What do I want to teach people? What do I want the simple life to be about? And yes, it's about letting go of stuff, but this is deeper now. Like when you do organize and clean your [music] space and you walk in and you're just like, "Oh, like this is what calm in like a a physical [music] representation feels like." Subconsciously, you're not realizing that it's already overwhelming. Even if it [music] doesn't like seem to affect you, it does.
Where along this journey do you decide that this is a business that you want to build? From South Bend to Evansville and everywhere in between, this is Get In, the show focused on the Hooser State and the incredible stories happening here today. I'm Nate Spangle, founder of Get Indiana, and I will be your host for today's conversation. Before we get into the show, I need to tell you about something wild that's [music] happening this Saturday, October 24th. It's Champions Day at Horseshoe Indianapolis [music] down in Shelbyville. and smoking hot justice.
An Indiana bred stakes winning Philly is entered in the $150,000 [music] Lady Fogghorn Stakes. What's even cooler is that you could own a share and [music] join the Indiana Racing Club through my racehorse. You could purchase a share in Smoking Hot Justice and actually have a horse [music] in the race. You don't need to know about pedigrees or have grown up around horses to know what it's like to root for your own. Check out the link in the show notes to see more info or go to myrahorse. com and explore.
for becoming an owner. I actually picked up a share this week and I can't wait to see what happens on Champions Day down in Shelbyville. Now, let's get into the show. Now, Rachel Whitaker is the founder of The Simple Life, an Indianapolis area professional organizing firm that she's been building since 2011. What started as a natural obsession with organization that dated all the way back to getting paid by her friend's parents to clean their rooms as a kid has grown into a business centered around creating calmer, more functional homes. Today, Rachel and her team provide in-home organization, relocation, and move management, as well as seasonal services and ongoing organization maintenance support.
She has also expanded beyond client work by coaching other professional organizers on the systems and processes needed to build a scalable business. I'm really excited as someone who is not the most neat or tidy individual to dive into how over the last 15 years you have built a business around organization and dive into what it takes to grow a business from I mean I think you just said you had 14 employees now. I did. It's incredible. Your entrepreneurial story is amazing and I'm so excited. Welcome to the show.
Thank you. All right, so I'm going to call Spade a Spade here. I think that the derogatory term would be neat freak. Is that what you Is that like a triggering a triggering freak? Yeah, something like that. Where along the journey did you know that you were just obsessed with organization?
Very little. Like young. I was very young. Like what were some examples? Like how could you tell if there was a parent out there, how could they tell that their child is obsessed with organization? I arranged everything perfectly.
I I had lip smackers. Yeah. And I would arrange them, color coordinate them. I had collections of everything. So I had Disney movies. All of my Disney movies I had lined up um per perfectly in the packaging.
Um I babysat when I was little. And I didn't just babysit, but I would clean up the house and make sure the kids' room was clean. It was pretty intense. Like, was it was it because you liked it and enjoyed it? So, it wasn't like cuz some people like organiz organize out of a place of uh it being messy makes them mad or upset versus like enjoying the the game. Oh, I want to dig in.
You just love the game. I want to dig in. Wow. And it just like I always say like I mean when something is truthfully like organized very well like I say tickles my brain in the right way. You're like oh this is nice versus like when you walk into a space and you're like oh man there's a lot going on here. But you from from day one you were just organizing things along the way to the point where your parents or your friends parents were paying you.
I would go to friends houses and we would be in their rooms and uh one one friend in particular I remember going over there and her mom was like you need to pick up your room before you go because we were going to go outside and play and I was like I'll help you. What do we need to do? 2 hours later she is like get out of my room because I am under the bed pulling stuff out. Dirty socks, wrappers, you name it. because I didn't want like she was just picking up the surface and I'm like no this is this is big. Wow.
[laughter] I have to know. Okay. What probably around like seventh grade where you started to get like binders and planners? Oh yeah. Were you a binder and planner person? Loved loved highlighting everything, checking it off.
It was magic. Wow. That's crazy. Like do you think that it's something that you're born with or is this is it a learned skill? I think a little of both. I mean, because I've grown a team, so being able to teach someone that, you know, it is definitely a skill to be able to teach.
Um, but you can definitely learn it. I I think it's just always been part of me. Wow. I mean, is there what's like been the biggest undertaking of like cleaning or organiz organizing? Like has there ever been like somebody brought you in to like their parents' house and they were hoarders? We don't really get that much anymore.
Back in the day, I had done when I first started, I did I did a Living Social deal. Do you remember Living Social? It was like Groupon. Oh, okay. [laughter] And I was getting started. It was just me, very part-time.
I had no idea what I was doing. And so, I built my website from scratch. And I saw this deal where you could give a coupon. And the crazy thing is like with living social group, you have to offer 50% of your services. Like you have to offer it at 50% off. Okay?
Then they take 40% of that. So you're literally making nothing. But that's not the point. You're getting in front of all of these people. And at that time, you know, I mean, now looking back, I don't want all the coupon shoppers, but it it worked because I got a ton of business from it. And hoping that maybe you get so a few recurring customers, even just a handful.
Yeah. And I do. There's probably three or four that 15 years later I still talk to. One of them we see at at the holidays every year and we set up her holiday stuff. Wow. So, talk to me about this.
How do you go from loving organization, you know, going in cleaning your friends houses? Where along this journey do you decide that this is a business that you want to build? Yeah, I you know, I was stuck in what I was doing. I I have an auditing background. I'm accounting Oh, nerd. I could see that.
So, yeah, like organization, numbers, accounting, balancing a checkbook, all about it. Yeah. Yeah. And so, that's kind of what got me into it. I I'm a boiler maker. So, go boilers.
