How do you go from being an employee, wife and mother to a business owner? The journey for me was a long one.
Ever since I was little, 5 years old, I was organizing things. I remember setting up a classroom complete with a stepladder as an easel to hold the chalkboard. The desks were nicely set up, too.
At 10 years old, I wanted to go see a Major League Baseball game live. Back then, there was no internet. I mailed out letters to baseball teams and asked them to send me their schedules. I had to go to the library to get those addresses. Then I mailed to the tourism departments of each state on the eastern seaboard of the USA to get their maps and information. It was so fun to have all this mail coming to my house.
I planned a trip through the states based on when a major league team would be playing at home and when we would be able to get there by car. I planned out an entire 2-week family vacation through New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, and Ohio.
I got to see my first ever live game in Philadelphia, the Phillies. I think I started in March because mail takes time. Kudos to my parents for letting me do my thing and helping when needed but never micromanaging.
My organizing skills lead me to teaching because lesson planning was easy. As a 15-year-old teenager I taught Bible School at my church with an adult, my sister, as the assistant.
As life went on, I had organized almost anything, my son’s hockey team tournament lunch, family vacations, theme potluck parties, charity events, moves, skating and swimming parties. I was asked to be the librarian for my church library. I told them, I don’t really read a lot of books or know much about Christian authors. They said that’s Ok we need someone to move it to a new space. No problem I can do that; 3 times it had to be moved.
After I finished university, I read an article and learned that there were Professional Organizers. By now, you can see I am a naturally organized person who loves problem-solving. Back then, in 1981, I couldn’t find an organizing company to work for.
I never thought of starting my own business. Moving on, I went to teachers' college. Who knew that being a teacher when I was 5 would be my calling? I did. I always dreamed of being a teacher.
Time passed and in the late 1990’s I had the opportunity to work at Brock University in St Catharines, ON as a sessional instructor in the Preservice Education Department. I taught soon-to-be grade 1-6 teachers their health and physical activity course.
I worked there for 6 years until they restructured the Faculty of Education. What is next? What do you start when you’re almost 50?
Finally, we get to the business. So, my kids are almost all in university and I say what’s happening in the professional organizers’ world in 2006. I googled it and Professional Organizers in Canada (POC) came up. I looked at the website and found out what you had to do to become one.
I just jumped in, no business plan, needs assessment or market research. I joined POC started subcontracting with other organizers and built my business. My father was so proud. He had bought a business from his employer in the 1940s and built it into a thriving enterprise. He saw me as a businessperson too. Following in his footsteps. His example is part of why having my own business was not a foreign concept in my life. I have now been in business for 20 years.
The reason I like to tell this story is I waited until the time was right for me. I knew I could not be the type of mom I wanted to be and run a business with the hours my husband worked. So, I waited; it was my choice. As I was waiting, I developed lots of skills that helped me to be a better organizer later.
Organizing is what I love, it is easy for me and I love helping people. I love exchanging hugs, seeing them smile, hearing the relief in their voice about their situation and participating in their joy. Not everyone is as lucky as I am.
Whatever your timeline is for making a change, do it when it is best for you and not when others think it is the right time. Trust yourself. You know what is best for you.