The PhD is almost over and I’ve been thinking about “What do I want?” When I committed to the PhD, I knew it was a lengthy commitment of time and hefty commitment of money. There are things we agree to in life and we know the long term commitment it will require! And now that the PhD finish line is in sight, I know it’s project time again!!  I love a meaty project and I’ve identified what I want to do over the next 120 days. I want to redo my living spaces, WITH a budget in mind so it doesn’t get crazy like it did last year with one project expense leading to another project expense. 

Do you struggle with this too? 

Up until I abdicated grocery store shopping and cooking, I hadn’t really been on the list. I’d always put my family’s needs before my own. If I wanted something, I’d think about the price, and I’d decide we could use the money towards something else the family needed. I’d also give them my time before using it for myself or business.  We took care of the kids’ living spaces last year. Joey’s plumbing got an upgrade which meant his bathrooms got an upgrade too. Then Abby’s space basically got completely remodeled, but honestly her life was demanding it. And now I feel like we have finished launching them.  And then I got to looking around my living space. And I am choosing to use available time and money for myself and Greg, I’m on the list again. 

My Wish List on a Budget

When Grayson came along, Greg and I started sleeping in separate rooms so I could help with the baby. And we like it, so, we are keeping it that way. Remember, use your home for your current phase of life! I want to cement Greg and I into the empty nest/grandparent phase. In my room, I look around and see all hand me down things.  I’ve dreamed of what this space could be and here’s what I came up with. I’d like to have a household manager command center, an office space dedicated to running our house!  I’d like to bring up all my Sunday Baskets® and binders upstairs and put them all in one bookshelf for easy access. And new bedding that makes me feel like a girl.  I want to rearrange the room to be able to open the curtains and make room for said bookshelf. And I want more light in this room for projects and scrapbooking. I’d like as much upstairs as possible because if I want to get anything done I have to hide from Grayson. He loves to play with me and I love to play with him but, but…I like to get projects done too! My dreaming didn’t stop there…  

Rezoning in the Woodruff Household

I’ve decided the room between Greg and I, which used to be the nursery and then a guest room,  should be reimagined into a gift wrapping room. On a previous episode, I suggested HDX shelving with a long counter top to be used as a gift wrapping station. I have not stopped thinking about that and I finally will have time to make this transition happen. I’m no longer using the kitchen as our home office so I’ll move those resources upstairs. I’d like to make communal items more easily available to Abby on the first level like band aids and things, maybe in the laundry room. I just need to go through the laundry room period now that Abby has her own and I’m doing all of this reimagining and functionality of our living spaces. 

Speaking of the laundry room, there’s more project supplies that I will move upstairs that aren’t for Grayson and I. Gifts for Grayson will go up because he knows the laundry room is my hiding place. AND, all in one washer dryer upgrade. It arrives tomorrow!!  I can’t believe I hit the purchase button. I did the cost analysis and it’s not good but boy is my lil heart excited! We got to talking about it in the small business mastermind and everyone encouraged me to get it saying how much they loved theirs. Also I’m keeping the dryer so I can get two loads done at once. So that justifies the cost a little too.  I wanted to get Abby her own washer dryer so I could get mine back. In the process of sharing my washer door would get stuck and then it started to stink! Now the washer smells despite my efforts to correct it. It annoys me! So it’s on it’s way! And Lastly, I think I’ll clean out the closet downstairs. Most of it will end up in my household manager command center and then Abby can get more storage. I hope you’ll join me for planning day to get your next projects planned for your next 120 days!

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• Lisa’s Favorite Things

• Home Planning Day

• The Productive Home Solution®

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Elaine Willing was on the Monday Connection episode and we have been working together to get this PCS Planning Course just right. You’ll get a workbook, training videos, and a community in the Organize 365® app. Elaine worked on a way to mentally process PCS. She’s figured out how to stop the spinning in your brain with the mention of PCS and turn it into productive actions. Hear all about it in yesterday’s episode!!  The workbook helps you to process your emotions and proactively make a plan for the relocation. PCS’ing can be a lonely isolating process that only builds in complexity as your family grows and you “survive” another duty station. We realize the need to get to community quicker in these moves. The places Elaine has been pained to leave were those when she had a supportive community. 