All right. Come on now. So, I went to Purdue and I studied um in the Cranert School of Business and still didn't exactly know what I wanted to do, but I got a really good offer as an internal auditor and wasn't my jam. I was telling people what they were doing wrong and I was traveling a ton. I made really good money, but um knew that there was still something missing and I didn't know what I wanted to do. I just kind of started researching and playing and tried to find how I could make something that I loved into a little side gig.
Yeah. So, you decide to launch it as a side gig in 2011, correct? Okay. Take me through launching your first kind of I mean, I feel like today, you know, this is 2026. Everyone is like side hustly, like everyone has a little something on the side, but 2011 it was not the same. It was like go to work, do your job, get paid, put your money into the 401k and retire.
Yeah. So I at this point I was in a pharmacy. I was um in a closed door pharmacy. I was an accounts receivable manager. And so shifting to that side of the accounting world, I still knew it wasn't something that I loved and that I wanted to do forever. So, I negotiated working a 410 shift so that I could be at the pharmacy Monday through Thursday and then tried to start my business Friday through Sunday.
Um, my husband was getting his MBA at the time and so he was pretty wrapped up with time and I just started I mean I was going door to door. So, I made flyers I I want Yeah. Day one, how do you get your first customer? the first person that your boss at the pharmacy you and like do you walk in there and say I want to start this organization? No. Um I actually started as organizing and planning.
So I did like party planning and different things like that too. Not doing anymore. Um and so the first thing that I did for her was plan her husband's 40th birthday party. Was it a banger? It was awesome. Oh yeah.
[laughter] So you start you get your f I which I think a lot of it is just getting some momentum. Sure. Yeah. Like someone to pay you money for a service that you have and to talk about it. Yeah. And so you say I've done something before, right?
And so then I did her home office. Oh. And so that was a lot of shout out to this boss. It was it was it was pretty great. So that was my first goround and and then you make flyers. Then I make flyers.
Is that like your first marketing spend? Yeah. Oh yeah. Okay. So you make flyers and you go around your neighborhood or someone else's neighborhood? All the neighborhoods that I could.
No way. probably illegally knocking doors or putting No, putting them in the mailboxes. Okay. Did you get any leads from that? Um I don't really know honestly. I can't really I can't remember that far back.
Um where was Nothing in particular. It was the living social deal that Okay. That was the Where was the first person you didn't know? Like you didn't have a personal connection cuz I think the first thing is can you get your friends and family to pay you money? The next thing is can you get a stranger to pay you money? Who was the first stranger that pay?
Living social. Okay. So, take me through what Living Social is. It it was just a coupon. I mean, it was it was a website and or an app at that time. You could go on and find all the deals that were happening in the area.
And so, when I did it, I mean, I was charging so little. I was making so little off of it. What's an example like what And you this was had you So, it was just me and I was I was offering a three-hour session or a six-hour session at 70% off. And this is 2011 still or this is 2011. Okay. So it's 2011.
Like what was like someone paid for 3 hours of cleaning in 2011? I mean my start my rate was $40 an hour at that time. So you're doing 60 bucks for 3 hours. It was insane. And then you're not getting 40% of that. So you're like doing 3-hour session for like 20 bucks.
And you don't know where I don't even know where I'm going. I mean my mile radius was insane. And like I would drive everywhere. I mean it was truly like 30 miles that I would drive and like I'm showing up all you cleaning out a garage in like you know Southport and you're like what am I like I'm a college graduate you know like and I'm here. Did you have some like were there some moments where you walked in cuz if you are a value strictly shopper like you're probably bringing in a professional cleaner to fix something or organizer to organize something that's in disarray. a lot of disarray.
It was I mean kind of people would almost take it as a cleaner or um you know just they needed to clean it out or they were hoarders. There were a lot of hoarders. So price point I was like I will take anything you know I I want the experience. I don't really know what I'm doing. Did you ever show up at a place and just be like I don't want to do this. Yeah.
Yeah. Multiple times. And it it was super scary because I was by myself. So, I remember I don't remember if we were I think we were engaged at that moment, but I don't think we were married yet. And I remember taking my ring off and hiding it in my car because I'm like, I don't exactly know where I am. It was crazy.
It was crazy. But, but like you were so committed to building something that you're like, hey, this is I got to start somewhere. Wow. Okay. So, you do what was it called? Living Social.
I did the Living Social deal. And what did you learn from that? like about growing your business. I knew that a three, you know, it was the it was the model. I didn't really have a model at that point. Um I was doing a three-hour session or a 6-hour session.
3 hours does not get you anything really. No, no. I mean, we don't do take me through like what it looks like cuz I think that like I think about organizing my room or doing whatever and it's like I don't I give it like an hour and I'm like, you know, fold some stuff and organite like like clean some stuff, dust some stuff off, like whatever. like take us through what actually professionally organizing a space feels like like in 2026. Yeah. Today in 2026.
Yeah. So, we bring a team. We have a we have a team. Uh no less than two gals will ever go out. Um it's always a six-hour session and we are with the client. So, we're typically doing a larger space.
Um if it's something just like a pantry, you know, that's very small. um it would it would require at least two organizers, but it's a six-hour day. And so we show up, we first of all, we change our shoes because we don't wear inside or we don't wear outside shoes in the client home. So we change our shoes, we're kind of getting ready. Um we start pulling everything out. So let's say I'm doing your kitchen and we get our tables set up.
We cover the tables. we've learned from years of, you know, spills or um something that's on the counter that we don't want it touching their belongings. So, we get everything out and we sort it because if you're in the kitchen, not everything is going to be where it's supposed to go or all together. So, there's going to be utensils somewhere or like back in the bottom of a cabinet, they're like, "Oh, I have no idea what's down there." And it's like a time warp where you're like, "Oh, I just put those spices down there." And it's like, "That was 3 years ago."
Yeah. And they're like, "Oh, don't worry about that cabinet." No, we're we open everything. So meanwhile, while we are sorting, is sorry, go for it. Is there like pre-work that's done? Oh, there's a lot of pre-work.
