Episode 97: Taking the Leap: Wisdom from a Business Launch
In a new series, we introduce you to an inspirational pro organizer from our community and tell you about their journey. Kim Snodgrass has just taken the leap and started her business, but is already working with clients while she builds the back end of her business. She tells us the whole story about making this leap into full-time professional organizing.
LINKS FOR LISTENERS:
Kim's website Rustic Home Organizing
Information about our Inspired Organizer® community
Pro Organizer Studio resources
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If you are looking for business inspiration, we have a free workshop that is called The 4-Part Plan for Landing Your Dream Clients. Jen Obermeier leads you through that workshop. Sign up for that poroadmap.com. If you are interested in our Inspired Organizer® program, you can find us at www.inspiredorganizer.com and don't forget, we have a whole library of podcasts here, our YouTube channel, and you can find us on Facebook and Instagram at Pro Organizer Studio.
Still not sure about starting your own Pro Organizing business? Cick here to read about the 5 things you need to know BEFORE starting your organizing business.
Feeling ready to start? Great! Check out this post on how to start your business stress-free!
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Melissa Klug: Hey pro organizers. It's Melissa Klug, your podcast co-host and I am so excited to be back with you this week on the podcast. And I I know I say that every week, but I really mean it. And I am really honored that no matter where we are coming to you whether that is your car, maybe you have us on a walk.
Maybe you have a, a Peloton. I often listen to podcasts while I'm trying to exercise. So maybe we are helping you exercise in which case, keep going. I need a lot of encouragement when I'm exercising. So you got it, girl.
Anyway, one of the things that I do, because I do listen to a lot of podcasts. And one of the things that I have tried to do is really fine. I can hear other people's stories. When I think about my organizing business, or when I think about the work I do here at pro organizer studio and course creation, I try to find people's podcasts that have education and have inspiration for me.
And I just love hearing other people's stories, how they got into business and maybe they pivoted. And how might their business look in the future? All of that kind of stuff. I'm just fascinated.
And so in the same way, we want to be able to bring that to you. We are starting a new series where we introduce you to an organizer and we tell their stories. These are all people that are in our community here at pro organizer studio. And I really, really believe that no matter what stage you are in your business, you can learn from other organizers.
You can learn from their stories. You can learn from how they go about business. You can learn about what they do. The niches that they're in. I am constantly, constantly in awe. Of some of the ideas that people come up with where I say, oh my gosh, I've been in business for what I feel like is a pretty long time.
And that it has never occurred to me. That is so smart.
And that is absolutely the case with our first guest in the series today.
Kim Snodgrass is the owner of Rustic Home Organizing in Portland, Oregon. She is newer to the organizing industry, but she is not new to dropping wisdom bombs. I've had the pleasure of getting to know Kim over the last few months, and the thing that I love about Kim is her level of passion for starting her organizing business is so high.
I want you to be able to be inspired by her passion again, because I am inspired by her excitement and enthusiasm. And I think that when you go into your business, feeling those things, it really comes across to your clients. So if you need a little more. Kim's your girl. I would love to now introduce you to my friend, Kim.
Let's get going on the podcast.
Melissa Klug: If you are. And you are sitting here thinking like, Hey, I don't know if I could start a business. I don't know if I have what it takes. We want to be able to tell you about people who have made that leap. I did it. I have never looked back. It's the best thing I ever did. And today I am very honored to have my guests, Kim Snodgrass, and Kim is going to tell us all about her journey, but Kim just became a professional organizer like four seconds ago, right? Yes. About
Kim Snodgrass: four seconds ago. Okay. Literally.
Melissa Klug: So one of the reasons that we wanted to talk to Kim is because some of you may be thinking like, oh my gosh, how would I even make that leap?
And Kim is in the middle of making the leap right now. So, we want to talk to her about all of her journey. So give us a little bit of your background. Cause you've had an awesome life, but you've moved 20 times. You've had all sorts of craziness happen in your life. So give us a little.
Kim Snodgrass: At least I have and with most journeys condensing them can be difficult, but I will do my best.
Yes, I have moved to 21 times in my life for various reasons. Childhood, we moved quite a bit. And then for a lump sum of about 17 years I moved around to some different states due to my family's job. And found my way back to Oregon about five years ago. And here I am, came back to the close to family and I have found myself Kind of in a space of trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.
