HSRA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

HanaLatyn

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND WHERE YOU ARE IN BUSINESS TODAY.

Hey! I’m Hana, the owner of Euro Staging LLC, servicing Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC. I am originally from the Czech Republic. Besides Home Staging, I love to ride motorcycles with my hubby, travel, climb trees, mix music, and paint large canvases. 2021 is my 11Th year in the Home Staging business!

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND WHERE YOU ARE IN BUSINESS TODAY.

My beginnings in 2010 were more than humble: Divorced and living with two small kids in a tiny basement apartment in Arlington, VA. I couldn’t return back “home” because of my complicated divorce lawsuit, so I had to quickly transition from stay-at-home mom to earning money to provide for my children.

To survive, I cleaned houses, sold refrigerators in K-Mart, and watched children. For a while, we even lived on food stamps and the generosity of friends.

Then I received a position as an office assistant for a local RE/MAX agent (and now a dear friend) Lisa DuBois. In addition to running errands, my job was to deliver furniture, hang wall art, or add cute pillows. One day I asked, “Lisa, what am I doing?” She said, “Hana, you are Staging. ” That’s how Stager Hana was “born” .

It’s been a long and exciting journey that started with picking up free stuff off the curb, occasional dumpsterdiving, or scouting local Goodwill stores…to now a beautiful 3,000 square foot warehouse full of nice furniture, an 18-foot truck we affectionately called “Snow White” , and seven amazing employees.

My point is: if a foreigner with no formal education and big challenges can make it - EVERYONE can!

HAS COVID CHANGED YOUR BUSINESS?

Last year we all went through an unexpected turn when the Covid pandemic hit.

For a short period of time, I was worried if my business would fold. I feared that events and forces beyond my control would wipe out instantly all those years of hard work. We had to adapt to the new ‘normal. Our biggest challenge was to keep my team, my family, and our clients safe and healthy. As all the other businesses, we implemented all necessary precautions and procedures.

The second problem we faced was a crazy hot market with low listing inventory: properties selling fast without being Staged.

This required different marketing strategies that would bring more business and more clients. Following the HSRA coaching advice, I came up with the “12 Days Of Christmas” campaign. And it turned out to be one of the most successful promotions we’ve ever done.

N G I A P M A C S A M T S I R H C F O S Y A D 2 1

We used social media posts, pictures, and videos to connect with our existing clients as well as new potential agents. Every day we raffled out nice holiday gifts like gift baskets, gift cards, or wine sets.

We made short daily videos to announce winners and posted them on all social platforms. We then personally delivered all the gifts, took pictures, and posted them again on all our social media.

It was wonderful to give back to all those clients who have been supporting our business over the years. This campaign not only brought new business, but also created plenty of good will and authentic human connections, so sorely missed during these challenging times.

We keep adapting and changing, and as a result, Euro Staging keeps growing. We are moving to a new, bigger warehouse this fall, hiring more team members, and getting a second truck.

We are also opening VON HOUSE – a new boutique store selling home accessories and gifts. The most exciting part is that my daughter, Lilly, will be my business partner.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE STARTING OUT?

1. Start with the right mindset. There are plenty of opportunities, if others have succeeded, so can you.

2. Educate yourself. There is plenty of good free information on YouTube. Follow other good Stagers on Instagram (#EuroStaging ;), read good business books, and listen to podcasts instead of binging on TV.

3. Do GDP!!! HSRA’s Growth Development Program has helped the growth of my business tremendously.

4. Be patient. Entrepreneurship is not a sprint. It will take time and work (and occasional long nights and weekends) for you to build your dream business.

5. Be persistent. There will be victories and there will be defeats. Each challenge also means an opportunity to learn and grow. Stay with it.

6. Stay flexible and adapt. You may be tired of ‘pivoting’ , but the business –and the world is constantly changing. You have to keep up and evolve as well.

7. Balance. Yes, for a driven entrepreneur, Work & Life balance is impossible. Do the best you can. In addition to your business, remember to include your family, your health, and your time to recharge.

WHAT SUGGESTIONS DO YOU HAVE ON MANAGING INVENTORY AT AN EARLY PHASE AND MOVING TO A MORE SEASONED BUSINESS?

Start simple and start early. Even if it's a basic Excel sheet or a phone app. Good inventory systems can help you generate more rental income. It will also speed up your Staging process and help you determine when it’s time to purchase more items.

Inventory management was not my priority when I started. This was a big mistake that cost us time and potential rental income.

Our plan is to fix it while moving into our new warehouse this fall. We will be using the Stageforce inventory system because it was created by Stagers for Stagers.

HOW ABOUT SOME ADVICE FOR THE PERSON DOING MOST EVERYTHING IN THEIR BUSINESS?

In the beginning, we all start as solopreneurs wearing all the hats. There is nothing wrong with running your own shop solo.

But if you want to grow, there will come a point to delegate. My biggest challenges were to let go, give up control, and find the right people.