3 Things Every Stager Should Audit Now

Why a Mid-Year Audit Matters: June is the halfway point of the year. It’s a great time to assess how your staging business is performing. In my experience with students, grads and coaching clients I find most stagers are so focused on client work that they rarely check whether their business supports the life they want. Auditing your business isn’t about starting from scratch or fixing something broken. It’s about realigning your efforts, so the next part of your year runs smoother, smarter, and more profitably. Let’s look at three critical areas, pricing, client alignment, and how you spend your time. A few minor adjustments now can set you up for a more balanced, profitable year.

1. Pricing and Packages

Pricing is one of the biggest struggles stagers face, and one of the most important to get right. Too often, pricing is set early on and never revisited, even as your costs increase, experience grows, and the market evolves. If your pricing is based on what the agent will pay, or what other stagers are charging, if you’re still charging what you did three years ago, then chances are you’re underpaid and overworked

What to Look At:

• Are you still offering discounts just to land the job?
• Do your packages reflect your value and expertise?
• Have you ever calculated your actual hourly rate, including admin, prep, travel, and follow-up?

How to Audit It:

• Review your past 10 jobs. What was the total income per job, and how many hours did each truly take?
• Compare your effective hourly rate to what you want to earn. Are you there?
• Check your package names and descriptions. Do they clearly show value, or do they feel vague and negotiable?
• Look at industry pricing trends, not to copy but to calibrate your range. This is difficult because I personally know Stagers STILL charge the consultation fee at what I charged 25YEARS ago! NOTHING in the world is still the same price as 25yrs ago- except this – it is crazy.

Real-World Example:
One stager I worked with was offering a $225 consult that routinely took four hours including travel, prep, and client communication. When she broke down the math, she realized she was earning less than minimum wage—while delivering premium-level service. We restructured her consultation process, reduced time, secured more work, and raised the rate. Within a month, she was making more while working less.

Common Pricing Pitfalls:

• Not charging for sourcing or travel
• Overdelivering in basic packages
• Setting prices based on fear or peer pressure

Tip:
Pricing isn’t just about math—it’s about positioning. The way you talk about your service influences what clients think it’s worth. Be clear, confident, and aligned with the outcome you deliver.

2. Audit Your Client List and Communication

Working with the wrong clients can cost you more than just time—it can drain your energy and stall your growth. Not every inquiry will become a client. And not every client is worth the effort.

What to Look At:

• Which clients do you have who are energizing, profitable, and smooth?
• Which caused stress, delays, or scope creep?
• Are you mostly attracting your ideal clients—or people looking for a quick fix?

How to Audit It:

• Do a simple “client energy audit of your database. Use three colors:
  ” Green = easy and profitable. Yellow = required effort, but manageable.
  Red = constant stress, low payoff.
• List what your favorite clients have in common: budget, attitude, property type, timeline & respect for your skills.
• Evaluate your website and onboarding process: Do they clearly describe your ideal projects and boundaries?

Case Study:
One stager recently shared how she spent weeks chasing down decisions from a client who insisted on controlling every detail. She was underpaid, stressed, and behind on her other jobs. When she compared that experience to a previous client who trusted her fully and paid in advance, the contrast was clear. She adjusted her intake process to include a “fit check” and now declines misaligned leads early. Not sure what a “fit check” is—or how to spot the red flags before you say yes? I cover this in depth in my live workshop, Mastering the Occupied Consultation.

Red Flags During Inquiries:

• Negotiating your rates from the first message
• Disrespecting boundaries (late-night texts, urgent demands)
• Inconsistent communication or vague expectations

Green Flags:

• Clear budget and timeline
• Respect for your process and expertise
• Willingness to follow your lead

Tip:
Strong client relationships start before the first consult. Your brand voice, your process, and even your intake forms filter the right people to you.

3. Audit Your Time and Tools

Time is non-renewable and your most precious resource. The difference between surviving and scaling often comes down to how well you manage it. Most stagers wear too many hats—admin, sourcing, marketing, client care—and end up in reactive mode. I am often asked “when do you know you are ready to add staff” the secret is to decide in the business planning stage- expansion and growth is not a given, you maybe happier staying small. Its time for a SWOT analysis too.

What to Look At:

• What tasks eat up the most time?
• Are you still doing things manually that could be automated?
• Are you avoiding things that would actually move the needle?

How to Audit It:

• Track your time for one full week—log what you do in 30-minute chunks.
• Highlight what only you can do—and what someone else could take on.
• Evaluate the tools you use: Are they helping or just sitting there unused?
• Create templates for repeat tasks like quotes, follow-up emails, and supplier checklists.

Helpful Tools:

• Dubsado or HoneyBook for onboarding and contracts
• Canva for branded social media posts
• Asana or Trello for task tracking,Calendly for automated bookings
• Or Zoho One which does everything:40 apps in one for one low price (DEB if you want to add a link to you here do so

Mindset Traps That Waste Time:

• Perfectionism: endlessly tweaking presentations or photos
• Control: refusing to delegate because “no one can do it like I can”
• Procrastination disguised as productivity: constantly planning but not implementing

Efficiency doesn’t mean working faster. It means creating systems that give you breathing room. You’re not a robot—you’re the creative engine of your business and that is your differential.

Conclusion: Don’t Wait for Burnout to Make a Change

Auditing your business now can save you from stress later. You don’t need to overhaul everything—just pick one area to focus on and start there. A small shift in your pricing, your clients, or your workflow can have a big impact on how the rest of your year feels.

Personally, I revisit these three audits in my own business every quarter. It’s how I stay clear, intentional, and avoid building a business I secretly resent. You can do the same.

Need help figuring out what to adjust or how to implement these changes in a real-world way? That’s where community, mentorship, and a bit of structure can make all the difference.

Inside the Business Accelerator Advantage (BAAB) program, we help stagers like you refine your pricing, simplify your process, and start working with clients who respect your time and expertise.  You deserve a business that supports your life—not one that drains it.

Are you ready to rewrite your story and build a career that lasts? Click here to learn more about CSP International Staging Training and take the first step toward your dream career today.