Barbara Heil-Sonneck, the founder and owner of Design2Sell, has been in the home remodeling and staging industry for over 10 years. Through her experience, Barbara has developed a passion for leadership and she brings this passion for real estate and design into her position as the Real Estate Staging Association’s (RESA®) Awards Committee Chair.
RESA® is a trade association that was formed in April 2007 by a group of 600 real estate stagers and several home staging training providers with a desire to advance excellence and professionalism in the real estate staging industry. At that time there weren’t any independent trade associations that focused on the needs of stagers. In fact, this is still true today. Barbara has been involved in the association on many levels, as a member, participant and volunteer.
Between her busy work and volunteer schedule, we caught up with Barbara to ask her some questions about leadership and volunteering, and thought it would be fun to share her answers with you.
When did you get involved in leadership?
In my previous job, I was responsible for supervising a worldwide team and worked with them to implement processes, find solutions and meet deadlines. In my job before that, I supported the start of a new department and hired and managed a sales team of 30 with five team leads. I enjoy leadership and am proud to say that I was able to promote two of these five team leads during the four years of this venture.
What made you decide to get involved in RESA® leadership? Being able to drive and support change. Making an impact for the greater good by motivating and striving for excellence in our industry is a key driver for me.
What are you most proud of accomplishing during your time in RESA® leadership? I am proud of what our RESA® Atlanta Board has accomplished. When we started our pre-planning meeting for this year, we agreed to divide and conquer and we finalized our meeting schedule and core locations during January. Past and current board members stepped up, took the lead and everybody delivered! Teamwork makes the dream work.
What advice do you have for others who are interested in RESA® leadership? This is a great opportunity to expand your skills from experience and build relationships. There is always something to learn, and when you start a business it is a great way to give and grow with other leaders. It also supports your personal growth and allows you to collaborate at a different level! You will make lifelong friends within the peers of your leadership group. This is an experience that can’t be replicated by just networking at events.
What do you hope to see for the staging industry in the next 5 years?
I would like to see our industry be recognized for making an impact by the “numbers,” and tool and app solutions supporting us to be more productive. In other words, I’d like to be able to shout that staging helps homes sell faster by 30-percent on average and for that to be a known fact in Atlanta.
For more information about Design2Sell’s industry involvement, new home design trends or our home staging services, contact us online or call 678-505-1433.