218 | 1095 Days Of Organizing: My Third Year In Business with Kim Snodgrass of Rustic Home Organizing

After three years of being a professional organizing entrepreneur, one of our most popular guests is back to give a recap of what she learned in year 3 and what she has happening with big changes coming for year 4. Kim Snodgrass of Rustic Home Organizing in Oregon is here to have a refreshingly honest take on what her year was like. 

If you want to listen to the past years' retrospectives with Kim, starting at Epsiode 177, all three of her prior episodes are there if you'd like to take a look back!

LINKS FOR LISTENERS:

Connect with Melissa: [e-mail]

Connect with Kim: www.rustichomeorganizing.com

Year Four Reflection: Trials, Triumphs, and Transformations 

In this episode, Melissa reconnects with Kim Snodgrass from Rustic Home Organizing to discuss her journey through her third year as a professional organizer. They delve into the ups and downs Kim faced, including major life events, business dynamics, and personal growth. Kim talks about the importance of adaptability, the evolution of her business practices, her passion for supporting women, and her ambitious new project, The Daydream Project. The conversation offers an honest, raw, and insightful look into the realities of running an organizing business, emphasizing resilience, learning, and the necessity of ongoing self-reflection. 

02:51 Year Four Recap Begins
04:35 Challenges and Reflections
07:43 Business Struggles and Personal Growth
12:44 Organizing Philosophy and Client Relations
16:32 The Realities of Organizing
27:25 Product Use and Ethical Considerations
39:20 Facing Ethical Dilemmas in Organizing
40:19 The Power of Saying No
40:57 Staying True to Your Why
42:53 The Joy of Downsizing Projects
45:43 Balancing Multiple Responsibilities
46:52 The Importance of Automations
48:08 Reflecting on Personal Growth
59:13 The Daydream Project: Empowering Women
01:02:43 Event Planning Challenges and Successes
01:10:52 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hey, pro organizers.

(00:01):
It's Melissa.
I first brought you.
A podcast with a brand new organizer.
Her name is Kim Snodgrass.
She was just starting a business calledRustic Home Organizing, and a year
later I was like, Hey, do you wanna hopback on the podcast and just give an
update on what your first year was like?
And then we did an update onwhat her second year was like.

(00:22):
And now we are back.
With the update of her third yeargoing into her fourth year of being an
organizer, and these are some of themost popular episodes that I put out.
People frequently ask me about them ortalk to me about them, and so I wanted
to make sure that we did another update.
We're a little bit later on itthan we usually are, but Kim is
heading into her fourth year as anorganizer and every single year.

(00:46):
She has had some major epiphanies aboutthings she's learned about herself
as an entrepreneur, about herself,as a person, all of those things.
And this year is no exception.
So this conversation, I will say isvery honest, very raw, very vulnerable.
And we might say some thingsthat you totally disagree with.
It, it, this was more like aconversation than anything else.

(01:07):
We might say some things thatyou're like, oh my gosh, I didn't
know anyone else felt that way.
And, and that's really our goal is wewant to be really honest about some of
the trials and tribulations as well asthe great things about being an organizer.
The other thing I would say is there isa little bit of salty language in here.
That's how Kim and I roll.
And, uh, I understand if that's notfor you, but, um, what I told someone

(01:29):
one time who I got annoyed at me on myInstagram because I, I used a salty word.
I was like, I'm almost 50 yearsold and this is just how I talk.
If you're newer to the podcast or if youhaven't heard Kim's past podcast, I will
link them in the show notes because itreally is fun to hear her progression,
and especially if you are at a differentpoint in your organizing career.

(01:50):
It might help you to hear a brand newperson and then a person with three solid
years of experience under their belt.
All right.
I hope that you have an absolutelyfabulous week, and here is
my conversation with Kim.
Anywho all right, you ready?
I'm ready.
I've said it 8 million times,but I'm going to say it again.
The stuff we talk about before wehit record is better than most of the

(02:14):
stuff we talk about on the podcast.
I think the things we talk abouton the podcast are pretty good.
I agree.
I agree.
Yeah.
We should probably, I mean, thatshould be like Patreon content.
Like if you want the behind thescenes to hear about the weird things
we were discussing before we hitrecord, it might be paid content.
Yeah.
Today was juicy.
I'll say.

(02:35):
So I would like to welcomeback my dear friend and friend.
Like, 55 billion time podcastcollaborator, Kim Snodgrass
from Rustic Home Organizing.
How are you?
I am so good.
I know.
I kind of feel like I've wornout my welcome just a little bit.
It's not true.
Let me tell you why that's not true.
Because the other day, so we, whatwe're doing today is we're doing
your year four recap and, or yearthree, three, four forward, right?

(03:02):
And so I have done this with yousince you were a baby organizer.
We've done it every year since then.
And we usually do it in January.
And I had someone DM me the other day,sassing me and being like, where is the
Kim business yearly business update.
And I was like, well, pardon, I'm sorry.
We're running late with it.
So you have not you havenot worn out your welcome.

(03:23):
And in fact, people like the podcastepisodes with you are some of the
best downloaded, so people love you.
So you might, I shouldprobably podcast over to you.
No, I do not want that, but thank you.
I appreciate the offer.
I'll put you in my will asthe owner of the podcast.
If anything,
please don't
know.

(03:44):
Well, I'm happy to welcomeyou back because I know that.
So I know because I know you that youhave a lot going on, but I want you to
just talk about some of the things youhave going on and you have, I will put
it in the show notes, but I'll put allof the prior episodes so you can hear.
Baby organizer Kim and one yearKim and two year Kim and it is fun
to hear your progression, but I'mexcited for the year three update

(04:07):
well, I am too because I'm not surewhat's gonna come out of my mouth, but
my favorite
also Feeling like I should probablygo back and re listen to myself.
Yeah And see if I was so, off pointin certain areas or if I kind of saw
this year coming so to back up, Januaryjust took off like freight train.

(04:35):
I mean, it was, I got sick in December perusual, you know, and then Kim gets sick
every December.
So what happened?
Let me just back up really quickly.
Kim always says, I'm goingto take December off.
And then Kim doesn't take December off andshe gets super, super sick and then ends
up having to take December off anyway.
Yeah, literally every singleyear it happened again.
This year was pneumonia.

(04:56):
So last January, I just like shot out thestarting line and was a business was just
like flowing, like fire hydrant flowing.
I did more in my.
Okay.
Let's just stop a minute.

(05:18):
So basically in, in one quarter, in athird of the year, you did the revenue
that you did in the entire year prior.
That's a big deal.
Oh yeah.
I was feeling like the shit.
Like, I have got this figured out.
I have it dialed
in and under control.
Yep, all that hard work, all oflaying my foundations, all of my

(05:43):
networking, all of my behind the scenes.
And just my hard work, becauseI take pride in my work.
And then, I, you know, I really trulydon't know what happened, but I do
know what didn't happen, and thatwas more business after that point.
And, I know I was distracted because Ihad my youngest daughter's 21st birthday.

(06:07):
big party at the house.
And then we were rollingstraight from that.
That was July 13th.
We were rolling straight intomy middle daughter's wedding,
which was here in town as well.
And she was coming from Boston.
So we had a lot of people, butI think looking back, I realize
that I think I started to takemy foot off the gas back in May.

(06:28):
And when I say take my footoff the gas, I stopped.
networking as much.
I didn't send the email newsletters out.
And if I did, it was justa here's just a quick one.
There was no like loveor passion behind it.
Now, I do want to take, I do want totake one thing back, because I do,
I did send out one email newsletter,I booked, like, my whole month.

