as you know MFAMB has done quite a lot of work lately finding good shit on craigslist for you. and while i am good at finding great deals and worthy castoffs i haven't really even begun to tap into all that i am capable of here. in a nutshell i believe i can probably recreate a room off of craigslist. or get really fucking close. this obviously all depends on whether you are close to a major city or you live in the middle of alaska. so imagine me like a decorator only instead of all new shit i get all the stuff affordable like off of craigslist. i know this is nothing new for decorators who work within a budget, many of them shop craigslist all the time. i am not reinventing the wheel here, just offering my services to find it for you at a cost. b/c as fun as all of this has been it has been ridiculously time consuming.don't believe i can do it, or it's worth paying me for???...well then just read what others are saying:
"cool rooms, nice finds...seriously you need an agent" .....boops.
"you. are. awesome".....chedva.
"HOW ON EARTH DID YOU FIND ALL THIS GOODNESS!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much, my whole apartment is fully decorated and it only took you a day, while I've lived here for almost 4 months!!!".....court.
"dang chica, you did it again. you got a nose or sixth sense for this treasure finding".......ms. smart
"Your CL skills are unmatched! I need to check out the Atlanta CL before I head that way in a few weeks just to see if I can snag a deal while I'm there. You've inspired me . . .".........my interior life
"You should start charging for this shit- you are crazy good at finding the treasures out of all the crap".....lindsb
amen lindsb! a to the mother fucking MEN!!
so if you have contacted me already about doing this for you, have no fear i am still going to do it for you for free. from here on out though i will be charging 25 dollars per room. that is cheap as farts and i am totally worth it. that fee includes as many email consultations as is needed as well as finding you everything your top 3 craigslist cities have to offer based on what it is you are looking for. the fee is 25 dollars for 10 items. that fee is subject to change as my business grows. DUH! if i am needed to travel to help you put it all together in your house then we are talking a little bit more. but that is TBD.
so, let me know what you think. be honest. but be nice. i am just trying to make a little money to help out around here. my enthusiasm is honest and my intentions are pure, and i actually really really love doing it.
hearts and farts,
MFAMB
35 comments:
IMHO, I think you should offer your CL service on www.fiverr.com just to start out. It's only $5 a pop but a good way to see if you can/want to make moola off of your idea.
it's about freakin' time!!!! (said in a tough but lovingly kind way)
1. of course.
2. it should be $25 per room OR per 5 items.
3. you should paste them up electronically on a board. Do they have boards online you can drag shit onto? I know they do for clothes. Let me know. I'd like to do this for myself.
4. you need to email the board to the "client" 24 hrs before you post it so client can doesn't find it's all been grabbed up by me.
I have spoken. Go forth and do it to it.
darling, you are worth at least $30. No seriously you are cheaper than your amazing finds. Make sure you cover your time! You deserve it.
did you forget a zero on the end of that? I say $250 is appropriate.
i think you should definitely be charging for this service and am so excited to pay you to help me out when i move to DC in august and have a whole new house to fill!
I felt honored you used one of my comments!
It say A to the men as well. $25 sounds more than fair, but I would limit it to a certain amount of items (like 5 per earlier comment). Otherwise, you might find yourself searching too long and hard for just 25 bones.
Congrats and good luck on your new enterprise. I know you'll be wildly successful. I may have to utilize your services if I can't find a light fixture for my hallway!
Good for you!!!! I think this is brilliant. You put so much time into finding things you deserve a cut! May have to enlist you when we move this summer...yippee. XO Katie
$25!?!? What does that work out to like $2.00 an hour? Seriously, you deserve more than this because I KNOW how much time is consumed looking for stuff on craigslist and dealing with 'the client'! :)
Well done for being enterprising enough to come up with a new twist on virtual interior design. The all-craigslist-finds angle is freakin brilliant and your fee is beyond reasonable. I know you love doing this; it shows and you should be compensated for your ability to separate the trash from the treasures. Can't wait to see your whole rooms. Go Jenny...go Jenny!
Pitch it as a show - take email inquiries, find the stuff, help the homeowner negotiatie and then help them style the house!
I think that if you do a good job on anything and you are in demand then you should charge for it. And you should not apologise for it.
I am not saying this about the people you have helped here but my considered view after many years of doing both free and paid things for people as a lawyer is that most kinds of people do not value things you are done for them for free.
