Hello there! My identify is Marissa, and I’m the proprietor of MissFlips Furnishings LLC. I began my furniture-flipping journey again in 2020 as a technique to take management of my funds. I ended up turning it right into a full-time enterprise that I nonetheless thrive off of three years later.

I’m going to be displaying you the ins and outs of how I began and the way I proceed to stay off this full-time passion! So let’s get flippin’!

🦸‍♀️ The Origin Story

“I’m an actor.” This assertion, or actually, this admission, is commonly met with a wide range of judgmental responses.

The stereotypical one is, “Oh, what restaurant do you’re employed at?”. This stunning dish served with a facet of sarcasm, and a heavy-handed sprint of condescension is one that always graces the desk of us of us courageous sufficient to enter this metaphorical restaurant. To which, after selecting up our delight, we humbly reply with a chuckle and faux smile,  realizing full nicely the fact of this query.

I labored at just a few eating places throughout my time within the not-so-glamorous metropolis of Los Angeles.  Having by no means been a server earlier than, my resume was lined in elaborate gildings and members of the family disguised as references. However I knew if I may simply get my foot within the door, I  would make an ideal worker to anybody forgiving sufficient to rent me. And it labored!

I began small with a museum restaurant, then labored my means as much as a scorching new spot within the  Hollywood Hills, the place I weaseled my means into bartending. The pay was first rate, hours versatile,  and there was at all times somebody as determined as you prepared to cowl your shift ought to a last-minute audition pop up. All degrading stereotypes apart, it actually was the right job!

However alas, all good issues should abruptly be interrupted by a large and unforeseeable international disaster that forces us to remain in our houses whereas utterly derailing our lives!… That’s how that goes, proper?

🧨️ The place Issues Went Unsuitable

And identical to that, like so many others all over the world, I misplaced my job. I used to say that I used to be compelled to maneuver out of LA. That I needed to go away. However trying again, I used to be fortunate to go away. And fortunate that each one I really needed to do was determine. All I needed to help was a dream and nothing extra. No children, no household, no debilitating money owed to handle. So now, I look again and say I used to be in a position to go away LA and transfer in with my boyfriend’s dad and mom in my now residence of Georgia. However as grateful as I’m, it didn’t make the transition any simpler.

Time appeared boring, empty, and lengthy. The appearing doorways have been shut for the foreseeable future, and right here I used to be, again beneath a parental roof after dwelling seven years by myself. I felt caught.  I used to be hundreds of miles away from my circle of relatives and cohabitating with, on the time, a really new accomplice and his unfamiliar household. It was unusual.

Different individuals in my life had begun discovering inventive methods to adapt to this unusual new actuality, however not me. Truthfully, trying again, I used to be depressed. It was the type of boredom that you simply’re too drained and unmotivated to care about. However I knew I wanted one thing to cross the time. So I  started exploring one thing that I wasn’t too aware of: Youtube.

🙃 Issues are Trying Up!

YouTube. Really the unsung hero of this story. I shortly bought hooked on outdated fort restorations.  The mixture of historical past, restoration, and delightful craftsmanship fascinated me. And after a  few days of tumbling down the rabbit gap, I discovered it. I discovered the passion that was going to hold me out of this mucky 2020 dread and again into the sunshine. Furnishings Flipping. At first, I  thought it was simply going to be that; a passion. Nevertheless it shortly become one thing that might utterly change my life.

🚀 Getting Began

Probably the most troublesome factor when beginning something new is normally the “beginning” half. There are at all times going to be causes to not do one thing. So actually, the most effective recommendation that I can provide is simply to do it. Take the leap and leap in with all you might have! To start with, I didn’t know quite a bit and wasn’t positive which items to flip, what would promote, or how finest to promote it. However I knew I wished to do that, so I instantly began a Youtube channel and Instagram regardless of all my hesitation and lack of awareness. This actually helped me take it significantly and maintain me accountable, however we’ll discuss extra about that later.

