I left school at 16 – now I earn £1.5 million and so can you if you’re smart in B&M

A YOUNG entrepreneur has revealed how she left school at 16 to start her business, which now turns over more than £1.5million a year.

Liv Conlon, 25, is raking in millions running two seven-figure businesses, furnishing properties and teaching women how to do the same.

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At just 16, Liv, who grew up in Glasgow, Scotland, decided to leave school, where she was severely bullied, to start a real estate company – against the advice of her teachers.

Together with her mother, Ali, the pair discovered a gap in the real estate market after struggling to sell a house they bought at auction.

A real estate agent suggested lowering the asking price, but Liv suggested staging the home instead.

Home staging is a popular American trend that viewers of the reality TV show Selling Sunset will probably be familiar with.

After Liv furnished the house with furniture and accessories, the house sold within three days for above asking price.

Business has always been easy for the single mother who earned £5,000 at 13 by importing goods from China and selling them online.

However, no one would take Liv seriously if she tried to network with other business people, she claimed.

Determined to prove them wrong, Liv worked tirelessly and in 2017 opened her business. “ThePropertyStages” turned over £1 million.

Over the next few years, she expanded the business by hiring a team, including her mother.

She also started a coaching program, where Liv helped women set up and scale their own real estate staging business.

Liv was crowned The UK Young Entrepreneur Of The Year in 2019 and now runs both businesses from her apartment in Marbella, Spain.

Fast forward to today, her company has helped set up and sell 2,500 properties in the UK, earning millions a year.

Her coaching program alone raised over £100,000 in January.

Six days

The now expert real estate agent has revealed how she once sold a house that had been on the market for two years with no offers in just six days.

Liv and her team were hired by the desperate owner on January 30th.

They spent four hours furnishing the property, adding a dining area, beds, beautiful carpets, mirrors and stylish artwork to show how the rooms could be used.

A furnished room looks larger than an empty room

Liv Conlon

With new photos for the three-bedroom property in Barnstaple, Devon, estate agents then arranged three viewings just a few days later, and three offers were made, one of which was accepted on February 5.

When it comes to selling a home, it’s all about sticking to neutral tones, clearing out clutter and adding pops of colour, texture and patterns with soft furnishings, says Liv.

The entrepreneur added: “Several people had previously viewed this property when it was on the market but there was no interest – it had been on the market for two years with no offers and the owner started pulling out his hair.

“Once it was staged, three people submitted bids within a few days.”

“It sold so quickly once we got our hands on it and staged it because a furnished room seems bigger than an empty room.

“People can’t imagine living in a property when it’s empty, so we design it to make the most of the space, highlighting key features and showing potential buyers what their life in the house could be like to see.”

The bungalow has an open kitchen.

So Liv’s team added a chic dining area with a stylish glass-topped table and gray chairs on a gray fluffy rug to emphasize how the space could be used.

ThePropertyStagers then furnished the living room with soft, navy blue sofas and added a touch of brightness with yellow accessories.

They placed a glass coffee table on a mustard-colored rug and added depth to the room with modern artwork, carefully placed magazines and plants.

In the main room, the team at ThePropertyStagers have added a double bed and a side table.

While another room was furnished as a single room with a bed, lamp and side table.

Organizing a home sale is very different from how people live at home, says Liv.

“There is no television in the living room, there are no wardrobes in the bedrooms and most importantly there is no clutter,” she added.

Liv explained: “Instead, everything has been placed to perfection.

“We use our expertise to make the most of the space and create a ‘flow’ around the house to emphasize certain features.”

The team at ThePropertyStagers, who have won 13 awards nationally and internationally, use props including artwork and accessories to make homes more attractive.

Liv revealed that the secret to staging is “trying to appeal to as wide an audience as possible.”

She added: “The seller rented us for six weeks and paid £2,497 + VAT, and the property took just four hours to fit out.

“But the property was sold within six days, so our job was done.”

How to sell a house

In order to sell a home in today’s market, the furnishings must stand out and catch a potential buyer’s attention, Liv says.

“There are so many vacant properties on the market, so you should try to prevent potential buyers from passing by your property as they scroll online,” she added.

“If you don’t hire a professional stager, you can clean up and remove as much personal items as possible.

“You want the property to appeal to as many buyers as possible and you want them to imagine themselves living in it.

“Keep colors as neutral as possible on walls and large pieces of furniture, then build up color, texture and pattern through accents such as soft furnishings and artwork.”

The main reason why a property is difficult to sell is that when it is empty, people cannot see how they are going to live in the house, claims Liv.

That’s why homebuilders also use show homes to demonstrate the space’s potential to potential buyers.

She said: ‘That’s why housebuilders have show homes – they’re selling a lifestyle.

“For example, by placing a table and a few chairs near a window, the potential customer can imagine himself sitting there drinking coffee in the morning.”