There's a business season that doesn't get talked about enough; the one where growth stops feeling exciting and starts feeling heavy. It's a different phase from when you are the only person and you are tired from being overwhelmed. Here, you're no longer doing everything yourself. What you have running are systems, training, and leadership, but these feel harder than any work you have ever done.

This episode is grounded in what that season looked like inside my own business, because it's a phase so many owners experience but rarely name out loud.

I walk through what was really happening for me during that stretch; the mental exhaustion of training and delegation, my nervous system constantly on edge, and what understanding the neuroscience behind growth helped me finally see. I also share a turning-point conversation with a long-time client that forced me to choose: keep being the value in my business, or start building it into the business itself.

If you're building a team, feeling the weight of growth, or questioning why this phase feels so uncomfortable, I hope this episode helps you make sense that this season isn't a mistake.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Why growth often feels worse before it feels better
• Why training is harder than just doing the work yourself
• The difference between clients who want outcomes and clients who want access
• How to advocate for your team instead of rescuing situations

RESOURCES:

• Apply for Private Coaching: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/privatecoachingapp
• Enroll in Staging Business School Accelerate Track: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/accelerate
• Join the Staging Business School Growth Track Waitlist: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/growth
• Follow the Staging Business School on Instagram: www.instagram.com/stagingbusinessschool
• Follow Lori on Instagram: www.instagram.com/rethinkhome

If you want to learn how to streamline your operations so you can grow with less stress and burnout in your staging business, enrollment is open for Staging Business School Accelerate Track. I'd love to see you in the classroom!

ENJOY THE SHOW?

• Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts so that more Staging CEOs find it. Also, include links to your socials so that more Staging CEOs can find you.
• Follow over on Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Audible

Heather Russo is building a luxury staging business in the Boston area. And her path here? Eighteen years in insurance first. I know, right.

She is like most of us out there who didn't set out to build a staging business.

Today, Heather and I talk about what it really looks like to grow a staging business intentionally. From learning how to manage seasonality and capacity, to making decisions that allow the business to support long-term goals instead of constant burnout.

We talk about the moment success starts to stretch you, why hiring often has to happen before you feel ready, and the shift from doing all the things to teaching, documenting, and letting go of control. Heather also shares what changed when she brought on support and later welcomed her husband, Tony, into the business to help with operations and growth.

If you're in a season of growth and figuring out what needs to change so the business can keep up, you'll hear yourself in this one.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Why the term "hobby business" is damaging to women in this industry and needs to retire
• How to price your services when you're not making money 12 months out of the year
• The signs you've hit capacity and actually need help
• What it's really like bringing your spouse into the business as a partner

RESOURCES:

• Apply for Private Coaching: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/privatecoachingapp
• Enroll in Staging Business School Accelerate Track: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/accelerate
• Join the Staging Business School Growth Track Waitlist: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/growth
• Follow the Staging Business School on Instagram: www.instagram.com/stagingbusinessschool
• Follow Lori on Instagram: www.instagram.com/rethinkhome
• Rethink Home Interiors: rethinkhomeinteriors.com/
• Glen Street Staging on Instagram: www.instagram.com/glenstreetstaging
• Glen Street Staging: glenstreetstaging.com
  

If you want to learn how to streamline your operations so you can grow with less stress and burnout in your staging business, enrollment is open for Staging Business School Accelerate Track. I'd love to see you in the classroom!

ENJOY THE SHOW?

• Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts so that more Staging CEOs find it. Also, include links to your socials so that more Staging CEOs can find you.
• Follow over on Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Audible

We love to say we want things to be simple.

Simple workflows.
Simple systems.
Simple days.

But if you've ever felt exhausted by something that looks straightforward on paper, please come closer.

On Staging Sips today, I am pulling back the curtain on why "simple" workflows in a staging business often feel anything but simple. Also, why that doesn't mean you're doing something wrong. Rather, it means you're running a real business with real moving parts.

This episode isn't about adding more software or forcing yourself into tighter systems. It's about understanding the invisible complexity behind your day-to-day operations so you can stop carrying unnecessary frustration and start making clearer, calmer decisions as the CEO of your Staging Business.

If you've been telling yourself, "This shouldn't feel this hard," I've got you today.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Why workflows that look simple often carry hidden layers of decision-making and emotional labor
• How complexity quietly builds as your staging business grows, even when your services stay the same
• The difference between a workflow problem and a capacity problem
• Why forcing simplicity too early can actually slow you down

RESOURCES:

• Apply for Private Coaching: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/privatecoachingapp
• Enroll in Staging Business School Accelerate Track: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/accelerate
• Join the Staging Business School Growth Track Waitlist: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/growth
• Follow the Staging Business School on Instagram: www.instagram.com/stagingbusinessschool
• Follow Lori on Instagram: www.instagram.com/rethinkhome

If you want to learn how to streamline your operations so you can grow with less stress and burnout in your staging business, enrollment is open for Staging Business School Accelerate Track. I'd love to see you in the classroom!

ENJOY THE SHOW?

• Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts so that more Staging CEOs find it. Also, include links to your socials so that more Staging CEOs can find you.