Okay, so imagine like if if I was like, hey, my space needs to be organized like and I'm like, I'm I'm buying it. I'm in today. What What do we start by doing before you even get there on the day of it? We have an inh home consultation. No way. Yep.
We So first step is a discovery call. So, we usually we get most of our leads through our website. Yeah. And then we set up a free discovery call that they can have with our client experience coordinator just to talk through to make sure we're a good fit. What are the problems that people are bringing to you all? Too much stuff, not enough time.
All right. Yeah, those are the big ones. Everyone I know. [laughter] I mean, we all have the same amount of time, you know, and it just it really depends. There's a lot of transitions in life. I think the piece too is that like in your brain I am so guilty of this.
I can convince myself that like that I'm going to need this thing somewhere down the road. Like oh yeah, you know, it's like oh yeah, this party thing or this shirt, those jeans that I fit in 3 years ago, like I'm going to lose the weight and make it back down there. And it's like, dude, come on. But by then there's going to be a new style. Yeah, it's but like I think having an outside person say like, "Oh, buddy, you know, those are uh those are pretty skinny. Like they're like skinny jeans are out, man.
You probably need to get rid of those." Okay. So, you're doing an inhome cons. So, you'll show up. We We did the discovery call. We figure out if they're a good fit.
Yep. What makes it a good fit? you know, some if that's not budget, if it's not within their budget, we know what our limits are and what you know, if someone's like, "Hey, I want my whole home done for $2,000." Not happening. Yeah. I mean, it costs us more than that to actually run the business.
So, which I think comes with time and you have to take you have to take bad deals to know what bad deals are. For sure. And I've done it. I've done it. I mean, I'll say, "Okay, we're just going to make it work for this one." And then we look back and we're like, "This is why we don't do this."
Yeah. Um, but they do the discovery call, we do the in-home consultation, and I will go through and assess the space or the home depending on what we're doing. And we just try to figure out how many hours it's going to take us. And we do that based on our 6-hour day. Because back in the day when I was by myself and my kiddos went to school, I was thinking, how do I get more time out of my day while they're gone? And I that's when I knew I had to have a team.
So expanding to a team and um we figure out how much how many hours we need for prep for on-site and then for post and then it's one big project proposal. Now we are our biggest focus is creating a system. We aren't just helping people get rid of stuff but we want to have a system set up with organizing products with labels so that everyone in the family knows exactly where things go. And Wow. It's it's pretty intense. Yeah.
like talk me through like the iterations it took to figure out that you need systems and like I think the first thing the the like gateway of a business like this is you start you go in you help it make make it look good today like help me throw some stuff away make it all look pretty today and then I'll just mess it up over 6 months and then you'll come back like how did you learn that like okay we need to have systems in place and you need to like and it's more of this like lifestyle of the simple life versus just like when I go to the car wash, they're selling a clean car. It will get dirty. I will come back. Right. Well, it is a lifestyle. That's exactly I mean that is the point of it.
And I think us coming in and building that system. We do have a refresh program too because people, you know, seasons of life and transitions and everything that's going on, we help clients maintain it because just because we put a system in place doesn't mean it's going to magically stay that way. You're living there and you're going to use the space. So, um, it is definitely all about the system and keeping up with them and and [clears throat] maintaining that. So, you guys come in the day of and let's say you're doing a kitchen, you pull everything out, literally everything. And then meanwhile, while we are sorting and then going through this is all happening with the client.
We don't need we don't need you the entire time, but we need you to make decisions because I can't get rid of anything without you. And the my goal is to get rid of stuff. Yeah. Because your goal is typically going to be get rid of stuff. And and do you ever like they're like, "Okay, here's this this thing." And and they're like, "Oh, I need that."
And you're like, "Oh, yeah. Denise, do you need that?" Every day every day. But by the end of the six hours, you're going on hour four and the client's like, "All right, done. Get it out of here." I mean, they're so used to it because they're realizing all these decisions that they might not be making quickly.
Now they can. and they are realizing I only have so much space. Yeah. And so we have another gal on the team cleaning out the cabinets and the drawers because we're not going to put everything back when it's not been cleaned out for a few years. So she is doing that and then we're focusing on the product. Yeah.
Because we're not just going to throw all the utensils back in the drawer. We're going to put organizing systems into place. So inserts, um, bins, those sorts of things to have a home for each item. Wow. Okay. So, where along the journey did you go from did you realize you could make a bigger bit business than just you?
Like I feel like this would be a a one where it's, hey, you do this for, you know, 20 years. You go out, you know, once, twice, three times a week and you're like, you know what, I'll just organize things and I'll be an organizer and help people do this. But like to grow to a staff of over 10 is is awesome. Like how along that journey did you go from soloreneur to building an actual team? Yeah, I you know a lot of organizers do just keep it to themselves and I I just wanted I think it's just realizing how much potential that it had and how many lives we could touch and how many families we could help and it just kept growing as I put in the work and put in the resources and just kept saying okay let's try this and we might fail uh and then it just we just kept going. We have a lot.
I feel like we live in a time where the solopreneur type like I have a skill. I am good at whether it be Excel or AI or cleaning, organizing, tree trimming, stump removal, like there's so many the the gamut of of skills that people have that they can start something with is almost endless. What advice do you have for solopreneurs out there that have they're talented, like let's say stump removal? They have the machinery and they're like really good at this, but they might still work full-time or do something else or it might just be them, but they might have the desire to build a company. What were the lessons, the books, the things you learned that helped you go from I'm really good at organizing to now I run a company of professional organizers? Yeah, I mean, don't be afraid to try new things.