You guys!!!  I am so excited to be able to offer the PCS Planning Course AND on top of that…it’s 90% off till May 9th, 2025 because that is Spouse Appreciation Day! This is not an April Fool’s joke!!  Please tell everyone you know about this course to help soldiers and their families PCS with less stress. And as I shared in the coffee chat, there is an option to have our base get a virtual or in person training for the PCS Planning Course. You will get lifetime access so even if you are not in a PCS season, take advantage of the pricing now so you have it available to you when you need it again.

*4 Hr. Virtual Planning Day for your base via zoom.

*6 Hr in person (in the 48 continuous states), on base training. Includes the PCS bundle. Two hours will be interactive with me in a questions and answer or book signing interactive capacity. 

*With this in person opportunity you get the PCS Planning Course, Workbook & The PCS  Productivity Bundle. 

PCS Productivity Bundle: Portable Sunday Basket, 2.0 slash pockets (pink, purple, blue, green), and 2.0 Productivity tabs. Your pink slash pocket is for travel, purple slash pockets is for all things related to your home, blue slash pocket for your family and pets, and green for finances including an expense tracker so you get things paid for that should be by the military.

**If you have questions and/or interest in one of these opportunities please email military@organize365.com

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• PCS Planning Course

• PCS Productivity Bundle

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media.

Happy Monday!  Today I get to introduce you to Elaine Willing, who is officially on staff as teh lead for our new PCS (Permanent Change of Station) initative. At Organize 365®, we’ve developed a course to help spouses, supporting their soldiers, to find community faster and make each move a little easier. I first met Elaine through her father in law at a home school co-op conference. He was sent to get a picture with me. Elaine found Organize 365® about 10 years ago when she was maxed out and looking for solutions. Then I got to meet Elaine and the rest is history! I share in her desire to help military spouses through the PCS process. Elaine has supported her husband for many years, is raising her three boys, and now it’s her turn to do something that fills her cup! She sees how spouses just kind of circle in the lower levels of Mazlow’s Hierarchy of Needs and never get to rise to the level where you explore your purpose, what you are uniquely created to do. Elaine knows all too well about PCSing (13 times) and understands the struggle with #alltheemotions, #allthepaperwork and is eager to get to spouses organized and in community sooner.

The Emotional Toll 

Elaine was very vulnerable in sharing her experience, to this point, being a military spouse. She shared aspects of her life I had never thought of! I never considered the friendships they have to build quickly and let go at a moment’s notice. The grieving process you go through as you leave your current station (although she joked that sometimes you are relieved to leave if it just wasn’t a good fit) and anxiety or excitement about what lies ahead with a new duty station. Think of how much you trust the people you put down for your children’s emergency contact…Elaine has to find that stranger quickly, as all the forms continue to request it, as she gets her family settled in each new location. There’s a different at home cadence with each location based on the soldier’s new job. My jaw was on the floor as she explained to me how she got to fly home to see family. Yes they get free SA (space available) flights, but I’m not sure that’s a flight I want to take. And their stations overseas, they’ve only had one car which made daily activities challenging with little ones in tow. 

All the Moving Pieces

Oh the checklists we’ve accumulated and compiled to assist with the repetitive nature of PCS’ing. There are checklists for utilities, vehicles, homes, packing the house, and what not to pack.  I included 10 steps to an organized move. When military families move, lots times they are living out of a suitcases for 30 days. You better believe there’s a checklist for those suitcases. Some bases are equipped with a lending closet for basic things like maybe some toys for your kids or small appliances that weren’t necessities.  And then where do you get groceries in your new location (tricky for Elaine with her family having food allergies), house keepers, after school activities, sports, babysitters, and even for you to find friends. There’s a checklist of services you’ll need to find and establish. A lot of the post-move checklists you could review on the plane ride to your new duty station. The very last checklist “Just tell me what to do” for when you are drained but know you need to keep going. 

