Y’all, I was soo stoked when VoyageATL reached out to do a feature on my business in their Inspiring Stories series. First of all, how cool is that!? But secondly, meeee- my business was brand-spankin’ new!
VoyageATL is a California-based magazine that has branched out to tons of major cities across the US, including Atlanta, and features inspiring local businesses. I couldn’t have been more excited to share my story of how Tidied by K started.
Check out my interview below (click image to visit site)
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I remember as a little girl being woken to the sound of reggae music playing throughout the house every Sunday met with the expectations of completing our chores, which I hated. My siblings and I would divide and conquer until every chore was completed to the satisfaction of my parents, and if it wasn’t right… we’d do it again. I guess you can say this is what created my somewhat obsessive behavior as an adult- I want to get things done right the first time around as neat and quick as possible. Honestly, my journey to entrepreneurship started in my adolescent years as unwanted discipline.
The more prevalent struggles I’ve faced are fear and the lack of confidence associated with being a new entrepreneur (at least that’s been my experience). Fear of selling to potential clients… “Am I asking for too much money? Should I negotiate my prices? How do I sell without being too pushy or salesy?” Even the lack of confidence stood forefront in a lot of scenarios… “Should I decide not to work with this client? Should I post this? Is this content even helpful?” I’ve since learned to respond accordingly to these questions, but in the very beginning, they truly impacted how I ran my business.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Tidied by K helps the unorganized reclaim their space so they can save time, energy, and money. We take away the stress of each client trying to find functionality.
For your home we will:
- Create a space you can be proud of
- Create an atmosphere for your family and friends to gather
- Create a system that helps you maximize your productivity
Beyond that, we help small businesses understand the implications of operating in chaos. Money, productivity and morale are all sacrificed when your business is disorganized. TBK provides a lens for you to see your business’ potential with a customized plan to get there.
For your business we will:
- Simplify your workspace to maximize productivity
- Create an inventory… no need in buying things you already have
- Alleviate stress for the less tech-savvy by managing your digital files
- Create visualizations that showcase financial implications resulting from cluttered working environments
I am most proud of my client’s reactions upon the final reveal. Usually, by the time a client seeks my help, they feel so overwhelmed by the state of their space. Being the person that helps them reclaim their space, time, and mental clarity is incredibly rewarding.
What sets me apart is my teacher like approach when working with clients. I am committed to teach my clients (children, too!) my techniques and strategies. My hope is that each client feels fully equipped to maintain their systems long after I have completed their sessions. With a little habit-forming and encouragement, I push each client to live into their new space with confidence.
Where do you see your industry going over the next 5-10 years? Any big shifts, changes, trends, etc?
The organizing industry is fairly new, but growing like wildfire, which is exciting. With television series and beautiful IG content available, I can only expect for more people to learn and truly understand the deep benefits of having and living in organized spaces. More than a pretty space, clients are gaining mental clarity and resources like time and money back. It’s 100% worth the investment, whether you decide to work with a professional or DIY it.
For the most part, I followed the traditional route of what I thought success had to be: I pursued my education through college and eventually became a teacher. But even as a teacher, I always found enjoyment in structuring and organizing my classroom. I would exert a lot of time and energy creating a flow and system to keep me on track and something my kids could follow and was always referenced as the go-to teacher for organizing and setting up other teacher’s classrooms. Though I was an accomplished teacher, I knew I wanted more. My abilities were not just limited to teaching children. I wanted more control over the curriculum, planning, and organizing. This eventually led me to relocate back to Atlanta to try my hand in different industries. As I transitioned in different industries, finance and finally data, I habitually found myself gravitating to roles that aligned with my core strengths. But still, it wasn’t enough. I didn’t have enough control. I wanted to find a way to be more expressive in the ways that I helped people and have the full autonomy to make decisions.
This led me to soul search and brainstorm different ideas on business ventures to start. Really, day in and day out, I spent hours trying to pinpoint a learned skill I could turn into a profitable business, but nothing really clicked. Regardless of how good I had gotten at a skill, my heart wasn’t really in them. They just felt like another job. It wasn’t until I watched a fitness guru’s IG story about how she got started until a light bulb went off. She said she started on her path based on all the compliments she received on her physique and her natural ability to coach and train others. She used those compliments and her natural ability to help others to start on a path she enjoys… and pays! That 30 second IG story was JUST the advice, I needed to land at providing organizing services as a business. If she could do it, I could do it too.
So I went for it. I spent countless hours researching to see if my idea could be real… if people would pay a complete stranger to come into their home and organize it. Prior to my search, I hadn’t come across anyone providing this as a service, which was my biggest fear, could this really work? It wasn’t until my mentor recommended I watch Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix that I had my ‘ah ha’ moment. I found myself being obsessed with the show because I was able to connect my dreams to reality. This was something I could do. The more I watched, the more confident I became, that I too, could add value to people’s lives by organizing their homes. I knew I could help people gain peace of mind, and through decluttering, help them reclaim their space.
Though I’ve been uncertain and a tad bit fearful at each turn on my journey towards following my dreams and entrepreneurship, it’s been exciting to see my vision grow.
Has it been a smooth road?
Smooth? No. But, definitely interesting! I have my moments when the waters are calm and I feel like I’m going to take the organizing industry by storm. I also have moments when it feels like I’m drinking from a fire hydrant and everything is as clear as mud.
I’m a new entrepreneur, so the learning curves have been present. I’m far from a marketing expert, web designer, or branding connoisseur, but I’ve quickly developed my skills in each area to have a thriving business.
The first struggle I encountered was one that almost made me change my mind about entrepreneurship (ok, not really, but it did suck!). My website disappeared! One full month of website building, gone. I completed what I thought was the perfect website (at least coming from a novice) and was working to publish to the masses and ran into a few issues. So, I called customer service for help. After a 50 minute call, I was left with a blank canvas for my site. This taught me a valuable lesson about business: always be prepared for the worst and ALWAYS have a backup… for the backup!