I think don't be afraid to fail. Um, and don't be afraid in the beginning to give away your services. I know that sounds crazy, but you know, you have to build that rapport and you have to build the relationships. Relationships are gold. No matter what industry you're in, that is where I just kept growing and thinking about was it like doing good work for customers that were referring you to other customers or like making good relationships with cleaners? All of the above.
Oh, like all of the above. networking events, realtors, architects, builders, um interior designers for us are such good relationships because their clients need us. And so being able to help them, you know, even just having coffee with someone and just connecting on what do you do? Do you have a CRM? Do you have, you know, talking systems and figuring out how to get your word out there a little bit more every day? I have each week I have times where I can set up connections and I say, "Okay, I want to meet with a couple friends this week."
Friends in the industry, friends, maybe an old client, you know, just to keep in the front of their mind. I think that's intimidating to some people. Oh, it is. Is like, hey, I might be really good at stump removal, but I don't know how I'm going to get customers. That that is a limiting factor where it's like, I don't know how I'm going to get more people to use me for my service. And I say like the best thing you can do is do amazing work.
Like talk to your friends and your family. Put something out on your personal Facebook and just start there and do amazing things. And then ask for ask the early ones for referrals. Ask them for you know introductions or posts or reviews or whatever it might be there. And then you'll kind of learn about like your channels. I would say like for you I'm sure it's yeah real estate like people get new houses.
It's like, yeah, as you're moving your stuff in there, like if you want help organizing, we have a great partner for that, right? And when you get a good reputation, this is the piece I think a lot of people, okay, so you think about for you working with real estate partners, again, I'm going to pontificate for a second, but working with real estate partners, a lot of people are think like, oh, I'm asking my partner for a favor. I'm asking this real estate agent for a favor to like put me in front of their customer. But what they're not thinking about is if you as a real estate agent refer absolute gold mine referrals to your customers, like people that do amazing work. So someone calls and like, "Yeah, I need to get the tree in my front yard removed." And you send them someone who's amazing.
Like you're they're getting credibility. They're getting like positive kudos for giving a great introduction. Absolutely. And like you can be a net positive for your partner by doing great work if that makes sense. Oh, for sure. No.
And and we I preach that all the time and I think that all the time because we have what we call the concier collective and that is a it's a different type of service that we have built for our architect friends, our home, our interior designers, our builders because we are building a relationship with them to help them with the entire experience. We are making a seamless experience because they are building the home and they're making it pretty and then they're like, "Okay, here's your home." Now the client's standing there like, "Okay, now I got to get all my stuff in here and then I got to like figure out how I'm going to live in it." That's where we come in. This is the part I don't ever get. Like I have a very uh like it's always um amazing to me like you know again you talk about north side of Indianapolis Hamilton County like beautiful homes that don't look lived in like how like that part is like you walk into someone's house and you're like do you just like now I have belongings like why does this look like it's from a movie you know like it it's it's impressive but I also always wonder about the work that goes into that like to keep a pristine very well organized, very beautiful home.
Like I I'm sure it's a ton of work and different partners that are all involved at the table. Yeah. I mean, maintenance, you got to you got to stay on it. There are a lot of homes that may look pretty like that and then you open drawers and cabinets and you're like, "Okay, that's where everything is." They do a little stash and dash. You're like a little you're a human being, too.
Like you're you're one of me, right? Like, let's go. Yeah. But but continuously letting go. Less is more. I mean, it's something that you have to do all the time.
How did you how did you landed on the the messaging like the like was it always called the symboliz? Always the symboliz really. So have you just known that like minimalis I say right now minimalism is very very chic very cool but like we are um oh people that care about possessions. Yeah. But now it's cool to not care about poss like have you always just felt like less is more? No, not really.
Um, I think I was a collector. I loved collections. I had my Disney collection. I had my Lip Smacker collection. You know, all these things as a kid that I love to organize. But, um, when we when I was really trying to change how my business was going to, you know, I I worked 410 in the pharmacy and we got pregnant, first baby, and my husband was finishing his MBA.
Like, we had a lot of of things going on. And I kept thinking like, okay, once we have him, I'm going to quit at the pharmacy and then I can I can manage my schedule. I can work when I want to work. And so, fast forward um we have him and um he is born asleep and that was the day before his due date. Nothing happened, nothing went wrong. We still don't know to this day.
That was um 13 years ago. And so that changed my perspective on life and stuff so so much. I just such a big part of my story because I loved I loved organizing. But it got deeper at that point and I took a break and I just tried to think about like what do I how do I want to impact lives? I mean I don't want to come into people's homes and just shift things around. We know so many people and I know so many people that come to us because they're overwhelmed and they're overwhelmed from the stuff.
There's so much stuff and a lot of the families that we work with, you know, you have a lot going on. There are activities, there's appointments and so having less that doesn't mean you can't have a big home. I mean we we work in 400t apartment to 25,000 ft estates. I mean it's insane. That doesn't mean you can't have stuff, but make it meaningful. And I think when people come to us, they're overwhelmed because the stuff has taken over.
And you know, as I went through this deep and dark part of my life, just thinking about what mattered to me, and it's the people and time and and so kind of like going a different, you know, just trying to think through like what do I want to teach people? What do I want the simple life to be about? And yes, it's about letting go of stuff, but this is deeper now. And I want you to value your time with your people and what you who you have um and what you do have as possessions. And so I think my team helps when we, you know, that is our mindset. And whether you've gone through trauma or anything like that or not, but once we help families and we go in and they're making those decisions, we're coaching them.
Yeah. And we're talking through those decisions because someone else like when the time comes, someone else is going to be getting rid of all this stuff. Yeah. Well, and you talk about creating calm, right? Like there is something tranquil and you know, you talk about the world that we live in. You know, we're going to get we're going to get philosophical for a second, but like you talk about the world that we live in where there's you scroll and there's an unlimited amount of things.