I am going to be approaching 50 in 18 months. So it was time to shift into gear and get this done. So back in 2001, I was living in Florida and my daughter was in a girl scout troop. And this girl scout troop leader drove around in a car that had professional organizer written on the way.
And it kind of intrigued me. I had a thing with organizing, but I didn't really realize I did. Organizing was a coping mechanism for me. So I would pull everything out of my garage and totally. Purge it all and then put it all back in. And I would do this to various things in my house, but garages was like, I don't know why maybe it was cause I lived in Florida and it was nice outside.
I don't know, but garages were kind of my thing anyway, set up a meeting with this gal and she explained to me that yeah, I do organizing and you know, I help people get their papers in order and how. Systems like with homework time with their kids and this and that. Well, that was a zero interest to me.
Organizing papers is definitely not going to be my niche. So I just kind of blew it off as that what I was enjoying and doing, wasn't the same kind of organizing. It was an actual business. So this is in 2001 stay at home. Mom. I have two girls at the time, ended up having another girl and just stayed home for 17.
And then reenter the workforce about five years ago, not knowing what I was going to do with my life. And back in October I had some finger surgery thinking I was going into the doctor's. For a little in-office op operation thing it turned into a full operating room thing.
I wasn't able to use my hands and I was just had to sit for three weeks and not get them wet and not do anything. Gave me a lot of time to think. And through those three weeks of sitting and thinking I came to the discovery that I want to organize. I don't know if it's a thing, but I want to do it.
So I did some digging and realized this is a thing, and there are courses you can take and there are groups you can join and there is support, and this all has taken place over now over the last.
Two and a half months, and I'm thrilled. I've already been on, been doing jobs and love it. And I've had such a great reception and the people in my community are thrilled and excited. And yeah, I'm just ready to roll. I've learned a lot over the past two and a half months, but I am excited about.
Melissa Klug: You've had a crash course.
It's almost been like, you've gotten a master's degree in like three weeks kind of thing.
Kim Snodgrass: Yes, absolutely. Yes. At the university of life, for sure. Well, and
Melissa Klug: You've said a few things that I think people can probably connect to, especially if they're sitting there going like, Ooh, what do I do? Like, this is scary.
First of all, knowing that this has been a passion of yours for a long time and that you can turn a passion into something you can make a living out of. And one of the reasons that I wanted to talk to you is because you are so brand new to organizing yet, you are already seeing success with clients, you've had some experience right out of the gate. So tell us a little bit about you know, when you made that decision to make that leap.
Kim Snodgrass: You know, it was I, I wish so much. I could remember the podcast I was listening to. Like I said, I couldn't do much with myself during that three week period of time, but I started listening to podcasts because I was sitting there going, what am I doing with my life?
I had. My last kid off to college just dropped her off at the university of Oregon. Like literally on that Friday. And I had surgery that Monday. I'm, I'm trying to figure out what am I doing here? I am literally an empty nest and I don't have a plan. I'm not a big TV watcher.
So I started listening to podcasts so, I was fishing through quite a few of nothing was intriguing. And this gal young, maybe like four episodes in, I thought, well, I'll give her a try. And it was a podcast about finding purpose, told yourself, ask yourself these three questions.
And I asked myself these three questions and I came to this.
What do I love? And I just kept coming to this organizing thing in the back of my head, but I couldn't get it out of the back of my head. Yeah. Could not get it there. And my family has a group text, text them all. And I said, I want each of you to text me individually. What am I good at? And they all text me.
You're a great mom, just like jiminy Christmas. I'm not going to get making money at being a mother.
Melissa Klug: I don't, I don't want to be, I'm done. I'm out. I'm out of
Kim Snodgrass: that business cost way too much money. There is no ROI on that. Anyway, long story short, they all had another common factor in their answers and that was resources.
And you're really good at organizing. And then I texted my best friend in Florida who used to watch me take my garage apart numerous times. And I said, could you see me as a professional organizer? And her response brought me to tears. She said, you should have been doing this all these years.
And so that was kind of how I got to that point of I'm doing this and I am so excited about it. And I just dove in, I was on my computer nonstop for probably four days. Looking up all that came across pro organizer studio reached out, got some more information and I forced myself to think on it for a week or so, but no, I have not had a moment of regretting any of the steps I've taken.