Can Anybody Flip Furnishings?

That is an attention-grabbing query. I personally suppose anybody is able to doing something so long as they put their thoughts to it. Nevertheless it additionally is dependent upon whether or not or not you prefer it sufficient to persevere by way of the challenges that flipping furnishings can generally current. It’s a whole lot of arduous work! You must elevate heavy objects, generally work in excessive temperatures, take care of unpredictable earnings, meet deadlines, and all the opposite,  generally, grueling labor that comes with flipping furnishings. It’s undoubtedly not for everybody.  However when you don’t thoughts getting your arms soiled,  nicely, that’s actually all you want! The talents will come.  You are able to do something you place your thoughts to, regardless of your expertise!

So sure, I’d say anybody can flip furnishings in the event that they need to.

In the event you’re simply beginning out, I like to recommend heading to YouTube and watching all of the movies you may. There’s a tutorial on there for the whole lot! However take into account that you don’t have to know the way to do the whole lot earlier than you begin. Rising up, I used to be at all times round development initiatives of some variety and would hammer the occasional nail or generally caulk a nook. This expertise undoubtedly helped me somewhat in a means that I knew the way to use a drill and that the overall thought of portray made sense to me. However I truthfully had no thought what I used to be doing and simply figured the whole lot out as I went alongside.

Some individuals ask me in the event that they need to be inventive as a way to begin. Being inventive is useful, but it surely’s not needed. I’d argue that in case you are inclined to begin furnishings flipping, you’re most certainly inherently inventive not directly. However when you’re not and nonetheless end up drawn to it, that’s all that issues! Any talent will be realized, together with artwork.

What You’re Going to Want and Basic Prices

After I first began flipping furnishings, I used to be watching tutorials like loopy. With my restricted data, I created a listing of instruments that I wanted and thrifted what I may… I don’t advocate this. I made do with what I thrifted for a time.

New instruments will work and can final you some time. In the event you can’t afford them, you should use the earnings out of your first few flips to spend money on some good-quality instruments.

Instruments are most certainly going to be one-time bills. However issues like sandpaper, paint, prime coat,  and respirator filters are going to be reoccurring bills. It’s a good suggestion to put aside a proportion of each flip to place towards this stuff. 

An important gadgets are these coping with security. These must be your prime precedence when entering into furnishings flipping. We flippers take care of many hazardous issues, from chemical fumes to the heavy items themselves. So just be sure you are nicely shielded from all of those from the start with the intention to proceed to do that for a very long time.

Correct lifting approach is an underrated want when discussing the requirements of furnishings flipping. Be sure that to observe tutorials on the way to correctly elevate furnishings earlier than trying to elevate heavy items. I extremely advocate getting shoulder-lifting straps to make it simpler and safer.  However when you’re going to be lifting heavy issues, it’s most certainly a bigger piece, which suggests you’ll want a decently-sized automobile or trailer. This isn’t a necessity, but it surely does make issues quite a bit simpler.

Additional down the road, you can begin saving up for extra superior instruments like miter saws, jig saws, oscillating instruments, dowel jigs, routers, and such. This stuff will not be needed for flipping however will certainly turn out to be useful and assist expedite your flipping course of.

Discovering the Proper Items

Discovering a chunk to flip will be difficult once you’re first beginning out. I didn’t need something too sophisticated, so I went to a thrift retailer and picked up a seemingly easy espresso desk with minimal particulars. Holding it easy was the fitting thought, however I used to be too inexperienced to appreciate that it was lined in a number of layers of paint that I must strip and sand down.  To keep away from this, I’d advocate getting a chunk with no paint, which means seen wooden grain. That means, you recognize you’re beginning with a clean canvas.

Beginning small with one thing like a espresso desk is a good thought; You don’t need to threat committing to a  massive mission after which deciding it’s not for you. You’re additionally much less prone to run into main repairs with a smaller piece. Different starter-friendly items embody nightstands, bar stools, small desks,  or bookshelves.