There's an unlimited amount of digital I don't know. Some of it's great. Obviously, as a company that makes content, we think it's all great. But there's also a lot of junk. So, it's like you spend all day, you're attached to your phone. You're just like constantly seeing no shortage of stuff.
Then you get back to your place and it's like I have everything from your wedding registry and your your baby shower and your this and your that and like all of these thing, the toys that your family has collected plus your old like high school t-shirts plus this plus that. And it's like I am like a sentimental person. I think a lot of people are sentimental people and it's like, you know, oh, this t-shirt from the sectional championship our senior year, like I'll never forget the Trojans, you know, and it's like, well, is there a way that I can still remember that, but do I need the physical t-shirt that I is, you know, it's three sizes too small and it's faded and there's a hole in the armpit. Like, you know what I'm saying? And I think that that you know it like when you do organize and clean your space or you go through like a big season of getting rid of stuff and you walk in and you're just like, "Oh, like this is what calm in like a a physical representation feels like and looks like."
And like I don't know. I I like notice it when like I go in and like if the house has been organized and cleaned I'm just like oh this is but just walking in I mean you feel you feel lighter and even pulling into your garage you know a garage is a hard a space that always I mean it's such a huge transformation when we do garages but it is the first it's the dumping ground it gets so much random stuff and even when you pull in subconsciously you're not realizing that it's already overwhelming you and you're already thinking about like you see the things even if it doesn't affect like seem to affect you it does and then you come in you're like okay how what do I start with oh I start with dinner and then you just kind of let those things go but in terms of memories and things like that we don't we're not going to talk anyone out of keeping anything and I mean most people come to us because they want to let go and because they want pretty spaces and the way we can do that is by having less and so we will if there are those favorite shirts that you have and you always want to keep the physical shirt.
Like, okay, that's fine. Do you need to keep 500 of them? No. If you've seen me driving around the state of Indiana, you know that I'm driving a Toyota Tundra that was powered by our friends at Rorman Automotive Group. And right now, they've got a deal going on. $50 gets you a full synthetic oil and filter service, plus a multi-point inspection.
And now that the weather's dropped, you need to make sure everything is in tip-top shape. Battery, tires, belts, brakes, fluids. Make sure everything is up to snuff. Then your technician at Rorman is going to send you a video walkthrough so you're not just [music] taking somebody's word for it. 50 bucks and you can quit guessing about what's under the hood before the first real cold snap. That's a pretty good deal.
Find a participating location at roarman. com. That's ran. com. Offer valid up to seven quarts plus tax and shop supplies. Cannot be combined with other offers.
See the dealer for details. Now let's get back into the show. Let's so tips, tricks, things that people need to know or like resources like uh are there things like one thing that I tried to do but my grandma couldn't pull it off but I wanted to make a t-shirt quilt. It's like here it goes. I'm not going to wear these high school shirts ever again but like I want to I could look back on that and like consolidate that all into a quilt. You couldn't make it because apparently you needed something interesting but I've seen people that do Oh, Instagram all the way.
I say, are there other ways that people are taking things and maybe repurposing or doing something different to like digitizing photo albums or whatever it might be? Oh, yeah. Are do you see uh things like that? Yeah, I mean there are lots of places that I mean Instagram, any website really that you can build more like a book, like a photo book. Um, you can you can create coffee table books and take photos of the things that you don't want physically or you don't want to keep. I mean, I would truly just search Instagram for that because as much good as social, you know, social gets a bad rap.
You and I both know like it's it's our world and it is so good. And even finding any resources out there, you know, to build something like that. Are there things if you go into a space and let's say you're organizing a closet or whatever and or just a whole home you walk in there and the person's very sentimental but they're also like hey I'm sentimental but I know I need to get rid of some stuff. Yes. Like how do you navigate that conversation? Yeah.
When decisions are easy for them that's great. I mean because we can set it aside and say good these are keep. If they're unsure, we put it somewhere else because as time goes on throughout the day, they get better of making decisions and they realize how much they've already kept aside and they get they get better at making those decisions and and even if someone is not sure or if they say, you know, I still want to have an unsure pile or a bin of those things, put a date on it. If you don't look at it until then, you know, revisit, let it go. Okay, these are good trick. Okay, so this is what so look at your wardrobe for instance is like what's your rule on on clothes?
When do clothes need to be purged? I mean I'm if you put it on and you take it back off go. That's so true because what are you saving it for? Like for when that for when that diet's done I'm saying for after my diet. Come on better party or whatever you know. No, let it go.
I mean, I think me personally, I I don't have a capsule wardrobe, but I kind of try to get that. What does that mean, capsule wardrobe? It's more so of your statement pieces, like your or your your solid pieces, your neutrals, the things that you can pair with anything else and you can accessorize so that you don't have 500 tops. Um, so I'm not to that extreme, but I would say in between. If I go into this winter and there's something that I did not wear last winter, it's going wow. I don't but I'm I'm not I don't get attached.
I'm not sentimental with stuff. So, I think that's just who I am now. And so, that helps me re realize I mean it's just stuff. So, if someone was starting from scratch going through their like their house is it's fine, but it's definitely not organized. they might have have uh have just collected a lot of things over the years. What could they do?
Uh what are like yourself if they wanted to just start on their own like they you know hey we don't have the budget right now to work with a professional organizer like what are some rules or tips that you give to people that are that want to DIY organization? I would probably start with a least one of the least used spaces. Okay. Less traffic. uh maybe a spare closet that just has a few random things in it, things like that, because you don't want to get in too deep and get overwhelmed. So, starting with a small drawer or maybe a a guest bathroom that probably just has a few things in it with a few drawers, go there first and then you can check it off, you know, and build some momentum.
You got to build momentum because no one realizes how much time this takes and No. Cuz you think it's like, oh, it's 20 minutes on a Tuesday evening. No. And you get you get the stuff out. You open empty the drawer. Let's say you're doing your bathroom vanity.