I have moments of where's everybody going to come from, but I'm so excited and, and I truly believe and maybe it's my age and experiences I've been through. I truly believe when you find that. You just know it. You absolutely know it. Yeah. And that's
Melissa Klug: well, and I, I posted about this the other day, but in my own journey to finding, organizing as a career I was trying to figure out same thing as you, what I wanted to be when I grew up.
And I just kept coming back to, this is the only thing. Other than what I had already been doing in my career, and I just kept coming back to like, I want to help other people organize their homes.
And so I think that you had that same thing. And I think that's just a message for the people who are listening, that if you have that idea and by the way, you don't have. Not have an organizing jet. You can already have an organizing service, but say I can't stop thinking about how I really want to organize people's papers.
Yeah, you aren't going to do that, but I was.
Yeah. Or people who are like, I am really passionate about organizing people's photographs, whatever that is. And these may sound like tiny examples, but if there's something about your business that you can't get out of your brain, that's something to think about too.
Kim Snodgrass: Absolutely. Yes. And, and I've had some of those thoughts too, and I'm playing around with some of those niches, you know, I live in a rural area and one of my.
Dreams is to organize shops. It's just like a a mansion of a garage and like, and I am going to ours is under construction. And once it's done, it's my 20, 22. Goal to get that thing dialed in. I'm really excited about that. So yes, there's lots of different niches to go along with organizing and you don't have to do it all.
And in fact, when I first started this, I just, Pinterest can be somewhat distracting and a little deceiving. And I thought that all organizing really was nowadays was making some pantries really pretty and some closets look like rainbows and I was okay with that. I'll do that. But I quickly found out after reaching out to quite a few organizers throughout the country private messaging, them, asking them some things that there's a lot more to it than making things look pretty.
There is so much more to it. And I think that was my biggest surprise and the best surprise that came out of all of this, because I get to actually be involved in people's lives and work through things with them. And that is so exciting.
Melissa Klug: But that's another thing that actually, some people are, I am very much, very much like you, I love getting into the people aspect and trying to figure out like, Their lives better. And some people don't love that. And that's one of the things that is so great about organizing is you and I are sitting here just the two of us and you don't like paper.
I love paper. You're going to organize shops. I probably wouldn't be very good at that. We both love the psychology. Some people don't. The job of organizing can take so many different formats. So what do you particularly love about working with people and the, and the psychologists? Tell us a little bit about that.
Kim Snodgrass: So I think for me in my life experiences been through some things in my life as has everyone but being able to not dwell on those things anymore and to be able to use them. To bring light to somebody else's life is the biggest reward outside of parenting and raising my three girls, the biggest reward I have ever received.
And I hope I never lose that. I want to continue forward with that. Because. Not everybody wants to get a counselor and not everybody wants to have a psychologist or go to the doctor. Some, some people just want a human. And this is kind of a different avenue to get that human. When you're going through something that's not so fun.
Yeah. This month I get to help a lady that's lost both her parents and is going through a divorce. And she said, I need this space better for my girls and we're going in and we're doing it. And that's amazing. That was like my biggest reward job so far. So I'm, I'm so excited.
Melissa Klug: It doesn't matter what your life situation is. We have all been through things that can make us empathetic to other people and just showing up for them. I think that those difficult parts of their lives, it's truly a gift.
Kim Snodgrass: And cheerleading for people just being a cheerleader you know, Really struggle, letting things go.
I don't, I'm a PR I mean, moving 21 times, how could I hold onto things? So getting, letting things go for me, that's like, how was that hard? But for some people that is like, that's a really big obstacle for them to overcome and being able to walk somebody through that and then seeing the freedom on their face is great.
It's amazing. So if there are
Melissa Klug: people that are listening that are saying like, Ooh, I don't, I don't know that I have the skills to do that. Did you have anything that, like, is this just something innate that you have, or do you feel like you, because of your life experience, you've been able to help people get over that?
Kim Snodgrass: That's a little bit of a double-edged sword question because I believe anybody can organize. I believe anybody can figure it out. Now just like, I love tinkering around and making some jewelry. I don't want to do that all day long or for, for, for a profession or to have two people tell me what they like, and I have to make it for them.
It's a hobby. I think what new organizers need to decide is, do I enjoy this? Or do I want to share this skill with the world? Yes, for me, I'm not perfect. I will never file fold. I will roll all day long. I will not find it. You will have to, you will have to tie me up and do horrible things to me to get me to file.
