“I hear people all the time, mostly mothers, who will say, ‘I have kids, I don’t have décor!’ and that’s where I come in and add that extra layer of luxury.”
As other designers can tell you, finding that perfect furni- ture piece that you know will compliment other items that you already have, is exhilarating! The only items I don’t carry are couches and beds. I have bedding, pillows, throws, coffee tables, end tables, chairs, dining sets, mirrors, lamps, artwork, and all of the accesso- ries that bring a room together. A lot of it is product-driven. If I’m putting together a design plan and I know what I have may not be quite right, or the perfect piece is already at another project, I’m going to need to shop for those certain items for a particular space and expand my inventory.” “When I decided to start the business, I took a nine segment online course from a well recognized professional home stager before anything else,” she recalled. “I wanted to know everything I needed to know to run a business: how to deal with clients, proper billing, and promoting myself. I also completed a course on writing a proper business plan at the Centre for Women in Business –which was very helpful, and the beginning to making long lasting connec- tions. We learned so much in that course, it was really great. There’s a lot involved to get into business so it’s great when there are resources like that.” Long before Pam proved her aesthetic prowess and built-up her now-famous inventory, she hit the books.
their affiliates and showcasing opportunities. I also met many people through this group and other networking groups. It’s all about exposure and word of mouth. When you meet one person you have the opportunity to meet everyone they’re associated with. A good example of that is Plugged Into Sackville, where I was a member for two years and was able to grow my network of connections. It’s exclusive to businesses in Sackville so it made me feel like more of a member of our community – we met a lot of local people and I made many new friends. Along with network- ing, industry guest speakers and team input on business growth, every year the group would focus on a local charity and for one event they hosted a sold out wine tasting event. I was asked to showcase my event staging talents which proved to impress even myself! I don’t think I’d be where I am if I didn’t become a part of that group.” “My online presence is pretty important for a number of reasons. One is out-of- town sellers. I’ve had people contact me from Western Canada and from overseas. They may or may not have a realtor, the house may or may not have been on the market for a while already, and they’ll ask me to go take a look and give them a quote. They’re always surprised and happy to find out that I don’t charge to provide a price. I don’t charge for quotes because I’m not giving them any advice. I’m just preview- ing the property and taking pictures so I can formulate a design plan. It’s up to the client to make a decision on whether they want to go forward or not – I never pressure anyone.” Please visit revivehomestaging.ca and follow on social media to find out more about Pam and how she creates the appeal to close the deal! In Pam’s line of work, exposure is critical. Many Revive Home Staging clients aren’t exactly local, Pam explained.
“After that, I joined the MFRC Entrepreneur’s Club, a military families’ resource centre,” Pam continued.
“I’m a military spouse so I wanted to join the group, network and learn together how to build a business.
They bring many different energies and have a lot to offer, including business development and training through
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APRIL 2018 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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