You get all the things out and then you've got to pick a kid up or you got to make dinner or you have a doctor's appointment and then it just sits there there. This is the worst. Let's You have like a really big motivational kick. You're like, I'm cleaning my room today. You freaking pull everything out and then life hits you and you're like then you get back to yourself and you're like, "Oh lord, what have I done? This is a terrible idea."
Well, and when you do hire us, it I mean it it holds accountability because you know you're paying. This is an investment. So make the best of our time. Be available when we need you for the decisions. Do you think that also helps on the weeks and months to come where you talk about or like keeping your systems where you're like, "Oh, I paid whatever amount of money for this system. Gosh darn it, we're going to use this system."
And I think that when you attach value to that versus like, you know, you organize it, you put your forks here, you know, you got the whole thing there. Whenever I think of like organizers and drawers, I think of the little like um growing up we had like a like the fork looked like a fork. You know what I'm talking about? And the spoon like a spoon and the knife looked like a knife and it was the three compartments. Loved that thing. Great.
Where is that these days? I we don't have one anymore. Oh, we got to find that. The you know what I'm talking about. Like cuz now now I feel like what's cool is like they're all just rectangles. It's like you know five rectangles.
Anything could fit wherever. Yeah. And I'm like no no no. It was like so specific. Fork, spoon, knife. Yeah.
And they all looked like that. Great. Still in your in your family somewhere. You know, that would be a great question. We like moved and it's like then it's like probably like it's actually the my like ground zero for all of my junk is like the rafters above my garage. I don't even know what's up there.
VHS tapes are up there. It's like one day there are people convert those. Yeah. Well, see, I think it would be cool to like have a VCR player like in the basement when you're like, you know, a grandpa. Like that would be fun, but I just have like 50 years to go before. [laughter] So, it's going to sit up there for 50 years and then I'll be ready to rock.
Okay. Are there other places? So, you start somewhere not somewhere low traffic, build momentum, but like let's say you want to get into the nitty you have, we're talking garage, we're talking kitchen, we're talking closet, master bedroom. like what are we doing to go attack those places to make them more calming functional spaces? Yep. I think there's a few things.
One, don't ever try try to tackle it alone. I don't do it by yourself. It's it's there's just a lot. There's there's so many different things that you have to do when you're doing it truly like to the fullest. Um especially a full space like that. So like what like what are the thing what am I not cuz to my on the outside you're like it's just organizing it but like you just said there's so much you got to pull everything out like you don't want to you don't want to just pull some things out and and some people will like when we are there or before we arrive they're like oh you don't have to worry about that section um but you have to pull everything out you got to clean and I don't want to just look at it and say okay are there any things that I want to get rid of okay that drawer looks good no pull it all Don't sort it because you don't know.
You can't make the decisions on what is going to go where or what product you need unless you're an expert. Um, we, you know, we figure that out at the consultation and then we bring a variety because we know our go-tos. You don't as as a a person who is wanting to organize, you might just pull it all out and then you say, "Okay, I'm going to go to Home Depot and go get some bins." And that's what you do. Isn't it crazy too? I think this also helps.
Let's say you're doing a closet. If you pull your closet out and put it like, you know, let's say you're putting it on your bed or your floor to like see the physical representation that you have stuffed away in drawers and places like whether it's your closet, whether it's your kitchen, like you pull out all your Tupperware and you're like your entire kitchen table is just covered in Tupperware and you're like, why am I still saving this to-go box from a dinner seven years ago that I haven't used for anything? You know what I'm saying? And that is what we recommend people not doing alone. Oh, that is why don't do that. Don't do it by yourself because it's so much like you don't realize how much is in those cabinets.
You like pull it out and then you'll just be like stack it back up and put it back in there. It grows as you get it out. So it's very overwhelming and it's not even something you know me as a professional I've done it my whole life. I wouldn't do it by myself when I know I have a big project like that because there is there are just so many parts to it now that we do it professionally. Um I know what it takes and what it what it could and should be and it's just not something you do alone. Now where did you get into the like content spot?
like you make some I feel like again I said it earlier some of the content that you make tickles your brain in the right way you know like when you see just like a like for one like the shoe closet one oh yeah oh like that is I have a really awesome videographer so okay so have you always been content you like you're like hey I want to do videography no I h I have a guy um producer Tyler is his name he's incredible um so Tyler and I are good buddies and we've been working together for a couple of years now. And so he comes on any of my bigger projects and he will record behind the scenes. Um he records, you know, the before and afters. He creates a lot of that for us. Um we take a lot of time lapses when we're on projects, too. Um before and afters get so much attention, so that's something that's great.
Yeah. Where did you feel like you really I mean you have over 15,000 followers on Instagram. Where did people start to get really interested in the content you were putting out? I I mean consistency, you know, as we as we started posting more consistently, we got more interactions and that was the biggest part. I mean, we're not, you know, we get a lot of business from Instagram and referrals and that is where it comes from. So, showing up um in stories, I'm in stories all the time and just showing up and um showing all the different kinds of work.
you know, we don't just deal with work with celebrities or in case [laughter] you were wondering, they do work with celebrities, but we do, but we we do have a lot of proathletes and I think that that is um a a niche for us just because they travel a lot. They they do they travel a lot, they move, and if they are changing cities, um anything like that. But so, take me through how you're working with pro athletes. We can move them. I mean, we travel. So, we can go from a city wherever they're coming from.
Let's say they were in Nashville and they said, "Hey, we're we're coming to Indie." We would pack everything up there, move it here. Like you would actually move it. We could go get it. Like Like you guys do move it. We have third party partners.
I got you. We have partners. Cuz this is an interesting piece too of being involved. We manage it. Being involved in the packing. Yeah.
