168 | How To Summit LIVE (Part 2)

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Written By Melissa Klug

Welcome to part 2 of our recent live podcast taping at the How To Summit! Thank you again to Brandie and Ryan of Home+Sort for hosting such an awesome event! I can't wait to be there next year! 

PANELISTS:

Ria Safford | Riorganize | @riorganize
Ashley Murphy + Marissa Hagmeyer | NEAT Method | @neatmethod
Mindy Godding | President of NAPO | Abundance Organizing | @abundanceorganizing
Ashley Jones Hatcher | Travel & lifestyle expert | @ashleyjoneshatcher

You can listen here, read the full transcript below, or find us on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you love to listen to podcasts!

LINKS FOR LISTENERS

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Hey Pro Organizers, it's your podcast host Melissa, and we are back with the second part of our live podcast taping from the How To Summit, and the great thing about recording this is obviously I was there, I was on stage with these awesome women, but I'm so glad that I got to hear it again. And I'm so glad that it is going to live on, for infinity, as long as podcasts exists, because there is so much great wisdom here from this group of incredible businesswomen. 

 One of the things that really hit me as I was listening back and preparing these episodes for you, is that it, and I think it's really important that we all know there is no one single path to a successful pro organizing business.

My path is not your path is not the path of the women that are on the stage. It's not linear. And please just know that there are so many different ways that you can have a successful organizing business and success is always defined by you. So just. There's so much wisdom here. And I really, really hope that you can take from this, that there are so many ways that you can get involved in the organizing industry.

It is such a great industry to be in, and I am happy to be part of it. I would love to be a part of your growth too. We have over 850 women across the world in our inspired organizer program. I would love to have you be a part of that too. At the how to summit we gave away one membership in our program and we have someone awesome new in our program.

Carol was the winner of that so we're so thrilled to have her but I would love to have you be a part of our group. If you would like to talk to me about joining us You can get me at hello at pro organizer studio. com. I would love to schedule a time to chat with you. All right. I want to give you a couple of watch outs before we started this episode. The first thing is this was a live recording. And so there are a couple parts where the sound quality, um, we had to kind of piece together a couple of different things.

So I'm going to apologize. There might be a couple parts that sound a little. off. And that is just the, that's what happens when you're taping live. And then the second thing is at the end, we do talk about, some things that are maybe a little bit PG. So this is right at the end in our lightning round question.

So if you are particularly sensitive or if you have sensitive ears that are listening to in your car, the end of the podcast may have a couple of things that are a little bit PG. So just be aware of that. 

Okay, let's get started. It's part two of the how to summit.

Going back to what Mindy said, what's the best investment? And if you're willing to say it, what's the worst investment?

That you made. 

 My accountant was the best investment ever, like to begin with, that was the first thing that it was, that needed to be offloaded and delegated.

Another piece of advice is you don't want to be half assing all the things. You want 

to be able to whole ass. If 

you're not passing, that is what you need to give to somebody else. 

Ron Swanson is here, any of my Parks and Rec people? Is that a Ron Swanson quote?

Yes it is. See, I haven't watched Parks and Rec, look at me, I'm Ron. Yes.

I was gonna say your people, which you already heard us say. Even those that don't work out and maybe they leave or they move on, you still learn something. I had someone come up to me today and they said, Oh yeah, I, I paid a salary and all of a sudden it was like, I'm, I'm losing money because I'm paying a salary to somebody that I don't even know if I have enough work for them.

But then she learned and she moved into hourly rate instead. Yeah, so I just think like you learn from. Those like small decisions and for us it was always about people. Our worst decision, and I have some owners in the room so this is going to be a funny answer, was our CRM invoicing system. Only because change is really hard for a lot of type A women and when we rolled it out all of our owners were like, wait, there's a system, a new one that we have to learn?

And it's been a great investment but it's been a very hard thing to navigate for change. I totally agree. Best investment is my people. Just it. It not just raises credibility for your brand, but when I believe your community starts to see that you're doing something bigger it really just has a lot of power.

Worst investment is usually paid advertising, frankly. Yes. I want to say it louder for the people in the back. Do not do golf course, ads. The country club, phone book or whatever, that's a lie, that's a scam. I don't want to brag, but Brains Magazine, Brains with a Z at the end, emailed me this week and like really wanted to feature me.

I didn't ask how much it was. But yeah, love that. 

