Meet Kate: Queen of Organization
Kate is one of The Everyday Series' Founding Members and a female lady boss that empowers women to maximize their time throughout their day when running a business! She has become a dear friend and moves many women to action with her individualized client experiences. Without systems, your business will struggle to grow- don’t miss this read sharing little nuggets of how Kate guides us all to do just that!
1. Can you share a little of your journey with us and who you are?
My name is Kate Jones, and I am a professional organizer that helps influencers organize and streamline the behind the scenes of their businesses so that they can focus more on doing what they love. This includes everything from filter labels in gmail to workflows for content creation in Asana. I have always loved organizing and have always had people ask me to organize their physical spaces and digital life- I realized a few years ago, while working in sales, I stumbled upon professional organizing. I decided to go out on a limb and start a professional organizing business and helping people organize and declutter their businesses. I knew something was missing and what I loved the most about my job was that I was able to do a massive amount of business because I had automated and streamlined systems for how we did everything in the business. I kept having people ask me about what kind of systems I was using in my business which was what I loved to talk about- it became clear that this is something people needed and wanted help with. Influencers to me have such unique value but as a group of entrepreneurs they are very revolutionary- the value of hearing from someone that you relate to and who you DM and they respond and actually answer is someone I want to buy from rather. Taking that celebrity factor- it’s like a mashup of celebrity and the real person with the brand and the best friend all in one- you’re going to go out and get what they talk about because you feel their opinion is valuable- I value what influencers do so much and companies are starting to realize their ad is very well spent on influencers. People are helping influencers with things like engagement on Instagram and best practices on Pinterest but far fewer are talking about how to organize the business side of things as an influencer., but organization is not everyone’s strong suit. That’s where I wanted to marry the two together.
2. Tell us about the mission of your brand- how does it empower women?
The mission of the brand is to help influencers recapture time and more of what they love. The hustle mentality is a thing but it doesn’t have to be your life. You don't leave your 9-5 to replace it with a 9-9 so that you can work your few hours a day and put down your laptop to hangout with people rather than feel like you have to pick up your laptop again before you go to bed at night.
3. What is the biggest challenge you’ve had to press through as a female entrepreneur? What are the steps you had to take to overcome it?
I would say that it’s probably mostly self-inflicted but the pressure to do it all and to do it all well. As an organizer, I am a perfectionist by nature. I work really hard at trying to recognize when I need a break and try to be forgiving with myself when I need that. The hustle harder mentality is real. I might go out of town and not do anything work related to give myself a break. Listen to your mind and body and respect what it’s telling you.
4. What sets your brand apart from others?
People are talking about all things influencer- email marketing, email lists, engagement rates, etc.- but there aren’t many businesses focusing on the actual business side of what they do. I have done this for my own business and been successful bringing it into the world of bloggers and influencers. I also bring a different perspective because, by trade, I am a professional organizer.
5. How do you collaborate with others working towards a better world?
Fostering this community of collaboration over competition is key to working towards a better world. I love collaboration- that is one of my favorite things I’ve done since I’ve started my business. This is why I’m so excited about the influencer arena because I always feel I learn so much from other people. I can take what I learn from them and share it with other people.
6. What advice would you give to female entrepreneurs in the beginning stages of launching their brand or business?
Read a lot. Listen to a lot of podcasts. Talk to other people. Build relationships. Give yourself a break- you won’t always know it all- you will make mistakes. What will set you apart is that you continue to move forward even it’s baby steps.
Having your systems in place is also crucial- this can break your business if you don’t have automation techniques in place so that you can focus on the more emotional and community focused piece of what you do. The reason you need to automate how you create, schedule, and post your blog for example is because that will allow you to focus on responding to DM’s instead to create more loyal followers.