141 | Ask Us Anything! Jen and Melissa answer organizers' questions

Jen and Melissa are doing what they love--answering organizer questions! Today we are talking about mindset when things are in a bit of a valley with your business; how we "manage it all" (spoiler alert: we don't!) and taking a break from your business.

We love love love talking to organizers, so if you have questions don't hesitate to send them our way! We're at [email protected] and we would love to hear from you. 

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Learn more about Pro Organizer Studio: CLICK HERE or go to proorganizerstudio.com
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MORE INFORMATION ON THE EPSIODE:

We have a great podcast episode for you today, a taping of a Facebook Live that Jen Kilbourne and I did with our private Inspired Organizer business coaching group, which by the way, we would love to have you be a part of our family!  

I love to be reminded of these conversations that we had about running a professional organizing business. And the funny thing is, one of the, first discussions you're going to hear is about someone talking about kind of the CEO mindset and that type of thing.

And what I love about this is I know this woman's business is now running full bore is wildly successful. She's in a couple of different locations now and it's just funny to look back and say, oh, we all have these moments of ups and downs, and just a reminder to all of us to ride the waves because something good is on the other side.

So that's a little spoiler alert for you, but you're gonna hear some advice that we offered today to our Inspired Organizers also, if you are interested, we have a one hour free workshop. You can go to poroadmap.com and get that 24 hours a day, seven days a week, whenever you feel like spending an extra hour with us that is there. So we would love to have you see that too. All right, here is a conversation that Jen and I have and I hope that you enjoy it.

This is sort of like a freestyle  coaching session and opportunity to just hear from you guys  and we'll just kind of see where this goes  so I'll be reading those questions out for me and Melissa. All right.  

I've got a question from Kenzie. Kenzie said, I would love to hear your advice from managing slow months and having an abundant / positive/ CEO mindset despite the low times, then she put a smiley face. I always have things to say about mindset, but Melissa, what would you share about that? 

So a couple of things. First of all, and I know a little bit about Kenzie and I came from similar backgrounds where, you know, we were doing one thing over here and then now entrepreneurship is different.

You can have moments and you can, because you're by yourself.  And it's hard to manage some of those emotions. So what I would say is it's important to always keep moving forward. So always keeping some momentum  and just saying like, first of all, another client is just around the corner.

I still have to make sure that I'm doing the work to make sure that they can find me. Mm-hmm. . So I would say ramp up your networking. Try, try a few different things. You might wanna take a look at all of your different processes. It's a great time for you to focus on how can I streamline my business a little bit for when things get busier again, I just find sometimes,  working on your business can actually pay you dividends down the road.

So maybe this quiet time is being brought to.  For a reason by the universe.  But keeping a positive mindset in these times is hard because you can start to get pretty negative. So reaching out to whether it's this group or an accountability partner or someone, I think just to keep that energy up is really important cuz you don't wanna project that to a potential client.

I agree with that.  Like when we're not, when we're not feeling, not that we have to have like perfect life perfectly in order, but when we're feeling very chaotic and very out of sorts,  that doesn't project well , that'd be like going to get a massage from somebody who is crying.

Right. Exactly. But you know, it's like, okay,  not that any of us are perfect, but that it is a part of your job  to work on. The mindset and also, I mean, this is maybe an unpopular thing to say, or maybe it's not unpopular.

I mean, everybody's goals are very different.  If you are working on the c e O mindset and your goal is to have  not just a full-time job for yourself, but employ  many organizers, I mean, that's really big goal. Other people, their goal is for this to be a part-time thing or for it to be a flexible thing, and they just want the clients there when they need 'em.

And  so to say, to say that  your slow period is not like anybody else's because all of us have a very different picture of  how much we want to be working and what they want that to, to look like. But what I was saying was, no matter, no matter who you are, what your goal is, like working on your mindset is part of your job.

So that when you are showing up for those clients that it is, it is your best and that you're not just thinking, how fast can I get outta here so I can get to the next one? Cuz I'm desperate for money. Oh, now I know what I was gonna say. There is no shame in if this is a side hustle and you want it to be a full-time job, but it's not a full-time job yet, you may want to have another side hustle.

