We were lucky to catch up with Elizabeth Schramme recently and have shared our conversation below.

Elizabeth, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

I am so happy being a business owner. Once I started my company, The Staged Collective, the thought of having a “regular job” never crossed my mind again. When you are working for yourself, the hard days, the overtime, and literal blood, sweat and tears are all worth it when you see the rewards. I am not just talking financially either. It took me several years, but now, if I want to work one day a week or seven days a week, I have the flexibility to do so, and I could not be more grateful.

Elizabeth, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Elizabeth Schramme, and I own The Staged Collective. We are a luxury home staging company in Dallas Texas. We have been in business over six years and I have been staging for roughly 10. Before that I did interior design and sales at a high-end furniture show room and Design Studio working with clients all over the world, including Mexico and Dubai. I fell in love with Staging when I saw the impact it had on a space and how efficient it was. Sometimes I would spend over a year with the same interior design client and with staging I can transform an entire home in just one day and do it exactly the way I envision it. I think a couple of things that set me apart from the rest of my competition is my ability to create different looks from transitional to more modern, as well as using very large scale original artwork with the help of the very talented, long time Dallas artist, Steve Lawrence. I would say the main problem I solve is taking the guesswork out of potential homebuyers to envision spaces. Whether the home is a beautiful, modern new construction, or a mid century modern home with the original kitchen, the right staging will create a feeling in a buyer that tells them this is their new home. One of my favorite examples of the benefits of staging is a home that was on the market previously and my client said he would not take the listing unless she would stage it this time and after we staged it sold $200,000 over list price within a few weeks. I am most proud of how my business has grown over the last six years and how I can do what I love every day while having the flexibility to be at my six and eight year olds school events, soccer games, and everything in between.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Definitely Instagram. I probably do not post as much as I should, but since my business account mostly consists of my clients which are realtors, it makes it very easy to get in front of new potential clients and business with tags and reposts.

Any advice for managing a team?

Good people are invaluable to your business and they need to feel appreciated. I try and always make work fun and lighthearted. Some days are definitely more strenuous than others and when I can tell the guys need a break, I will order in food and make them sit down to get a proper lunch so they are more energized and relaxed for the afternoon. They take really good care of me so I try and do the same. I know about their children and their wives and the struggles they are going through so we feel more like a team.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thestagedcollective.com
• Instagram: @the_staged_collective