8 Important Lessons Learned in 8 Years of Business

​Hello Simplified is 8 years old this month. That means I’ve owned this business for 23% of my life. Holy moly! If my business were a child she'd be entering 3rd grade.
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I am beyond fortunate that I love my business now more than ever. I get to guide my talented team of organizers to help clients love and thrive in their homes. It's a dream! But that doesn't mean there haven't been challenges.

I've learned so much over the past 8 years. I'd love to share my top 8 lessons with you. Perhaps you can relate in your own life or business and find value in my experience!

Lesson #1: Clutter Isn’t Just About Stuff

 ​I knew it before, but having the business for 8 years has especially taught me that holding on to items and accumulating clutter isn't just about stuff. There are many emotions tied to our things and many reasons we hold on to items. We're busy, we have sentimental attachment, we're anxious over the "what ifs" if we get rid of something and then need it.

​The emotions behind our possessions is what drew me in in the first place. I benefited so much from taking the time to declutter and think about why I held on to things. It truly lifted a lot of stress from my life and having less made the multiple moves I did so much smoother.

I realized in my business, over time, that I wanted to focus on helping people going through big life changes. Life transitions are some of the most stressful times and we carry deep emotions with it. There is so much that comes to the surface when it’s time to decide what goes in a box with us or what to leave behind; when we stop to look around and think about what our home says about us and what we value. Life changes such as moving into a new home is a fresh start and a perfect opportunity for us to set clients up for success.

Read about how organizing helps you navigate major life changes here.

As for us organizers, it’s not just about convincing you to get rid of as much as possible. We’re there to be compassionate, to understand the struggle, and to gently bring you back again and again to your goal and how this will benefit you to persevere and push through the hard emotions.

If you're struggling with a cluttered home, it very well may be hinting at a deeper issue. Start to clear the clutter and you may discover it helps you feel happier and that you can tackle the challenges in your life head-on.

Lesson #2: Multiple Organizers Are Better Than One

​When I started my business I was a full-time elementary music teacher living in Portsmouth, NH. I was passionate about decluttering and wanted to help others get tidy, while earning some side income. I worked solo nights and weekends. I'd heard of these "big organizing companies" with teams, but never dreamed that could be me. 

Then my husband and I decided to move to Raleigh, NC. I didn't want to lose all the hard work I put into building my NH organizing business. I decided to start a team to work alongside me to train and keep then managing them once I moved. This was the best decision I could have made. My NH business has thrived in the 6 years since I moved to NC. I'm so glad I didn't just close that location down. No regrets!

In NC I hired organizers to work with me, since I loved having a team in NH. Then I got pregnant, and COVID hit quickly after. When clients were ready to have us again, I was quite pregnant. My team took over while I managed them and the rest is history.

Building two teams was a ton of work, but it was so worth it. We can serve countless more clients than if it were just me. Now I manage both of my teams and the business/marketing side of things.

Having a team means we have co-workers to run ideas past. The team loves going on jobs together and have genuinely formed friendships with each other. They have multiple brains to come up with ideas and problem solve.

On that same note, I also have found great value in communicating with other professional organizing businesses. I'm in multiple online groups with hundreds of other organizers across the US and beyond. I also attended the How To Summit in Austin last fall and will attend again in Dallas this September. Every business is unique and I love hearing how others run theirs and sharing tips and tricks from mine. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. It's a gift to be able to share and learn from other professionals.

Lesson #3: Every Client Is Unique

You'd think that after organizing thousands of spaces we would have a set plan that works for every pantry, closet, or playroom we come across, but that's far from the truth. Yes, we have our favorite go to products. Yes, our overall process is the same: pulling everything out, sorting, decluttering, then putting it back in an organized and functional way. But every client, every home, and every space is unique.

So much of what we do is problem solving in the moment. Where were items before and is there a better solution? How can we work with the client to declutter enough to meet their goals, and do so by empowering them rather than pressuring them? What products fit best for the space and for the amount of stuff the client has after decluttering?

We may organize homes each day, but every day is exciting and different. We love getting to know our clients and how to serve their custom situation best.