(06:52):
I remember that.
You, yeah, you said, you, like, theentire month of August or something in one
email.
Something like I did get that.
And that was good.
It was just not obviously enough foran entire year's worth of business.
But I learned a lot withhaving that big chunk.
I learned that you have to really managethat and you have to stretch that.

(07:13):
If you know you're going intoa season of distraction because
that's what I was doing, I didn'trealize how distracted I was going
to become and I got very distracted.
And I'll be very honest I've probablyplayed the I'm busier than I am game,
I'll be super honest so wanting peopleon the outside looking in thinking

(07:33):
that I still am while I kind of figuredout what in the world's going on here,
why is business so slow and I don'tlove that but then I also did love it.
Yeah.
I had a few minutes of, Ooh,maybe I don't love organizing in
people's homes as much as I used to.
Right?
Because when I would get an inquiry,it would be like what is it though?
Do I really want that?

(07:55):
Was getting pickier and pickier.
So I know I'm shooting all over theplace, but I just kind of need to recap
here briefly before we start divinginto different subjects that my full
third year was the weirdest year ever.
My busiest time, my slowest time, mymost reflection time, the most I learned.

(08:17):
There, it's like, It's a cesspool of shit.
And I'm not 100 percent sure likewhat I took from it, but it was a lot.
I don't know if the title of this podcastcan be a cesspool of shit, but that
is the contender for the title anyway.
Said so many important things thereand One of them is, and one of them

(08:41):
that I would like to kind of noodleon a little bit or whatever, is
the taking your foot off the gas.
Like, things are going great,therefore, I can just coast.
And you can for a while.
Coasting works for a littlebit, but unfortunately it
doesn't work for infinity.
There are some things that youcan coast on, but unfortunately

(09:06):
every business takes care and work.
And if
you think about coastingdown on a bike, right?
Yeah.
You start to all of a suddenyou start to lose that momentum.
What do you have to do?
You have to like pedal really fast.
So when you hop back into your businessyou're going to, you're hopping on a
hamster wheel that you're like, Oh crap.
I got to hit the ground running here.

(09:26):
I can't just like ease back in.
Right.
Well, and I think the other thing toois there are some very there are just
some very basic things that you can doto keep things going, but when you stop
everything at once, then that also, youknow, accelerates that like, oh, at the
bottom of the hill, it becomes a harderhill to start pedaling back up again too.

(09:50):
Yes, it does.
And you know, per myusual in, when was it?
Gosh, we're alreadyinto almost March crap.
We are.
Yeah.
March.
I did the typical Kim thinking I neededto apply for jobs and give my resumes.
I think I talk about that every year too.
Yeah, every year.
Every year you have a coupleof crisis points where you

(10:12):
will text me and you will go.
Hey, I've decided to throw it all in.
I'm going to start applying for jobs.
And typically when that happens, Idon't know if it's like the speaking
it into the universe thing, thenlike two weeks later, you'll be like,
well, I have more people booked thanI've ever had in my entire business.
Carry on.
Yes.
You have those crises points, Ithink a couple of times of the year.

(10:34):
I do.
And it happened again this year,but I've noticed a pattern.
I apply for the exact same job inthe exact same company every year.
And I think they've caughton because this year.
This year I didn't even get an interview.
This year they were like, sorry.
We've been on this rollercoaster with you before.
We see this
resume come through everyyear at the same time.
That's hilarious.
I did not know that it was the same place.

(10:55):
Yeah, I've never told anybody that.
And I've gotten I've actually gotone time I got an offer and then one
time I got an interview and then Iturned down the interview this year.
I didn't even get the interview.
So that's I think when I reappliedfor wherever next year, I've got
to find somebody new to apply
when you have that crisis.

(11:15):
You're going to haveto find my application.
Yeah.
And I'm going to be super honest.
Business is not super amazing right now.
I don't love the clients I'm getting.
I've turned down quite a few.
I've really gotten comfortable at home andthat's not a good place to be unless I can
figure out how to make money from home.
Right.
But I have realized how hard.

(11:39):
organizing is on your body.
Yeah.
And it's been nice not havingthe aches and the pains and
crawling around in people's dirtand lots of reflection going on.
Lots of reflection, for sure.
And I, figuring outwhat part of it I love.
And I think I'm, I think I'm honingin on something and we can talk

(12:01):
about that when you're ready, butit's, Yeah, definitely a year.
It was a year.
I have been through some ofthose same periods of like, I
think I'm tired of organizing.
And this is, we're being veryvulnerable and we're being very honest.
Like, there are times.
Sure.
Where are you go?

(12:21):
I'm tired of people's stuff.
I'm tired of having people.
Yeah.
Or I'm tired of people or I'm just tired.
That's another thing.
I think part of it is as wediscussed on our prior podcast about
perimenopause and menopause, you know,aging makes a difference there too.
But I think that you saidsomething important there, which

(12:41):
is being picky about clients.
And when I think about the clientsthat I took at the beginning of my
business, Versus the clients that Itake now, I am much more judicious
about who I'm willing to work with.
And I think you hone in on, I,there are certain projects that

(13:02):
I just say, I'm really sorry.
I don't think I'm the right fit forthat, but I'd love to give you a
referral to someone else who wouldbe thrilled to have that client.
And I'm not sending them bad clients.
I'm just sending them clientsthat are in the Marie Kondo
parlance, not sparking joy for me.
Right.
Do
you find that you're when you do getpicky, are they still, when you go,

(13:27):
are they projects that you do enjoy or?
Are they still like,
I'd rather be home on my couch.
I mean, by the way, I'd almostalways rather be home on my couch.
Right.
That's a really good question.
So one thing we haven't mentioned isthat I decided once upon a time on one
day in this last September that I wantedto have a women's day, whole big day.

(13:52):
And What started out as a thought ofhaving a chamber of commerce women's
luncheon for maybe 25 women is now at avenue of 200 and so I have been planning
that and that has Stretched me quitethin And is not a moneymaker But what it

(14:15):
made me realize was that even though inmy previous couple years how much I told
you I hated learning things I'm findingnow that I'm okay learning things, and
I'm okay learning things that once mademe super technologically frustrated, I'm
getting a little bit better at it and it'salso made me realize that my true passion,

(14:36):
I think, is supporting other people.
Women in their life journeys, and I justhappened to do that through being in
their homes and organizing, but what I washearing was the same things over and over
these women feeling stuck in their lives,and it wasn't just about the clutter
that was around them, that clutter I feltwas a byproduct of being unhappy with it

(15:00):
just their own self worth and what theyallowed themselves to enjoy in life and
what gifts they brought to themselves.
And that is what I have feltthat my ideal client is.
Is somebody that is almoststruggling personally.
The clutter is just a byproduct.

(15:21):
And so having that time to sit and talk.
And I'm not a counselor and I'm not acertified coach or anything like that.
But I got really excited aboutreaching not just one or two
women in their homes, but 200.
So my ideal client is somebody thatis open to learning and listening

(15:44):
and rediscovering themselves.
And so I'm trying to figureout how to incorporate that
into my organizing business.
So yeah, that I'm a, I'm ina little bit of a, I don't
know what I'm doing right now.
Yeah.
Well, and I think for you,you feel better trying to kind

(16:06):
of figure that out as you go.
I don't want to put words in yourmouth, but I feel like we're kind of
learning that on the fly then sittingdown and like really thinking about it.
Right.
Like you have to learn by doing that.
Like, Hey, this is the client that Iwant and this is a client that I want.
Yeah, I don't learn the other way.
That's not an option.
I have to.
hands on full mistakes, terriblemoves and turns and all of this stuff.

