From Discouraged Dabbler to Faithful Artist: A Truth-in-Love Conversation

VAL FRANIA:

Hello, this is Val and I am here with the Flipping Furniture for Profit podcast. Today we're going to have another different kind of conversation. I feel like I've been saying that a lot lately. This is not a tutorial. It's not inspiration and it's not a pep talk.

This is a teaching type of episode, a truth telling moment, and it's one that I've been thinking about for quite a while. Since we're here in the US, we're celebrating Thanksgiving today, and of course, we're looking at our lives and seeing how God has blessed us. At least I hope we are.

But I'm going to go in a different direction than a normal Thanksgiving message. I'm going to talk about something that I am thankful for and hopefully you are too. Truth: these days were questioning everything, aren't we? Things we hear and things we see online. Everything seems to be questionable.

Yesterday, DH and I were watching a comedy on TV and I honestly thought the opening character was Ai. I kept saying, "Yes it is." He kept saying, "No, it's not." I said he just doesn't look real. And then later in the show, I saw he was real. He wasn't AI. Isn't that sad? We're questioning everything. The news, our country leaders, people online trying to scam us. We don't know if they're actually telling the truth or not. We don't know even if the people we see anywhere online are real. Deep fakes. Lies in the news. We wonder if the hamburger we just ate was actually beef. Of course, one caveat.

We do have one solid truth, don't we? God's truth. God's Word is trustworthy and it never changes. And I am so thankful for that. So why am I spending so much time correcting some of the things I hear online? I'll hear comments. I'll, you know, I'll see that someone is giving some bad information or bad suggestions or being critical. Why do I comment? Why do I get on there? And either try to encourage the the person or correct the things that they were told, or to give them the truth? Because I have experience.

Why do I have a podcast? Why do I create videos? Why do I create reels and PDFs with information on flipping? Why do I schedule meetups in my home and chat on messenger with other wannabe flippers? Because I love my furniture flipping community. I especially love the beginners, the ones who feel lost, the overwhelm, the discouraged, who just want to have some trustworthy person tell them the truth. And that's what today is. Truth in love.

If you've been following my podcast for a bit, you know I'm not superficial. When I taught women's discipleship classes and Sunday school to both kids and adults, adult women years ago. I didn't sugarcoat anything. I shared Scripture, I challenged gently but firmly. And my ladies appreciated it because they knew I cared about them and I wanted them to grow in the Lord. So today, I'm stepping back into that type of a mentor role for my furniture flipping community.

We need to talk about the state of furniture flipping today, not to criticize anyone, but to call you up to the level that God has designed you to be, the level you should be living on. Let's talk about the state of our niche. Some people call it a niche. I think I like that pronunciation better. So let's be honest, the furniture flipping world has changed a lot in the last few years, and not all of those changes have been good.

I'm seeing laziness showing up as shortcut addiction. I'm seeing short sightedness. People who want results without the skill. Paint slappers. Have you ever heard that, uh, two words together? Paint slappers. Skipping prep, painting over hardware and calling it done. Dripping paint along the sides, leaving it there. It's. It's sad. Some of the things I see in the consignment shops in our area. Freebie dependency. Wanting information without investment. Superficial communities. Group posts full of bragging or complaining. Not learning. Looking for approval from strangers for validation. Harsh criticism from unskilled voices. Giving terrible advice with confidence, lack of perseverance. One problem, one discouragement, and people quit. Distrust of mentors writing off the truthful, the truthful, experienced voices because they've been hurt by the noisy ones.

And I want to be very clear this is not about shaming. It's not. It's all about revealing blind spots that are stealing yours and my growth. Because we don't trust, because we don't know what's true anymore when we see it or read it online. These behaviors that I listed are not coming from bad hearts. Absolutely not. They're coming from modern conditioning.

Here's what's happening behind the scenes.

Number one, instant gratification has become the norm. We can watch an entire dresser transformation in twelve seconds on a reel, and suddenly the hours of prep feel too hard.

Two: overwhelm has disguised itself as laziness. People aren't lazy. They're overstimulated. Under-supported, drowning in information.

Three: free Facebook groups are being used as chat sessions, as social engagements, as flaunting their pieces or complaining. Free Facebook groups used to be classrooms. Now they're cafeterias. Less learning, more scrolling, less mentorship, more noise.

Four: people don't know how to evaluate real, trustworthy coaches.

Without a foundation, everything looks equal. The pro, the beginner, the misinformed, the marketer, the manipulator, the faithful teacher. And so many don't trust anyone because they don't know who is trustworthy. And then

Five: Finally, people quit too fast. One discouragement, one bad finish, one rude comment. One piece that doesn't sell. And instead of seeking solutions, they just walk away.