What to Expect

Over the many moves, Elaine has found a way to mentally process PCS. She’s figured out how to stop the spinning in your brain with the mention of PCS and turn it into productive actions. The workbook helps you to process your emotions and proactively make a plan for the relocation. PCS’ing can be a lonely isolating process that only builds in complexity as your family grows and you “survive” another duty station. We realize the need to get to community quicker in these moves. The places Elaine has been pained to leave were those when she had a supportive community. 

Two Opportunities to Build Community:

*4 Hr. Virtual Planning Day for your base via zoom.

*6 Hr in person (in the 48 continuous states), on base training. Includes the PCS bundle. Two hours will be interactive with me in a questions and answer or book signing interactive capacity. 

*With this in person opportunity you get the PCS Planning Course, Workbook & The PCS  Productivity Bundle which includes a Portable Sunday Basket, 2.0 slash pockets (pink, purple, blue, green), and 2.0 Productivity tabs. Your pink slash pocket is for travel, purple slash pockets is for all things related to your home, blue slash pocket for your family and pets, and green for finances including an expense tracker so you get things paid for that should be by the military.

**If you have questions and/or interest in one of these opportunities please email military@organize365.com

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• PCS Planning Course

• PCS Productivity Bundle

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media.

Your home is like “home base” in tag, it’s the safe spot. In 2024, we spent resources on Joey and Abby’s homes. In 2025, I want to do some renovations on the second floor of our home, where Greg and I spend a lot of time. I wanted to share how I plan to attack those renovations but first I felt it appropriate to offer this bonus economic episode to give insight to all this Tariffs talk and the swift changing of the government right now. I based my choices off of the large picture and this is how you can too as the household manager!

Hire It Out vs. DIY

There is a direct relationship between the money you have to invest and the amount of time a project will take. Either you hire a contractor to complete the task with a timeline shorter than you could’ve done. Or you do it yourself but it will take longer usually.  And then there’s a hybrid option somewhere in there. I have decided on the projects I want to complete upstairs, however if I hire it all out like I did with the kids’ projects I’ll be broke soon!  Next episode I’ll tell you all about it. 

YOUR House

When considering your household budget and anything you want to do you need to look at what is going on in your household budget. Just because the economy is bad doesn’t mean your household is. The example I share here was the Organize 365® budget (remember our homes are small businesses) in regards to shipping costs, de minimis value, and taxes. I also shared how physical nexus and economic nexus affects Organize 365® sales and taxes so you could get an understanding of the complexity of what seems like a simple purchase or subscription from our community. You GOTTA hear the episode. And I say that to encourage learning. Always be moving forward. 

Everyone may not be happy about this adjustment but when I looked at the entire shipping process and considering what the customer has to pay, in addition to their receiving end, it does not make sense to continue shipping internationally. If I don’t make this adjustment and Organize 365® does under, then there’s no money anyway. Better to adjust and make unpopular decisions. You may be looking ahead and realize that in order to celebrate your child's graduation like you may have for a previous child you need to cancel the annual summer vacation. As the household manager, in order to keep the budget afloat, this decision may make the most responsible financial sense. This is where you need to cut costs first, at the household level. 

Economic Outlook

Are we in a recession or not? I talked about my opinion of the stock market.  It may be an indicator of the emotional climate but not the economy. Right now, everyone can feel how volatile the economy feels. The President is making changes more quickly than people are used to. There is a lot going on with Tariffs and we are toeing the line with financial war. This is not in our control. My best advice, with all the economical uncertainty, is to attend planning day so you can plan out and allocate money for the next 120 days AND look over the next 3 years. 