(16:32):
So, and I just, I wonder if other womenin this industry and Michael I wonder
if they were all just super honest andjust sat down and talked about like
what challenges each year brought.
I would, I just can't help but wonderif there would be a pattern in, what

(16:53):
you learn in each year in your businessand how it how it presents itself.
So yeah, not that I want to quit business.
I love being in business.
I think I'm a little, I'm excitedabout how it evolves and that's a
lot of what this conference that I'mhaving is about is allowing yourself
to move and pivot and not feelashamed and not feel like you have not

(17:16):
succeeded, but you're just growing.
And I. firmly believe that we all takesteps in life that lead us to where we're
supposed to be at that certain time.
So I'm definitely doing something.
I just don't know what it is.
Well, I think you have trieda lot of new things too.

(17:39):
You have really been someone who saidyou know, I want to go all in on XYZ
and I want to like, you started apodcast with your daughter and now
you're doing this conference and youknow, you have done other things.
You have done organizing related seminars.
You've tried a lot of thingsand you have said like, I just
want to give it a try and.

(17:59):
See whether I like it or not and I thinkthat's important because otherwise I do
think you can reach a point of burnoutof Some people really enjoy doing the
same thing over and over again I don'tthink you're one of those people and
I'm not one of those people either
No but I like that you bring upthat point because It's a little
bit of a concern of mine, is thatwhy do I keep wanting to hop around?
What am I either avoiding, or why amI bored, or what, like why is that?

(18:24):
Or is it all a good thing?
Is it me just like, okay,nope, ready for the next thing?
It's my concern for myself is that I'mtaking my eye off the ball a little bit.
And we all have to make money ifwe're gonna put the time and energy
into doing something from homeor being our own business owners.
Otherwise, you're just a professionalhobbyist and that wasn't what I got

(18:48):
into to do this, but I find myselfpossibly going down that path and
that's not a path I wanna go down.
. So a lot of self-reflection and.
Figuring out how to,yeah, how to make it work.
Yeah.
I think that there are different kinds,like, I appreciate that you're asking
the question because you don't wantto be someone who's just serially like

(19:09):
squirrel, like every three months you'retrying something different, right?
Like there's that.
And then there is, I really amseeking the thing that truly lights
my fire, like for the longterm.
But yeah, well, you may be one ofthose people that just like, I really
do need a new challenge every year.
I need something different so that I cancontinue, you know, with my main thing.

(19:33):
Well, I need to find a challengethough, that does not prevent sleep
and eating and all of the thingsand the stress and all of that.
A lot of pressure, but I, and so a lot ofwhat this conference is that I'm having
is about our progression and how we'regetting from when you hear stories about.

(19:54):
Women, men, it doesn't matter.
Like they talk about I'm standinghere today because we all think
it's this overnight success.
But when you hear theirstory, this started like maybe
when they were 16 years old.
And then you kind of see howthe story slowly unfolds.
My hope right now is that I'mgoing to be able to see my

(20:14):
story clearly sooner than later.
Because what I'm doing, thesteps I'm taking, I feel so
incredibly passionate about.
I feel so incredibly pulled todo that I just can't shake it.
So I really hope there's some sort of.
Pot of gold at the end for me on this.
Yeah, well, one of the things thatI admire and value about you is that

(20:37):
you see these things that you want todo and you are you might be afraid of
what's, you know, is there a pot of goldat the end of the rainbow or is there.
Or something else.
Dragon waiting for me.
Right.
There is no unicorn.
The unicorn has been torched by a dragon.

(20:58):
I don't know.
But you see those things andyou're like, you know what, but
I still want to see them through.
And.
You and I are a little bitsimilar in that we kind of leap
and then we try to figure it out.
And I think that
parachute,
it's going to be fine.
It's going to be fine.
But that is that's a true entrepreneurialspirit that you have and saying,

(21:23):
you know what, I see this thing.
I'm going to try it.
It might not work.
I'll accept if I don't, if that doesn'twork, and then I'll learn from it.
And I think that's great because I think alot of people would just be 10 years from
now going, you know what, I really wantedto start that conference and I never did.
Yes.
And I think I'm learningmore and more that.

(21:43):
When we're going through something,so anybody that's starting their
organizing business right now there'sso much overwhelm, and there's so much
knowledge that has to be learned, andthere's so many skills that have to be
perfected, and when you're in the middleof that, sometimes it just feels not,
it doesn't feel right, it doesn't feellike it's meant for you, it doesn't

(22:04):
There's just so much questioning thatgoes on in so many moments throughout
the day, but I am realizing more andmore, and maybe it's just the older I
get, that those are the defining moments.
Those are the moments that are aslong as you can stick with them
and feel uncomfortable, that'swhere your resilience comes from.

(22:25):
And I am extremelyuncomfortable right now.
Not on here, but I am very uncomfortablewith where, what I'm doing.
It, I question it constantly,but I just keep moving forward.
And so I just can't help butthink that it is going somewhere.
I think you've just said somethingincredibly important, which is the concept

(22:48):
we do not like being uncomfortable.
None of us do.
And sometimes going into that discomfortis the only way that you have real growth.
And by the way, sometimes thatdiscomfort doesn't go away.
It doesn't go away or the thing isn'tmagical or, it doesn't work or you

(23:08):
lose money or any of the things.
But that being in that zone of beinguncomfortable, if it's comfortable all the
time, something's gonna tip, something'sgonna tip in the wrong direction.
I think.
Yeah.
And you are so right.
And the journey and the toughmoments, those are what count.

(23:31):
It's not that end result.
That isn't where the growth happens.
The growth happens all along andif we can stay focused on that and
if we can stay somewhat groundedand not lose our minds in between.
If we can focus on that the growingpains as such a positive thing,

(23:52):
I think it will get a lot ofpeople through a lot of things.
I know right now I'm really trying to.
Keep that mindset that theuncomfortableness is what I'm going
to look back on and be able to talkabout as my story, and it might be
able to help somebody else, but inthe moment, it does not feel good.
I will also say that discomfort thatwe're talking about, so you're talking

(24:13):
about it in a much bigger sense, right?
Like you were trying to figure outwhat that thing is that lights your
fire and you think it might be, youknow, kind of this big thing that
other people that are listening to thismight not be thinking about, right?
But I would argue that the discomfortthat we're talking about could be as
simple as I don't want to send an emailto my list because you've been there too.

(24:36):
Who hates sending emails more than you?
I do.
You hate it.
I hate them more than I hate them, but youdo them and that's a level of discomfort.
So, so sometimes it's the discomfort ofsomething individual in our business.
I hear all the time from people, okay.
I don't have enough clients.
Cool.
Have you done this?

(24:56):
This, and this?
No.
Why?
Well, I don't want tobother people with an email.
I don't want to I am tooafraid to go networking.
I am.
They're just you know, a list of thingsthat are in that discomfort category.
And.
I would just argue thatyou got to do the thing.
You got to do the thing becausethere are elements of all of

(25:20):
our business that we don't love.
And it's very
true.
There's a lot.
Then business may not be for you andthat's an okay decision too, but that's
where you actually get that growth.
Yeah.
I carry, I'd be curious.
Do you, I'm going to ask you a question.
So when you say.
You know, if you can't get past someof that uncomfortableness and doing

(25:41):
the email newsletters or the blogsor whatever it might be, and maybe
the, maybe business isn't for you.
Is there like a online test orsomething you can take that will
tell you the answer to that?
No.
And I
should back up and say, Idon't mean to sound harsh.
Like I, I really I want to encourageas many people as possible to get into
this business because I truly love it.

(26:02):
And like, we're being honest with youthat there, it's not a panacea, right.
But In general, I think this isa great business to be in, but it
also might not be for everyone.
And that is okay.
It's okay to be like, you know what?
I love organizing.
I just want to go workfor someone else's team.
Or no, I really, I want to do all thesethings that make me an entrepreneur.
And so I'm willing to either findsomeone that can do it for me.

