We All Start at the Beginning

Val Frania: (: 00:02

You are listening to the Flipping Furniture for Profit podcast, helping new furniture flippers build confidence, skills and profits in a way that honors God. Around here, we believe creativity is a gift, community matters, and that your work, yes, even painting furniture can glorify God. I'm your host, Val Frania furniture artist, flipping coach and mentor. Whether you're brand new or ready to grow, you're in the right place. Welcome to episode one. I am glad you're here. This will be a short one because I just want you to know who I am and why I'm here right from the start. This podcast has been on my heart for a long time because I remember what it felt like to flip furniture, but I had no clue where to start. I had no clear steps. All I had was trial and error, which is fine, but it's a little frustrating sometimes when you can't figure it out

Val Frania: (: 01:00

and you spent a whole lot of time watching videos, asking questions, and sometimes that even makes you more frustrated. I had a whole lot of wasted time and supplies trying to get to the point where I was confident. So before I jump into tutorials, 'cause I have got a ton out there, I probably, I think I have over four or 500 video tutorials, but I wanted to do a podcast because I wanted to do some straight talk with you. And before we do that, you know, before I give you specifics on how to do things and how to sell, you know, the nitty gritty of flipping, I want you to know why this podcast exists, why I'm jumping into a new platform, and how flipping furniture has really changed my life. And I want that for you. So I'll start out with my life verse.

Val Frania: (: 01:51

Do you have one? My verses are Psalm 1:1-3. It's verse three that basically, is the one that I live by. The first two verses talk about how we need to be firmly planted in him and he will, and then he will bless our efforts. So these verses, especially verse three, has really kept me going in the tough times, whether it was business or personal life. So here's the third verse. "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he doth shall prosper." How's that for a promise? Okay, so here's my really short story. I've lived a lot of life, but let's just talk about how I got to be flipping and how I got to where I am first.

Val Frania: (: 02:46

I'm sure I'll be telling you a little bit about myself in future episodes. When you have lived as long as I have, you got a lot of stories, but I didn't grow up dreaming of painting furniture. I'm sure you didn't either. Like many of you, I just kind of stumbled into it. I was visiting my former youth pastor at his home. Ohhh, it was a beautiful home and I noticed a grass green ceiling fan in his kitchen. I mentioned it like, whoa, I've never seen, like I've never seen one that color in the store before. And he told me he spray painted it and then he showed me a couple of pieces of furniture that they had painted because they wanted to change the color in their house. And it was like a light bulb flashed. And then a whole new world opened up to me in that moment.

Val Frania: (: 03:31

I was hooked. And it wasn't just because it appealed to my creative side, which it did, but the results. We were in the ministry with a large family and you know, we were raising 15 kids at the time. I'll tell you more about that in the future, but we really didn't have two dimes to rub together. We were just starting out in the ministry. And if you know anything about ministry, well we won't get into the financial financial end of it,

Val Frania: (: 04:24

And it started out as a hobby, you know, just to update my own home. It sure made a difference. 'cause you know, back then we were really into country. But then when that style kind of died out in my mind, I really wanted to change things. I wanted to update my home. So rather than this just being a hobby and just updating my home, I finally figured, well, I might as well earn some extra money, express myself, creativity, creatively, and then help support my family. So basically it was a hobby turned business, a way to help support my family. And then it showed me what I was capable of. You know, I've never been one that could even draw a really good stick figure. So it never occurred to me I could do this kind of thing. But through all the learning, I have been able to turn out some beautiful pieces.

Val Frania: (: 05:21

I'm blessed to have over 30 pieces of my own, of my own furniture in my home. It's like I walk into the room and just smile because it's full of my own creations. I know a lot of furniture flippers that don't paint for themselves, but I highly encourage you to make sure you have the pieces of art in your home as well because it's really inspiring. And if I'd known that beginning journey would bring me to this very spot, my outlook during all those lean years would've been so much better. I want that for you. I want to paint a picture for you that will inspire you and give you some hope. Hope is good, right? So that's why I created this podcast for the younger version of me and perhaps the current version of you. Just start small and build something beautiful that is God honoring one step at a time.

Val Frania: (: 06:14

So what you'll get from this podcast each week I'll walk you through some things like what to flip, how to do it right, what to look for when you're looking for project pieces. How to price and sell your pieces faster than you normally would've if you didn't have these tips. Mistakes to avoid. And trust me, I've done plenty and I will share some of my mistakes with you and some that I see people making today. What about tools, materials, how do you do these techniques and methods? But you need to learn them without overwhelm. You need to enjoy the journey. And then I want to be here to encourage me,

Val Frania: (: 07:17

Okay, so here's my quick disclaimer. You don't need to be a pro right off the start. It takes time, it's baby steps, but if you take them one step at a time, you're gonna get there. You don't need a fancy workshop. I started out just painting right on the island in my kitchen that soon moved over to the floor, next to my kitchen table with just a drop cloth and then eventually moved downstairs. And we'll talk about that in the future. I've got, I've got a really nice workshop, but you don't have to have one to get started. You just need willingness to start. I'll help you figure out the rest. So if that's you, stick around, you're in the right place.

Val Frania: (: 08:01

In our next episode, I'll show you three furniture flips that you can do this weekend. Even if you're brand new, you don't need a big budget, a bunch of tools or any experience. You just need some courage and a couple of hours. Too many people are putting off flipping because they think they have to know it all to start. And you don't - just get started. Don't forget to hit subscribe so you won't miss it. Thanks for spending time with me today and my brand new Flipping Furniture for Profit podcast. Be sure to grab your free guide, the Beginner's Guide to Flipping for Profit. You can find it at ValFrania.com/flip4profit. Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Keep creating, keep flipping, keep shining as light with paint on your hands and purpose in your heart. And

Val Frania: (: 08:55

Remember, do it to the glory of God. I'm cheering you on. I'll see you in the next episode. Have a great week.