I mean, I was gonna say to take it a step further. If you have a team, it's like the little things like getting them starbucks in the morning or randomly sending them lunch or whatever. taking time out to take them to get a massage, or I used to pay for car washes.

Just those like little things that don't cost as much money make such a difference and make them feel seen and valued. They're a part of your company to make your lives easier. So showing them that you really care about them and you're putting the human in them first, I think that goes such a long way.

And those things lower your, those things lower your tax liability too, versus just paying them in cash. Okay, so let's talk about teams a little bit. Tell us about how you learned to be managers, how you learned to be good team leaders or mistakes you made.

You just gave me a look, so I feel like, you're like, still learning.

Wait, let me, let me start with a different question. How do you make that leap from I'm by myself to I am ready to have, a team member or multiple team members? How do you know that you're ready to take that on? Maria, when did you know? Because you started. So I was by myself from 2016 to the beginning of 2018 and the biggest thing that happened was it wasn't just a pantry or a pantry in a closet.

It started to evolve into I'm wanting my whole home. And I remember doing a whole home, like an hour away from my house. I was never home. And I got home. My husband was like, if you had a team, you would have way faster turnaround. I was like, dude, that sounds like a really good idea. And so A plus Connor, right?

When it's great. So. I feel like when you start to feel just like this big disconnect from what's going on, like, okay, this isn't feeling like it's running smoothly and why? And I couldn't keep up in a way that was healthy for me. Like printing labels at 2am, no thank you. I mean, we really say day one, you should have a team member.

I was also going to say that we really lean into strengths and weaknesses, like right person, right seat, big time. You cannot be the Jack or Jill of all trades and so we feel that it's really important to just be super self aware. So that you can say, I really am not good at technology. I could really use somebody that would be helpful with that.

Or I am a little bit more of an introvert and I need a forward facing, amazing personality in front of the clients. So I think it's just self awareness truly. I, I would say is what. Makes maybe the best leaders and then I would also say we have all had a manager or a boss at some point and so sometimes being a good managers of thinking about all the things that you hated that somebody Else did to you and then making sure that you don't do those to other people like like that's just simple, right?

So sometimes you're like, oh, I don't know how to manage. I don't know just stop and reflect Because that reflection alone tells you about who you want to be as a manager and how you want to show up. Is this the part where you tell them all the things I was terrible at? Oh yeah. I think too. I have one more thing on that is that And just like I was talking about earlier, you need to take ownership.

There have been times where I have not been a good manager and I am getting feedback. And the worst thing that I could do is argue that feedback. The second worst thing I could do is not do anything about it. And you could sit and say all the nice things. I'm a great talker. I can make somebody feel good, but if I don't show them, if I don't do an action to what they said to show like that has seriously been heard.

Then it's all for naught and that person isn't going to stay around. So you've a good manager takes ownership and admits when they're a bad manager. For my team, we do like. Sometimes every six months, sometimes every year, check ins. And I make them tell me things, like, that I do, that they don't like.

Or I'm like, you have to come telling me three things that you don't, you aren't appreciating, and three things that you are. And I'll do the same for you. But then it kind of like, when I say I don't do it every six months, it's because sometimes with certain employees, I've developed such a, like, we do it all the time.

It's developed that open door to be like, no, we can give each other feedback. It's fine. It doesn't have to be on that schedule. It can be open. My friend Cabree in the back had a phrase one time where she goes, I want you to hurt my feelings. And I, by the way, please don't hurt my feelings. You can hurt Cabree's, but don't hurt mine.

But, but you should have those open conversations. It's important. What are some green flags that you see with people that you are putting on your team? Like, what is a reason that you go, that's a person that should be on my team?

I mean, a lot of our employees have come to us, like, from within our community, and they're like, I want to do this, and here's the plan, and this is how we're going to do it, and I've got it all laid out. And they're like, we'll find a spot for you. Yeah. Like, that's really good. I'm always trying to hire people better than me, and who are better at things than I am.

Like, I'm not so full of myself that I think, like, no one can be better than me. Like, I want everyone out there to be totally next level. A good communicator is... It's everything. Like, when somebody just sends this like, delicious, perfectly well spoken email, you've got me. Hook, line, sinker. Perfect. I think for me, I feel like Green Flags, your first team that you hire will not be your best team.

 If you've hired a team, I mean, if everyone is still with you, then you're an amazing human being. I would love to talk to you and be your friend. But, but they don't always make it right. And so I think sometimes, Green flags just show up over time. For me, it was always big to make sure Marissa kind of talked about this, but like that you're picking out what their strengths are.