Lesson #4: Every Market Is Different

Just like every client and home is unique, I have discovered that every market is different. I have had the unique perspective of owning a business in two separate parts of the country. Portsmouth, NH and Raleigh, NC have quite different markets. I also am friends with other organizers across the US and Canada that I met in online organizer groups or at conferences and their markets are different than mine in many ways.

I've still been able to keep the same basic services across my two locations of home organizing and unpacking/home setup, but the houses and clients are different. I love both markets though!

The Portsmouth, NH and seacoast area is a much older area. The age demographic is older on average, as well as the homes. Portsmouth was established all the way back in 1653, VS Raleigh was established in 1792 (but many of the surrounding towns were later, such as Cary in 1871).

Since the homes in Portsmouth are older, they are much smaller. They don't usually have dedicated pantries and instead use kitchen cabinets to store food and dry goods. Walk-in closets are less common and there is way less storage in general. Basements are fairly common and attics not as much. Many clients in NH have lived in their homes for decades. We have a lot of decluttering-focused clients in NH and less focus on products and having things be Instagram-perfect. It's hard to add a lot of products when you have limited storage space!

In the Raleigh area homes are newer. We are one of the fastest growing areas in the country, which means lots of newer build homes. These new build homes have storage upon storage. This can be great to have plenty of room, but it also means we're less motivated to declutter and we can hold on to more easily. You will fill the space you have! Bigger homes means there is room for dedicated pantries, beautiful walk-in closets, expansive playrooms, and more. It is so fun to work in these spaces where we can bring in bins, baskets, labels, and really create an aesthetically pleasing space that is also easy to maintain.

Our Raleigh area clients tend to want products more (thank you extra space) and we tend to have more families. These homes don't usually have basements, but they have garages and attics.

Due to the rapidly growing area and excellent job opportunities in the Triangle, many of our NC clients are unpacking clients. Our team comes in the day their movers arrive or within a day or two. We unpack all their boxes and strategically set up their new home. Many companies who relocate their employers will cover our services as part of their relocation. We are most busy with unpacks in NC over the summer months.

I love managing both of our markets. Variety is the spice of life and there is definitely a lot of variation in what I do and who we serve! 

Lesson #5: Let Your Business Evolve

The business I started in NH is not the business I currently have (literally and figuratively. I started out with the name "Seacoast Simplified" and then changed it to "Hello Simplified" once I knew we were moving to NC)! I started out going solo to clients' homes on nights and weekends, while also teaching elementary school music.

Fast forward 8 years later and now I have two locations. I have two teams of talented organizers who do the organizing while I primarily manage the business side of things such as sending proposals, invoicing, marketing, and training the team.

It's important to be flexible and let your business evolve over the years. When I first started growing a team I used subcontractors and my business was a sole proprietor. Eventually, in 2021, it made more sense to switch to employees and an LLC. I love having employees instead of subcontractors. Since we are a dedicated team I can train my employees thoroughly and they're protected under my business insurance and worker's comp. Many of my organizers have worked with Hello Simplified for years!

At one point I even offered financial organizing and coaching. I enjoyed doing this and helping clients with their budgets, but in the end I decided it was better to focus on the home organizing side of my business.

​I added a focus on unpacking clients after moving to NC, which was an excellent decision, since a big majority of our clients here are unpacks. We have these in NH as well! Moves are very stressful for clients and we love getting them settled quickly from the start. 

Lesson #6: Boundaries Are Beautiful

When I started the business, I was eager to gain clients and eager to make everyone happy. (I'm a people-pleaser for sure!) Although I still want to make my clients and team happy, of course, I've learned that boundaries are very important. I could always be better with boundaries, but have definitely improved over the years.

A big goal of mine is to keep my organizing team happy. This means only occasionally scheduling weekend jobs, not texting them too early/late, and making sure the jobs we accept are a good fit. For example, we don't organize garages in the summer since it's too hot. We've had organizers feel faint in the past and it's just not fun to organize in the scorching heat. It's important that we have safe working conditions and that clients address issues like mice infestation or cat spraying before we visit.

