The holidays are a very special time of year, and as our team enjoys some much-deserved time with their families, we want to take a moment to reflect on the past 12 months. Now in our 10th year of business, we have much to be thankful for. We appreciate every one of our clients throughout the years that have helped us to get to where we are today. As with every business, we continue to grow and continue to learn new ways to service our clients better, and we look forward to continuing this for years to come. Beyond The Stage Homes was founded by a passion for helping others, combined with a love of home décor and creative solutions, and we continue to let this mission guide us still.

So what made 2018 our best year yet?

While it’s difficult to pick one moment in time this year, we will share with you the highlights of some of our favourite moments.

Perhaps one of the most notable milestones of 2018 was the celebration of our 10 year anniversary. In honour of this momentous occasion, we hosted a Client Appreciation at Pin-up Arcade Bar in Waterloo – our way of saying thanks to everyone that has supported us throughout our years. It was an evening of fun, entertainment, and good cheer, with some of our favourite people.

BTSH continues to be a proud sponsor of the KW MS Walk by raising funds at our hosted home sellers workshops, providing TeamMS prizes at the walk, and volunteering our time before, during, and following the event. This event helps to raise much-needed funds for the MS Society’s Grand River chapter. As an animal-loving team, it was only natural that we continued our support for the Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society, through collected donations throughout the year as well. Cleaning out your closets (likely on the advice of our home staging team)? Donate your unwanted linens to your local humane society – these are put to great use by their furry residents!

The BTSH staging team, consisting of Jennifer Roth, Martha Wallace, and BTSH founder Shauna Lynn Simon, attended RESACON Vegas in July. As the biggest home staging industry event in North America, they fine-tuned their skills and built lasting relationships with fellow colleagues, as well as new suppliers. In addition, Beyond The Stage Homes’ sister company, SLS Academy, sponsored the renowned event, bringing certification and continuing education products to the home staging industry.

Continuing her efforts to advance the home staging industry in Canada, in terms of strength and stability, as well as awareness, Shauna Lynn completed her 2-year term as the Canadian Representative on the National Board of Directors for the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA), and took up the role as Ontario Provincial President of RESA, where she will serve until the end of 2019.

At the RESACON Awards gala on July 27, 2018, Shauna Lynn Simon was awarded the prestigious Kathy Nielsen Spirit Award in recognition of her industry commitment. You can read the full story on our blog here.

As well, Shauna Lynn was also honoured with the Top 100 Most Influential People in Real Estate Staging for 2018.

As an industry influencer, Shauna Lynn has had the privilege of speaking at numerous live events, podcasts, and television appearances. This year, she represented the National Canadian Tire CANVAS brand on CTV, providing inspiring design trends and backyard party hosting tips, while showcasing these on-trend products. She was also featured on the new Rogers Television show, #trending, featuring local BTSH partners with the show’s fun new host Aleia Ally.

It is also worth mentioning that BTSH’s team continues to grow, and with our increased expansion, we took up residence in a new warehouse, allowing us to streamline the home staging project preparation process to accommodate our increased volume of clients. As well, we have strengthened our team, and will continue to do so throughout 2019 as well. This year, we welcomed Martha Wallace, Professional Home Stager (RESP®), and Frances Hahn, Interior Designer. We are currently in the final selection process of an additional Professional Home Stager, and will begin the orientation for our newest member in the dawn of the New Year. Each home staging professional on the BTSH team is put through an extensive and comprehensive training, including SLS Academy’s RESP® Certification program, as well as our unique job-shadowing program, to ensure consistency of service and knowledge.

Our 2018 growth also included new staging assistants, and LOTS of fresh and new home staging rental items. We continue to be Waterloo Region’s #1 choice for vacant home staging, and in 2018 we far-exceeded our own expectations and worked in some of the region’s most beautiful homes.

Our commitment to our community remains unchanged. We are grateful for all that the Waterloo Region Small Business Centre does for local businesses and new entrepreneurs, and Shauna Lynn continues to provide leadership through their mentoring program.

We love being a part of a region that continues to support small businesses like ours, and we eagerly look forward to another year full of cheer, beautiful homes, and new and lasting connections. Thank you to all of our clients and partners for making 2018 our best year yet. We hope to continue to exceed your expectations throughout 2019 and beyond! Stay tuned for more exciting news to come, including the launch of co-authored book by Shauna Lynn Simon, new services, and new team members.

Wishing you a healthy and prosperous 2019!

All the best, from Shauna Lynn and the entire BTSH team