I have not, I
Melissa Klug: never heard anyone express this vehement a good opinion on file folder.
Kim Snodgrass: No, you're fine.
Melissa Klug: I'm fine. Holding. I just.
Kim Snodgrass: And interchangeable. I am the first person to admit that I'm not a perfectionist when it comes to my organizing. Organizing to me is more about function and not having a disaster at the end of every single day where you're spending your free time in the evening, clearing your space so that you can enjoy five minutes before you go to bed.
Let's enjoy two hours. Yeah. So I, I do think that you don't have to have skills. You can figure it out there. YouTube university can show you how to fold. It can show you how to make a bed, can show you how to do anything. Podcasts can teach you. I think you just, it's in your heart and it's in your bones that you want to help people.
I think that's the bottom line. It's it's not, it's helping.
Melissa Klug: I just want to take a brief break from our conversation with Kim and talk to you about our inspired organizer program, which Kim is a part of. And Kim came to us because she wanted guidance in how to start her business in the most effective way. We have over 600 people from around the world that are a part of our amazing community, where we not only provide business guidance, but we provide daily coaching.
Wisdom and insight into the professional organizing world. We have the most supportive community and we are so lucky to spend every day with these organizers, making businesses better. We would love to have you join us and be a part of our amazing community of inspired organizers. If you want more information, head to inspired organizer.com. Now back to our conversation with Kim.
Kim Snodgrass: And you're
Melissa Klug: touching on something that I think is really important. And we, we talk about it a lot, but, and because we're organizers, we do like to have things, you know, looking good and feeling good. And so perfectionism can pre been. A lot went in organizers brains, and I think you're touching on it doesn't have to be perfect.
And that includes your, you know, your organizing inside someone else's house and it includes starting your business. It includes all those things, but letting go of that a little bit, and again, it's not about just throwing anything out there and being sloppy, but you can figure it out. You don't have to have it all lined up beforehand.
Kim Snodgrass: No, and I do think too. As a new organizer, I had to get over a little bit of a hurdle thinking that the only people that would need me are people that just wanted things to look pretty. I had to understand there was so much more depth to this than things looking pretty. And I think that's important for organizers, new organizers, especially to get across to their potential clients.
Is that it's not just about that. You don't have to have a brand new. That has this perfect walk-in pantry that I'm going to take pictures of and post all over Pinterest. It goes so far beyond that. And that's my biggest advice to new organizers is to understand that don't get lost in the Pinterest Instagram world.
Yeah, I lost a lot of sleep and I dipped down into a little bit of, Ooh, I don't know if I have what it takes. Absolutely you do. And those are fun to look at all those neat pictures but it's really not total reality. I do believe there is a niche or those people that that is their target and that's fine, but there is a lot more to it, but.
Melissa Klug: Well, if you don't mind can you talk a little bit about that? Comparisonitis that you had to get off? Cause I do think that's something that new organizers and not new. I'm not. All organizers, looking at other people's stuff and being like, well, look what they're doing and look what they're doing and all like, can you talk a little bit about how you got out of that
Kim Snodgrass: loop?
Totally. So overcoming the comparison trap. Yes right away. When I started doing all my research, I followed a hundred million organizers and just was obsessed with it. And I still, I still dip a little bit, but what I started to do instead is. I started reaching out to these organizers that I was following.
I private message them. I gave them compliments and told them where I was at and what I appreciated that they were teaching me. And these women came back as humans. These are the same people as you and I, and it let me realize. They're doing the same thing I'm doing. These are just pictures. They're putting up there.
This is not this big, perfect world they're living in that this is every single job, you know, they're doing exactly what they should be doing on Instagram. But my biggest advice is reach out to them. And whenever I heard went on a podcast, I would even if the podcast was two years old, I would immediately go on and reach out to them and say, Hey, I listened to a podcast number such and such from such and such date.
And this is how you impacted me. And I just wanted you to note that, you know, thank you. And I appreciate that. Now when I am on Instagram and I'm scrolling through, I'm like, oh, I remember chatting with her. And I remember chatting with her and I'll reach out and go, oh, that was great. And those come back with something sarcastic and funny or, yeah, it wasn't all that great.
