2022 was a wild year! We are so thankful for some amazing successes this year, but also super grateful to put 2022 behind us and look forward to 2023. We had some very high highs (think awards and a pregnancy) and some very low lows (um, the flood) and managed to come out stronger than ever. We had a team holiday dinner a few weeks ago and at the table shared our best moments of the year and what we look forward to in 2023. Here is what we are proud of in 2022 and what we’re excited about going forward.

MELINDA

2022 highlight: Winning two awards at RESA including Best Vacant Stager of the Year, US and Best Vacant Home Staging Team of the Year, North America. We had an amazing time in Vegas this year at RESACON (read more here), but the icing on the cake was winning two major awards as voted on by our industry peers. It was so overwhelming and such an honor - very humbling.

2023 goal: In-house moving team and own a moving truck. One of the key factors for our growth is to find efficiencies in the day-to-day activities and hiring a moving team and owning a truck is instrumental in this growth. We have talked about purchasing a truck for a few years and I think 2023 is finally the year to pull the trigger.

ANNA

2022 highlight: Recovering from the flood with grace and without having to cause any disruption to our clients. Oh boy, the flood at the end of July was a huge hiccup in an otherwise wonderful year. Not only did we suffer a sizable financial loss, but it had a tremendous impact on our team morale and confidence. I have never been more proud than when the team, alongside friends and family, pulled together to clean up the warehouse and put the pieces back together. It was hard work, physically and emotionally, but we are stronger than ever.

2023 goal: Have an entire in-house moving team and take on more staging projects. Like Melinda, I think getting a moving team in place is my top goal for 2023 and will help us grow financially. We currently stage around 3-4 projects per week, but I’m confident that with in-house movers we’ll be able to increase the number of stages and serve more clients.

STEPHANIE

2022 highlight: Getting fully settled into the new warehouse. Moving into the warehouse and getting it fully operational was a looooong process. We are finally in a space that we can hold all our sh*t, support our team, and provide efficiencies. It’s so fun to finally be in a space where we can all meet as a team and that can handle our growth.

2023 goal: 20k Instagram followers and 5 paid collaborations. As the resident entertainer at O+O, I totally want to see our social media following continue to gain momentum and eventually earn us some money. We have the best time showing our work and all the behind-the-scenes fun on Instagram and I have loooots of content ideas in the pipeline. Get excited.

ALICIA

2022 highlight: Seeing Stageforce fully functional (without me) and finally feeling that major projects are complete in the warehouse, some for the second time. When I joined the O+O team, implementing an inventory management system was top priority. It was a long process to tag and categorize ALL our inventory, but we are finally in a place where we know the inventory in the warehouse and we have a system that supports the team and provides efficiencies for the stagers and the movers. And the best part, I’ve trained the team to each be self-sufficient in the system!

2023 goal: Break in to the builder market. In 2023, we are looking to expand our services and work more closely with builders for long-term staging. I’ve worked closely with builders in my previous jobs, so I know how the process works and how our staging can help make these spec homes shine. I can’t wait to see our beautiful inventory (that is all perfectly logged in Stageforce!) make its way into builder homes in 2023.

MEG

2022 highlight: Seeing the relief, joy, confidence develop through my client relationships as we sourced items for their homes and invest in the perfect pieces to transform their spaces! The initial lightbulb moment and the final install both give me big big energy. After my first full year of O+O design, I am totally in the groove and have loved meeting so many amazing people through the design work.

2023 goal: Having a well rounded experience from the beginning to end - particularly a touch point in the middle and end results. More before / afters. Because of the nature of my design work and the time it takes for my clients to complete an entire transformation, it can be difficult to see the end result, as well as the many milestones along the way. In 2023, my goal is to have more access to my clients along the way and capture more before and after moments so that I can better show off my work.

We are so excited for the year ahead. It’s going to be filled with lots of changes, lots of growth, and continued fun at Olive + Opal.