Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Aubrey Byfield. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Aubrey, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think it takes to be successful?

Success is such a personal thing—there isn’t one-size-fits-all answer to what it takes to be successful, but there are some common threads that tend to be important, in my opinion. Here are some of what has helped me stay focused on success:

1. Clear Vision & Goals: Knowing what you want and who/how you serve your customers is critical. A sense of direction or purpose can keep you focused and motivated. This doesn’t mean you need to have everything mapped out, but having a big-picture vision and breaking it into smaller, achievable steps can help guide you. For me, the clear vision and goal is to provide a compassionate experience for our clients, as well as a positive environment for our shoppers. One of the ways in which we accomplish that is by taking time to listen to our clients’ stories, hearing the history behind the items in their homes, and then implementing that into the shopping experience for our consumers. It really makes it a personal and meaningful experience all around that everyone remembers fondly.

2. Discipline & Consistency: Success often comes from showing up and putting in the work day after day, even when you don’t feel like it. Small, consistent efforts usually pay off more than sporadic bursts of motivation. Being in the small business world, no one makes a name and legacy for you but you.

3. Support System: While success is often seen as an individual journey, having a supportive network—whether friends, family, mentors, or colleagues—can make all the difference. Having people who believe in you and challenge you can be a huge asset. I absolutely could not do what I love and do it well without the people that surround, push, and encourage me.

4. Self-Awareness: Understanding your strengths, weaknesses, and triggers can help you make smarter decisions, manage stress, and work well with others. It’s no secret that any job takes work and energy. Knowing how to compartmentalize, handle difficult conversations (which there are plenty of when you’re working with families going through difficult transitions like downsizing or death of a loved one), and how to take care of yourself in the thick of the busyness is key. Once again, your company is only as good as its owner is doing, so staying self aware and healthy is another key to success.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Aubrey Byfield, and I own Haven Estate Sales, Inc in Austin, Texas. I used to be a creative stuck in the corporate world, but thankfully I’ve finally found what I am passionate about as an estate liquidator! An estate sale is a type of sale where the belongings of a person (or sometimes an entire family) are sold, typically due to significant life events such as downsizing, moving, divorce, or the death of the owner. Estate sales are held as a way to liquidate a large number of items from a home quickly in order to clear out the property, and they can attract collectors, resellers, or anyone looking for unique or useful items. Our estate sales are in-home events that are hosted over the course of 3 days! Shoppers come during sale business hours and at the end of the sale, we have a cleared-out home and a paycheck for our clients.

Such major life transitions often bring major stress, so we are passionate about providing a compassionate experience to our clients during those difficult times. It really is a joy to take such a major task off of their plates so that they can focus on their health, family, and moving forward.

I’ve been a vintage reseller for 5 years, which has had a big hand in my estate sale journey. Being a reseller is actually how I found out estate sales existed! I would often visit local estate sales as a way to find inventory for my reselling business, which eventually piqued my interest enough that I started digging into what it would look like to host them for families. That led me down a winding path full of new information, formation of another business, and kicking off my journey as an estate liquidator.

We are incredibly proud of the brand we’ve built, the trust our clients have in us to work in their homes and handle their personal belongings, and the service we’re able to provide to the greater Austin area.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I am a firm believer that who you are will come out in the work that you do. Your intentions and doing the right thing will always shine through, so ensuring that you’re always staying true to who you are and serving your clients honestly is key to building a reputation.

We also put a ton of work into staging a home in preparation for a sale, which is part of the reputation we have built and want to be known for. Putting together a clean, shoppable sale is a big deal to us! Some of the homes we have worked in haven’t been touched in months, which can lead to a number of issues. The flow of the home and helping your shoppers visualize what an item may look like in their home is a great way to increase sales. Ensuring that the home presents cleanly and invitingly is crucial to a positive shopping experience for our customers.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Social media these days is a must for success, in my opinion! We have built up our Instagram to almost 10K followers, which has been extremely helpful in building a business. While I am a big fan of taking time to disconnect from the internet, you really reach a broad audience that you wouldn’t otherwise connect with by utilizing social media. Staying consistent and being ourselves has been key to building an online presence. Sure, we’ve tried jumping on trends, using popular sound bites, etc, but what I have found people connect the most with is simply being a human being. I often post things simply because it made me laugh or I found joy in it, so others may too, right? It really is that simple. I want our audience to be genuine. Going viral is great when it happens, but what I’ve found is that doesn’t necessarily translate to more business or real connection.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.havenvintageandestatesales.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/havenvintageandestates
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aubreybyfield/

Image Credits

Discovery Gerdes
Aubrey Byfield