Our team is talented in organizing, decluttering, and unpacking. Clients often need more than this, such as hanging artwork, installing new closet systems, or hauling away big and/or dirty items. Although we COULD help with these tasks, they're not our area of expertise. If tasks are beyond our scope of work, I'm more than comfortable now to let the client know. It's not helpful to them or us to try doing something that we don't specialize in. We don't leave our clients hanging though and are happy to recommend other service providers that can do the job best!

Lesson #7: My Degree Isn’t Wasted

,I received my Bachelor's degree in music education in 2012 and my Master's degree in secondary education with a focus on music in 2013, both from The University of New Hampshire. I thought I would always be a music teacher! I taught elementary school music full time for 5 years. My final year of teaching I started my organizing business on the side. 

Music was my whole life growing up and throughout college and teaching. I put in a lot of time, effort, and money (thanks Mom and Dad) into preparing for and receiving my music teaching degrees. I took piano lessons for 12 years plus a semester in college, I took voice lessons, did band, chorus, and theater. I did a teaching internship my senior year of high school and the entire year of my master's program. I taught piano lessons during college and was a camp counselor for summer youth music camp. 

While teaching, it had crossed my mind that it maybe wasn't the best fit for me, but I had no idea what else I would do. Then, my 4th year of teaching I got really into decluttering and heard about professional organizing being a thing.

I don't think my degree is wasted, since I have used many learned skills in my business. Being a music major required a lot of work, perseverance, and dedication. I applied this hard work to my business. Much like being a music major and teacher, you have to be self-disciplined. No one is there telling you to study, practice your instrument, lesson plan, or push yourself to improve. Being my own boss means I need a lot of self-discipline. 

My background in teaching really helped when working with clients. If the client isn't connecting with the way I'm explaining something to them, I can explain it in many more ways. I have countless ways to coach clients on why decluttering will benefit them, for example. 

My teaching background is also very helpful with managing my team. I'm able to communicate clearly, have clear expectations, and be a leader while also being understanding and compassionate. I've built an extensive handbook over the years (thanks lesson planning), to serve as a reference point and reminder for the team. It includes all of our policies and procedures, as well as organizing tips for every space of the home.

As for music still being in my life, I'm thrilled that both of my kids love dancing and singing. I've sang to my kids every night since they were born. We're a big music family.

​With the flexibility of my business, I'm able to volunteer at my kids' school and teach music to their classes. It's fun to revisit some of my favorite activities from when I taught music professionally. When my kids get older I can teach them instruments like ukulele or piano, if they're interested!

Lesson #8: Owning A Business Is Perfect For Me

As the heading says, owning a business is perfect for me. Ok, perfect is a strong word. I've taught my daughter to say that nothing is perfect (yes, my inner recovering perfectionist taught her to say that). But, with all that being said, ​I love what I do. I get excited about learning new things and ways to grow my business. I connect with my team and feel like a good leader. Owning a business has been a great (near-perfect) fit for me.

It's a great fit for my family too. I was able to be home for over a year for each of my children when they were babies, while keeping the business afloat. I have the flexibility to be there when my kids are sick, or to volunteer at their school. I've learned to create more work-life balance over the years.

​It was easy at first to let the business take over my life. But now I've learned it's also so important to take care of my health and exercise, meet with friends, and focus on my family. Then, when it is time to work, I dial in on the most important tasks and my team that needs my guidance.

​I've learned to accept that there will always be tasks left on my to-do list and ideas of how I COULD grow my business. Deep down I know that if I ever finished my list (which I won't), my silly brain would just come up with more ideas and more tasks. So I can accept that it will never get done and ask myself "How can I be happy in my life and business now"?

I've learned a lot in my 8 years of business. But I'm a lifelong learner and I'm not done yet! How exciting that there is always more to learn. 

I will carry these lessons forward and build upon them. I'm excited to keep growing my team and help more and more clients. Check back in another 8 years for even more nuggets of wisdom! Until then, we'll be helping clients let go of the clutter holding them back, unpacking and setting up freshly moved-in homes, and making picture-perfect pantries that are functional for families. 

If you'd like to learn more about working with our amazing professional organizing team, download our organizing guide here.
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See you soon,
Sandi