As most of you know, I have a business on the side. I specialize in Home Staging, Organizing and Remodels. Residential as well as commercial. I was married to a builder -General Contractor for twelve years and I was the business manager. We built and sold many spec homes , mostly in subdivisions in which my ex father-in-law developed.
I have always had a passion for the business. Eventually I took some aspects of building and went out on my own, Starting up "Dream Home Builders" in 2005.
I also completed the Real Estate Licensing course and became a Real Estate Agent. Homes are my passion and now I could have even more access to helping customers grasp The American Dream.
In early 2007, I dissolved the company due to my schedule working as an Emergency Room Nurse. In 2008, I re-opened my business under a new name after partnering with a close friend of mine, "Mark". He owns a local Flooring Showroom and builds some homes as well. Through Mark I met Cleve Hollingsworth, a local Big time builder/developer here in our town. I started to complete many jobs for him as his Interior Decorator. You can see many of the homes in which I chose everything from the Exterior Brick Colors all the way to the cabinetry and colors for the walls. Most of the homes are located in Southfield Plantation in a small city nearby, and some others are located in new and upcoming subdivisions off of Old Perry Road, nearby as well.
Along with having Cleve as one of my largest accounts, I also had the business of two very close friends of mine. They are silent partners in a local Residential Development firm, whom also happen to both be Emergency Room Physicians for a local ER. I have had the pleasure of working with both of these Physicians since early 2001, They have instilled so much in me, from patient care to being a business owner. They both are great people to know and I thank them for all of the outside business they have brought my way.
After the economy crashed and business slowed down, I focused mainly on small jobs. I did a lot of work for co-workers of my husband's. Mostly Granite Counters, painting and new flooring. Some chose Hardwood, others like the Laminate wood. Some renovated big time and others chose to do several rooms in their home at a time.
Other than Interior Design-Decorating and Organizing, I sub-contract everything else out to construction crews. I in turn, charge a percent to the customer for my services. I charge an average of $75.00 per hour to my builders for my services with the initial consultation being FREE! They know that my prices are the cheapest around. Most charge on average of $150.00 hourly. I have a full-time job so I am not trying to make a killing of of my customers.
Recently I started marketing my business again. I revamped my website, ordered new business cards and other marketing tools. You can view my website by clicking Creative Home Designs. In 2008, I used our local The Real Estate Book as a marketing source as well. Soon, I plan to have an add published once again in this book as well as local newspapers.
My hope is to gain enough business so that I may work completely for myself. Don't get me wrong, I love being a nurse, but I'm ready to work my own schedule. I can't wait to become a very busy entrepreneur once again!