(26:23):
I'm, you know, I'm willing to pay someoneto find, you know, to do it for me.
Or I need to find a way around it orI need to get past the discomfort.
No, that's a great questionabout like, what's, we need
like an, I call it the X factor.
So when I'm working with people,I will just have a feeling about
like they have that X factorthat doesn't have any sort of.

(26:45):
Statistical, you know, basis for it,but I can just tell like that person
is gritty and I think that they canplow through challenges and I think
that, they'll have setbacks, butthey'll be able to get through them.
They'll have the panicmoments, that type of thing.
And there are some people that you justneed to know yourself well enough to know.
You may not be that person,and that is okay too.

(27:08):
Yes, yeah.
There's nothing wrong.
That is true.
So, that's not my jam.
So, I, another another area ofthought that I have really been
noodling on recently, and that is,what does organizing mean to me?
And in year three, I think I startedto question some of the Kool Aid that

(27:35):
I had drank as far as the products andthe systems and the labeling and the
this, and I have a few clients thatI go back into their homes and I see
some of the mess that is been made ofwhat I left, and it's got me really

(27:56):
questioning what organization truly is.
And if there is, well, we've all saidthere is not a one size fits all.
There just isn't.
And I would say it's probably less than10 percent of society can actually upkeep.
What a professional organizer that's gonnago in and make everything look pretty

(28:19):
they can actually upkeep it And I'm justmaking up shit so, you know come at me.
I don't care.
I think I started to realize thatthe focus has gotten so far away
from what is the actual reason whywe have chronic disorganization in
our homes, and that is too much shit.

(28:40):
And it, and, listen, I'm the firstperson to, I've got a burn pile
out back, and I'm not even going totell you some of the stuff I burn
because I'd probably go to jail.
So I am not out here just by the way,
benefit of living in the country,you're like, what's a burn pile?
Anyway, God.
Oh, yes.
I am really, maybe that you knowwhat, I'm coming to something here.

(29:03):
Maybe this is why I'm struggling somuch with organizing right now in my
business, because I Need to get thepoint across that you need less stuff.
It's not my pantry keepsgetting out of control.
No, you have too much food.
Yeah, you don't need that much food.

(29:23):
Think I it's important as organizersthat we treat every client different and
that we have to be prepared to not jumpin with a bin or a basket or a label.
We have to be ready to jump inand say, listen, I can't, we
can't move further in this projectuntil we go through your things.

(29:46):
Yeah.
And you have to be able to stand firm inthat because I have organized and so much
clutter and it's just, it's pointless.
I've wasted clients money and I thinkI feel a little guilty about that.
I told someone the other day that andI have the luxury of doing this because
my full time job is pro organizer studioand therefore, you know, organizing,

(30:07):
as I've said before, is my side hustle.
I take on projects that are interesting tome, or frankly, that are highly lucrative.
And I said to someone the otherday, I said, I can always tell
when I need a break from organizingjobs because I start to get.
Exactly what you're notsupposed to be, which is I get
judgmental about people's stuff.
I start to go, why do you have50 bath towels for two people?

(30:32):
Why do you have, I saw a thingon Instagram the other day
that I had to scroll past.
By the way, I've takenInstagram off my phone.
We can talk about that if we want to.
I'm not, I do not haveInstagram on my phone right now.
Good for you.
And by the way, I'm survivingjust fine and I feel great.
But I saw something on Instagram thatwas someone that had, was like, okay,
what Stanley are we taking today?
She probably has a hundred Stanleys.

(30:54):
I'm not even exaggerating.
She has tchotchkes for them.
She has, you know, awhole, all sorts of things.
I mean, it's tens of thousands of dollars.
Okay.
And I'm like, but why?
But why?
And I know the part of the answeris because she's an influencer and
she gets a lot of views from thisand whatever, but I'm like, no, when
you're in someone's regular home,I see that a lot too, you know, but

(31:16):
that's what I'm saying.
Yes.
And then I go,
why do you need.
75 Stanleys, you don't, nobody needs75 Stanleys, you know, and so then
that's when I know that I need to takea little bit of a break from organizing
is when I start to get tweaked alittle bit on the, why am I having
to try to organize this much stuff?

(31:39):
But you make a really good point.
It's, she's an influencer.
So yeah, all these people that arewatching that see this one little part of
her home that she's already made perfect.
And you know, I call it, youknow, hide the mustard, let's
make it all look perfect.
And then after we're donetaking our pictures, we'll
put all the ugly shit back in.
But that now, so people then juststart, okay, I want to feel good today.

(32:03):
So I'm just going to go buy 20Stanley's that are all pretty colors.
Yeah.
And that's, yeah.
It's the stuff problem that we have,particularly in the United States.
I'm sure it translates to otherparts of the world as well.
But that is a hard part about organizingand then you just have to decide like

(32:23):
philosophically, am I okay with that?
And you might not be, or you need to findthe correct ideal client for you, which
is much stuff that I need to downsize.
And hey, I'm not judging any influencersthat are making money out there.
Even the organizers that are showing allthe cool things you can do with product.
I mean, you're earning a living.
We're all responsible for our own actions.

(32:45):
So that's not what not shaming them,but we have to be responsible for what
we feel like we can manage in our homes.
And you know, it never fails andit's getting worse and worse.
When I talk to a client on thephone, we talk about what's
going to happen when I get there.
Well, how, what do I, howmany bins should I buy?

(33:07):
What do I need to get before you get here?
What do
I need to, okay, where did it becomethat's the only way to become organized?
And that's where it's totally everything.
The message has been completely changedand it needs to, just needs to refocus
to the core and the guts and that's,you got to get rid of some stuff.

(33:30):
Stop buying so much stuff.
I am also pro product when it makes
sense.
That makes sense.
Yes, I'm very because there arethings where you're like sure
this drawer freaking needs a bitI gotta have some boundaries.
I gotta have some yard.
I don't have some like there arePlaces where it's critical and then

(33:50):
you have the client that's likeI don't want to buy anything Oh,
just like really a hundred dollars.
It would be such likeso transformational for
you Something there's
a difference between I need 100 at Targetand I'm gonna bring 10, 000 of product to
your house that I personally That doesn'twork for my personal practice, and I

(34:13):
just can't feel good about that anymore.
I'm more on your train of, Ican't wrap my head around that.
Okay, well, I'm glad it's not just me,and so I'm, I think, yeah, I'm definitely
in a transitional phase at the moment.
I am.
Absolutely.
Still love connectingwith women, especially.
And I mean, I like Chad, he's cool, butI just, I really enjoy the connection

(34:38):
that, and I'm not saying like, I justlike to go like on girls trips and all
that kind of stuff, but just like the.
The raw moments.
I really get pulled into that,especially with my clients.
And I'm sorry.
I kind of went.
I can't remember whereI was going with that.
I try with every client to try tofind those bright spots, right?

(34:59):
Even someone that's just like, I just,I'm just thinking about a client that
I'm going to this week, who the firsttime I went there, she goes just super
matter of factly, I'm going to tellmy husband I did all of this myself.
And I'm like, okay, you canwhatever works for you works for me.
And she is having me come in.
Because she wants to talk her husband intoa a renovation that he doesn't want to do

(35:22):
because he says they have too much stuff.
And so she's like, I want to downsizethis stuff so that I get my renovation.
And I'm like, I'm team wife all the time.
Like, no problem.
I'll come in wherever, whatever you want.
Right.
Like, and so that type of client,like, I think I have maybe spent a
total of an hour with this woman.
That's the total amount oftime I've ever spent with her.
She's very much a, like, I don'twant to, I don't want to be

(35:44):
involved with you kind of a person.
I try really hard, even with thosepeople, to like find those moments, right?
Like, I would like this woman tobe able to do a very expensive
renovation if that's what herlittle heart desires, right?
But the joy doesn't come, thejoy for me, in that case, only
comes from sending the invoice.

