Sheila Alston
HealthyHOME™ Media
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Articles.
by IAHSP®
Every business has a story. We want to share yours.
The International Association of Home Staging Professionals is proud to highlight business owners and companies in an around the business of Home Staging, Real Estate, Design, and Short-term Rental, though our IAHSP Articles Features.
Our goal is to highlight and explore the various business models and services that are offered throughout our ecosystem and community, giving both the public and our membership the ability to learn more about the businesses and services available through our vast network of service providers and businesses.
Let's dive right into our latest IAHSP Article.
Q. Thanks for taking the time to sit with us to share your story with our readers. Can you start out by sharing a little bit about you and your company?
Thank you! I'm so glad to be here. My company is called HealthyHOME™ Media, and we offer a unique set of digital and print marketing tools for wellness real estate agents and healthy home professionals. It's done-for-you marketing that fits any business owner that wants to promote living healthy. The magic is that our tools are unlike any you've seen before: they help your clients create a healthier home environment. This unique topic and stunning content enable our members to engage in more conversations with others about their business.
Q. Everyone has a story about how they got started, what was the inspiration or the catalyst for you starting your business?
I was a real estate agent and home stager myself, and trying to make a name for myself in a highly saturated industry was really difficult. For a long time, I didn't know how I would stand out, what value I was providing and how my message could be different than what everyone else was saying. I also have a health coaching certification, so I really wanted to figure out how I could combine health and home. So I started researching online and found out that Wellness Real Estate was an emerging industry, and as of Nov 2021, it's worth $275B, according to the Global Wellness Institute.
I was so excited to learn this! But what exactly is wellness real estate, you might wonder as I did. It began with forward-thinking developers who have intentionally designed and built communities that are centered on healthier living for the residents. So every decision they make for the development is based on that. It's actually pretty incredible. There are Agrihoods, which are neighborhoods that center around a working organic farm, Naturhoods, which are communities that have an abundance of direct access to nature, Leisurehoods, Urban Wellness Communities, and even minimalist and tiny living communities. They all offer increased social connection, usually energy-efficient features in the homes, and neighborhood amenities that make healthier living easy for the residents. Who wouldn't want to live in these communities?!
But the truth is that even though these new communities are popping up all over the Country, not everyone will be able to live in one, but EVERYONE deserves to live in a healthier home. And this is where the opportunity lies..... no one knows about this topic, and it's the perfect ice breaker or lead-in for a conversation about your business. I now have a whole tribe of agents who are positioning themselves as wellness agents. They are connecting with all the healthy home experts in my community so they can be the connector for their audience and help them with more than just the transaction of buying and selling. It keeps them top of mind, and they are providing unique value at the same time. Everybody wins with no sleazy sales tactics required.
Q. What services do you offer? And why did you choose to offer those particular services?
I was so inspired by that thought I decided I would create a digital magazine called Wellness Real Estate and share it with my sphere and start educating my audience on how to create a healthier home. I shared my magazine with other agents, and everyone absolutely loved it. So now I have a membership where others can share WellnessRE™ and HealthyHOME™ magazines along with prewritten social media captions, email copy, graphics, reels, and newsletter templates, all for a low monthly subscription.
Q. Did you ever have a project or customer, where everything was going wrong or the project was challenging? Can you share about that time, and how did you find a solution, or over-come the challenge?
I guess my biggest problem as an agent or small business owner was prospecting. I felt very uncomfortable asking for referrals without providing some sort of value first. I also don't think that a market analysis provides value these days when we all have Zillow on our phones. Even if Zillow isn't right all the time, the consumer doesn't realize that, and so it takes some education and an open client to understand why he would even want a CMA.
But talking about wellness real estate with people is easy; it just rolls off your tongue because no one has ever heard of an Agrihood or Naturehood. Most people don't realize that it's the air quality in their homes that could be making them sick. They don't understand that not all water filtration is the same. Like did you know that RO (reverse osmosis) is terrible for you? The world health organization found recently that people on that water for a long time are mineral deficient, which can cause a whole bunch of health conditions. We need the healthy minerals in our water! Anyhow, I'm no longer an active agent because I'm solely focused on helping my members grow their following and businesses, and so I absolutely love hearing about the conversations they are now having with people because of my magazine.
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Q. Running a business is not always easy. What have you learned about yourself and your business, since launching your company?