You know, kind of just the realness to it. That's how I turned it around for me. I also. Had to stop going on other people's websites. That one too, if you're thinking about designing a website, which today I did launch, so that was really exciting. I had to shut those down. It is so hard to get in your own space.
You end up obsessing over other people's spaces, and it's really important to be your own individual authentic person. You need to be authentic. And I had to reteach myself. It's not about everybody. Else's websites and Instagrams. It's okay to enjoy them, but you have got to stop.
Melissa Klug: And you did a lot of work.
I know that, I know you did a lot of work to get over that. And so I just think people can learn from you and say like, you can get down a rabbit hole and drive yourself bananas of like, I can't measure up to that. I can't measure up to that. Yes, you can. You can be your own. YD stuck. Absolutely your own measuring tape.
And that's the most important thing is you have arrived at an absolutely stunningly gorgeous website and a brand name. That really means something to you and all these things you have arrived at that on your own, which I think is really, really important.
Kim Snodgrass: I do believe the other advice I can give to new organizers, even though I still knew myself reading
atomic
Melissa Klug: habits. Yeah. All that book is
Kim Snodgrass: so good. The book is amazing. I'm almost done. I have just a few pages left, but there is one section in that, as a new solopreneur and new in my business is making sure you don't get stuck in motion. You've got to move to action and scrolling through Instagram, scrolling through Pinterest.
Obsessing over other people's websites is motion. You've got to switch to action. And that hit me like a brick upside, the head when I read that. And that's where I'm at right now. I am in an action mode. So really want other organizers that are new to the business. Don't get stuck in. Yeah. And frame is not production.
Melissa Klug: The phrase I like that. I use a lot as analysis paralysis, which is that same thing. As you get into this, you get into this like, well, there's this and this and this and this and this, there are 200 things you could consider for one thing, right? Like, what do I want my website to look like?
And you can get into. That loop of nothing is actually moving forward and happening. So it's actually a way to procrastinate for some people. And so getting into that action and imperfect action is better than inaction. Absolutely is better than nothing.
Kim Snodgrass: I do have one other thing that's really important. Absolutely. For some of the older hens out there. And I can say that because I'm almost, I most likely halfway through my life.
I thought for sure. About three months ago that I was just, I was done whatever, what happened, this is who I am. I'm going to be. And most people don't know, but I pour wine at a vineyard. But I'm going to be getting people drunk for the rest of my life. That's just what I'm going to do.
But at 48 it's. There's so much time. And there were some that are going to struggle with the technology piece. There's people that will do it for you. We'll help you. Yeah. Don't let that stop you. The ladies out there that maybe were the stay at home moms that are now, like, what am I going to do with my life?
And this is something that's intriguing to them. There's plenty of.
Melissa Klug: There is plenty of time. I was 42. So I was, I was not that far behind you when I figured out my life's purpose. And so, and I, but I think that's a good point as moms and it may be moms in their thirties, right? Like their kids maybe are off to kindergarten.
And then they're trying to figure out what to do. There are people you don't even have to have kids. It could be any phase of your life that you say like, Hey, this is really something that I'm drawn to. And you're exactly right. As you can absolutely reinvent yourself no matter what stage your.
Kim Snodgrass: Yes, and I am so pleased when I see.
Young 20 year old hopping into this. They're so lucky. I love it. I found it a lot
Melissa Klug: earlier than you and I did. I do want to go back to something that you were talking about when we were talking about Instagram and, and it's I think it is very important to ask someone who has been organizing for a decent amount of time now.
There are definitely people who will reach out to you, but they will say, I want to be a professional organizer. Tell me how you became a professional organizer. And so I want to just say, when you're talking about reaching out to people, I love, love, love, love, love what you said your strategy, because don't ask them.
Right. And so, and, and so this is something that if you are listening and you are thinking about this as a career, take a page out of Kim's book and say the way to do it. And the way to connect with people is to authentically connect with them as a human in the same way they connect it back with you.
It's I listened to you on a podcast. Oh my gosh. I love this thing that you shared. I'm trying to start a professional organizing journey. You are super inspirational to me. You're not asking for anything. You're just delivering your compliment and you're starting that relationship.
Kim Snodgrass: Yes. And that's truly what I'm doing.
I'm not doing it. Backhandedly to eventually ask them things.