Personally I think 25$ is too low but it is just a starting point and you don't want to charge yourself out of the market before you even start. xoxo
Worth every stinking penny!! If you want, put together a room from any Craig's list and I'll post about it and your new amazing service!! Not that you need my help, everyone and their brother reads your blog!!
I think Anonymous has the right idea about your own show. And you are pretty and you should be paid!
yesssssssss!
You need to charge more for your time and be more specific about what it includes, some people will take advantage.
-HH
I think you should charge more. You are doing a BIG job, that takes a lot of time. I would say $25 for 5 items is a good place to start. Congrats on your new endeavor...it's genius!
HURRAY! YES, Ma'am you should definitely charge for your incredible talent and gobs of time! By your 2nd post I was thinking, "Holy milkduds, she could turn this into something huge!" I still think that.
As for how much, well, $25 doesn't seem like near enough. How about this: do the rest of the previously agreed-upon freebies (including *cough* mine), and keep track of
1) how many items you find,
2) how long it takes you, and
3) how long it takes to set up a board, or post, or whatever.
THEN, once you have a rough idea of time spent, you'll have a better idea what to charge. If you find all this amazing an otherwise unknown shit in an hour, then maybe $25 is fair. But my guess is it takes significantly longer than that. And your talent is, as mentioned above, worth a whole helluva lot more than $2 an hour.
And I concur on the show idea - you're perfect for it, and you'd be a huge hit!
Can't wait to see where you go with all this -
xox,
Susan
I wish you all the luck with this business venture. I think you'll really be great at it. I have been reading about your finds. I can't believe what you come up with!
Here's to getting filthy rich. Happy Weekend.
I think that is totally appropriate and a fabulous deal!! I applaud you for turning your obvious talent into an income stream. In this economy, it's a win win!!!
Rock on, girlie. Can't wait to see you flying over the Country to have a look-see at your Craigs finds, and broadcasting them on your own, flippin' show!
Brilliant and perfect idea!!!
$25 is more than reasonable - you'd definitely be helping out the people who need lots of stuff on a CL budget. And if it's successful, then you can see about maybe raising your rates a bit (but I'm sure it'll definitely be successful!)
Have a great weekend!!
All I gotta say is, duh, what took you so long?
I got a little shout out for ya and your new bizness at HOH. Just remeber us little people when your rubbing elbows with the likes of Wearstler and such. K? ;0)
I am totally in agreement with others that you should charge a little more! You are one talented lady, and you deserve it! As soon as I get my shit together I will totally hire you! Can't wait to hear how it goes!
Do it! it is a great idea....and ask that your clients send you "after" photos or pics of the item in situ....you know---for 25 bucks, they can at least help market your brilliance!
Jenny,
You have a wonderful idea for the perfect new Bravo reality show! Seriously, hon, pitch that bitch, and achieve the fame and riches you deserve.
I also agree that you are hugely underpricing yourself and your services. If you stick with the $25, definitely limit the amount of items, not rooms, to five or less. Don't discount your talent. This coming from an artist who can never decide on a price for her work!
I look forward to seeing you on channel 181, in my neighborhood, SOON!
A toast of Pinto Grigio to your success!
Joanne
woman seriously - I'm with everyone else on this - you are more awesome at this than can be imagined and $25/hour is more like it! figuring out how long this actually takes you is a really good idea. but go forth and conquer cause you rock!
you have proved your craiglist awesomeness, of course you should charge!
You are totally worth more, you know, but I think it's awesome that you're so helpful!!!!!!!!!!!!!
yes! yes! yes! agree with most everybody above - this is good! $25may be too low! this needs to be a show!
I tried to do this with my nearby CL and failed miserably. Spent a wad of time, even. So I have some first-hand knowledge on how hard doing this can be. YOU make it look so easy. I am in awe!
this is a great idea! research ain't easy (& it is time-consuming) AND to have your input in the look of the room would be fab. i know i value your opinion (as do many others in blogland!) so this is a match made in heaven!
also, you definitely should have your own design show. i mean talent, humor, sassy attitude...what more could one want out of a TV show?!
I agree with all the other kids!
I do think that you should come up with some time of scale or percentage, $25 is way too low.
I like the idea of a show or maybe some type skype or video showing your "process" and then you can talk and cuss to the camera so that the customer feels like they are really getting the "real" you.
I don't think there's anything cheaper than farts and you can take that to the bank.
This idea is brilliant. You're brilliant. And you should def. charge more. A lot more. This is going to be HUGE. I can just feel it.
of course I was right about this, I'm always right
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