What Do You Need?

As a household manager, looking at the current economy, I would not embark on the PhD. I know for my household budget and looking into the future over the next three years, now would not be a financially responsible time to tie up funds for that. However, I offered multiple ideas for how to continue personal development. If you can’t attend a conference this year like you normally do, try a different mode of learning. I know I want to do some renovating this year as my time is becoming available. If there is a financially hefty project you want to do, you may need to contribute some blood sweat and tears this time, in addition to or instead of hiring someone to complete the task. Can you invest more time and still get what you want?

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Home Planning Day 

• The Sunday Basket®

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, Monique is here to tell you all about her experience at Small Business Mastermind. You know how I always say I am where work comes from? Well Monique is where in person events have come from in the past and you’ve probably heard her on the podcast. She’s been a professional organizer, certified by Organize 365®, for 12 years now! She has attended our events as a customer, as staff, as an organizer, and now, a small business owner looking to grow an online business.

From the moment everyone arrived at the hotel, everyone just jumped right in. Due to the private chat set up in the app before the mastermind they all had a chance to connect. They were able to connect prior to the mastermind.  Monique shared her surprise that more attendees weren’t organizers. But they all were women creating business.  

Day one started with an  energy in the room like a bunch of old friends reuniting, even for me because of all the Voxer conversations I’d had with all the women. And because of all of those conversations and the extensive survey everyone had filled out I knew the main struggle for everyone attending was green work.  Everyone was asking “How do you get it all done?” We had a lengthy conversion about Executive Assistants and Chiefs of Staff and how you know which you need. Monique shared how she got so much value out of the first session. Everyone looked at their admin tasks and they calculated a dollar value for that task. It’s like I shared about economic stage 6, it may make more sense to pay someone to do something you are capable of doing because it takes you out of your business. Monique said that was one of the most impactful things she learned. We joked, once we had that session Monique was ready to go home and conquer her business! 

I’ve shared transparently that on day 2, I didn’t really know what I was going to teach but I had no doubt that it was going to be meaningful. As we try new things, if we keep the person we are doing it for in mind, it will be impactful because we want better for them. That’s when I decided to do 12 minutes with Lisa to really drill down on one struggle or thought or project.  I didn’t know till Monique shared but as people came out they all shared what they asked and what we came up with. 

Monique brought to the table an online business that she wanted to grow. I advised that was a tough road if she wanted to go down it due to social media being such a beast like a part time job itself, all the noise online in general, and all the back office automations and such she would need would take years to build out. But Monique really did want to incorporate her coaching, paper organizing and productivity. But it’s funny both Monique and Lisa D. couldn’t remember their original idea they came to me with because what we imagined together was so much better and a perfect solution that they were so excited about. The day ended with the women attending Friday Workbox Planning Day live.  I’ve never had applause at the end of Planning Day. 

Monique is offering an amazing package to come to your house for a week and organize. But we all know how easy it is to fall off the wagon after a reset like that. So you will also get 3 months of coaching on the systems and staying organized. So once you get it organized it can pretty much stay that way! She’s only taking 10 clients per year so make sure you get your package booked today!!  We pay people to do a lot of things for us like watching our kids, cleaning, our accounting so why not for organizing our homes and coaching to support this change?

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Small Business Mastermind

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Paper Solution®

• The Productive Home Solution®

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

What have you thought of this series so far? At the beginning of this episode, I recapped economic stages 1-5. It’s important to understand them and how to advance if you’d like. But also if you find that your economic stage was once 4 and you are back to 1, you are not alone. It can happen to anyone and honestly I think all of America is in stage one, trying to reduce expenses to match their income. The economy changed which affected our small business AKA our homes. It’s important to understand and own the economic impact our home has on the global economy. Thinking about stage 6 should prompt you to look at your expenses and set expectations for what you can expect financially.  