Yeah. But yeah, I think that is really important. I think about. Mine is all about complimenting them and letting them know how they impacted my life. It's not about picking every
Melissa Klug: no. And it's, it's a relationship that you develop with people and then you can, you do earn the right to ask those questions.
And but I just know, I get a lot of like, oh, I, I also want to do this. So how do you do it? And the one that I remember most distinctly was someone who sent me an email. And she said, I have 10 questions and she put them in a document. She goes, I would appreciate a very quick response to this. And I'm like, yeah.
No, so, and I don't mean to sound mean, I love helping people more than I love like pretty much anything. That's why I work at pro organizer studio that, but it was just like, there's a way to do it. And the way that you reached out to people, I think is a really beautiful example that everyone should take.
Kim Snodgrass: Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. Authentic. Yeah.
Melissa Klug: And that authenticity goes to everything that you're talking about. So it's not just reaching out to people on social media, but it is being who you are presenting yourself as, you know, whatever, if it's your brand. I know that you, because you live in an Oregon, your businesses, rustic home organizing.
And so to you, you wanted to make it more of that. Like authentic down-home feel all that kind of stuff. That authenticity really goes through your whole life as an
Kim Snodgrass: organizer. Absolutely. What are you
Melissa Klug: most looking forward to in your new career?
Kim Snodgrass: So I wrote down my 20, 22 goals, I don't even like calling them goals really.
I'm trying to figure out my perfect word for them. So first of all, I want to share my 20, 22 words okay. Of them. One of them is outsourcing. Okay. And one of them is fear. Oh, yes. And I plan to fiercely outsource.
Melissa Klug: We're going to talk about that in a minute.
Kim Snodgrass: I, this year I want to I want to find a I want to collaborate with.
I'm going to have a couple in mind. I went to collaborate with somebody. And that is the main reason for collaboration is I do want to get a higher Instagram following. Not because that's going to help my business. It's more of a personal thing that I want. It's just something I've never had. And so I want to make it happen.
I want to, I want to make very crass t-shirts I love it. I want to have my cute little, little chic logo on the front and something very sarcastic and crass on the back. And I want to do like different sayings. So if anybody out there has a really fun saying, I'll even have your name below it so you can own it.
Yeah. So like I said, no, there's never any clients, but I'm having fun with it. I I have a financial goal in mind. So of course I have that. There's just so many, there's so many that I want to do. I want to get the shop organized and I have a company in mind. So out where I live farmlands products made in the USA are extremely important to some people. Sure. And there is a company I have found that is a little bit more rustic and I want to, I have reached out to them once. I will probably have to. 15 to 20 more times before I get their attention, but on to try and collaborate with them, to get our personal shop all up ship shape and make it look really pretty. So that I can start bringing in that niche that I think my heart really was.
Melissa Klug: Well, let's you, you said it earlier, but let's just be really clear. Like when you say shop, this is something that perhaps people on the coast do not understand, like you and I might understand like what we're talking like, you called it a mansion garage, but it is like legit. Yes. You were talking thousands of
Kim Snodgrass: square feet.
We're talking systems, we're talking big equipment tools, so yes, this is going to be, this is like, Probably a month long kind of organizing project.
That's going to require major systems, shelving, all that kind of stuff, but it's going to be beautiful when we're done,
Melissa Klug: but this is a great example of something that you can think about. You're like, oh my gosh, I never would have considered that before. Like we often think about organizing as you know, it's in a house, typically you're working with a woman you know, you're working with the mom or the wife and really, really thinking about, oh, no, there are places that need organization that might not come here.
And by the way that businesses restaurants are something that I know a few organizers have started to niche into like restaurant supplies and that type of thing, the huge shops that you're talking about. So if you live in tech, we have tons of organizers in Texas. You know, there are parts of the country that you need to think about.
Like, Hey, what are some unique things about my part of the country?
Kim Snodgrass: Exactly. I think that's a really good point. The other thing I want to venture into is motor home trailers, getting those organized. Cause there's a lot of that that goes around here too. A lot of camping you know, day trips, that sort of thing.
And I am going to play around with that a little.
Melissa Klug: Well, and when you think about like the, the move, especially post COVID of people being kind of like van life stuff and RVs, that type of thing, like it's, these are all niches that are very legitimate and have clients out there.
Kim Snodgrass: There's so many avenues.
