out, but still she did not budge. Finally the employer gave her the money and she went home. The moral of this story is stay the course - keep sending the emails, or making the phone calls to get what is rightfully yours. Whenever possible ask for your retainer before you start work!
What if... the home seller does not take your suggestions - this situation happens very rarely because we all do fantastic work - right? Well it should be the case but it isn't always. You know that you are an expert (or getting there) at what you do. Sometimes the home sellers and/or Realtors think they know better than us. Or worse yet, they only do part of what we have suggested and the rest of the house looks like a disaster even though they think they have staged it. Always do your BEST WORK and let it go. Focus on working with your ideal client who does exactly what you say and totally respects your work.
What if... you forgot to charge for something - I know I am not the only one who has faced this adverse situation! In the beginning I didn't really realize just how much work there was to staging a house! Training is one thing but actually doing the job on your own and being responsible for it, well that's a whole other story. Just know that at times you are going to undercharge and there will also be those times where a staging job didn't take you nearly as long as you thought it would and yet you were paid for it just the same. It all works out over time and it is great learning so that you do not make that mistake again!
Do not take these things personally - whenever we face adversity often the first thing we think of is to blame ourselves and call ourselves unpleasant names. Life happens to everyone and the best way to get on and walk on through is by knowing that you do not need to take these things personally. Remember that we all see situations through our own personal filters, just the way our clients do. Learn, grow and move on to attract the things you want to in your life.
Yvonne Swain |
"I have known Dana Smithers for several years now and I have taken several courses from her. I feel proud to display the PRES
logo on my marketing materials. Dana comes across as very professional and very approachable at the same time. She shares a
personal side during her courses and tells us some of her learning experiences so we feel more relaxed and confident. She is
very calm and encouraging when doing the hands on part of our course. Thus it left me feeling " I CAN DO THIS" and I can."
Tammy Bordt |
"I have known Dana since 2007 and I have to say that I am one of the lucky ones who have had someone come into my life that
literally help change my life for the better. Dana helped me start my own business and has been a support the whole way
through. Dana started out as my teacher but quickly became my mentor and friend. It's amazing to have someone in your life
that believes whole heartedly that you will succeed that you can't help but believe it yourself. 
We have all heard the expression that you have to make repeated mistakes to succeed in business. I have learned this over the years and know this to be true. If I never tried the 'impossible' how would I know what was 'possible'? Only by facing some adversity where it may have seemed that something was impossible, was I able to learn, that in fact, with determination, focus, and finding the right solutions anything is possible.
Take your staging business one step at a time; you will gain more confidence each time you face adversity and walk right on through it. Try this exercise:
Think of all the times you have faced adversity in growing your home staging business.
Take a sheet of paper and divide it into 3 columns.
Label one column at the top, ADVERSITY, the next column, MY SOLUTIONS and the final one NEXT-TIME SOLUTION.
Next write down your responses
Really take an honest look at this list and I am sure you will be self high-fiving (my PRES members know how to do this). Women are exceptional at facing adversity and finding solutions to their situations. The best thing about having to face a similar situation is that you know you can handle it because 'the way you do anything, is the way you do everything'. Congratulations in advance for the next adversity you face in your life and walk right through it!
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Want to use this article in your next ezine or on your website? Please do! Here's what you need to include:
Dana J. Smithers, Founder & Creative Director of the PRES Staging Resource Centre teaches professional home staging courses. Stay tuned for her new business venture of mentoring Empowered Women In Business. She works only with women in small service businesses who are struggling with getting more clients, time management, charging what they are worth, etc. Visit her currently at www.PresStaging.com.
BONUS OFFER $100 Referral Fee
At the PRES Staging Resource Centre we are happy to pay anyone a $100 Referral Fee for sending someone to our 5 Day Professional Home Staging & Redesign Course. Just let us know the name of the person by emailing us at info@PresStaging.com. This past year we paid over $1000 in referral fees!
PRES COURSES CHANGING IN 2011
LAST CHANCE FOR CALGARY August 16 - 20th: VANCOUVER September 13 - 17th and November 8 - 12th. We have only a few spots left in each course. To save your space go to www.PresStaging.com/training and sign up NOW!
To join our 5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BECOMING A HOME STAGER teleclass the last Thursday of every month send us an email with that in the subject line to info@PresStaging.com and we will send you the teleconference information.
Dana Smithers is founder and creative director of the
PRES Staging Resource Centre, a company devoted to teaching entrepreneurial women how to start and
run their home staging business. Through her workshops, courses, mentoring programs, and products, Dana shows her students how
to live their dream of becoming a home stager whether part time or full time.
Stay tuned for some new home staging courses to be launched in 2011. The new home staging packages will consist of teleclasses, webinars, and a home staging boot camp.
As soon as her new website is up and running she will invite you to sign up to receive
your free Empowered Women In Business ezine. Catch her new logo of a flying pig because as she says...
Believe it. Pigs DO Fly!!! 
You may absolutely share this newsletter with people you think may enjoy it. When doing so, please forward it in its entirety, including our contact and copyright information. Thanks and enjoy!
The PRES® Entrepreneurs Newsletter is written by Dana J. Smithers of www.PresStaging.com. If you have any questions or comments, please send them to info@PresStaging.com.
405 - 170 West 1st Street
North Vancouver, BC V7M 3P2 Canada