Stage 6: A business bigger than yourself; but there’s no playbook

If you choose to go to stage 6, get ready for a life long journey of development. You may make some expensive mistakes or have some hires not work out.  In stage 6, your business becomes bigger than just you and your household budget. You are looking at your budget and realizing you can increase your expenses to (in the long run) make more money. It’s time to start interviewing people, explore their uniquenesses, and hire accordingly. And get ready for your income to decrease. In growing your business and getting structure in place, just know you will likely have little to no income for about 3-5 years. I wish there was a playbook that could have warned me. Take heart, in America, the 4 positions that can provide exponential wealth are doctor, lawyer, sales, and business owner. So if you are embarking on stage 6, there’s a lot of income potential due to all the extra help you have in your company now. 

Stage 6: Taxes

And with structuring your company, you will become a W2 employee, at least that is how I set up Organize 365®. My income was capped by my salary. I have learned more about the IRS than you ever wanted to know. There will be new tax implications on your business’s income. And your business income is not solely yours anymore. Due to the structure you put in place, you will pay yourself, your employees AND employment taxes.  You get to learn about human resources and you’ll be where benefits come from! Remember, life long journey of learning and development. 

Stage 6: It’s so fun!

Even if I had known the growing pains I could expect, no one could have stopped me. I love having a company, a team, and leading them!!  Details aren’t my strength and it makes me really happy to hire those tasks out. It’s time to get your home in order to give way to the time and attention you need to direct towards your business. Get that home train running smooth to allow capacity at work so you can really make an impact.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• Friday Workbox®

• POTT START

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Happy 7th Birthday to the Sunday Basket®, let’s all break out in song. Just kidding…I am so excited to tell you the Paper Organization Certification course is 20% off till April 1st. Once you have finished the certification and get your license, you can charge for your services and receive 30% commission on products you sell.  

Once upon a time I was a very frustrated mama. Joey was only 6 months old and Abby was 2. Lil Joey didn’t like to nap very long and I had a pile of actionable papers but no time to go through them much less accomplish anything. One night the Sunday Basket® was born. I knew the more planned, organized, and efficient with my time I could multiply the amount of tasks I could conquer. Links below to hear the evolution of the Sunday Basket®.

Once the Sunday Basket® took off and people were implementing it in their lives they were longing for more training. So I started to offer workshops. But I knew in my heart of hearts that with the growth of my company, there would not be enough Lisa one day. That’s when the opportunity to become a certified paper organizer started to be offered.

 Some people can DIY it and implement it successfully. Some people, like me, prefer 1:1 explanations and don’t mind paying for the speed of implementation. And yet others want to be tricked into it with a little get together, snacks, music, and friends. I used to be a part of Creative Memories, a scrapbooking company. I loved our monthly Friday night workshops and envisioned the certified organizers taking a playbook from Creative Memories. We had such rich connections and were really doing life with each other. And with simply learning to ask “Can this wait till Sunday?” you have a safe place to hold all your actionable papers till Sunday and externalize all the things you want to do. 

When people come to the paper organizing retreats that are just one day mind you, they walk away with friends. It is a non-judgmental space. It’s a safe place to ask questions about the paper you have with you.  Lots of times another attendee has organized the type of  paper in question. And it’s through those conversations that friendships are developed. 

Depending on the stage of life you are in, it can be really hard to make friends. I think of how my mom and myself have made friends over the years. I have never really been in the phase of life to plan or attend girls nights out. Those Creative Memory workshops were that for me. And the Paper Organizing Retreat or the other in person event may be that for you. 50% of the people attending are usually settling an estate which can be isolating and lonely and sometimes it’s their spouses. You can’t make friends in the walls of your homes. 5 years after COVID, it’s time to get back to in person events. People are in need of people more than ever right now. And it’s us, the people and community of Organize 365® that makes it so unique.