(36:05):
The joy doesn't come in thelike, I have really done some
like transformational work
today.
And I think for you and me, that'ssomething that's more important.
Yeah and maybe that's my message rightnow, is to any organizers out there
that are maybe not sure why they'reeither not enjoying it, because, you

(36:27):
know, maybe they're working with theclients that need to downsize and they
want to just do a nice pretty pantry.
There's space for them as well.
But I really would liketo just as organizers.
I think we really need to makesure that we're understanding
what we're walking into.
And we're not making the problem worse.

(36:47):
And I I'm feeling verypassionate about this.
So maybe I want to educate andI don't know what that means.
Yeah.
Yeah, I think that's the thing.
And
I am, I will put a caveat in here becauseif someone's listening and being like,
wow, they are being really bitchy andjudgmental on this podcast this week.
Oh yeah.
So,
so sorry about that.
This is all about a me growth thing.

(37:07):
We're just talking about what we'retrying to figure out in terms of the joy
of what organize, you know, what we wantto bring to organizing and just trying
to be honest about what lights our fire.
And it's not to say that it's notvalid for someone to just want 10,
000 worth of product in their houseif that's what they really want.
I just am not that, or I'm not theorganizer for them in that case.
And I just remember like the onetime that it really just absolutely

(37:31):
pinged my brain so hard was the KhloeKardashian episode of Home Edit.
I think it was the first season.
It definitely was because Ididn't watch the second one
because I couldn't handle it.
But I just remember she had, itwas tens of thousands of dollars
worth of bins, and it was like jeansin the bins and the whole thing.
And I just was like, we're justputting our shit in more shit.
So it's a way for peopleto keep buying things.

(37:52):
But they're like, but I'mbuying something that's good.
Sort of, but you're not, to your point,you're not addressing the deeper problem.
Yeah.
And that majority of the people thatreach out there's a deeper problem.
I was just recently the local news didjust a quick little segment on me and

(38:13):
they asked can we link, do you have apage on your website where people can go
and see all the products you recommend?
And I said, you know what?
I did have one of those and I took itdown because that's not the solution.
The solution is, you're turningyour home into a landfill, and
that is what needs to be addressed.

(38:35):
So, at least, and maybe it's just myarea, my region, you know, I, maybe
other regions it's different, or, butyou know, I would say probably at least
75 percent of the clients that I'vebeen around, it's not a bin or a basket,
it's a garbage bag and a, Recycled in.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's I have found myself lately, youknow, back to the, I think this is

(38:58):
a gift that you give yourself as youget further along in the business too.
And I would kind of addressed itearlier, but being able to have the
fortitude to say, I'm not the rightperson for you to those people.
Like I did that the other day I hadkind of gotten and I know you have
been through this too, Perhaps veryrecently where you say yes to something
that you're like, my gut's tellingme I shouldn't say yes to this.

(39:20):
And I totally did that a few weeks ago.
I told someone, even though I, we didthe consult and I'm like, I don't wanna
there's two, it's not only physically toomuch, but I just can already tell this
is going to be like no, I need to keepthat paperclip, you know, the kind of
like, I just don't think I'm at a Placeright now where I have that level of page.

(39:41):
I'm a good person for that usually,but maybe not right now and
it, but I was like, yep, sure.
I'll schedule your appointment.
And as it came closer, I'm like,I can't do this like ethically.
I know that I'm not going.
To love that time and I want her tohave an organizer that is 100 percent
happy and invested for her to be there.

(40:03):
Right.
And so I went to her and I just said,I really need to, I'm going to suggest
X, Y, Z person to you because I thinkthat she's an absolutely fabulous
fit for what you have going on.
And that's a hard conversationto have for some people.
Me included confrontation.
Of any kind, and I hate thispeople, but I have started to

(40:25):
get some freedom from saying no.
I love that and I think that I recentlyjust had two, one I said yes to and we
had a conversation and I fully regret it.
I'm going to see it throughand the other one I said no.
And I, for the first time waslike, Oh, that felt amazing.

(40:45):
It was a lot of money.
It was a lot of money.
And that would have been great becausemy year has not been good so far.
But I know I turned it down andyes, there is freedom in that.
And yeah I think for new organizers,especially stay focused on why

(41:05):
you're doing it and try not to mixyour actions with your, don't let
your actions and your why be totallyopposite because that is not right.
It's not a good recipe forclients or for yourself.
So staying true to what, why you'rereally going into the organizing
business I think is really important.

(41:26):
'cause there is a need for all of us.
There is, yeah.
A hundred percent.
And there's a need for a lot of us.
Do you know what,
there's also a need and a time for.
I'm going to say, you know what,this isn't going to be my favorite
project, but I'm going to do it.
I'm going to do it.

(41:46):
Right.
So it's, you know, I don't wantto spread fairy dust here that
like, you can just only look foryour perfect, most ideal client.
And you know, you will have a hundredthousand dollar a year business.
That's not what I'm trying to say,but you do, if you have the ability.
To get more selective and youcan really hone in on this
is an ideal project for me.
This is an ideal client and I needto say no to the other ones because

(42:10):
I'm not the right person for them.
If you can get that freedomwithout causing financial
harm to yourself, I'm for it.
Yeah.
And you know, growth is going to happenwith the ones that you take that you
really didn't want to or the ones that youhad to growth is going to come from those.
You're going to learn.
And you're gonna, you know, if I wouldn'thave taken some of these clients last

(42:31):
year, that really started to open up myeyes, even though they're not clients I
would want to do again, it really startedto help me understand what, the part of
it that I loved and the part of it thatI wanted to make sure that I communicate.
What are some projects that have.

(42:51):
excited you last year?
So my favorite is thedownsizing of the 70 plusers.
They're my absolute favoriteclients in the entire world.
You have one
that is like extra special too.
Oh my
gosh, Catherine.
She just moved.
I've done three 70 year olds.
In the last year and the stories they telland the, they are ready to let stuff go.

(43:20):
They don't care about bins and baskets.
They don't ask what they have to buy.
They're my favorite clients.
Yeah.
And they need it.
They need help.
They really do.
And what you learn from them and whatyou see of how holding on to things
can get you to a point of havingto hire somebody, there's so much

(43:41):
knowledge comes from working with theseolder women that is just priceless.
Yeah.
It's a lot of work.
And usually it's stinky, but.
It's not it's not, there'sno overthinking that goes on.
It's just real raw help.
And that brings me the mostjoy out of all of the jobs.

(44:05):
I did I did a talk at a very niceretirement community Not that long ago.
And this was a, it was a luncheon wherepeople were thinking about moving in.
And so I was talking about the downsizingprocess and things you want to think
about and all that kind of stuff.
And it is interesting to me that thestuff can really hold on to you though.

(44:28):
Like someone really does have to be someof that age range, I think really does
have to be ready though, because it is.
Yeah.
Yeah,
All three of my ladies were,they were just, they were ready.
It was How quick can you get here?
Yeah.
And when they're ready.
And then that's how I like to roll.

(44:51):
But I think that's another thing.
Like it kind of, I think you and I aretrying to talk more about like those
projects that are really personallymeaningful or like you really have created
like major change in someone's life.
And I just I think one of thehard things about this job
is you hear a lot of stories.
Personally, I hear stories sometimesthat just really bum me out, right?

