Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiana Langone, Assistant General Manager of New England region of AFR Furniture Rentals.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love home design and furniture. Certainly, as a girl, this is something that is sort of prevalent in the toys we are given, but my obsession when farther than some miniature version of “playing house.” In fact, when my parents would leave to go out to dinner, the rules they laid down were unique but totally common in our house. Instead of rules such as, “No watching TV after 8,” I got, “The furniture had better be in the same spot where we left it when we get home!”
I loved to rearrange the furniture and still do. True confession: I always find something I have to move in a hotel room to make it flow better. It’s all about how we feel in a room when it’s designed with a little thought and care.
So, it’s no big surprise that I got into a career that has always had something to do with moving stuff around, like real estate! I’ve been in property management and property development for years.
However, nine years ago, I made a little switch. In shopping for my own career’s “forever home,” I was introduced to AFR Furniture Rental. The company has a home staging division and it was love at first seat… or sight!
I joined AFR at a time when the Boston housing market was in need of a home staging guru. Everything was coming into place and I didn’t even have to rearrange much furniture for that to happen!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Even though there was a need for a home stager in Boston in 2009, that didn’t mean it was easy. It was a time when the economy was in upheaval. However, what I do as a home stager was actually helpful to the brokers I worked with. Home staging is an added marketing feature the helps brokers sell houses. While they might have been scaling back on advertising, spending money on home staging was worth the time and budget.
My challenge for myself at that time was to find a way to attract new customers and widening my circle of influence. This business is all word of mouth, so I set about teaching my clients how to really showcase the best features of a property and word got around.
I remember the first time I did a broker’s open house (one in which one broker markets a house to others brokers to list it) and the other brokers asked him who did the staging. I knew I had found my style and marketing forte!
My advice to anyone just beginning their journey comes from this time in my career. Never be afraid of the word “no.” Reinvent yourself as often as you need so that you are totally clear on what you are selling and who that ideal client is. Then you can create a strategy for a message that effectively pinpoints and reaches that client.
Stay persistent. Know what you want and let nothing stop you. Because eventually, if you love what you do and do it with passion, the work will come to you.
Finally, in a business-to-business situation like mine, (I work with brokers and developers, not the home buyer) there are so many avenues to explore. Don’t get locked into one way to grow your business. There are many types of people and companies who will want what you do. Again, it’s just about crafting that message so you reach them.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about AFR Furniture Rental – what should we know?
I am super passionate about what I do. I get to take a blank canvas – a new construction, an empty house or condo and create it in a way that makes people feel they belong in it. I get to turn an empty building into a home and that’s a wonderful feeling. I know I’ve done it right when I hear back from my clients that they got more offers than expected and an even better price on the house.
And, here we go back to that very beginning of that dream job for a little girl who loves to rearrange the furniture – I get to walk into a 70,000-square-foot warehouse filled with new furniture every day!
AFR is constantly updating and reworking its collections based on what is trending in design. Conversely, I can give the management team things I see and hear from my world and they will take that into consideration with the new collections. In that way, I’m able to create looks that work with not only my own personal style but with the design sensibility of the Boston area. I don’t have to make a California look fit a New England region home, and that is truly a blessing!
Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
My parents always told me that I did not have to be the best but to always give my best.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rentfurniture.com
- Phone: 781-664-0945
- Email: tlangone@rentfurniture.com
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