What to Look For

To maximise income, it’s vital to determine what’s widespread in your space.

Nonetheless, one of the best ways to search out out what sells and what doesn’t is simply to check out totally different kinds.  It could take just a few initiatives to determine not solely what sells finest but in addition what you take pleasure in doing.  Be affected person with your self, and don’t get discouraged when you don’t discover it immediately. Begin by in search of the most well-liked kinds of furnishings and work off of that. The remainder will come.

One other factor to search for when buying a chunk is its total situation. Bedbugs and termites will be potential issues with 2nd hand furnishings, and when you work and retailer your items in a single house as I do, a bug infestation would imply a whole shutdown! Bugs apart, the standard of a chunk can also be essential. In the event you don’t know already, you’ll shortly get to know the distinction in supplies resembling actual wooden, veneer, particle board, and the kinds. This stuff aren’t a deciding issue for me with regards to whether or not or not I’d flip it, however they do assist when pricing your completed merchandise. Harm, nonetheless, is a deciding issue.

Damaged furnishings is truthfully a part of the method. You’ll ultimately learn to make repairs and repair belongings you by no means thought you’d have the ability to repair, however some harm isn’t well worth the time it takes to restore. That is decided by private choice, your restore abilities, and the way a lot time and power you’re prepared to expend on one flip.

The place to Hunt for Furnishings

I personally get most of my items from Fb Market. It’s an ideal place to search out distinctive items for an inexpensive worth. Sellers on this platform are normally prepared to barter, so don’t be afraid to haggle for a greater worth. I additionally advocate going to locally-owned thrift shops in your space.  This lets you assist help native companies whereas additionally getting an ideal deal on furnishings. Locations like Goodwill aren’t your finest wager today. With inflation being so excessive, it takes away from doable income.

👉 Professional Tip: Give your self a most price range when in search of furnishings. For instance, a  price range cap of $50 per piece will assist maximize income and maintain issues inexpensive.

Property gross sales are additionally an ideal possibility! Property gross sales are doubtless to offer nice reductions, particularly in direction of the tip of their sale. Be sure that additionally to control the roadsides. Persons are at all times trying to eliminate stuff and can typically go away outdated furnishings on the facet of the road without spending a dime!

Folks typically don’t know what they’ve. So do your analysis and attempt to maintain an eye fixed out for invaluable items. The Google Lens App is a good software for this. Simply take a photograph of the piece and seek for it with the app. It’ll deliver up related gadgets and their pricing.

Promoting Your Furnishings

Discovering items and making them look their finest is vital, however promoting is the place you make your revenue. Listed here are some key components.

The Significance of Staging

Staging. Is. Every little thing. Staging your items nicely could make the distinction between making a sale and never making a sale. By  “staging,” I don’t imply protecting your piece with artwork and decor gadgets. I not often use gadgets when staging my items. I’ve discovered that crucial issue when taking good photographs of your items is lighting.

🎥 For a extra detailed tutorial on staging, take a look at my Youtube video on the subject.

👉 Fascinating Truth:  Most Flippers expertise a seasonal lull of their gross sales and discover that the most effective time for gross sales is fall and winter.

The caliber of your staging also can enhance your income, which brings me to my subsequent subject… pricing.

The right way to Value Your Items

When pricing your items, there are a number of components to take into accounts. Listed here are three issues to think about once you calculate pricing:

Hourly Fee

Your time is effective. The hours that you simply spend on a chunk are the primary issue that you simply need to take into accounts when pricing your items.  Maintain an in depth log that features pick-up and drop-off time, the time you spent engaged on the piece, and the time you spent gathering supplies. Once you begin doing commissions, additionally, you will embody the time it took to search out the piece. beginning hourly is $30/hour, however worth your time as you see match.