(45:13):
Or you just go like, Oh, I would liketo be able to help you get past that.
Like, you know, I was talking to myneighbors yesterday and they're like,
Oh, we got, you know, three adultkids stuff in our house and they
won't come pick it up and whatever.
And I was like, just gently goinglike, here are just a couple
of ideas I use with my clients.
Maybe these might work for you.
And you just hear stories sometimes whereyou're like, Oh man, I'd really like to

(45:33):
help you get out from underneath that.
And that's how I feel.
I wanna do that.
I don't wanna do the physicalpart, I just want to educate
Yeah.
Another message I want to make sure Iget out there to anybody is don't compare
your third year with my third year.
Yeah.
Because you could be rockingand rolling and doing amazing.

(45:54):
And.
Or
compare your first yearto your third year.
Yeah.
If you're a brand new organizer, pleasedon't be like, well, I don't need to.
I just need to get rid of everyoneexcept for my ideal clients or whatever,
like everybody's journey is very
specific.
Because mine really, I feelwas a lot of my own doing.
It was circumstantial with my life.
And when I look back, I seewhere I dropped the ball.

(46:17):
And I dropped it for a good reason.
I had some amazing celebrations that weregoing on that I needed to be present for.
And that's just the bottom line.
But that's why I also have my ownbusiness so that I can do that.
Lesson from that though, is if youhave those periods that, you know,
are going to be like, so what youhad this year is what I had when my
daughter graduated a couple years ago.

(46:38):
Yes.
Graduation.
And then I had a ton of people intown and then I was going to France
and then I had, you know, blah,blah, blah, blah, all the things.
Right.
And I had a very large chunk of timewhen I was basically not doing any
work and that came home to roost.
Right.
And so what.
And I think you realize too, is you haveto do some, the glory about this job is
you can just take entire months off at atime if you want to, you might also have

(47:01):
to do some preparation for that and putsome automations in place so that things
are still happening behind the scenes.
Like you cannot let your foot off ofthe brake or off of the gas entirely.
There has to be a little bit.
And you mentioned the automations.
And for the first time, Ithink I'm ready to just.
have some of those.
And I think you can turn them on and off.
So when I'm like in andpresent, I can just like be

(47:23):
real time because I prefer that.
That's how anything social mediaor newsletter comes out for me.
It's the more authentic.
I know that word is so overused,but it's the real Kim, but You also
have to be realistic and I think I'mready to hop on the automation trail.

(47:43):
I think you even got a text fromme the other day and said, well,
all right, what am I using?
What am I doing?
What am I doing?
So, yeah, getting the automationsin place is something that I
think, again, I preach this.
You'll know when you're ready.
You'll know when it's time.
So, and you won't really understand howyou need it, I think, until you need it.

(48:05):
At least that's my belief.
Totally.
What do you think, like, if you, ifwe were talking to three years ago,
Kim, I've lost track, was it 2021?
Anyway whatever it was.
What would she think of you right now?
I think that she would go, whatin the actual F are you doing?

(48:27):
I think
she would not recognize you, but Imean that in the best way possible.
Yeah, and I actually really like that youanswered that, asked me that question,
because it's giving me a moment to think.
First of all.
I'd be extremely impressed withthe things that I've tried.
So I still love the podcastthat my daughter and I started.
But as you know, it's very time consuming.
I know it's easy.

(48:48):
It's easy to do a podcast.
There isn't anything super hard about it.
It's just tedious and time consuming.
That has just been put on the back burner,is my the podcast and then it evolved,
so, I've also would be looking at myselfgoing, I'm proud of you for starting that,
you're gonna have to start it back up,and you're gonna have to get a schedule

(49:10):
Because if I'm looking at myself from theoutside looking in right now, I'm looking
at myself starting a lot of things becauseI'm excited about them, but it's a lot.
So putting on, starting awhole new, I had to start a
business for this women's event.
So starting a whole new business andcoordinating that event and having a

(49:33):
podcast and having your own businessand then Chad's construction business.
Doing his social media.
That's a lot.
It's a lot of work.
That's a that's morethan a 40 hour week job.
And so I think I would be telling myselfyou need to, you really need to schedule

(49:54):
your time, and that even though youdon't have to be somewhere, you have
to be at your desk, or you have to bedoing this so setting boundaries for
myself, and Sticking to a little bitof a schedule, I think, is something
that my younger self would be saying,Well, why don't you just try that?
When you have
multiple things like that,dividing your brain is very hard.

(50:18):
Well, in our age and what our bodiesare going through, dividing your brain
is a really good way to put that.
Because I spin my wheels a little bitsometimes, like, Oh, I need to go do
my Keeper Toss thing on social media.
Everybody loves that.
I haven't done it in forever.
But it's like, Oh, I shouldhop on and do a keeper toss.
And then I get distracted.
I'm doing something else.
And then I'm like, Oh, but now mymakeup's off and I don't want to go

(50:39):
on without makeup because I don'twant to look at myself without makeup.
But yeah it's really easy to getthe momentum going to start things.
It's another thing to completethem and to stay committed to them.
And I'm learning how to do that.
But I think overall I wouldbe okay with where I'm at.
I think.
It's an evolution.

(51:00):
Yeah, absolutely.
It's an evolution.
And I just think, I think that 2021 Kimwould be like, I didn't actually do that.
Are you kidding me?
I did that.
That's amazing.
Like that's what I see.
I figured that out.
Yeah.
No, I mean, I, and I just, Ithink that she would be amazed
at the things that you have done.

(51:21):
And I think that all of us, you andI have an interesting thing in that
we've done this every single year.
Right.
So yeah.
Something you can literally look backon, but I think if all of us were
really honest with ourselves, like if Ilooked at myself as a baby entrepreneur.
I would be like, firstof all, she was so naive.
She was adorable.

(51:42):
She was so naive.
And also that I think we should allbe proud of ourselves that we stick
it out because it's, it'd be veryeasy to be like, you know what, I'm
throwing the talent, you know, youhave one, but you have one tough
day and you're like, eh, whatever.
And.
Doing that retrospective, if youhaven't done it, I think is really good.

(52:03):
Learning how to encourage myself,like I encourage others is something
that I come to a realization that Ihave not done for myself in all ever.
And I'm in the process oflearning how to do that.
That's not something thatcomes naturally to any of us.
It's so easy to talk ourselves down.

(52:23):
It's a defense mechanism and learning how.
Learning how to give myself theencouragement that I need is a challenge,
but something that needs to happen.
I heard somewhere, you know, probablythe internet like, if you talked to
yourself the way that you talk to otherpeople, or turn that around of, The

(52:48):
things you say to yourself, would youimagine saying those to someone else?
Like, man, you're doing a bad job.
Oof.
What are you thinking?
What is that?
You would never do that, right?
I mean, maybe someone would, a jerk would,but like the way we speak to ourselves
or the lack of credit, sometimes it canbe not even negative self talk, but the
lack of credit we give ourselves, like,would you say that to someone else?

(53:13):
No, you'd be like, Oh mygosh, you have killed it.
You have done such a great job.
Boom.
I'll give that back to ourselves.
You, yeah, no, that'sa really great point.
And when you are startingoff in your business standing
tall and not feeling like.
You aren't ever going to amount tomaybe an organizer that you look up to.

(53:35):
And there's the small percentage thatdon't have that imposter syndrome.
And I'm like, girl, more power to you.
I love that.
I would love to know who they are.
There, there's gotta be a few, butyeah, pushing yourself outside of your
boundaries is I think an important step toany growth within your business for sure.

(53:56):
And it's I just think, Melissa, thereis no way, oh, I need to say this loud
and clear, because I want anybody toknow that you literally could join
your course and you did not you didnot know I was going to say this.
I need to like preface that.
Oh, I didn't like set you up for this.
No,
your course.

