VOYAGE DENVER: Hidden Gems: Meet Jen Hosey of Times Ten Design Home Staging. How to start a staging business

Original Article: VOYAGE DENVER

Jennifer Hosey - Owner Times Ten Design

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jen Hosey.

Hi Jen, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today and how you started your staging business? My story of owning Times Ten Design can be traced back to attending a random neighborhood ice cream social. I met some neighbors who introduced me to more neighbors and we all became fast friends. The sister-in-law of one of the girls started a staging company in 2020 but was looking to sell it as she was moving to Arizona.

My friend immediately thought of me as I was a licensed Realtor in Chicago before moving to Colorado and was obsessed with design and woodworking. My friend introduced us and it was clear from the start that this would be a perfect fit. With my 10 years of selling experience, I knew exactly what buyers are looking for in a home, and paired with my design and decorating experience, I felt very confident in the business right away.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?I would love to say it’s been easy but it’s been difficult in many ways. The first hurdle was keeping things the same for client retention but also taking the next necessary steps to make the company my own, all while managing our rapid growth. When I took over, the company was renting most large future items and that was difficult as I had to rely on other people and I had no control of what was in stock.

To change this, I decided to take the plunge to move everything in-house. This included hiring, purchasing a staging truck, and purchasing the inventory to stage every home ourselves. I knew that I wanted full control over our stages and that meant we had to invest in our inventory to give the best results for our clients.

In this transition, my personal home was filled with staging furniture, pillows, art, and accessories. It was very difficult to work out of the house and have employees come in and out. We slowly moved into a storage unit and then 2 and now we have almost 2,000 square feet of storage space (which is quickly becoming too small for us).

Managing inventory has been one of the hardest aspects of our growth. I’ve had to learn to deal with a mess of problems including break-ins, damaged and stolen inventory, squatters – the list goes on. I wish I could say I’ve seen it all but I know that’s never going to be the case in this industry!

Edited to add that as of October 2024, We have moved into a warehouse and bought a second truck!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?We’re a home staging company that is design-focused with an organic modern style tailored for Realtors, homeowners, and investors. We are conveniently located in Centennial which allows us to service the Denver Metro area. We specialize in vacant home staging with results that are Instagram-worthy.

We take social media seriously and like to partner with Realtors in social media collaborations to create a better outcome for their listings and to give homeowners greater exposure to their homes. I also like to create content with links to our inventory to share my favorite affordable furniture and decor finds.

I believe everyone can have a beautiful home no matter their budget! I think we are different than other staging companies because we really focus on design vs just staging space to fill it. Our Mission is for every home staging project to be ten times greater than ever expected.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?My family! I love spending time with my husband and 4-year-old son and we’re thrilled to be welcoming another son to our family in June! My immediate family followed us here from Chicago and we had a blast together.

I love all things outdoors, especially skiing and hiking. I love to furniture shop which is good as it’s a huge part of my day-to-day! I also enjoy creating beautiful spaces in my own home and I’m not afraid to use power tools and drills to tackle many fun DIY projects.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.timestendesignco.com

• Instagram: @timestendesign

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TimesTenDesign/