Melissa Klug: That's exciting. I want to talk to you a little bit about your two words. So fiercely outsourcing or outsourcing and fierce. You are very much a believer in making investments where they make sense. So for instance, you knew about yourself that you are not going to be a DIY website person.
It just was not in your wheelhouse. So can you talk a little bit about some of the, the investments that you've chosen? Okay.
Kim Snodgrass: Absolutely. First of all you don't have to invest in anything to, to organize, which is beautiful and amazing for
Melissa Klug: dollars
Kim Snodgrass: $0. But for me, that, that wasn't going to work and that's simply because of how my brain works and, and, and how I gained my confidence.
And so for me, I needed that website. I needed that storefront, almost that identity. That was very important to me. And I did try, I went on Wix for five minutes and just about chucked my computer across the room and correct. And so that, that brought me down another, you know, okay, what do I do then? And so, you know, I start reaching out to people.
What, how do I do this? Or who does that? Or what, how can I do that? And I, I just, you've gotta throw your feelers out there. Whatever is not. Connecting with you or causing you to get caught up and tied up. I've heard of women working on our websites for months, years, years you could have made organizing would have paid for that website.
Yes. Three months prior. So I chose
not,
Melissa Klug: let's just stop and say that again, the amount, because it's really important because I have, I have worked with people who have done this, like, well, I don't want to pay someone to build my website, which I understand, but if it takes you nine months to make it, you have lost thousands of dollars.
Kim Snodgrass: But for me, it's not even that. Yes, but my website would have looked. Kindergarten did it kindergarten. I did it. So what would that have done to people that went to my website? If things weren't connecting properly and it wasn't flowing easy as an organizer, it has to be accessing the streets simple.
Or they're not going to think you're organized. It's got a flow and I just knew I can't make it flow. So somebody else is going to have to do it for me. Trust me that, yeah, it's not inexpensive, but the ROI on that. Like I said, if you have the money to be able to do that, I wouldn't think twice about it.
It's definitely worth it a hundred percent. So I, I outsourced my website. I also outsourced wording my website. I don't know how to write. I've never been a good writer. I can talk, but I can't write. So I outsourced an editor that can make anything sound before. And she did an amazing job. I outsource the SEO integration.
So on the backend, everything that Google needs to be able to put me on that first page, I outsourced that I'm outsourcing. I decided for me, I wanted to immediately have a CRM. I don't need it at the moment, but I wanted it set up. I just need all in place. I need all my ducks in a row for me. That's how my brain works.
And so I hopped on dub Sato and I couldn't figure it out. And so I looked into it and found somebody that's setting up all of that for me and integrating it with my website and everything's going to flow. So I don't have to lose sleep. Yeah, like this morning, I woke up, I had an, a message from the gal.
That's doing the SEO on my website. And two hours later, I got an email that said it's all done. I mean, that would've, I would have spent months trying to figure that out. Right.
Melissa Klug: What you're saying is super important because you have to know yourself. And so there are people who are like, Hey, you know what?
I find it a challenge to build a website, I'm going to learn how to do this. Great. Absolutely. Absolutely. But if you are not that person know that there are people to do. Anything, you can hire people to think for you, if you, if you really, really need to. And in some cases it may not be the level of investment that you think it is either.
So I think sometimes people just assume that something is going to be out of their budget range. They assume that they are not going to be able to afford something. And so then they don't look in. And that is, is definitely something that at least know what you're working with, know how much it costs, and then you can decide this is something I can do, or this is something I may need to think
Kim Snodgrass: about.
And, you know, I another one I didn't mention coaching business coach. For some might be what just turns their whole thought process around. And for me it did, it helped help me feel like I wasn't just solo. I actually was on a team. And that to me, honestly, a website is very important. I do believe that I don't think you have to have it right away.
I would almost say to Gary first in that investment would be a business coach. A hundred percent. I think a business coach is a great person to bounce your ideas off and throw some truth out to you. Hey, what you just did, I probably wouldn't do it again.
Melissa Klug: The other thing too is you know, if this is going to be a random reference, but you know, on the, on the Sopranos, the psychiatrist on the soprano has a therapist like therapists have therapists, right?
Doctors have doctors, business coaches, even the biggest business coaches that you can name, you know, the ones that we all know that we listen to their podcast and everything, those business coaches have business coaches and those business coaches have business coaches. We all need someone outside of ourselves to say, Hey, have you thought about this?