I've learned that you just have to start taking action on your ideas, they may shift and change over time, but it's ok because at least you are moving forward rather than staying stuck in indecision or complaining about how you want to make a change. Just start, and don't be scared to be different and talk about different things, because being unique is how you and your business will stand out.
Q. We've all had either an employee or a customer that makes what we are doing worth it all. Can you share with us a story about an employee, vendor or customer that really impacted you and touched your heart?
Right when I decided I was going to stop being an agent (and interior designer), I had some people question the decision because that's where most of my income has been coming from, not my membership! But the very next day, one of my members gave me the best testimonial of how she has a group of moms that look forward to reading the magazine every month and that she gets thank you's from them for sending them her marketing materials! She also shared she just got three new listings recently because her website is so different, she has on there all about how she helps clients buy and sell healthier homes and shares my magazine with everyone on her website. It was wonderful to hear and made me feel like I've made the right decision.
Q. If you could go back in time and give yourself some advice on how to manage or grow your business, what advice would you give yourself?
I would say to be kinder to myself. We all have high expectations of ourselves that sometimes limit us from moving forward. Giving yourself permission to run with a new idea just to see if it sticks feels scary because people might judge you. But if you hold yourself back because you don't want to be judged, then really you are just hurting yourself. I remember when I first had the idea of bringing health and home together and that someday agents will refer to themselves as "wellness agents," so people said that was crazy. But I just started talking about it with people, I started a podcast and searched for people I thought would resonate with my message, and it turns out I wasn't the only unicorn! There are a lot of agents who are trying to do what I'm doing, and they love that I'm bringing them all together. So the reward you get from following your dreams and helping others achieve theirs is so worth any judgment I might get from people. I'm so glad I didn't let those negative thoughts hold me back.
Q. If a potential client were reading this article right now, what would you tell them about you, your team or your business that would convince them to choose your company?
If you are a real estate agent or small business owner, you know that marketing your business can be hard. The old adage that people work with those they know, like, and trust, doesn't really cut it anymore because the market is highly saturated, and so many people know several professionals in the same industry they know, like and trust. So how can you talk about your business with people in an engaging way that brings value to them and also showcases your unique expertise? My advice is to start talking about wellness real estate with them, let them know it's a movement that is happening around the world. 79% of people say health and wellness is important, and the majority of these people say it is a top priority. So why not educate people on how to create a healthier home environment? When you network with healthy home experts, you can become the connector for all things healthy home, even if your business only helps with a small portion of that. To your client, you are the go-to resource for their home, which positions you in their mind as someone who offers more value that the rest. Join my tribe of healthy home professionals and wellness agents! You'll be surrounded by like-minded forward-thinkers, who you can collaborate with that you can learn from and also educate about what you do best! Sharing WelllnessRE™ or HealthyHOME™ Magazines just makes your marketing super simple because you won't need to come up with a whole bunch of content on your own. I've already done all that for you! Simply engage and connect with people and do what you do best! Leave the digital marketing tools to us at HealthyHOME™ Media!
Q. What is one fact about you or your business that most people might not know?
We will be launching custom-branded mobile editions and branded print issues soon! Current and founding members will learn about it first and receive special pricing, so join today!
Q. Where do you see your business going in the next 5 or 10 years?
I want to help healthy home professionals, and real estate agents not only grow their businesses but create a bigger impact in the world. I think we are better together, so through my podcasts, magazine features, and agent and business spotlights, I want to share stories of how these professionals are helping people love their homes and feel more comfortable in them.
I hosted the first wellness real estate summit online in 2021, and in the next 5-10 years, I see that we will have live summits to bring these professionals together. I also see brokerages that will specialize in helping their clients in this way because, really, for so long, agents have been the missing link. They are the connectors, and they refer professionals to their clients all the time. So why not create a network of healthy home professionals around you so you can not just help with a transaction but you can continue to help them for years to come? Doing this is what brings more passion and joy into your business because, deep down, we all just love helping others, and there is deep satisfaction in knowing that you've done that.
I love to say this and put this quote at the back of all the magazine issues because it truly reflects my mission: "Together, we are making the world a healthier place, one home at a time."
Q. It was so great sitting with you to learn more about you and your company. How can people find out more about you and your business?
Thank you! And thanks for asking! You can learn more by going to www.healthyhomemedia.com or following us on Instagram at @healthyhomemag, @healthyhomepro and @wellnessagents. You can also join our free facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/wellnessre
Q. Thank you so much for sharing your story with IASHP Articles!
Thank you so much! It was a pleasure.
