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Karen Russnaik found that although jobs came easily for her, including jobs with Bell Canada and the Ontario Provincial Government, she always wanted to move on because she simply didn’t enjoy working for someone else. Her work life has been eclectic and includes the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and an aircraft company in Montreal. Her last job was working for Spar Aerospace, doing fiber optics for the Canadarm, which currently travels with every space mission. Karen admits these jobs gave her experience in drafting design and space planning, but she kept moving on.
“I was already involved in redecorating and renovating – including exteriors such as windows and porches. Buying properties, renting them, managing them, redecorating and renovating them became full time work”.
But the 1990 recession hit Karen hard. “I had 15 properties including my parents dream home. I tried to hold on to everything, but the market kept dipping and my 5 year goal collapsed; I was left with no home, no job. I even had to give my 2 cats and 1 dog away to friends and relatives so they’d be cared for. I moved in with my sister and I stayed there for 1 year”.
“I’d also taken over my brother’s gift and tableware business after he moved to Ecuador in the late 1980s. I incorporated this business, but because they were mostly art pieces, they were difficult to sell because my customers felt the pinch too. I ended up donating the gift and tableware to The United Way as gifts in kind, to a value of $20,000 or $30,000! I did keep a few pieces that I use today in staging”.
Then Karen spent 10 years in the Film Industry working on props and set dressing and it became her favourite thing to do. Another downturn in business resulted in very reduced work for Karen, so, once again, she was faced with re-inventing herself.
“I’ve always liked real estate, so I decided to try home staging. Once I started, I realized this is where my real passion is – I found my niche”. Although I’ve written the real estate agent exam, I think staging and design is better. In this slow market today, stagers are needed to find that competitive edge because a staged house sells quicker and it sells for more money”.
“Creating a positive first impression is crucial when selling your home. In order to maximize selling price it is imperative that properties stand out from the competition and linger in the minds of potential buyers. The experts at Urban Dekor home staging use quality furnishings, artwork, and other decorative accessories to effectively merchandise homes for sale”.
Karen learned about Roaring Women from CSP President and Roaring Woman Christine Rae. “I had tried other networking groups, but I didn’t like all their rules. And it’s so easy to check out other people at the Roaring Women website.
“The lights went on with Staging as my career path and I now have a clear direction.”
“I plan to expand, have teams of stagers and grow my business within 5 years to include 9 stagers working with me, with a very large inventory of staging props for my clients. I’ll also be studying more to expand into specialty areas, such as Feng Shui, Eco-Staging and Seniors Staging”.
“My future also includes mentoring other stagers as they start their business. I feel there are stagers without business knowledge who I can help become successful; who I can give my own passion to”.
“Always work hard and destiny will click in; just keep moving on until you find it”.
Written by Marcia Barhydt, April 2009 |
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