So if you are interested, you have the heart of a teacher or a friend, and you want to become a Certified Paper Organizer now is your time!!  You will be certified in the Sunday Basket®, and the Financial, Medical, Household Reference, and Household Operation Binders. Once you are certified, you can even add on certifications like The Friday Workbox®, Teacher Workbox, and The Productive Home solution. We need more certified paper organizers! If you want to take it a step further, become a professional organizer; we have a course for that too called POTT START, check it out. If you just need to talk it out or ask more questions please reach out to customer service at customerservice@organize365.com.  

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Paper Solution Certification

• POTT Start for Professional Organizer Certification

• 521-Lisa's Organization Story 2002

• 522-Lisa's Organization Story 2007

• 523-Lisa's Organization Story 2012

• 524-Lisa's Organization Story 2017

• 525-Lisa's Organization Story 2022

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media.

Today on the Connections Episodes from Organize 365®, I’m talking to Corie Weathers, author of “Military Culture Shift”. Once Corie was married she and her husband desired to invest in marriages, in a private practice. That was until he decided to pursue being a chaplain in the Military. And so began a life long adventure of serving and PCS’ing with two boys. Corie is currently gearing up to PCS soon and vulnerably shared how she feels about it.  Corie’s strength is not in adjusting to change. As a therapist, Corie advises others to adjust their expectations and look for the things you are excited about in the new location. It’s important to grieve the loss of your current lifestyle, feel it, process it, and then climb out of those feelings by looking for purpose in the new. And while it is a military family’s choice to serve, she pointed out there are a lot of sacrifices and choices you forfeit. Corie is deeply committed to serving the military community. 

Military Culture Shift

We talked about the culture shift among military families over the years. It used to be that 1 in 4 people knew someone serving and now it’s 1 in 200 that know someone serving in the Military. Americans had a better understanding of the sacrifice service men and women and their families make, on a daily basis. The overall support system used to be greater. Because military families know the struggle of moving so often, when you arrived in your new location, you could count on the community to embrace you. The spouses acted as the backbone and placed on the back burner for their families. They volunteered so their active duty servicemember could focus on the mission. Honestly, the Military relies on the volunteers. It’s volunteers who help the families settle in. Also as spouses, you need to get your family established, then you could explore work opportunities. But by that time it was almost time to move again.  In the 80’s the marketing had a fatherly figure kind of message as in you could count on the military to supply all your needs. 

That shifted to “we take care of our families so they can take care of themselves” kinda vibe. They were trying to break the dependency of families on them for every need. Families were starting to get used to 2 income households so they didn’t have to rely on the military so much and because spouses wanted to work.  Spouses face many challenges in relocating and often that second income is undependable. Where the spouse has a license or certification, in some cases they aren’t recognized in other states or countries. We got into a deep discussion about possible solutions and whose job is it to develop and implement those solutions. Social media has filled some of the gaps but due to more spouses working, volunteerism went down and community decreased. 

Military Initiative Funding

We also talked about how funding gets assigned to different buckets. And the appropriation process to make sure the money gets spent as intended. And what happens when money is supposed to be set aside but comes up short and then some programs don’t actually get fully funded. It directly affects those that protect us. We talked a lot about the process. And that goes for every bill that becomes law, not just for the Department of Defense (DOD) initiatives. And when families fall on hard times due to programs not getting funded, now they no longer have that tight knit community to lean on. 

Corie’s Challenge: “Who is going to be the people group that implements this thing that is so important to me?”

We agreed that it’s time for everyone to look at the issues with fresh eyes and come up with outside of the box ideas as solutions. As states are starting to have more control, it’s time for us and private institutions to step up and provide actionable solutions for those who protect our freedom. Could you be part of the solution for an issue personal to you?

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Military Culture Shift by Corie Weathers

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media.

You have found pockets of time to make a little extra money here and there. Now you are enjoying making the extra money and even are relying on it. This new stream of income is usually a little unconventional in the sense that it’s not W2 work. Your family loves how flexible it is because you are still available for them and there’s extra money. You are challenged by how flexible it is. You still have all of your previous responsibilities but now you the additional ones the new stream of income demands too. It’s time for a “reorganizing of the company.”

