Staging Sips

Could Your Staging Business Run Without You for 30 Days? What would happen if you disappeared from your staging business for 30 days—and your team couldn't call, text, email, or send a carrier pigeon to get your help? In this episode of Staging Sips, Lori shares a powerful story from an Accelerate client whose operations manager went on vacation and, instead of handing everything back to the owner, trained another team member to step in and confidently take over. That's the kind of delegation that creates real freedom in a business. Lori breaks down why hiring the right people is only part of the equation, how we can unintentionally train capable team members to depend on us, and why letting go often requires just as much development from the business owner as it does from the team. You'll also hear about the 30-Day Challenge, a simple exercise to uncover exactly where your staging business still depends on you—and where your team may be capable of far more than you've allowed them to prove. LEARN MORE ABOUT STAGING BUSINESS SCHOOL HERE WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE: Why delegation doesn't end when you hand off a task How owners accidentally become the backup plan for everything Why your team needs opportunities to make decisions without you The mindset work behind truly letting go How systems like Harlowe can help information live in the business instead of in the owner's head The 30-Day Challenge you can use with your own staging business Because the goal isn't absence. It's optionality. The ability to work in your business because you want to be there—not because everything stops when you're not. RESOURCES: Share your wins and your questions! 1-800-305-7050 Join the Harlowe Inner Circle Waitlist here: https://waitlist.harloweco.com Apply for Private Coaching: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/privatecoachingapp Enroll in Staging Business School Accelerate Track: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/accelerate Follow Harlowe on Instagram: www.instagram.com/meetharlowe Follow the Staging Business School on Instagram: www.instagram.com/stagingbusinessschool If you want to learn how to market and grow your stagin

What does it take to build a business that lasts 50 years? For this episode, I'm sitting down with someone who has shaped so much of the way I think about business: my mom, Gina Hutchinson. Fifty years ago, she started what would become the Red Stars baton twirling program. She wasn't setting out to become an entrepreneur. She was a schoolteacher who agreed to coach a high school majorette team, started giving 50-cent baton lessons after school, and eventually found herself with a growing business of her own. Over the next five decades, that business evolved in ways she never could have predicted. Her teams competed nationally, traveled around the world, performed in places like Spain and the Soviet Union, and created opportunities for generations of young women. And along the way, she learned a whole lot about running a business. You Don't Have to Have It All Figured Out When my mom started teaching baton, there was no grand business plan. In fact, she says pretty clearly in this episode that she had no intention of starting a business. One opportunity simply led to another. She took on the majorette team. Parents started asking for lessons. Someone offered her space above a furniture store. She suddenly had rent to pay, which meant she had to start thinking about pricing, expenses, and what it actually meant to run a business. Sometimes we think we need to know exactly what the business will become before we begin. Her story is a pretty great reminder that you can start with what you know, pay attention to what's working, and allow the business to evolve from there. Sometimes You Have to Jump Out on a Limb One of the things I've always admired about my mom is her willingness to ask, How could this work? That willingness took her teams from New Hampshire to national competitions at Notre Dame and eventually around the world. She didn't always know what would happen when she said yes. She hadn't competed herself when she first brought her team to a competition. She had never been to nationals when she decided to take a group there. And when an opportunity came along to take the Red Stars to Spain, she had no idea whether the families would even agree to go. She explored the possibility anyway. As she says in this episode, sometimes you have to "jump out on a limb." Sometimes the limb holds. Sometimes it doesn't. Either way, you learn something. Build Your Business Around a Standard One of the biggest reasons the Red Stars have lasted for 50 years is that my mom has always been clear about what the team represents. Talent mattered. Winning mattered. But how the kids behaved, how they treated one another, how they represented the team, and the kind of people they became mattered, too. Over time, those expectations became the standard of the business. And that standard helped her make some difficult decisions. There have been students, parents, and even team situations over the years that simply weren't the right fit. Walking away sometimes meant taking a financial hit. But protecting the culture and the long-term health of the business mattered more. That's a lesson that applies to any business. Sometimes keeping the wrong client, employee, or opportunity costs far more than letting it go. Find People You Can Trust For years, my mom did everything herself. Eventually, she built a team of coaches who understood her expectations because many of them had actually grown up in the Red Stars program themselves. That became incredibly important in 2025 when a major health issue unexpectedly took her completely out of the business. Her staff had to step in and run it without her. And they did. The business kept going because she had spent years teaching them the standard, giving them responsibility, supporting them, and building a team she could trust. For any business owner who has ever thought, My clients only want me or Nobody will do it the way I do it, there's an important lesson here. Your team needs the opportunity to learn how to carry the business with you. Build Something That Can Evolve My mom will be the first person to tell you that the business she runs today isn't the business she imagined 50 years ago. It evolved. She learned. She adjusted. She took opportunities she hadn't planned for. She figured out what she was uniquely good at. She brought in people who could help. She made difficult decisions when something no longer fit. And after 50 years, she's still thinking about what comes next. That's probably one of my favorite lessons from this entire conversation. You don't need to know exactly what your business will look like five, ten, or fifty years from now. You need to keep paying attention, keep learning, and be willing to let it evolve. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE: How my mom turned 50-cent baton lessons into a business that has lasted 50 years Why you don't have to have everything figured out before you start How taking risks created opportunities she never could have planned for What imposter syndrome looked like in the early years of her business Why your standards matter when you're building a business and a team How to know when a client or customer is no longer the right fit Why building a team you trust can protect the business when life takes you out of it What 50 years in business taught her about pricing, expenses, growth, and longevity … and more!

