We were lucky to catch up with Ashley Wilson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Ashley , thanks for joining us today. How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.
I started with an idea. I knew there was a need for home staging in Denver. I had 20 years of experience under my belt. I’ve been designing homes throughout those years. I was also a Gallery Director, Visual Merchandiser, Prop Fabricator and Creative Artist working along some amazing artists. I realised it was time to apply my variety of skills and open a home staging business.
I started with 3 storage units full of furniture. Our units kept getting broken into so we took 1000 sq foot cage in a warehouse close by. From there Refresh Denver took off! I had the mentality that “leap and the net will appear.” Word of mouth is what grew our business. We now inhabit over 10,000 sq ft in that warehouse and are in our fifth year of business!
I am thankful everyday that I still love what I do.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I grew up in Santa Fe, NM which is overflowing with creatives. My father dealt in antiques and always had an artistic eye. My journey included living in many different states, experiencing many different cultures and styles of architecture. I graduated top of my class at FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising) in San Francisco. I think all in all it’s the many places I have lived that give me the edge to be able to adapt my style to the style of the home which is necessary in my opinion.
At Refresh Denver we offer Mini Flip services, turn key Airbnb properties, home staging and of course interior design which encompasses all of the services we offer.
How’d you meet your business partner?
I met my business partner through a mutual friend at the time. He had always had an interest in home staging. It was a perfect pairing. As a “right brain thinker and creative” the thought of what happens in the back of the house (such as contracts, payroll, taxes, insurance and all of the numbers that go into a successful business) made me want to run! I can’t stand the thought of logistics!
So finding a business partner that has a left brain, who is analytical and logical and can compliment you in that manner, was the key to building a successful business. He is the yin to my yang.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
One hundred percent is word of mouth. Especially in the real estate industry. If you do good work, and have integrity in your business practice, you will be remembered and recommended. We’ve never done much advertising. We have postcards that to this day we will leave in homes for sellers, buyers or agents to take. Aside from that it is all word of mouth.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.refreshdenverstaging.com/
- Instagram: @refreshdenverstaging
- Facebook: Refresh Denver Home Staging
- Yelp: Refresh Denver