Just the Facts

This is just the facts people, no one is debating that women do more house work than men. Men normally go to work for 8-10 hours and the rest of their time is considered to be leisure. How much leisure time do women claim to have? Women on the other hand (generally speaking) do the house work and take care of children or pets, doesn’t leave much leisure time. And once you have a side hustle that is consistently bringing in money for your family, YOU have more responsibilities and almost no leisure time. This was mirrored in my childhood. Dad worked then golfed…a lot! And mom took care of the home, my sister and I, and she created a business in our basement. She was always working. As a business owner, which we established you are now, you are thinking about the daily operations of your business, ways to develop your business skill set, ways to grow the business, additional services or products you want to offer, and possibly being responsible for workers.

Fire Yourself

Let’s revisit stage 1. Remember you didn’t have a lot of extra money but you did have time? You were the one painting the walls or making the things you wanted. It may be time to evaluate all those tasks and hire someone to do them instead. Does it make sense for you to spend a day painting your walls OR would the time be better spent on your business because now you can afford to pay someone instead? Even if your family is counting on the money you bring in, could you do one more organizing job to pay to get that room painted? You spend more time in your business AND you get the room painted? It’s the same thing with hiring a house keeper or book keeper.  

The Tradeoff

There is always a trade off right? Either you spend time or money. I say spend your money on tasks that don’t take you out of your business hours and instead use that time to get more experience in your business. In Home Planning Day, you can evaluate just the next 120 days. What do you want accomplished? How much will it cost? And who will do it? Then all you have to do is run that plan. 

It doesn’t mean you are boujie because you hire someone in your home.  The first hires I always recommend are a house keeper, book keeper, or an executive assistant. And my first hires were contractors for only like 5 hours a week. 

A. That person is likely grateful for the work. I was so thankful that people let me clean their homes so I could send my kids to private school. You could really be helping someone out. 

B. Hiring someone to do those tasks not associated with your business or the non CEO tasks reduces your task switching and increases your focus on your business. 

In stage 5, you are focusing on finding body doubles to give you more time to commit to overseeing your business and be more cognitively available for your family.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• Home Planning Day

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

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In this episode, Lisa J. and I sat down to recap the Small Business Mastermind;  If you remember,  she owns a farm in Australia. Lisa J.’s farm and life has been improved by the products and systems from Organize 365®. When she heard there was an in person opportunity to work with me, she jumped on the opportunity!! Lisa J. was also excited to be in a room with like minded accomplished women but what she didn’t expect to walk away with was so much more self confidence in business.

I put out a survey asking the attendees what they were hoping to learn. Glad I asked because I was on the wrong track as far as what I had planned to teach. I love learning about other people’s businesses and consulting them how to move forward and grow and I wanted to address what they needed. I decided to hop on voxer with everyone and get a better understanding of who they were and their businesses. This also got them talking with their teams and more focused on what they wanted out of the mastermind. Once they arrived, I opened with me introducing them to the group. And then we talked about all the ways I analyze time. It was time for lunch and I needed a break because Imposture’s Syndrome was setting in. These were amazing accomplished women. What could I teach them?  

Coming back from lunch they introduced themselves to the group and talked about their strengths and weaknesses. I talked about the Kolby Index test. Once they took that and heard them explain themselves, it opened the door for authentic conversations in a safe space, advising each other how to overcome their weaknesses, strengths they saw in each other, and true camaraderie. 

