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 68: Real Estate Agents Need You Now More Than Ever
In this episode I would like to talk with you about why Real Estate Agents need to work with Home Stagers now, more than ever.
Episode 67: Get Great Design and Staging Photos with Your Smartphone
In this episode I talk with Linda Holt of Linda Holt Creative. Linda is a certified color and interior decorating consultant.
Episode 66: How Fear Impacts Success
In this episode I would like to talk with you about how fear impacts success in our business and why it is so important to understand the fears that are not always conscious!
Episode 65: How a Veteran Stager has Adapted to the Needs of her Ideal Clients
In this episode I talk with Michelle Finnamore of Michelle Finnamore Interiors LTD and Advantage Staging. Michelle has been staging since 2007 as well as redesigning homes once the seller has moved into their new home.
Episode 64: Creating Multiple Streams of Income
In this episode I talk with Bridget King of Captiva Design in Southwest Florida. Join us as we discuss how to create multiple streams of income in your staging and decorating business and how that helps you stay profitable (even through a pandemic).
Episode 63: Linked in Strategies for Stagers and Designers
In this episode I talk with Karen Yankovich about how home stagers and designers can leverage Linked In to build their business.
Episode 62: Best Friends And a Staging Business
Liz Larson and Jan Poulain from Perfectly Placed for You are my guests. Join us as we discuss how they built their successful Massachusetts Staging Company by adhering to their core values- friendship and fun.
Episode 61: How To Navigate High Point Market
Debbe Daley and Wendy Woloschuk, my Design for Today Collaborative colleagues discuss how to navigate High Point market.
Episode 60: Sell Staging In Any Market
In this episode I share insights on how to “sell” your staging services in any Real Estate market. Whether you are in a hot Sellers market or a Buyer’s market, the way that you position your services is more important than ever. Learn what to say to agents and sellers so that they see the value of staging.
Episode 59: Combining a Staging and Real Estate Business
In this episode I talk with Adrienne Lord of Staged to Sell. Adrienne shares her experience of owning a Real Estate Brokerage that includes a full service Home Staging component
Episode 58: Build Know, Like Trust with Video
In this episode I am talking with Aaron and Angela Bell of Smartphone Video Formula. I met Angela and Aaron in a coaching Program that we are all in and loved how generous they were to other members in the group. And so I set up a time to meet with them in order to get to know them better and we talked about how important video is when marketing your business.
Episode 57: 3 Questions Answered on Getting Business From RE Agents
In this episode I am going to answer 3 questions that I often get from Home Stagers about getting business from Real Estate Agents.
Episode 56: A Soulful Designer Creating Her Life from the Inside/Out
In this episode I talk with Michelle Cortizo of Cortizo Interiors. Michelle began her design career back in the year 2000. Asked by a builder in church if she could help him with paint colors, she quickly became part of his team and learned how to design large projects while collaborating with project managers and architects.
Episode 55: A Step Above Designs in Florida
In this my latest podcast episode I talk with one of my coaching clients, Amie Stepkoski of A Step Above Designs in Florida. Amy is a member of my Home Stagers on Fire Coaching Group and I have watched her go from a struggling beginner stager to a stager who is growing her business by fine tuning her messaging and getting more and more repeat business from Real Estate Agents.
Episode 54: Successful Staging, Design and Retail Business in Maine
In this episode I talk with Elizabeth Polansky of The Styled Home about how she grew her interior decorating business into a full service staging and design business with a 10,000 square foot warehouse and retail store.
Episode 53: Creating an Interior Design Business with Grit and Resolve
In this episode I talk with Beverly Ferguson of The Reflective Designer. Beverly began her Interior Design career in her 50’s. After graduating Cum Laude in The Applied Science of Interior Design in her 20’s, she put her career on hold in order to raise her daughters.
Episode 52: Playing the Business Game to Win
In this session I talk about why it is so important to pay attention to what you are thinking and doing in order to take effective action in your business.
Episode 51: From Early Childhood Specialist to Thriving Home Stager
In this episode I talk with one of my fabulous coaching clients, Nancy Safran. Nancy came to me 5 years ago after being laid off from her position as an early childhood specialist. She was at a turning point and wanted to reinvent her previous career in interior design, but she was unsure where to begin.
Episode 50: Truth Bombs from One of my Clients
In this episode I talk with one of my fabulous coaching clients, Donel Beals. Donel is a designer and home stager on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Join us as we discuss how coaching has impacted Donel’s business and life in very specific ways. Donel hired me 3 years ago when she was re building her design and staging career after devoting the past 14 years to her family.
Episode 49: The Same Circle Method
In this episode I talk with Bobby Tsui. Bobby is an author, speaker, coach, and entrepreneur from Los Angeles, CA. He’s the founder of The Same Circle Method, where he coaches interior designers by helping them make breakthroughs in social media. He also helps them develop influential positioning in their markets so they can grow their businesses profitably while staying in their genius zones.