You're finding the positives and what they do, and you're placing them in their areas of strength. I would say It's a developing green flag, not just an apparent green flag. Oh, I like that. I would like to shout out for all my solo girlies in the room, because I'm also a solo, solo organizer by choice.

Can we talk a little bit about if you are, if that is not your strength? Like, I know my strengths and weaknesses, and I do not really want a team. Can you talk a little bit about ideas for scaling a business, whether it's products, what, you know, digital products, that type of thing. Any brilliant ideas for the solo?

Organizers out there. Or try to sell us on having a team. Try to convince me. I mean, I think there are people, Shira probably got up here earlier and said like, she never wanted a team. There she goes, she's, she's pro solo. I actually almost said this is the only sentence and I'll say, just like Shira Gill, I also only do it this way.

So I, so I think if you've decided that that's your path and own that, right? Like there's a different thing that works for everyone. You don't have to have a team to be successful. You can do it on your own. I think if you've made that commitment to be solo, so much of it becomes about time management.

 What a team affords you to do is give the, give, it frees up your space and your time. And so if you're on the job, you're off the job, running the business, you're going to get product. You're being that one man show. You've got to figure out how to get really efficient with your time in order to make sure that you're maximizing the value that you could have.

And you can still be a one woman show on site with a client and delegate everything else. That was a really, really big struggle for me was letting go of the reins at all because I am my business. And then there was that whole weird like, Oh, Rhea's actually not going to be on the job. It was just like all, like, this weird transition.

And so that was really hard too. And I know for a lot of people, they dislike that feeling so much that they have to go back into it. But it's all about what your end goal is. And mine is to make money. Honestly, and to be home with my kids. My goal isn't to be working eight hours a day at people's homes every day for the next week.

I think it goes back to your why, kind of like you said, if it really just fulfills you, or whichever lane fulfills you. Own it. It's awesome. Stay in it. And then, I think, just to speak really quickly to how you diversify I'll shout out Shira one more time. Shira and I have, like, life conversations on a regular.

She's my therapist, in case she didn't know that. But one of the things that she's often said is what would you do for fun and for free? And so as a solo person, if you're thinking about what those opportunities are, you know, starting a course is great, but if you would never in a million years do that because it brings you stress and it's not fun and it doesn't make sense for you, then that's not the avenue for you, right?

You see all of these other people going down these paths and sometimes there's a desire to feel like you have to be doing that same thing. I think some of it is about figuring out what you like and what brings you joy. And what you would do without anyone paying you to do it. Because if you can figure that out, then you can absolutely make money off of it.

Love that. I want to go back to what you said to Rhea is thinking about it as like black and white as well. I can only be a solo organizer. You can. And then, like you said, you can have other people in your business and maybe they're not in the house. So that's, that's awesome.

Okay. Lightening round. Ready? What is that? Just, we're just going to answer questions real fast and they're easy. Ready? On a scale of one to ten, the amount of stress you had about outfits for this event. Ten. I FaceTimed my mom and had her look at every outfit twice. Okay, great, great. Fifteen. Okay, great.

Yeah. I'm gonna say one because I wasn't aware that I was actually coming to this event. Oh. And I just happened to book a last minute flight, so you know, it was what was in my suitcase. Oh, I really like that. So next year we should all come by accident. Yeah. Okay. Alright. Back to the beginning of the day, another scale of one to 10, how angry do labels make you?

I mean, obviously Oh, on bins? Yes. Labels on bins. Labels as in like the stickers, the peel off. Labels. Labels. Oh yeah, no. Mm-hmm. Oh, very angry. Yeah, it's annoying. Yeah. You didn't find a therapeutic. To peel them off? Everyone thinks you're wrong, Ashley, I'm sorry. Weirdo. It's the worst. It's the worst. But these are the things, this is why you need an organizing bestie, because, if I tried to explain that to my husband, he'd be like, what are you talking about?

Get a label peeler, those exist off of Amazon. Multipacks, if you're not doing that, what are you doing? Or the hair dryer, or the hair dryer trick. Tell us about that. To heat it up a little with a hair dryer. All right, everyone knows things that I don't. This is exciting. 

Your favorite space to organize.