 There is no rule out there that says it only counts if this is the only thing that you do. 

So there is some of that at the beginning and it's totally normal, and not everybody has the same amount of support or safety net at home. And so, please in, in terms of managing your mindset, do not compare your journey to anybody else's.

And just know that planting the seeds, and  this is something that we talk about a lot,  continuing to plant the seeds, even when times are slow, is very important. Because when you're busy, you're not gonna have a lot of time to plant those seeds either. But that, I promise,  that's the input that yields later on.

And as long as you know that you are doing those things, it is going to come back in and multiply. Particularly once you start working with clients you know, regularly who are like, a, I either need you forever, or b I want to tell other people about you because you're, because you're so. Wonderfully calming and impactful in their home or whatever, you know, scenario that you're working with them.

So it does start to snowball. It does. And I, and I know Melissa can speak to that too. I mean,   you guys came from a similar background, so it's like, okay, I've got a corporate income to replace and maybe a certain level of fear of like, this actually has to like really work for me. It can't just be a pretend hobby job that doesn't really profit me.

It, it has to really be an actual excellent, and 

I am a very impatient person. Like I, I want I had to golf years ago for my job and I am the worst golfer that has ever golfed in the history of golf. And I was like, I'm not doing this anymore. I hate it because I. Good at it instantaneously. Right? And so I'm, that's my mindset.

I'm like, I have to be good at it right away. And so I think if you come from the backgrounds that Kenzie and I have come from, there is a little bit of like, well, why aren't people just coming out of the woodwork? And it does take time to build.  I mean, Jen didn't start inspired organizer, and the next day there are 500 people in the group, right?

Like it, you have to build something. And so I think if you're taking forward steps to build that thing, you know, so you are building you're building your web presence, you're building your networking presence. Those seeds, like Jen said, you do not know the day that that is going to come and burst into an 

actual plant.

That is totally true. 

Carly Adams had a post recently about someone who saw her on TV in 2019 that just booked with her like last week. Yeah. So it. , it just might take a little bit of patience and a little bit of time, and I totally understand 

how hard that is.  That just reminded me of somebody else who I did a coaching call with and she said that a woman called her and had her, had her business card on her desk for five years.

Yeah. I was like, see disorganized people, they need follow up. Like you've got , like they want you to nag them just a little bit, you know, not, not in a, not in a annoying way, but just like, hey, still thinking about you, wondering how things are going with your blah, blah, blah. I mean, you know, tho those types of things. Another just maybe sort of pr like practical tip is,  aim. Aim for the people who have an urgency. Yeah. Like attached to their job. I'm really glad you said that cuz I was 

actually gonna ask you a question related to what Kenzie's asking because I was wondering if this was like a philosophical difference that we could have a big fight 

about.

Just kidding who, okay. Yeah, yeah. Great. But I was 

gonna talk about  the concept of, so it goes back to goals. So what is your goal for your business? And if your goal for your business businesses, I ha this is my full-time job, I have to work and I have to create income. You might have to take some jobs that maybe aren't in your ideal client avatar.

And if you say no, my ideal client  is the most important thing to me and I only wanna work with moms who have kids that have toys that are out of control. If you want to niche down, that's totally fine. Mm-hmm. , but you also need to recognize it may take you longer to build that. Your ideal client is crazy important.

But if your goals say I need to get jobs booked, then you might need to say, I'm willing to take moving jobs. Even though that's not my ideal, I'm willing to go on Thumbtack. Even though that's not my ideal. I'm willing to 

what? You may have to work with other work with other organizers locally. They have to like just to keep your hands moving cuz it does the contract.

Yeah. Stay, stay, stay. Feeling valuable. Yeah. 

You know it's not sacrificing your vision for your business, but it is al also recognizing I'm playing the long game and I'm going to, I'm going to win the battle so that I can also win the war. So 

I love that and I think that was very fitting.