We were lucky to catch up with Brandy Waltman recently and have shared our conversation below.

Brandy, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I had a joint adventure with a friend running an antique shop. She received a call from a friend about a man who was throwing out amazing antique items on the side of the street and told us to hurry and come get them.
This poor fellow was having a breakdown in his yard. He had moved all of his late mother’s things from her home to his new house. He hadn’t seen the items in years, as they had been packed away in pods, storage units, and so on. We even pulled a Mercedes-Benz out of a pod. The kicker was that she had a 10-bedroom plantation-style home, and he had moved into a 3-bedroom house. He was having a nervous breakdown, unsure of where to put everything.
My friend and I came up with a plan for him, and we began moving all the things from the side of the road back into the yard. There were at least three dining room tables, books, and art. I even read mail from Hemingway and held a Picasso. You name it, he had it, along with his own belongings. Now, you can imagine a single bachelor trying to decorate his home with china that had pink roses on it. It was pretty funny, and I told him he would never get a lady if he had rose-colored china.
We struck up a deal: we would stage, organize, and make his new home comfortable by blending his mother’s items with his own. Then, we would sell anything left over. This turned into a four-month job. After this experience, I realized that I enjoyed helping people with the “baggage” that loved ones leave behind, and that’s how Mississippi Roots LLC was born.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Mississippi Roots LLC is an Estate Liquidation Company. We handle the assets left from someone whom has passed away, moved into an assisted living or downsizing.
We liquidated anything between Tupperware and horse and carriage buggies. Cars, boats and RV’s. We dig in Attics, garages and sheds. Pulling out all the sellable items.
We sell for fast liquation and that means we don’t sit on it. We only take % of what sells. No set up fees or minimums.
We help with the baggage our loved ones leave us with.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

People will absolutely take advantage of you. They don’t know they are doing it.
If you are allowing extra work on your self and not getting paid it’s no one’s fault except yours. My contract is almost 5 pages long. Because, I was a “yes” person. After, being used and abused I made sure I got compensated after years of abuse.
Don’t over work yourself to please other. Do exactly what you are contracted to do with pride, compassion and support. You can go over and beyond without over stretching yourself.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

I had been hired to liquidated the Jefferson Davis Home in Biloxi. It was the last home of President Jefferson Davis. At that time much scrutiny was surrounding the grounds. We were hired to liquidated items in the barn. Some items were things that were from the original home. For example windows, doors, etc.
The historical home was restored and anything not used for the rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina we were to sell. So our job was to liquidate any salvageable item from the historical home that was not needed. We were also tasked with liquidating any items that were donated and not needed for the museum. Many people donated things after Hurricane Katrina in efforts to restore the building and museum. Not everything was period Related/accurate or needed. It was a very daunting but rewarding estate sale.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Mississippirootsllc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mississippi_roots_llc?igsh=d29mY3Bqdmp0OWk3
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1B26sJSLDk/
• Other: Tiktoc
  

  @msroots

Image Credits

Brandy Waltman
William Colgin