(54:17):
is what has allowed me to dothis event that I'm doing.
I learned so much on the foundationalpieces and how those foundational pieces
affect certain parts of business and theydon't help certain parts of business.
There is no way this course would havebeen, even if I wasn't an organizer.

(54:39):
I would have learned so much.
First of all, I would have learnedabout search engine optimization.
I would have learned about theimportance of keywords, which is SEO.
I would have learned the importanceof when social media is beneficial
and when it is not the importanceof getting people's emails.
And why are you getting them?
Not just getting them, butwhy are you getting them?

(55:01):
I wouldn't have learned howto segment things on Flodesk.
Like, now I know when somebody opensup my emails and they click to go
look at the tickets for my event.
I have a whole segment, so I know, oh,these people are interested, and so I
can shoot them their own separate email.
There is so much your coursefoundationally lays down.

(55:23):
How to get Google reviews, how toset up your Google, like, there
is so much that It, you will usewhat you teach in the course in
so many other areas of your life.
It's not just about startingan organizing business, period.
It does help because we're allorganizers and it's, you know, but

(55:46):
obviously
there is some huge foundationalpieces that you teach.
And I am so grateful.
I mean, I would have spent10, 000 for your course.
knowing what I got from it.
So
I'll send you an invoice for the other.
I'm just kidding.
I wanted

(56:07):
to make sure I mentioned that onthis, because if you are listening
to this and you aren't an organizer,but you think, Oh, I might want to
start like my own cleaning business.
Take her course.
I'm telling you, you will learnenough to figure out how to
start your cleaning business.
There's a lot of stuff in there.
Yes.

(56:27):
A lot.
I appreciate that.
That's very kind and I'm happy tohave been I'm happy to have been
a teeny part of your journey.
Yeah, thank you.
Take a drink every time I say journey.
Just kidding.
I am excited when people use the stuffthat they've learned for other things.
Because that's fun too, becauseit is something that can stick

(56:47):
with you, so, but I'm happy thatyou are part of our community.
Very happy.
I'm happy to be a part of the community.
I wish I could come on here andsay I make six figures every year.
I'm not going to tell you I do.
But that's not becauseof Melissa or the course.
That's because of my own personal badhabits or my own personal direction.

(57:08):
But to pat yourself onthe back, you did have
several
months.
I
had one.
I had months.
I had, yeah, I had one six figure year.
I did.
You have done very well, sodon't sell yourself short.
Yeah, no, you're right.
But guys, the momentum, yougotta keep the momentum going.
It's, there is no quick, richscheme thing going on here.

(57:31):
This isn't, you can work two hours andgo hit the tropics the rest of the week.
That's a bunch of bullshit.
And I'm going to call it out right there.
I just, it is proof to me otherwise.
So don't, you know, don't getinto these little businesses
thinking you don't have to work.
It's a different kind of work.
It's very rewarding.
I learned so much.

(57:52):
It's what I enjoy
doing.
You know what I mean?
Like, it's
self development.
It's, You learn things about yourselfyou challenge yourself, there's like
so many great things that come along.
But you also have to be okay, youknow what, if it's not for me,
like you said earlier, it's okay togo back, it's not failure at all.

(58:12):
You have totally learned your limits andyou have learned what We'll work for you.
And what doesn't work for you.
So be okay with anydirection you choose to go.
Just don't do it.
Out of fear, just correct.
And I would also say you have togive it enough of a try to determine

(58:33):
whether it is or isn't for you.
Can't decide after one client.
Or three months or what you have togive yourself some runway to do not love
or even a bad six months.
I mean, we could all have a badsix months you know, but you
could also have an Chad's been ina contractor for 20 some years.

(58:53):
He had like terrible nine months.
And I'm like, why?
Like I would have thrown in thetowel like three months ago.
Right.
He's like, no, I've done this before.
You know, it's just.
Yeah, he's having his best year ever.
So thank goodness,because one of us isn't.
Right.
Well, you're doing something different.
So you've kind of touched on it,but you haven't really explained.
Tell us about the daydream project.

(59:15):
Tell us.
Oh,
yes.
You know, I'm excited about it.
Okay.
It's a really, and I knowwe've been on here a long time.
I'm sorry.
It's a really long backstory.
So I will try and just give youthe condensed version, which I am.
Trying to learn how to talk about inmy Make a Scene book, storytelling,
because also people learn how to tell astory because it's good for networking.

(59:36):
I have a huge draw to uplift andencourage women, and I don't know if
it stems from having three girls that,We moved a lot, and integrating into
middle school, high school was brutal,and so learning, teaching them how to
be resilient, that was something that Ihad to do on a non stop basis with them.

(01:00:00):
You know, I'm an open book, I was ina marriage that was not it was very
toxic and There was a lot of self doubtthat went into that, and I instead
would just uplift other women, likewe talked about, you know, I didn't
give myself the encouragement thatI needed, I gave it to other people.
But, I also have found in this business,met so many wonderful clients and

(01:00:25):
also so many other business owners.
And I just keep hearing the same thingover and over the woulda coulda shoulda's
the you know, I'm, I don't think I cando that maybe someday, or I wish I would
have, there was just so much What couldhave been and I watched myself over the
last four years do something that I neverthought in a million years I would do and

(01:00:49):
I finally just did it and I just wantedto make sure other women in especially
my area because we live in a small townknow their self worth that they know that
their thoughts, ideas and dreams are worthlooking into they're worth investing into.
And it's not just about business.
It's about.
You know, personal development youknow, maybe you're in a crappy marriage.

(01:01:11):
Maybe you're looking for like,Oh, it's okay for me to leave.
Not that's what I'm going to beteaching, but so I have this all day.
I started the daydream project and mydaughter and I are doing it together.
We have some incredible speakers.
We have a full day packed.
We have.
Just gonna be amazing.
This is not like a fly bynight, this is not like a, Oh

(01:01:32):
no, this is, Real
speakers, you have real, Oh yeah, we have,Like this is a very legitimate workshop
event, To help women dream bigger.
This is,
it's not a shopping event, I havezero vendors, It's an all inclusive,
It's not a sleepover party, It'sa, we get there at nine o'clock,

(01:01:52):
And, We have, Or some mimosa.
You know, coffee bar, morning bites.
We have speakers.
We have a lot of surprises.
And when I say our speakers, like,the speaker that our main keynote
speaker, Tara Renzi coming fromKansas city, she's absolutely amazing.
I've listened to her myself.
I've read her book.
And she is doing us a solid by comingall the way out here to speak to us.

(01:02:16):
And then I have three other speakers.
I have an MC for the event becausenobody wants to hear me talk all day.
And.
We have a DJ.
We have an amazing catered lunch.
We did our tasting yesterday.
Of course, some photo ops.
We have a wine bar.
And then we have a happyhour at the end of the night.
So all the speakers will bethere so people can talk to

(01:02:37):
them and ask them questions.
And it's hopefully going tobe one of many, but it is.
Oh my gosh, so many moving parts andpieces, things you wouldn't even think of.
Or work.
Like, how the day's gonna flow, andthe note cards, and what, all the
intros and the, getting the audiovisualstuff, so you gotta have screens, and

(01:03:00):
you have to have a stage, and you haveto have insurance, and, oh my gosh.
So, you have to have a registration table,and packets, and name tags, and swag, and
you have to have feedback forms, and youhave to, like, you have to have garbage
cans, and, the best part, you have tofigure out how you're going to sell 200

(01:03:23):
tickets to an event that's never happened.
Yeah.
Which, by the way, you'redoing very well at.
And that You know how I know that.
I know you can get into my website
because I can't access your websitebecause I did like one tiny,
teeny, teeny, tiny thing for you.
And so because I haven't like exited outof your website, every time someone gets a

(01:03:47):
ticket, I get an email and every time, youknow why I haven't turned it off because
every time I get an email, I'm like, damn,Kim is killing it because I get this new
email saying a new order has come in.
I
am dying.
Ugh.
Ugh.
Oh, shoot.
I'm going to keep that on therebecause now that's incentive for
me to like, really push it, youknow, all my VIP tables sold out.