Have you thought about that? It is a really important investment. At least it has been for me and for my business.
Kim Snodgrass: Absolutely. Yeah, for sure. And I know that there are also the, the gal that did my website She also will go in and tweak things for you. So you don't have to have that initial full, do the whole thing, but you could do an hourly when you go in and just make sure everything's flowing.
Right. You know, there's something, and that's a
Melissa Klug: great point is you can do a hybrid on somethings too, where you say I'm going to build it. And then I'm going to have someone come in and fix a few of the things that's so. So are your girls excited that you've taken this new,
Kim Snodgrass: this new path that they are excited?
Melissa Klug: I mean, your girls are like on your team, Lily.
Kim Snodgrass: Yeah, they are, well, my oldest daughter Nicole, she is 28. She is pregnant with my first grand baby. I'm super exciting. I didn't know that. She has a degree from university of Georgia in finance she is going to help me with all of my payment processes and getting all my books ready. And then I have my middle daughter Courtney. She graduated from Syracuse university with a degree in business and entrepreneurship of all things.
She works for a social media firm and works for some really big companies on the backend of social media. Which was super exciting for me, that was going to be a slam dunk, except it's not, not helping me. I want you all to know that. So when you see my Instagram, it is not her. When you see her Instagram,
Melissa Klug: it is her that's doing it.
So you need to, you need to tell her she is doing a great
Kim Snodgrass: job. I know. I always get the mom. I'm on a call. I can't help you. She lives in Boston, so she's not close by. And then I have my youngest daughter, Kaitlin she's 18. She goes to university of Oregon. She is majoring in special education. She is a amazing writer.
So if you do something. Really pretty outside of my website. That's been written. It is not me. It is my daughter Kaitlin. So yes, they are all trying to help me, my girls are excited for me and they see passion in my eyes. They see sparkle and the more I do things, the more they're like, oh, wow, you're actually good at this. Yeah.
Melissa Klug: I, I think that so years ago, If someone asks me, I used to travel a lot and you know, do you ever feel guilty?
And I said, yes, of course, every mom feels guilty. But I also like to believe that I'm teaching my girls, that strong women, you know, are able to start, they're able to be business women. They're able to do these things. And I think that there's a value in that too, that they see their mom doing something hard, but that you're committed to and passionate about.
Kim Snodgrass: Yeah. Yeah. They've, they've seen me in action a couple of times. I think they were kind of, they had to take back some of their words and like the, you actually know what you're doing, don't you? I do.
Melissa Klug: I really
Kim Snodgrass: do everything in your life and you just don't realize it.
Melissa Klug: Right. Is there anything else that we haven't touched on that you want to tell our listeners?
Kim Snodgrass: You know, I just think that finding purpose in your life. It's so important and, and you might not find it today. It might be 10 years down the road to be patient with yourself. And I think that life experiences bring us to our purpose. So there's a chance you haven't gotten all the way down the path, not to knock yourself out with it.
And don't beat yourself up about. Being in a certain place where you think you should be. I think it just happens when it happens.
Melissa Klug: You're absolutely right. Cause I know I said, I wish I would have found organizing sooner, but I think you and I found it when we needed it the most, like we formed this as a career when we needed it the most at the time in our life, we needed the most and maybe
Kim Snodgrass: people are in a different, they need
Melissa Klug: to.
Kim Snodgrass: So yes. Well thank you for joining us, Kim, where can
Melissa Klug: people find you on the internet?
Kim Snodgrass: They can now find me at reorganizing.com . You can also type in rustichomeorganizing.com. It gets you to the same site. I have a Facebook page, Rustic Home Organizing, and I also have Instagram rustic home organizing with underscore in between each word. And
Melissa Klug: we will link all of those in the show notes. So people can connect with you and tell you so now people can DM you until you have a
Kim Snodgrass: are inspired by you.
So I hope I hit somebody. That's all I need. That's
Melissa Klug: all you need. So well, thank you for joining us,
Kim Snodgrass: Kim. Thank you for having me. I appreciate it. Good luck. I am so excited to be on this journey with you. Thank you.
Thank you so much for listening into the pro organizer studio podcast. If you'd like to get our roadmap for success as a pro organizer, head straight to www.poroadmap.com.