In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I interview Marissa Cortese. Marissa is the founder of Vienna Lane Interiors, a New Jersey–based staging and design firm known for its elevated, design-forward approach to preparing homes for market.
A former tech leader turned creative director for high-end listings, she sees staging as a puzzle to solve—crafting curated spaces that resonate with today’s buyers and help listings truly stand out.
Marissa is passionate about building strong business relationships – partnering with agents, artists, and local businesses to create one-of-a-kind spaces that connect and convert.
Listen to the podcast below or subscribe on Apple, Spotify and most major podcast platforms.
In this episode you will learn:
How Marissa left a career in tech to start a staging business and all that she has accomplished in a short period of time
How Marissa faced her biggest fears and how she got past them
Why Marissa decided to coach with me after getting a Certification in Home Staging
How Marissa stopped hiding behind the “safe” tasks that hold so many stagers back from gaining any traction
What Marissa did consistently to win the business of Real Estate Agents
What Marissa sees for the future of her business and how she plans on setting her business apart
Xo Marianne
Want More Referrals from Real Estate Agents?
Real Estate Agents are the #1 source of repeat, reliable business for Home Stagers — yet most Stagers struggle to get their attention, let alone earn their trust.
Here’s the truth:
You don’t need to “convince” the right Agents to work with you. You just need to know what matters to them — and how to position yourself as the solution they’ve been looking for.
In this high-impact, live/virtual program, I’ll teach you exactly how top Stagers consistently attract and keep agent partnerships that bring in steady staging work month after month.
This is NOT a generic marketing course. This is the insider strategy playbook for Stagers ready to grow fast and build referral-rich businesses.
🚨 Spots are limited so I can give personalized attention to each participant.
I’m looking for serious, action-oriented Stagers ready to show up, level up, and stand out.
Be the first to know when enrollment opens — and get a special bonus:
A LIVE Q&A coaching session where I’ll answer your questions and show you how to make Agents want to work with you.
I would love your review! If you enjoy what I share in this episode, please leave a review and comment on iTunes. I would really appreciate it. Thanks!
Connect with Marissa:
Website – https://www.viennalaneinteriors.com/
Instagram- @viennalane.interiors
Connect with Marianne:
Set up a coaching discovery session to see if coaching is right for you.
Website: https://coachingbymarianne.com
Instagram: @homestagercoachmarianne
Join my FB Group: Fire Up Your Home Staging Business: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fireupyourhomestagingbusiness/
FB Group: Design for Today Collaborative- https://www.facebook.com/groups/DesignForTodayCollaborative
Visit my FB Coaching Page: https://www.facebook.com/CoachingByMarianneCherico/
Join my LinkedIn Group: Interior Redesign, Decorating and Real Estate Staging Professionals here.
Episode 88: Concierge Home Staging, Estate Sale, and Real Estate Business
In this episode I am delighted to talk with Tracy Molendi. Tracy started her business as a Professional Organizer. She then added Staging Services, Design work, Senior Downsizing, Estate Sales, and a Retail Store to her menu of services.
Episode 87: Year Long Design Job on the Coast of Maine
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to do a really large design job from soup to nuts? In this episode Debbe Daley dishes on what it was like for her, the trials and tribulations of taking on a project this large in scope.
Episode 86: Home Stagers- Build Your Relationship with RE Agents by Volunteering in the Community
Cathy Lee has built a lucrative staging business by being active in her community. She shares how being involved has benefitted her both professionally and personally and how “giving back” feels really good, a “win, win”.
Episode 85: What You Need To Know When Building Or Growing Your Website
After more than 20 years delivering marketing technology solutions for corporate clients, Judy left the corporate world to start her own business JB Home Style Interiors, doing staging and interior redesign. A couple of years in, she re-discovered her inner geek and pivoted to help other creatives build their websites
Episode 84: From Home Stager to STR Specialist
n this episode I discuss how to add Short Term Rentals to your Home Staging or Interior Design menus with my special guest Amy Powers. Amy has been an award-winning Stager and industry leader since 2007.
Episode 83: 3 Ways Mindset Impacts Your Success
business? Are you taking lots of action but aren’t gaining the traction you feel you should be getting? Do you wonder what you might be doing differently?
Episode 82: From Marketing Career to Home Staging/Design Business
Leah is the owner of LJ Interiors, a design and home staging company in Chaska, MN. Leah spent over 12 years in Marketing helping clients choose the perfect color or color scheme to create dramatic transformations and captivating results and now draws on those skills as she helps clients in their homes.
Episode 81: Raw, Unfiltered Grief, Doing Tough Things and Business
In this episode I talk about grief and how it has impacted my life and business after my husband, Jimmy died.
Episode 80: Money Management and Mindset
As a money management and mindset coach, Erinn Bridgman empowers female entrepreneurs to design a business that is not just ‘profitable’, but actually grows their personal wealth.
Episode 79: Instagram for Home Stagers and Designers
In this episode I talk with Andress Eichstadt of Staging Studio about how to use Instagram, effectively to grow your business.
Episode 78: The benefits of using Mydoma for your Home Staging or Interior Design Business
In this session Dixie Willard and I will discuss the benefits of using Mydoma for your Home Staging or Interior Design Business.
Episode 77: Optimize Your Sales Funnels, Newsletters, Social Media
When Interior Designers, Home Stagers and Professional Organizers want to automate and streamline their marketing, Kate the Socialite is their “go to Gal”.
Episode 76: Knowing your financials
Knowing your numbers helps you make better business decisions so that your money is working for you.
In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I interview Danielle Hayden of Kickstart Accounting.
Episode 75: Goodbye 9-5
In this episode of Home Stagers and Designers on Fire I discuss how to leave your fulltime job in order to start a staging or design business. Many of the women I coach are in transition. They want to leave their job and make sure that they are setting themselves up for success.
Episode 74: Price your services with an empowered mindset
In this episode I talk about how to strategically price your services with an empowered mindset. Pricing is such a hot topic and something that stagers and designers often struggle with.
Episode 73: Raise prices and set better boundaries
In this episode I talk with one of my coaching clients, Laurie Mattson of Rooms with Impact. Laurie and I have worked together for a few years and it has been a joy to watch her evolve into a strong, savvy businesswoman.
Episode 72: Conquer fears and build clarity to build a business you love
In this episode I talk with one of my coaching clients, Melpo Mankin. Melpo has been in my group coaching program for almost a year. When we started working together, she had only been full time in business a few months and wanted clarity around what to focus on and what types of jobs she would be working on. She also wanted to learn how to get those jobs.
Episode 71: Bring on 2022-getting personal
In this episode I share challenges that were going on in my personal life in 2021 and how I managed to separate my personal life from my business so that I would continue to grow.
Episode 70: Wanna bring some “woo” into your systems and processes?
In this episode I am delighted to talk with Mary Williams. Mary is the Chief Technology Therapist at Sensible Woo, where she helps business owners make their data management and software systems flow with ease.
Episode 69: Pinterest Strategies to Grow Your Business
In this episode I am delighted to talk with Kate Ahl of Simple Pin Media, a Pinterest management and marketing company. Pinterest is an often overlooked marketing asset and Kate discusses how to use this platform to build your business.