(01:04:07):
So that was good,
right?
Yeah, that's why Ihaven't exited out of it.
Because I'm like, I want to see my friend.
Knowing it at this event before.
So yeah but everybody says that you don'tsell that like the bulk of the tickets
are always within the last few weeks.
You know, it's putting on an eventto this scale is a huge price tag and

(01:04:30):
finding sponsorships for somethingthat's never happened before is a
lot harder than I ever imagined.
But somehow we just keep getting enoughticket sales or enough little sponsorships
that we keep hitting all our markers.
So we're still, everything's looking good.
Awesome.
But I need that.
I want it full.

(01:04:51):
I want a packed house, becausethat's, that energy, that's what
you, yeah, you need that, so.
Well, so it's daydream project.
com.
Yep.
The daydream project.
com.
There's an Instagram for it too.
It's pretty much mainly localpeople in that just because that's,
who's going to really come to it.
If anybody does want tofly out of state, I do

(01:05:13):
want to come to, I can tellyou from personal experience,
Kim lives in a gorgeous area.
It's absolutely comevisit out in the country.
It's going to be gorgeous.
Yeah.
It's out in the country.
It's at a vineyard.
It is the venue is breathtaking.
Yeah, absolutely breathtaking.
It is top notch and it's going tobe fabulous, but they have these

(01:05:36):
cool silos they've converted intoa bed and like air, like Airbnb's.
There's like six of them.
So these cool old silos andthere's like six rooms in them.
And then you have, there's alobby area down in the front.
Anyway, they've blocked them all off.
So, you can stay in the silos on site.
And then I have two other peoplethat have, in Wine Country,

(01:05:56):
that have held those dates.
For like any groups, like friendscoming and want to stay the night.
So I have a couple houses available too.
Yeah.
So if you wanted to do something,like if you want to do like a
girl retreat you know, just do,
yeah, beautiful time of year.
May 1st.
And it's a Thursday because venuesare half price on Thursdays.
Listen, I just want to, Iwant to give a plug out there.

(01:06:20):
Not even, this is just in general.
So like if you have, for instance, beento the how to summit or you have been to
any other organizing event and everybody.
You know, you have a right to, if you'vepaid for an event, you should enjoy the
experience, but I would just tell you takea hot minute before you complain about
literally anything, because I can tell youthe amount of time, energy, effort, money

(01:06:43):
you know, everything takes so much work.
So just give a littlegrace because these are,
you know, I like that you mentionedthat because it organizers if
you go to the how to summit.
You know, I've been twice.
And I got a little sassy last year, andI actually filled out my feedback form
and then I had, I didn't put my name onit like a coward and I felt so bad about

(01:07:07):
it that I messaged them and I said, Hey,I need to own up to my feedback form.
And if you look on it, there'sgoing to be a smiley face up in
like some corner and that's mine.
And.
I also want to say I'm so sorry becauseI see how much work goes into these
things.
And that's why people ask me all thetime, like, when is Pro Organizer

(01:07:29):
Studio going to do a retreat?
And I'm like, the fifth of never,probably, because it The fifth of never.
Oh, so much work.
Yeah, there's a lot of I admire people whodo it because I used to do a vet training
in a private office and it's hard.
You know,
organizers out there, if you're in yourbusiness and you're starting, you think,
oh, I also want to do this little thingdo it because you learn so much and you

(01:07:50):
learn how it can help your business.
And I'm not out there promoting myorganizing business through this.
That's not what it's about.
But it's making me realize how important.
Connections are just in generaland how putting yourself out there
in an unselfish way is is it'salways going to reap benefits.

(01:08:13):
You are a very giving personand you have been very giving
to the organizing community.
And I think that's why I got the sasson the DM from that person who's like,
when is Kim going to be on the podcast?
Because, you know, there are peoplewho have reached out to you and
that you have been so helpful too.
And like, you are so giving withyour time where other people would be
like Go fly a kite and that's yeah,

(01:08:33):
and I get the emails too and there'sone person that emailed me and it has
gotten lost and I never responded.
So if that was you nevergot a response from me.
I am so sorry.
I cannot find your email anywhere.
And I am so so sorry.
And then I've also gottensassy a couple times.
So I'm just going to say sorry for that.
Sorry, not sorry, but sorry, becauseI shouldn't be sassy, but when

(01:08:57):
you ask me if you can use my, youdon't need that saying, yes you
can use it, because I don't have ittrademarked, but I always encourage
you to come up with your own saying.
And then my keep or toss, again, I don'ttrademark it, but try and come up with
your own creative way of organizing.

(01:09:20):
If you are going to appropriatesomething, I would also say,
please offer copious credit.
Oh,
yes, one gal did, and she gaveme credit, put me in the blog,
and that was super sweet.
So absolutely.
Oh, yeah.
Of course.
Yeah.
Just don't take it as your own.
I guess.
Yeah.
Yeah.
There's so much more wecould say about that.

(01:09:41):
I know.
I'm sorry.
I just like Oh, you're fine.
This happens every time.
This is probably gonnabe like four podcasts.
Sorry.
No,
I love it.
Okay.
We have covered so many things.
I feel like you and I couldprobably talk for eight hours.
We wouldn't
have anybody listening at that point, but.
Nobody
would be listening and you and I wouldboth have a bottle of wine open, but.
I will put in the show notes whereeveryone can find you, you are

(01:10:03):
rustic home organizing on Instagram.
You are rustic underscore home underscoreorganizing at our age, organizing.
com.
You are at the daydream project.
com.
You are all the places.
So, yes.
And if you go to Instagram for thedaydream project, it's the daydream
project event because the daydream projectwas taken by somebody that doesn't have

(01:10:28):
a profile picture and doesn't do anythingwith it, but they wouldn't give it to me.
So,
well, welcome to my experience beinghome dot by dot 11 because home by
11 was taken by like a 17 year oldwho has never done anything with
the account, but I couldn't have it.
So there you go.
Yeah.

(01:10:48):
I feel you deeply.
Yeah.
Well, it was wonderful to be heretoday and thank you for listening to
my cesspool of my shit third year.
It was a growing experience.
And that's okay.
And guess what?
You're still here talking to us.
You didn't say.

(01:11:09):
I'm not talking about itbecause it wasn't my best.
You're still here andyou're still trucking.
And I guarantee that we're going tobe talking to you again, perhaps on a
more timely basis in January of 2026.
If we all still dead.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And I, you know, you might even hearme say, Oh my gosh, on my Instagram,
I'm totally booked until May and I'mbooked because I'm putting on an event.

(01:11:31):
Yeah.
So don't think at all that I'm justlike killing it in my business.
Right.
And so, yeah
She's booked because she'sgoing to be in a coma.
Exactly.
And when I do that, it isn't, sometimesit's the fake it till you make it.
I have to just convince myselfthat I am doing so much better

(01:11:52):
in my business than I really am.
Because it just gives me alittle boost of self confidence.
It's not me personally trying topull the wool over everybody's eyes.
And it's just to throw that out there.
It's also sometimes to createscarcity in a client that's
like, no, but I have to have you.
And then you're like, okay, solots of ways you can use that.
So, thank you as always for beingso vulnerable and open and honest

(01:12:13):
and all the things we appreciate.
Yeah, I can't wait.