It is a full move. I love it. Um, Organizing food and like, give me a dumpster fire garage. Really? Yes. Really? Yeah, I want to like, have weird, you don't know. Is your tagline like, I love organizing motor oil? Like, please. I'd probably get way more clients, so I should start diversifying my services. A garage.

Ashley, what about you? Closets, definitely for sure. I will tell you, my team had this running joke that any time a garage was scheduled, they knew I wasn't coming. So, definitely not a garage, but closets, my background was in fashion, so closets is what, it's what brought me in. Love it. Yeah. Least favorite, most hated?

Garages. Okay. Files. Oh, that's my favorite. I don't know if like closets might be on my lip. Is that so weird? No, it's whatever you want. Yeah, I'll take a garage over a closet, I think. Okay, I love this. I can't, I'm like learning things about myself right now. I'm gonna say any space that is dark and creepy and that looks like you could be locked into it.

Definitely been in some very questionable spaces, and so they are not my favorite anymore. An attic, a basement a secret, hiding passageways. One of the organizers in our group a couple weeks ago was like so I have a house that has a spider infestation, and I'm like, immediately no. Like, just no.

Like, please walk out. Right. Okay, what is the, if you are comfortable talking about it. the weirdest thing you've ever found. I'll start, cocaine. I was gonna say crack! Crack! That was nuts, you guys. Alright, I'll tell the story. So in the beginning of the era of Meat Method, we used to play this game with Mentos, or Starbursts, whoever had the yellow Starbursts had to do the Which, we have definitely color coded many toys.

Yeah. Yeah. With gloves. And then I was like, so what does that do? Alright, that's new. I don't know what that is. I had a full box of things that wouldn't turn off one time. Oh. Just kept going and then you'd think it was done and then it wasn't. And then, to be clear, at 10 o'clock at night she got a text from the client that said, Do you know where my box of fun is?

Pick. So something up that like slipped out of my hand. Ooh, there's been some Yeah, but crack. That was crazy. Okay. Wow. Crack is, and it was in one of those like, how'd you know it was crack? Yeah. So . Thank you. It was one of my first jobs, this home overlooking the ocean.

They had an 18 month old. This was like crazy, you guys. They only paid me cash. It was so sketchy. Anyways, so it was one of those secret books where like people hide stuff in it. Okay, so it was on the under their bathroom sink and I opened it and I thought, thought it was a teeth whitening kit. And, but then there were like spounds in drawers and straws and I was like, oh my god.

And I, I, it's not like I did this and took pictures of people's places, but I sent my husband a... Photo and he was like, yeah, they're free basing crack. And I was like, Oh my God. What? Connor, again, coming in with the clutch knowledge. The knowledge of this guy. We need Connor on the stage right now. We don't organize and tell, I mean.

Alright, last question. Give us a book, or a podcast, or something inspirational that we should be following for our business.

Profit First. Read the book. Oh, heck yes. Yes. If you guys do not know about Profit First, please. Go buy it right now. Actually, all of his books are really great. You guys, I already said I don't read, you guys. Rhea does not read. a podcast? I listen to Smartless. Oh, Smartless is great. That's great. 

Okay, we'll end with this one because no, no one wants to talk about books.

Let's talk about if you could go back and tell brand new day one you something, what would you tell yourself? It can be anything. Someone said it earlier, but I think it's like, really appreciate those slow moments. Like, I think you get so frantic and you're like, nobody's coming. But then in those really, really busy moments, you get to burn out much quicker if you're not stopping to pause and reflect.

So like, don't stress out about things getting slow. It will pick back up. I would just say that you are capable. I love that. You are. I would say seven years happens fast. If somebody were to tell me then, like, it'll take this long to get here, that would be really intimidating. But don't be scared by the amount of time we've been in business and what we've accomplished and when because it happens fast.

Well, thank you all for being a part of the Pro Organizer Studio Podcast. Thank you. Thank you for educating us. We love it. Thank you.

Thank you so much for listening to the how to summit episodes. And if you are new to the pro organizer studio podcast, welcome. I am thrilled to have you. I would love to have you be a listener. If you can click the follow button. If you can also leave us a review, I would really appreciate it. It helps me.

People find our podcast, but I love our podcast community. And I am thrilled that every single week or about every, every week, sometimes I get a little bit off, but almost every week I come to you with something that is just for pro organizers, and I would love to have you in our community.

So please follow us, leave us a review if you can, and I will see you next week with another episode. Have a great day, organizers.

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Melissa Klug
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