Supplies

This subsequent one is rather more simple. It’s the price of the supplies that you simply used. You need to make it possible for none of those prices are popping out of your pocket and will probably be lined within the worth. These are the reoccurring prices that we talked about earlier: Paint, sandpaper, brushes, and so on. It additionally contains the worth of the piece itself. That is simply calculated by including the whole lot collectively. I normally add just a few {dollars} to cowl taxes.

Fashion Reputation

The worth of a chunk will be affected by the recognition of the type. Trying up a chunk on-line to see the unique worth is an effective way to do that. You possibly can’t count on to get the unique worth, however it’s a good barometer to work from. So after including up numbers  1 and a couple of, do analysis on the piece that you simply’re engaged on and add a bit on the highest. I typically add a  bit greater than I count on to get to go away room for negotiation. For Antiques or MCM items, you’re extra doubtless going to fetch a better worth by restoring than refurbishing.

Restoring vs. Refurbishing
🔨 The definition of restoring is within the phrase. It’s once you restore a chunk of furnishings to its unique state.
🎨 Refurbishing is a blanket time period for any type of modifications made to furnishings. This could embody restoring however virtually at all times refers to portray.

The place to Promote Your Furnishings

Promoting your furnishings has by no means been simpler. There are such a lot of totally different modes to do it. The 2 hottest methods to promote are Fb Market and Etsy. Fb Market is extra accessible and permits you to settle for the fee strategies that finest go well with you, however you may attain a wider viewers and fetch a greater worth on Etsy.

On Fb Market, your viewers is normally made of individuals trying to get a deal.  With Etsy, the clientele is rather more particular and normally expects to pay a  excessive worth for a chunk of furnishings. The one draw back with Etsy is delivery, which will be very intimidating at first, however after years of doing it now, I not see it as a draw back however as a bonus.

Transport

Transport furnishings takes the work of supply off your arms and into the arms of the provider. When you get previous the intimidation of delivery, it can most likely be the simplest a part of flipping furnishings.

🎥 For extra recommendation on delivery furnishings, take a look at my video on YouTube, the place I let you know all about my technique of delivery furnishings: Uship.

Uship is a tremendous service that works like Uber, in the sense that anybody with a truck can signal as much as be a driver.

It’s totally different as a result of it permits you to set your asking worth, select which driver you’d prefer to work with based mostly on scores and expertise and permits you to get free estimates on your cargo. It additionally supplies insurance coverage choices to cowl your cargo in case of accidents.

At first of my profession, I instantly opened up my enterprise to Etsy, and I credit score a whole lot of my success to this. Not solely did it assist me enhance the amount of cash I may make, but it surely additionally helped me get commissions from individuals all around the nation! These components mixed all led me from turning my facet hustle into one thing I may make right into a full enterprise.

So let’s discuss how a lot you could make.

How A lot Cash Can I Make?

Now earlier than I am going into the numbers, I do need to say that the cash you make relies upon not solely on the piece and what you do to it but in addition on the place you reside and your private market.

With that stated, I do know furnishings flippers all around the nation in excessive and low markets who all make a dwelling doing what I do.

I may also say once more that Etsy eliminates any limitations of native markets, and I  can not advocate it sufficient! However let’s get began, lets?

After I was first beginning out, I used to be charging anyplace between $150-$400 a chunk, relying on the dimensions. With the worth of supplies, I used to be profiting round $125-$375. That is about common right here in my space. Due to my YouTube channel, I used to be on a schedule of getting to submit a  weekly video, so I held myself to a chunk per week, giving me time to edit and submit my movies.  On condition that worth vary and productiveness, I averaged about $1000 a month.

This isn’t a livable wage for most individuals. However it’s most likely the place you may count on to begin as a starting furnishings flipper. As your enterprise grows and you discover your type, you may start to cost extra, and you’ll begin to get commissions. Commissions are the bread and butter of any furnishings flipper. You possibly can cost extra since you are assembly another person’s specs as a substitute of your individual, and you’re spending extra money and time to get them precisely what they’re in search of.

