We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nichelle Turner and Sharlene Flood. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nichelle Turner below.
Nikki & Sharlene, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
In the beginning of the pandemic, we were laid off from our previous company which was a home staging business serving the DMV area. Nikki was the business manager and I (Sharlene) was the sales manager. We had poured lots of blood, sweat, and tears into building this company. Using our combined talents, we turned a company that initially grossed $500,000 annually into a million dollar sensation.
Many of us were shocked to lose our jobs not because of our work performance but due to the fear of the unknown associated with the pandemic. Nikki and I took a moment to recover, pulled ourselves up by our bootstraps and sprung into action. Maybe this was the universe forcing us to do what we should have done years ago: start our own business.
Facing furniture and decor shortages, long shipment delays and fear of contracting COVID-19, we pushed through to build a company from scratch. Three years later, we have a thriving business that is both profitable and fulfilling.
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.
A Jersey girl at heart, Nichelle “Nikki” Turner has worked for many non-profit organizations and start-up companies throughout her professional career. After working 20 years in law enforcement, she retired and found a passion for real estate. Through real estate, and a lifelong love of design, she discovered the art of staging and redesign. Nikki became a certified stager through CSP and completed projects for family, friends, and exclusively for a real estate investor in the Philadelphia metro area. She moved from New Jersey to Maryland in 2015 and started working at one of the top staging companies in the DMV area. As a quick learner, she picked up on all aspects of the business. Quickly moving from staging assistant to business manager and eventually COO, Nikki was the go-to person for business management in addition to finances, logistics, operations, sales/marketing, and of course, design.
The entrepreneurial flames continued to be fanned as her business leadership and work ethic helped transform this small profit business to a million-dollar company with multiple streams of income. Nikki loves helping people and currently has multiple businesses doing just that. Although she wears many hats, she loves every minute of it. In her spare time, Nikki enjoys learning more about business and staging, keeping abreast of changes in the field, and helping others through her empowerment movement for women. Nikki is a great mother to her twin daughters with whom she has a close relationship. She plans to continue to share her knowledge and expertise through her expanding businesses while finding other platforms to showcase her extensive skill set.
A North Carolina native, Sharlene Flood has spent most of her adult life residing in the Washington, DC metro area. Her expansive career in the television industry as a writer/producer for WUSA TV 9, a CBS affiliate, became the road map to her project management skills and creative expression through writing and commercial production. In addition to television advertising, she possessed a burning desire to absorb the world of design. She honed her decorating skills by practicing in the homes of family and friends. Later, Sharlene’s love for design transformed into whimsical murals and playful furniture and decor showcased in daycare centers and children’s rooms. Child’s Play Designs, a home-based business she created in 2014, was her starting point toward the road of entrepreneurship. At the same time, a new challenge as a store manager for a flagship store in Bethesda, MD landed in her lap. Make Meaning, an arts and craft store, allowed Sharlene to host parties for children and adults and was the perfect challenge to lead a large team and manifest creative expression within the party planning industry.
Shortly afterwards, the opportunity arose to expand and cultivate her design skills through home staging in the real estate industry. Sharlene learned the business inside and out while wearing the hats of stager, designer, marketing expert, new services program developer, social media manager, and sales director. She learned every moving part and intricacy of a small business, which eventually paid off. Through the reins of her leadership and client pipeline, Sharlene transformed a small profit business into a million-dollar company.
Step Above Staging is your one-stop service shop! With 20 years of combined real estate experience, we understand the market and the clients we serve in the DMV area. If you’re a real estate agent, investor, builder, or homeowner, we understand your greatest need is having a partner you can trust. We will take care of all the little details, so you can focus on your most important job: making a profitable SALE!
Our philosophy is to give you quality staging without breaking the bank. One way we control costs for both of us is to offer a product that is not over the top. The ultimate goal of staging is to present a property on the market for sale in an attractive manner that allows a prospective buyer to envision the property as their own. If you go overboard during the staging process, you will detract from the listing, making it harder for a prospective buyer to envision the home on their own terms.
We are in the business to help buyers see functionality and livability. It is not about using flashy and trendy design tricks to showcase our talent. We are working on behalf of YOU to ensure your listing is equipped with just the right amount of color concept, furniture quantity, and lifestyle function to produce a maximum return. A staging should showcase a home, not overshadow it.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Nikki and I started a business in the height of the pandemic. Who does that?! Since we started three years ago, we have had to overcome long shipping delays for furniture and a lack of art and decor in the stores.
As a result of COVID-19, everything is more expensive so we had to learn creative financing and tricks of the trade to get each job done professionally and with class.
The real estate market is always unpredictable. Driven by the state of the world, we often experience busy and slower months that we couldn’t have predicted. We are always pivoting and adjusting to meet the market needs and keep our business operating.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
Nikki and I are proud to say we combined our finances without applying for any loans to grow this business. Wise shopping, strategically choosing furniture and decor and having a solid understanding of how to stretch funds have helped tremendously in our business venture.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://stepabovestaging.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stepabovestaging/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stepabovestaging
Image Credits
Redfin