The Staging Insider

The Long Game of Staging Success: Lessons From 20 Years in Business

Tammy Cunningham has spent nearly two decades building her staging business from the ground up. What started in a garage with borrowed household items has grown into an award-winning luxury staging company serving high-end clients in Kelowna, British Columbia. In this episode of The Staging Insider, Tammy shares the real story behind her growth, including the mistakes that shaped her business, the risks she took when expanding into warehouse space, and the lessons she learned about hiring, pricing, and staying profitable. If you've ever wondered what it truly takes to build a staging business that lasts, this conversation offers honest insight into the long game of growth. Tammy is also a long-time member of the Real Estate Staging Association® and has attended RESACON for more than a decade, continuing to invest in her learning and industry relationships along the way

The Growth Stage That Forced Sarah Lewis to Rethink Her Staging Business Model

In this episode of The Staging Insider, Felicia sits down with Sarah Lewis, a Colorado-based home staging business owner, for an honest conversation about building and running a staging company. Sarah shares her journey from growing up in Southern California to establishing her career in Colorado and building a staging business that has evolved through multiple stages of growth. The conversation dives into the realities of running a staging company, including the financial side that many creatives avoid. Sarah explains how learning to understand her numbers, working through multiple bookkeepers, and becoming more confident in her financial reporting completely changed how she makes business decisions. Felicia and Sarah also talk about the operational side of staging, including inventory, warehouse logistics, occupied versus vacant staging, and the challenges that come with scaling a staging business. If you are a stager trying to grow, streamline operations, or simply understand the business side of staging more clearly, this episode offers practical insights from someone who has worked through those challenges firsthand. In this episode, you will learn: - How staging businesses evolve as they grow - Why understanding your financials can transform your decision making - The differences between occupied staging and inventory-based staging - Lessons learned from building inventory and managing warehouse logistics - What staging business owners should focus on as they mature in the industry The Staging Insider is produced by the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) to highlight the real stories, systems, and strategies behind successful staging businesses. Subscribe for more conversations with the professionals shaping the staging industry.

The Business Behind the Award: Kishah Langham’s Path to Instructor of the Year

If you are building a home staging business, struggling with pricing your staging services, or wondering how to move from “doing it all yourself” to leading a real company, this episode is for you. In this conversation, host Felicia Pulley talks with Kishah Langham, RESA Texas State President and 2025 RESA Approved Instructor of the Year for Staging to Sell, What Every Agent Should Know. Kishah breaks down exactly how she built and scaled her staging company, how teaching agents has grown her business, and why understanding the business side of staging is non negotiable. You will hear how she went from: Real estate agent and bed and breakfast owner To interior styling and design To running a fast growing vacant staging business with warehouse space, staff, and multistate projects Kishah shares clear insight on stager training, mentorship, pricing, storage, inventory management, and warehouse decisions, along with her perspective on virtual staging and AI tools for consultations and reports. Key topics in this episode include: Why staging education for real estate agents grows your client base How to fill your Staging to Sell, What Every Agent Should Know CE classes Turning CE students into ongoing staging and consultation clients Structuring your services: consultations, occupied staging, vacant staging, and design Moving from garage storage and units to shared space and a dedicated warehouse Working with movers as your staging assistants Shifting to Zoom consultations and using AI to streamline reports How to price your staging work for profit instead of copying competitors The real cost of inventory, racks, warehouse overhead, and taxes Why mentorship, RESA® chapters, and community matter for long term success Kishah’s advice is direct and practical for anyone serious about running a profitable home staging business. As she says, “If you don’t know how to run a business, you’re not going to be here long.” If you are a: New home stager looking for guidance on pricing and setup Established staging company owner ready to scale with a warehouse and a team Real estate agent who wants to understand professional staging better Stager interested in RESA, leadership, or becoming an approved instructor you will take away concrete ideas you can apply to your own business. Subscribe for more conversations on staging systems, business models, pricing, leadership, and RESA® education and resources.

Buying and Scaling a Staging Company with Grant Findlay-Shirras

In this episode, Felicia Pulley sits down with Grant Findlay-Shirras to unpack what it really looks like to purchase an existing staging company, identify the operational gaps, and rebuild the business for growth. Grant shares why staging was the first industry that aligned both his business background and his wife Amanda’s design expertise, and how they approached due diligence, staffing, profitability, and marketing in their first year as owners of DEKORA Staging. This conversation is a practical roadmap for anyone considering buying a staging business, restructuring their current operation, or preparing for future sale. Grant offers candid insights on team management, warehouse systems, staying top-of-mind with agents, and the role community plays in shortening the learning curve for new owners. Whether you’re in your first year or your fifteenth, this episode brings clarity, perspective, and actionable takeaways you can apply immediately. Learn more about Grant and The Staging Insider Podcast: https://thestaginginsider.com/episode-8-grant-findlay-shirras-owner-of-dekora/ [https://thestaginginsider.com/episode-8-grant-findlay-shirras-owner-of-dekora/]

Building Skills, Systems, and Confidence with Addie Ashworth

In this episode of The Staging Insider, Felicia Pulley sits down with Ohio stager and RESA Approved Instructor Addie Ashworth, founder of Ashworth Home. Addie shares how she entered the staging industry after being furloughed, how her background in real estate and professional training shaped the way she works, and what she wishes she had known when she first started. Addie talks openly about the early pricing mistakes that cost her money, the process of learning to communicate her value, and how she built sustainable systems as her business grew. She explains what she looks for when hiring, how she trains team members who do not have formal design experience, and how she transitioned from storage units to managing a warehouse. Her insights offer a clear picture of what practical, steady business growth looks like for most stagers in today’s market. Felicia and Addie also discuss the importance of belonging to your trade association, why RESA resources shorten the learning curve, and how national staging statistics help stagers better understand their market and guide business decisions. This episode is ideal for new and growing stagers, solo stagers preparing to hire, and anyone looking to strengthen the structure and confidence behind their staging business. Resources Mentioned Ashworth Home https://www.ashworthhomeco.com [https://www.ashworthhomeco.com] 17hats (RESA Members Save) https://www.realestatestagingassociation.com/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=304550&module_id=229337 [https://www.realestatestagingassociation.com/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=304550&module_id=229337] Staging Insider Episode with Ashley Provost https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0hx3wFl-hI&t=32s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0hx3wFl-hI&t=32s] RESA National Statistics and Tracker https://www.realestatestagingassociation.com/statistics [https://www.realestatestagingassociation.com/statistics]