That was a huge success but how would I continue to provide value to these women going into day 2? I knew what to do, 12 minutes - one to one with me. I remember from my coaching days that by 8 minutes people would be so overwhelmed with actionable to-do’s that they wanted to go start strategizing on ways to implement those ideas. I also knew we needed a couple of minutes to say hi and hug. But then what would everyone do while I was tied up in these one to one’s? I had Tanya available for remote work conversations, Steph for Chief of Staff conversations, and Anna was available for information and documentation conversations. They could shop or tour the warehouse and of course check out Joey’s car.  Lisa J. said they all agreed that the 12 min one to one’s were genius because it gave a deadline as to when the conversation was going to end so you really needed to be prepared going into the coaching session. She said everyone should have been recorded leaving the one to one’s because of the confidence they exuded. 

One of the biggest benefits was all of the networking all of the attendees got to do during the day and at night. They all stayed at the same hotel, chose to have meals together, and explore the area a little. Due to being connected before the mastermind via the app, they were able to get the backstory of everyone and know what they needed help with. They are now a group of 20 friends doing business together and making connections in business. From our one to one, Lisa J is working on a retreat for farmers where they can work on the transfer of their farm to another owner or a younger generation. Can’t wait to catch up later this year. If you too are looking for guidance and a network of like minded business owners, get signed up to attend the next Small Business Mastermind!

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Friday Workbox®

• Transformation with Lisa J. 

• Small Business Mastermind

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

You’re a business owner - Congratulations!!  In stage 4, there needs to be a mindset shift. You are no longer just doing this little side hustle, you are an entrepreneur! I will never forget when a  friend said to me that I was a home organizer. That was it!! The common thread of all my side hustles was some aspect of home organizing. But I identified as a stay at home mom. However, she was right and that’s when my mindset shifted because now my unique talents had an identity. Did you know that 39.1% of all businesses are owned by women? Those women, on average, are 42 and have been in business for 11 years. The most common reasons people start new businesses are to pursue a passion, seeking financial freedom, and to increase flexibility in their life. 

Do you do this?

Now that your household is counting on this income, you need to get the math straight. The trap a lot of us fall into is still thinking like a W2 employee. Before we got a $2000 paycheck and all of that was for our house. Now, as an entrepreneur, you need to account for your business expenses AND taxes. So if your business had $500 in expenses and you need to save $500 for taxes, all your house really gets is $1000. In stage 4 you may need to evaluate your services or product offerings to make sure you are working smarter not harder. Because you are both the business owner and the admin, it can make it challenging to hit income goals.

Entrepreneurs

As an entrepreneur, you are officially dedicating time outside of your W2 employment and all your time is no longer for household tasks and leisure.  This can include volunteer/charity work where you are dedicating your time to benefit people outside your home. And the longer you are in this work, the more you will narrow down the services or products you want to offer, keeping the ones with the best money exchanged for your time. That’s the beauty of entrepreneurship, flexibility. You also have flexibility in your time.  This can be a double edged sword because since you are likely working from home, all your household tasks are there, begging for your attention.  When you go to your W2 work they don’t expect you to clean the bathrooms. But at home…

How to Organize Administration and Track Profitability

And you may think your business isn’t taking that much time. But you probably aren’t tracking how long it takes for your administration tasks. Just like in your home, you use the Sunday Basket® to get it all done, you need a Friday Workbox® at work to get everything done. You are wearing a lot of hats in your business now. There are 4 types of work I teach you about in the Friday Workbox® and they are color coded. 

The pink slash pockets are a safe place for ideas you have for the business, future products or services, and personal development you’d like to consider. The purple slash pockets are for projects with deadlines or products that are making money. With all of your paid work is plenty of invisible unpaid work too. And all of those tasks fall into administrative work which is in green slash pockets. Administrative work is bookkeeping, invoicing, emails, leads, tracking expenses, monthly P&L, and more. And blue is for the team we will talk about in stage 5.

In stage 4, it’s time to legitimize your business by organizing all of your tasks and creating an LLC. Administration is the key in stage 4. You need systems in place to free up capacity to be more productive and profitable. 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Friday Workbox®

• The Paper Solution®

• The Productive Home Solution

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!