I talk to so many new home stagers or people wanting to get into the home staging business and almost every single one of them eventually mentions how their own fear can get in the way of moving forward.

Depending on where they are in their business, these fears can range from “what if the furniture is too heavy to move?” , or “what if I don’t get paid?” to “what if my client’s house doesn’t sell?”

It’s normal for fears to come up when you start a new project as a home stager, or when you think about stepping out of your comfort zone to start your own home staging business.

The trick is to not let these fears paralyze you and stop you from taking action. This exercise will help give you some perspective and keep you focused on solutions rather than problems. A solution-based mindset is one of the most helpful things you can have to forward with courage despite your fears.

Set up a new document on your computer with three columns, or turn a piece of paper sideways and divide it, making these headings across the top:

– My biggest fears
– The worst thing that can happen if these fears are realized
– Possible solutions; places where I can go for help

Now fill it out with every wild “what if” fear that is buzzing around your brain and keeping you up at night. Really, write down every crazy thing even if part of you thinks it’s dumb, or worse, too scary to mention. I promise it will lose some of its power over you as soon as you write it down.

For example if your fear is “the furniture is too heavy to move” the worst thing that can happen is you’ll need help. Possible solutions might include:

• asking some college kids who might like to make some extra money on an evening or weekend
• asking your client if they have any friends or family members that can help to keep their costs down
• asking moving and storage companies, or junk removal companies if they have people who can help (since clients with lots of furniture to move also need one of these other services 99% of the time)
• asking yourself whether this random worry is really enough to hold you back from following your dreams

If your fear is “what if I don’t get paid” the worst thing that can happen is you’ll be out your own money for shopping or rentals, or some of your time. Possible solutions might include:

• Following the billing process and advice outlined in courses 2 and 3 of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program so this never happens to you.

If your fear is what will happen if your client’s home doesn’t sell, read this free article, What If a Home You Stage Doesn’t Sell?”

I hope this exercise, taken from the Staging Diva Training Workbook, helps you realize that in the scheme of things, the “worst thing that could happen” probably isn’t all that bad after all.

Please share your fears by adding comments to this post. You might include how you dealt with them or found solutions. I know it will help educate and inspire your fellow home stagers!

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Home staging expert Debra Gould, also known as The Staging Diva is president of home staging firm Six Elements Inc. and has been featured on HGTV, GlobalTV, CityTV, CNNMoney, MoneySense, Entrepreneur Magazine, Reader’s Digest, Woman’s Day and more. She has staged hundreds of homes in the $170,000 to $1.5 million price range and taught close to 4000 women and men worldwide to start and grow their own home staging business.