Oh, the packing is so critical cuz imagine it's like, well, if you just have someone else pack it, they get there and you're like, where the heck is the That's the issue. And so we want in on the pack because it takes us about half the amount of time to unpack it because we know where it is and the same team members will do the unpack. So um so yeah, that is a very big part of it. We you know you let's say you don't know us before you get here. You get here and you have all your boxes there and you're like what do I do? Where do I go?
And we can come in then too and and help unpack it. Now, it does take a little bit longer if we didn't do the pack um because it wasn't sorted. You know, we don't exactly know what there is in there, but um yeah, we we do all that and we manage the move days because move days are tricky. People don't realize how long moves take. Um you know, it can be a 10, 12 hour day and it could take two days depending on how much stuff you have. And it's like what's done to an individual is not necessarily done to an outsider.
Like think about when you move. How long does like this box of stuff that you that you're like it's not mission critical sit in the garage like oh yeah the old shoes or the whatever right? Yeah. Years. And it's like oh just that's its new home. It now lives there.
Yeah. And we can we can pack up move unpack and organize and get it all settled within two weeks. It's like two weeks is the max of typically it takes a few days to declutter and pack and then one to two days moving and then the unpack. Wow. I love it. I think it's so unique.
I think that it is something that again like if you're focused on playing a sport, you're focused on running your business, you're focused on whatever it is, it's like it seems you get home at night, you've worked all day, you've left it all out on the field and you're like now I have to organize my pantry like or you just can't find something. Yeah. Your brain is just like dude, I don't want to make any more decisions. I don't like it. having a person in there and the accountability of that I think is and the systems that's awesome. I love it.
I think I think it's super unique. Uh if people want to learn more about, you know, working with you, the work that you guys are doing, the projects that you've done, how can they do that? Uh Instagram. Yeah. Facebook and our website. So, um Facebook and Instagram, The Simple Life Indie, and then our website, um the simpleife.
org. If there are other solarreneurs, people that are getting going in whatever the field might be that is very like like have a skill like your skill is organization. Do you have advice? You you've done this for 15 years. How can other entrepreneurs look at their business and what advice would you have to grow it and to last? I feel like 15 years is an incredible run thus far still going, but it's like what advice would you have to other entrepreneurs?
I mean, I would go back to social media. Yeah, it's just you can you don't have to get yourself out there every day, but whatever work that you're doing or even if you're doing something at home or for a friend or a family member, post it and you know, have a business page because people are out there in mom groups and in fisher groups, you know, caramel groups, wherever it is, and they're asking for profession or professionals. Yeah. And if your name exists, someone's going to find you. Um, and networking, I think that's a big thing. I mean, I know that's so hard.
Going to bigger groups is helpful because I know it sounds like even harder, but then that way you don't feel like you're so one-on-one. Um, you know, being in groups. I'm in home home artisans in Fisers, which is incredible. Bulls and business, which is great. You know, any way that you can just connect with people on a very casual setting, um, will really get you. Yes.
And it doesn't mean everywhere you go, you're always selling your thing, slinging your business card. Yeah. Or like ask questions. Like build friends. Friends, especially like people who go to networking events. It's like they might not be the buyer today, but like they'll being top of mind for them as they're talking to other people and they're like, "Oh yeah, you have to meet my friend like blah blah blah blah does this, you know, and and it's great."
Like that's like a a piece I think that makes Indiana great is that like referrals and people want to go out of their way to help you. Oh yeah. I love that. I love the connections here. I feel like the community is just so supportive and any way you know that you meet someone. I don't care if they don't get me business.
I don't care if I maybe never see them again. Um but just learning about them and then I see them at the grocery store. I mean it's just building those connections are so powerful. Amen. I love that. Okay, we've come to a few sponsored segment questions here.
So, this question is brought to you by our friends at JCheart. They're a leader in creating enjoyable living experiences at apartment communities all across Indiana and beyond. Check them out at homejart. com. My question for you, why do you call Indiana home? Oh gosh.
I am born and raised in Indiana. Uh I went to Purdue and I moved to Indie in Fisers right after that and I just love it here. I've never lived anywhere else, so I can't say that I don't love it anywhere else. But the biggest thing here is the seasons for me. I think being able to to live in all the seasons. And I mean, I am biased because I am a boy mom, but youth sports here are awesome.
Yes, I love that. No matter what sport you're in, it's it's just the community is incredible and um it's it's great to grow kids here. Heck yeah. Okay, now I got to ask. I have a few like fun rapid fire questions. Um, but I want to know out of there's so many tools and things, you know, from shoe racks to all the different things.
Oh my gosh. Shoe racks, utensils, silverware, bowls, containers. You even done like a deal. I think you worked with the Container Store. Like that's so cool. But like out of all those things, what is your favorite?
Like what one just like makes you smile? It's like when I take a a messy shoe closet and stack them all up in the shoe racks or whatever it is, what one just like lights you up, gets you pumped up. Oh my gosh. I mean, I would say matching hangers. Oh, you would hate my closet. When a closet has matching hangers, they don't have to be perfect like a specific kind of hanger.
Although I do have my favorites, but they all got to match. Wow. They all got to match one color. Oh, I'm like some plastic, some wood, some like the little wire ones from the dry cleaner. Like, it's all fair game for me. So, I respect that.
Yeah, that's a good one. Okay. Um, are there other like tools? Like, are there you I like are there things you use to like clean or organize like drawers or like a Dirt Devil or like are there tools of the craft that you're just like more people need to have one of these? I would say a turntables. Turntables.
They're the like the lazy Susan look. Um, they're so versatile. That's probably my favorite product. Turntables. I did not expect that one coming. All right.
What's the most satisfying room in the house to organize? Garage. I did not expect that one either. Garage. I mean, I now don't get me wrong. I love my pantry.