Are your business boundaries working for you? As your home staging business grows, the way you work with clients, your team, and your schedule may need to change, too. Early on, saying yes to everything can feel like good customer service. You answer messages after hours, accommodate last-minute requests, and make exceptions to keep everyone happy. But eventually, too much flexibility can lead to overwhelm, frustration, and a business that feels reactive instead of intentional. That's why better boundaries matter. Boundaries vs. Policies: What's the Difference? Boundaries and policies work together, but they aren't the same thing. A boundary is a limit or expectation you establish for how you want to operate. A policy is the formal business rule that communicates that expectation to your clients or team. For example, you might decide that you don't want to respond to client messages after business hours. That's your boundary. Your policy might state that messages received after 6 p.m. will be answered the next business day. The boundary defines the limit. The policy communicates it clearly. Where Does Your Business Need Better Boundaries? If you're not sure where your boundaries need attention, look at the areas that regularly create stress or frustration. Ask yourself: Am I constantly adjusting my schedule for clients? Do I regularly answer messages outside business hours? Am I making exceptions that have become expected? Am I still doing work that should be handled by someone else? Are my clients and team clear about what I expect? These situations can reveal where your business boundaries need to be strengthened. You don't have to change everything at once. Start with the one area that's creating the most friction. Create Systems That Support You Once you've identified a boundary, communicate it clearly and build it into your systems. Client agreements, onboarding materials, scheduling procedures, communication guidelines, and team processes can all help reinforce your expectations. This makes boundaries easier to maintain because you're not having to make the same decision or explain the same expectation over and over again. And having boundaries doesn't mean you can't be flexible. You can still make exceptions when you genuinely want to. The difference is that you're making a choice rather than feeling like you have to say yes. Your Business Should Work for You, Too You built your home staging business to create something meaningful, not to spend every evening answering messages or constantly rearranging your schedule around everyone else's needs. Better boundaries can bring clarity, protect your time, support your team, and create a more consistent client experience. Take a look at your business and ask yourself: Are my current boundaries supporting the business I want to build? If the answer is no, choose one boundary that needs to change. Clarify it, communicate it, and create a system to support it. Sometimes, building a healthier business isn't about doing more. It's about deciding what you're no longer willing to make room for. It requires deciding what you're no longer willing to let take over your time and attention. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE: The difference between boundaries and policies How to identify where your business needs better boundaries How to communicate expectations clearly How systems can help you maintain those boundaries Why better boundaries can protect your time and reduce overwhelm … and more! RESOURCES: Share your wins and your questions! 1-800-305-7050 Join the Harlowe Inner Circle Waitlist here: https://waitlist.harloweco.com Apply for Private Coaching: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/privatecoachingapp Enroll in Staging Business School Accelerate Track: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/accelerate Follow Harlowe on Instagram: www.instagram.com/meetharlowe Follow the Staging Business School on Instagram: www.instagram.com/stagingbusinessschool If you want to learn how to market and grow your staging business, enrollment is open for Staging Business School Accelerate Track. This is a year-long mentorship program where I help you and other staging business owners plan, grow, flow, and thrive with the results that you've always wanted. The doors are open and I would love to see you in the classroom! ENJOY THE SHOW? Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts so that more Staging CEO's find it. Also, include links to your socials so that more Staging CEOs can find you. Follow over on Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Audible.

