Today we’d like to introduce you to Paula Babineaux.
Paula, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Nine years ago a friend asked me to help her stage a small house. I have always been very artistic, faux finishing such as techniques on walls, and furniture painting, so she felt I could do this as well. I moved furniture around and depersonalize the space and the sellers loved the house. The house quickly sold and I decided I wanted to do more.
So I continued to stage homed for friends/ realtors part time while I still worked as a medical transcriptionist. IN January of 2012 my mother moved in with me after having a stroke so I took care of her for the next three years. She encouraged me to keep going and it wasn’t until after she passed away that I took the professional staging class and became an Accredited Staging Professional, ASP.
Since taking the class, I have worked my business full time and honesty I give all my credit to the Lord. My faith is strong and I know I will always have staging jobs and decorating jobs because He looks after me. To this day, my business went from staging one or two houses Every now and then, to staging two a day and enough inventory to accessorize more than 10 vacancies. Although it starting with staging to sell homes, I now stage to live or what everyone may call decorating. I love the gift the Lord gave me.
Has it been a smooth road?
Oh goodness, the struggles were real. Some months I was not sure where my income would come from. In the beginning, I didn’t quit my job because my staging business wasn’t established yet. I would approach real estates offices and have lunch and learns to get their business. It was uncomfortable at first, but As a friend of mine once told me “remember you know more than they do”.
I had to quickly get over my fear of approaching people I didn’t know and convince them to believe in staging. Believe me, a group of poker-faced real estate agents staring at you for an hour is very scary. I would drop off fliers to every real estate office in the area. Hundreds of fliers and teaching classes about the importance of staging went on for a couple of years, and even today I will teach anyone who asks me about staging.
My faith absolutely keeps me going and knowing I will be taken care of. When business is slow, I browse all the finest furniture stores and know what is current, so I can copy them on a budget for my clients.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Staging by Paula story. Tell us more about the business.
Staging by Paula is a staging company. I stage homes to sell and also stage homes to live. I have a large inventory of accessories including mirrors, lamps, bedding, tables, desks, dishes, everything that makes a house a home. I go one step further than other stagers by adding extra touches, such as pillows on sofas, throws in a basket, books and reading glasses. I want a person to walk into one of my staged homes and feel so comfortable, they want to live there.
My decorating skills are different, regardless of the clients budget, in that, I always look for a better deal for my client. Let’s face it, clients are the reason my business is still going today. I am passionate about what I do and I take it personal because it reflects on who I am.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I hope to have a couple of stagers on staff with a moving truck and enough inventory including full furniture to stage completely 10 homes. This is a huge goal of mine but anything can happen if you believe.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 281-455-1834
- Email: pbab3@outlook.com
- Facebook: http://m.facebook.com/stagingbypaula/
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