Pantries and primary closets are probably my favorite, but the biggest transformation, the most satisfying is definitely a garage. Yeah. I feel like, you know, an easy way to like make you feel like you organized something in your house is just like face all the labels of the spices on the pantry the same way and you're like, "Aha, voila, it is organized." Well, we've come to the part of the show where we ask every guest the same three big questions. Uh, first one is your opportunity to shed some light on a part of the state that more people need to be talking about. What is a hidden gem in Indiana?
I have to say Brown County. Yeah, Brown County is my favorite. Um we Nashville, Indiana like down there. I mean it is famous for the fall foliage and you it is a must. Yeah, absolutely. We are very outdoorsy.
Is there a specific park down there? Like is there like a spot or do you just go to Nashville and hang out? We go to Nashville a little bit. Um but we're at the state park. Yeah, we just taking the drive and hiking. Love it so much.
Oh, that's a really really good one. Okay, now this is your opportunity to inform us uh about somebody else who's making a big impact. Somebody who's doing great things, who's a hooer we need to keep on our radar. Someone who's doing big things. I love Alex Eer. Oh, incredible guy.
The man. I just love his entire family. I think, you know, entrepreneurialship is in their blood and they have put together a just such an amazing part of our community with Bulls and Business and um with EverBull and just so many different ways that they impact the community. It's just incredible and his wife Kelly is amazing as well. Oh, literally the best people. Like they are so awesome.
Uh, and they're like just getting started on their next new big venture, which is going to be literally fun for everyone. There's always a new venture. Oh, they're rocking and rolling. I love that. Alex is the man. Previous guest, go back and listen to his episode.
It was so fun. Uh, I mean, from growing like about a million Verizon stores to working with Everb and Drew Brees. Like, he has a wild story all of his own. And it's just like he's like almost so nice that you're like, when's it going to come? [laughter] Like, what's the catch? when are you going to send me an invoice for this?
Like like what's going on here? And then you just like meet him again and again and again and he is always just so nice and he's always trying to connect you with someone that's I mean that is just him and he's he's so incredible for this community. Yeah, absolutely. I couldn't agree more. All right, final question for you. This one is I mean when you think about it lifelong from Fisher or from sorry northeastern Indiana from Auburn to Lafayette to here in Fisers Indiana I mean obviously the Hooser State has been at the center of you know so much over the past few years.
But for you when you think about what it means to be a Hooser and you close your eyes what is your favorite Indiana memory? I mean it sounds cheesy but my wedding day. Oh yeah. Okay. Let me get the venue. Where were we at?
What were we doing? Okay. So, it is October 16th of 2010. We at Coxell Gardens in Caramel. And I remember my parents being like, "You're going to have an outdoor wedding in October in Indiana." Really?
Like, that's risky. And I'm a risk taker, obviously. It was the most magical. The weather could not have been better. 72, sunny, barely a cloud in the sky, all friends and family there. Everything was outdoors and the fall foliage of Indiana.
We had a tent for the reception. Okay. Um but but you rolled the dice. Oh, we rolled. Oh, that's good. And it was incredible.
Wedding out like wedding and everything outdoors. Oh, at Cox. Everything was at Coxel 126th and I can't remember the the but if you haven't like it's a great spot to just like go and walk around hang out 116th I think 116th and I can't remember what the the north south street is there but it's like you know up in like near West Clay. Yes. And it's beautiful total vibe. Yeah.
It was amazing. I mean again the weather the fall weather I took a risk. You don't know if you need coats. You don't know if you're going to need a rainsuit. what are you going to need? But it was sometimes the plan just comes together.
That's the thing about the the weather in the Hooser State is it's temperamental, but when it's on, it's so on. It's absolutely money and it doesn't last forever, you know? So, like if it is cold, it'll be warm soon. See, that's what I always say, too, is I appreciate Four Seasons because like if it was just, you know, San Diego and sunny and 75 all the time, I would take it for granted. Yeah. You know, you stop like, oh, being like, "This is so great."
But for us, it's like you walk outside on the right day and you're just like, "Oh, spring hits and you're like, "Wow." Like you just have you breathe deep, you know? And it's like on the other days, you walk outside and like the humidity just like smacks you in the face and you're like, "But one day it will get better." You you're a perpetual optimist. I love it. This has been so so fun.
It's been awesome learning more about you and your journey over the last No, 15 years. 15 years. 15 years. Since 2011, you have been running the simple life. You have been helping people create these calming spaces where they feel organized and powerful and let them thrive. I think that's such a thing like we all know the feeling when you have like whoever it is has put in work and cleaned something and organized it and all the spices are facing the same way and the hangers are the same color and style.
Like you can it just takes a lot of stress out of uh life. Sure does. And I think that one, if you, again, I keep I've said this three times, if you want your brain tickled the right way, go look at some of the like before and afters, you like will see stuff. You might be get some inspiration. You might uh like see an interesting way to, you know, what I mean, for Tyrese, it was like turning an old laundry laundry room into like the bougie, coolest shoe closet. Like that looks so sick.
Um, I don't know. I just think it's super cool. And it what's even cooler is the fact that it was you and you were building this you were you know using this skill and this obsession that you have to go out and impact you know people places things but then you like built a team and you just like saw this as an opportunity grew a business grew a team and like made it even bigger than than just you and I think that's so cool and what a wild fun entrepreneurial story. Thank you. Thank you so much. If people want to connect with you, if they want to learn more, how can they do that?
Simple Life Indie on socials and the simplelife. org uh website. Heck yeah. Well, thanks for stopping by. We'll talk to you soon. Thank you.
This show is made possible by our friends up at Sweetwater. Whether you're looking to start a podcast or take your content to the next level. Click the link in the description to see all my gear recommendations at Sweetwater. If you want a behind-the-scenes look at everything we're doing across the state, make sure you follow me on Instagram and Tik Tok, Nate [music] Spangle. Thank you so much for listening and being a part of what makes the Hooser State great.