For my first commissioned piece ever, I keep in mind squealing at the truth that I used to be charging  $800, together with the worth of the piece and supplies! It was my greatest revenue but, $575! I used to be ecstatic. Now, solely two years later, I’m profiting over 3x that quantity from one fee. That is additionally simply the way in which that I do issues. Keep in mind that commissions will not be for everybody, and you’ll simply as simply make upwards of $2000 a month by doing a number of straightforward flips per week with a fast turnaround. That is the place I see most flippers making larger income.

👉 Notice: I like what I do and don’t do it only for a fast buck. That is one thing that helps me categorical myself, and thus, I choose to take my time with items and create artwork. That is generally a detriment because it takes me longer to complete a chunk and limits my output and, due to this fact, my earnings. This is the reason I exploit issues like social media and YouTube to complement my earnings when enterprise is sluggish or I’m between commissions.

💪 Don’t underestimate the facility of social media!

Social media will be your greatest software if you know the way to make use of it. It may be used to unfold the phrase about your enterprise, get commissions, purchase extra patrons, get passive earnings, and in addition aid you get model offers with firms that provides you with free supplies resembling paint, instruments, and different requirements and will ultimately pay you to submit about their model!

There are three principal platforms that I believe are absolute must-haves on the planet of  Social Media. These apps have helped my profession develop exponentially and have helped me make a passive earnings on prime of what I  make from flipping furnishings.

1. YouTube

In my expertise, YouTube is the most effective platform for passive earnings. Whereas it’s a whole lot of work to keep up a  video schedule with a monetization requirement of 1000 subscribers and 4000 watch/hours,  that is probably the most accessible technique to begin making a living from advert income. The video schedule can also be helpful as a result of it ensures that you’re doing no less than 4 items a month.

2. TikTok

TikTok is nice for a number of causes. It reaches a youthful viewers, drives visitors to your different platforms, and develops model curiosity. It’s additionally an ideal place to do analysis on profitable video codecs. Studying what sort of movies catch consideration will aid you throughout all platforms.

3. Instagram

Instagram is a must have for a contract artist. I exploit it as a web site, as a self-promotion, and as a technique to get model offers. That is the place I’ve had probably the most success and the place I’ve gotten probably the most model offers.

I credit score a whole lot of my success to  Furnishings Flipping Challenges. These are set challenges placed on by particular furnishings flippers, and being concerned in these will assist your social media develop exponentially! They may also assist get you concerned with different new and skilled furnishings flippers. To seek out these, lookup hashtags life, #furnitureflipchallenge, #uglyducklingchallenge, or something of the like.

At this level, it’s possible you’ll ponder whether model offers and social media are actually that vital for furnishings flipping. Truthfully, it actually is dependent upon what you need to do. In the event you’re doing fast repairs and paint jobs and need to put out a number of items per week, then social media is probably not vital to your enterprise and will turn out to be a nuisance that takes up an excessive amount of of your time. In the event you plan on making this a enterprise that you’ll do for a very long time, social media will aid you get there!

The right way to Keep away from Burning Out

Truthfully, it’s practically unimaginable to keep away from burning out sooner or later. Beginning a enterprise is tough!  It’s costly, anxious, and a whole lot of arduous work. Your funds will most certainly be inconsistent,  which may trigger a whole lot of stress, and when you select to include social media, juggling your workload and creating content material generally is a lot to tackle.

It’s Solely the Starting!

There isn’t a better feeling on the planet than having the ability to help your goals with your individual enterprise! The power to earn a living from home set your individual hours, and decide your individual earnings are only a few of the advantages of beginning your individual Furnishings Flipping Enterprise.

I perceive that it may be intimidating, particularly when you haven’t achieved it earlier than. However with these instruments and insights,  I hope that you simply really feel extra impressed, empowered, and motivated to stay the life you need by doing what you need. Simply keep in mind, I used to make tons of, and now I make hundreds.  All of us begin someplace. The vital factor is that you simply begin.

“I’m an Actor, and I personal my very own enterprise.” It By no means will get outdated.