We had the good fortune of connecting with Jenny Ruhland and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Jenny, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I’ve always had the “Dance to your own beat” and “Walk faster than the rest” mindset. Looking back, the pipe dream was lots of days off and stacks of cash, right? The reality is hard work, sleepless nights, wearing many hats, and changing them often. Learning and navigating all the avenues of a business can be challenging, however, if you’re willing to put in the work, it will give back to you. There are many days I think to myself “It would be easier to work for someone.” then I slap myself and realize what we’ve created, built, and nurtured. As a solopreneur, it isn’t always easy figuring out what it takes to run a business, but you get to feel the joy extra hard when it comes!
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I created HomeSpun Staging and Design 4 years ago with the idea we would stage a couple of houses and do a couple of remodels a year. Flash forward to 2020, we currently stage 40+ vacant homes at one time, manage 10-15 remodels a year, perform 6-8 listing staging consultations a week, builder + homeowners material selections and screen 45 scam phone calls and delete 150 spam emails a week, all joking aside, there is always the behind the scenes tasks that have to be completed to keep the business moving. We do all of this with love, however, my true passion is remodel for resale. Going in and evaluating a home’s current condition and working with the Real Estate agent/seller to determine the highest and best for the remodel for resale, sourcing and executing the work. I have discovered we don’t have a specific menu of services, however, we do try to stay in our lane and grow our roots deeper in our services. We do very little marketing, we truly believe our marketing is in our service and how we treat you and by golly, it has worked!
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Depending on the time of year. Winter, we would surely head for the mountain and strap on the planks! The week would also involve many warm beverages, delicious grub, hot springs, and most likely the closest spa! In the summer months you can find us touring guests to a trailhead for a hike, a drive up the Poudre River, a spin around Horsetooth Reservoir or a day trip to Estes Park. There are so many more awesome places to visit in Colorado!
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are many people that have played sizable roles in creating who I am today. On an everyday level, this would be my husband for putting up with the circus I create. On a more broad level, Brian Trainor. Brian believed in us when Austin and myself first moved to Fort Collins freshly out of college 10 years ago. Brian is a true mentor, a real human, and a compassionate person that will kindly tell you to stop sucking and keep moving!
Website: www.homespunstaginganddesign.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/homespunstaginganddesign/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/homespun/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RuhlandJenny
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/homespunstaginganddesign
Image Credits
Sierra Ann Photography AB Photography
Mrs. Ruhland shares great insight to the market and why staging is important to any homeowner looking to get the most money from their investment.