50,000 downloads: The quiet decisions changing staging businesses Staging Sips is approaching its 50,000th download, and this episode is a celebration, a thank-you, and an invitation. It's easy to see 50,000 as a statistic. How does it compare with last year? Are downloads increasing each month? What does it say about the podcast's growth? But those downloads represent 50,000 individual moments when a home stager chose to listen. You may have been driving to an installation, packing the truck, walking, folding laundry, or washing dishes while trying to figure out what the next season of your staging business could look like. Each download represents a person making decisions about pricing, capacity, leadership, systems, boundaries, and the emotional responsibility of owning a business. Staging Sips began as a way to teach and share the business side of home staging. It created a place to talk openly about the parts of running a staging company that rarely make the highlight reel: raising your prices and questioning the decision for a week, hiring someone and wondering if you chose the right person, or going home at night still thinking about everything the business needs from you. Over time, the podcast has become a place where staging business owners can feel seen, heard, and understood. The most meaningful measure of the show is what happens after you listen. Maybe an episode helped you make a difficult decision, establish a boundary, reconsider a process, have a better conversation with a client, or feel less alone during a challenging season. Those changes deserve to be celebrated. That is why we want to hear from you. Call 800-305-7050 and leave a message sharing a success, a decision you made, or a question you would like Lori to answer in a future episode. Your story can be as simple as: Before listening to the podcast, I was... The change I made was... Now I can... The thing I'm most proud of is... Your success does not have to be a huge, shiny milestone. Perhaps you raised your prices, made a great hire, stopped accepting every project, used one of our communication templates, or created a system that allows you to be present with your family again. Maybe you made one quiet decision that completely changed the way you feel about your business. Conversations with staging business owners at every stage have also reinforced an important truth: there is no single version of what a successful staging company has to look like. Some owners have established teams and clearly defined processes. Others are still doing most of the work themselves and deciding when to hire. Some have been in business for two years, while others have been doing this for twenty. Their operating styles may be different, but many of their underlying questions are remarkably similar. What part of your business works because of you? What only happens when you remember to push it forward? What are you tolerating because fixing it feels harder than continuing to carry it yourself? What did you change this year that made your company feel more like a business? And what success have you barely acknowledged because you immediately moved on to the next problem? As Staging Sips approaches 50,000 downloads, take a moment to recognize the decisions that have made your business stronger and more sustainable. Then call 800-305-7050 and tell us about one of them. We'll continue the celebration in an upcoming episode with Lori's mother, Gina, who recently reached an extraordinary milestone of her own: 50 years in business. She'll share what she has learned about navigating change, releasing unnecessary worries, and continuing to grow through different seasons of business and life. Thank you for listening, sharing the show, and building a business that matters. LEARN MORE ABOUT STAGING BUSINESS SCHOOL HERE WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE: What 50,000 podcast downloads represent beyond the number How Staging Sips grew into a space for honest staging business conversations Why your quiet decisions and less-visible business wins deserve recognition Questions that can reveal where your business still depends heavily on you How differently successful home staging companies can be structured How to share your success story or submit a question for a future episode RESOURCES: Share your wins and your questions! 1-800-305-7050 Join the Harlowe Inner Circle Waitlist here: https://waitlist.harloweco.com Apply for Private Coaching: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/privatecoachingapp Enroll in Staging Business School Accelerate Track: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/accelerate Follow Harlowe on Instagram: www.instagram.com/meetharlowe Follow the Staging Business School on Instagram: www.instagram.com/stagingbusinessschool If you want to learn how to market and grow your staging business, enrollment is open for Staging Business School Accelerate Track. This is a year-long mentorship program where I help you and other staging business owners plan, grow, flow, and thrive with the results that you've always wanted. The doors are open and I would love to see you in the classroom! ENJOY THE SHOW? Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts so that more Staging CEO's find it. Also, include links to your socials so that more Staging CEOs can find you. Follow over on Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Audible.

The flexibility that helped grow your staging business could now be keeping you stuck. In the early stages of a home staging business, saying yes can feel like a competitive advantage. You accept a different payment method, squeeze an installation into an already-full week, skip a step in your standard process, or create a special arrangement for a longtime client. Each yes feels like flexibility, hospitality, and excellent customer service. But every custom accommodation also adds another layer of complexity to your business. As your project volume grows and you begin hiring a team, those small exceptions become harder to manage. A process that appears simple may have seven different variations depending on the client, payment method, service, or history of the relationship. Your team has to continually come back to you for answers because you're the only person who understands all the unwritten rules. That's the flexibility trap. Flexibility helps you learn what your clients need while your business is young. Eventually, you have enough information to create a standard process. If you continue saying yes by default, you can end up with an operating system that depends on you personally navigating every variation. And that makes delegation incredibly difficult. The solution is to define your standard process first. Decide how clients pay, when agreements must be signed, how projects enter your schedule, and which steps happen every time. Then you can evaluate individual requests from a clear starting point. Sometimes an exception will be worth making. When it is, tell the client what your normal process is and explain that you're making an exception for their specific situation. This helps the client feel cared for while protecting the standard your team needs to operate consistently. You can also examine one process you currently customize for every project. Look at how you handled it across your last several jobs, identify which variations truly mattered, and choose the version you would feel comfortable handing off completely tomorrow. Your next stage of growth requires intentional flexibility. You can preserve the warmth, care, and personal service that make your staging company special while creating processes your team can confidently follow. The goal is to know which exceptions are genuinely valuable and which ones are habits your business has outgrown. LEARN MORE ABOUT STAGING BUSINESS SCHOOL HERE WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE: How saying yes can create hidden complexity in your staging business Why too many exceptions make delegation harder for your team When flexibility shifts from great service to self-sabotage How to define a standard process before documenting exceptions What to consider before accommodating an unusual client request Three practical steps for simplifying and standardizing your operations RESOURCES: Atomic Habits E-Myth Revisited The Gap and The Gain Join the Harlowe Inner Circle Waitlist here: https://waitlist.harloweco.com Apply for Private Coaching: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/privatecoachingapp Enroll in Staging Business School Accelerate Track: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/accelerate Follow Harlowe on Instagram: www.instagram.com/meetharlowe Follow the Staging Business School on Instagram: www.instagram.com/stagingbusinessschool If you want to learn how to market and grow your staging business, enrollment is open for Staging Business School Accelerate Track. This is a year-long mentorship program where I help you and other staging business owners plan, grow, flow, and thrive with the results that you've always wanted. The doors are open and I would love to see you in the classroom!