Let's look at a little bit of Scripture here and see if we can't apply it. What God says about work, skill and perseverance. So let's anchor this in truth, not opinion.

Psalm one, one through three talks of God's promise that if we root ourselves in wisdom and walk with him, "Whatsoever he doeth shall prosper," quote, unquote.

That includes your creative work. God cares about your business. He cares about the fruit of your hands. Okay.

Colossians Three: twenty three. "Whatever you do, do it heartily as unto the Lord." This means your flipping isn't just a hobby, it's a stewardship. It's using the gifts that God gave you. It's confirming that excellence is of God. Those of us who are believers can claim that.

Proverbs sixteen: three, "Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established." Commitment is missing in our niche. God blesses commitment, not coasting. Galatians six: nine< "And let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not."

Do not give up. Don't quit before the breakthrough God, breakthrough God has prepared for you shows itself. Let me say this clearly you are capable of becoming a skilled furniture artist. You are capable of excellence. You are capable of creating pieces that stop people in their tracks. But you can't do that by slapping paint on a dresser and hoping it sells.

You cannot do that by refusing to invest in your learning. You cannot do that by chasing validation instead of skills. You cannot do that by quitting when something gets hard. Skill requires perseverance. Perseverance requires discipline. Discipline requires commitment. And commitment is what's missing. Let me take you back for a moment.

Early on, I remember spending days and I mean days trying to figure out one stubborn problem. I researched, I experimented, I failed, and then I tried again. I woke up thinking about it, and I went to sleep thinking about it, I walked away, I came back. Most people today would have quit after twenty minutes. True. But that moment, those days taught me something. If I solved this once, I will never fear this problem again. That's what mastery is built on. Not perfection. Not talent. Not shortcuts. Stubborn. Faithful. Perseverance.

And if you don't have someone teaching you the why and how, it takes ten times longer. Which is why coaching saves time and money. You can't grow alone. At least you can't do it very quickly. And you're going to end up with tons of mistakes having to redo things. It's just so much better to have someone to grow alongside, someone to help that you can trust. You were never meant to grow alone.

Scripture says we learn through counsel, wisdom, Teachers. Community. Iron Sharpening Iron. And yet so many flippers think they should be able to figure everything out on their own. Or splash a question out there online and get one hundred and eleven different answers and get even more confused. Here's the truth free information is incomplete. Superficial groups are misleading.

Opinions are not expertise. Advice isn't accountability. And without mentorship, discourages can take you out. A real coach shortens your learning curve, helps you avoid expensive mistakes, teaches you the why behind the techniques, not just the how. Walks you through problems or finds someone who can gives you a foundation so you don't fall for bad advice. Helps you stay committed. Supports your growth long term and hopefully becomes a close, trusted friend. That's why I continue to invest in coaches.

I have coaches now, I buy courses, I join the memberships. I'll keep learning so I can guide you with confidence and clarity and become better myself. If I stop learning, I stop leading.

So here's your challenge lovingly but firmly. If this is you, then stop coasting. Stop scrolling, stop settling, stop quitting. And instead of putting off really digging in, decide that you want excellence. Invest in your growth, free or paid. Make sure you find someone you trust and apply what you learn. Follow through. Build skill, not shortcuts. Commit your work to the Lord and persevere past the discouragement. You are capable of so much more than you think, But capability without commitment leads nowhere.

So if today's episode sounds familiar, hit home. I want to invite you to deeper growth. I'm in the process of putting together something brand new, that I'm calling my Furniture Flipping Start Here guide. It'll be a simple resource with my top podcast episodes to strengthen your foundation. My best free resources and some of my paid opportunities if you're ready for mentorship and community. It'll be everything in one place. Easy to follow, easy to grow with. Once it's done, I'll add it here and in future episodes. But today I'm going to enjoy time with my family and I hope you are blessed to do so too.

So happy Thanksgiving! Eat a bunch of turkey! And if you're serious about becoming part of a community that's real and encouraging and focused on skill and excellence, send me a message. You can share this episode with a friend that you think may need some encouragement. I want to walk alongside those who are ready for the next level.

And remember, you were created with purpose. Your creativity is a gift and your hands can produce beauty that blesses others. So don't give up. Don't settle for paint slapping. Don't cut corners. Don't stay discouraged. Commit your work. Commit your way unto the Lord. Persevere and watch what He builds through you.

So until next time I'm cheering you on. I'm praying for you. And I'm here to help you grow. You can find a lot of what I do at Val Frania dot Com. That's, V A L F R A N I A, (My name) DOT COM Go there and check out some of my free resources, and we'll talk again soon. Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss my next episode. Blessings.