Author: Edsangela Pereira, BSU student
In an interview with owner Derick Andrade, I learned more about M&D Staging and the business.
Tell me a little bit about your business with details like how you started it and what motivates you to do it.
I started M&D Staging, which is a home staging and furnishing business, back in December of 2017. I have always had a passion for decorating and designing interior spaces.
I chose this specific line because it gives me freedom of designing open spaces without any feedback or input from the customer. A majority of our clients are investors and real estate agents that wanted the spaces to look inviting and spacious and are not concerned with color scheme or any other specifics.
I started this business because I wanted more flexibility of a work schedule and wanted to be my own boss. I worked a corporate job for 13 years and did not like the fact that I had to answer to someone else.
To you, what was the toughest part about starting your own business?
The toughest part about opening a business is obtaining customers. Getting out, marketing, and finding people to give you a chance so you can prove that you can get the job done. The second toughest thing is obtaining enough capital to get started and to continue to run. I was inspired by the quality of work I had done and the feeling of accomplishment as the business started to grow.
If you had to start from the beginning what would you do different and what was the challenges you faced throughout the process?
I would have focused more on my marketing efforts and invested in ways to generate leads. The most difficult challenge was finding the correct customer base.
In your opinion and what you have seen in the past years of business, what makes your business stand out?
What make us stand out from the others are three things: Price, Timely service, and Flexibility.
What is the hardest part about having a business in 2020 with the pandemic?
The toughest part of having a business thus far is the COVID Pandemic. It has limited the number of houses that investors could or would buy. A majority of our business is with investors that renovate houses to put back on the market to sell for a profit.
How have you been getting customers or what has been the most successful way to get them?
The number one way we currently bring in customers is word of mouth.
Has social media help your business in anyway?
Social media has not played a big part in our growth.
Do you believe that the media/internet could play a bigger role in businesses if you had the right tools?
Yes, I feel like internet can play a bigger role in getting us in front of a larger audience.
If you could look 6 months from now, what or where would you like to see your business heading to?
I would like to see us with 30 percent more revenue growth and a full time staff. Would like to manage more projects and do less of the manual labor.
M&D Staging is located in Rehoboth, MA.
Contact them via:
Phone: 401-323-3911
Email: mdinteriordesign@yahoo.com
Facebook: @MandDStaging