Raise your hand if “Get Organized” is on your New Year’s resolution list this year. Almost everyone? Now raise your hand if “Get Organized” makes your resolution list pretty much every year…
Yeah, me too! It always seems like there’s something that needs simplifying/organizing/purging/cleaning or even just a new system of doing things. That’s why I’m so glad to have met up with Lori Bruhns recently – she owns Everyday Tidy, LLC out of Hillsborough, and she is just the woman to help us busy moms!
Lori, I am so glad that we could meet up for this interview! Can we start off with a little about yourself?
I am married to Mike and we have twin 6-year old sons named Traver and Enzo, who just started kindergarten this year. I double-majored in Spanish and secondary education at Ryder University, and taught Spanish at the middle and high school level before my boys were born. I left teaching when my children were born due to the cost of childcare, but when they were about 7 months old, I started Everyday Tidy, LLC.
Tell us about Everyday Tidy.
I help people who want to take control of their time and clutter to enjoy the things they really love. I do many speaking engagements and seminars at small and medium businesses for time management and productivity, my own workshops on various topics, and also individual one-on-ones.
What inspired you to start Everyday Tidy?
When my boys were born, being organized and on top of things was extremely important. My husband and I didn’t have any family nearby to help out, so we were on our own. I had learned a lot about organization in my education studies in college, so I put my skills to use as a new mom. Then one day I thought, “you know, I could teach people how to do this!”
What’s your favorite part about running your own business?
Oh, the instant gratification! In teaching, the rewards usually came much later, as when my former students would come back to visit to tell me how much they learned and how they enjoyed my classes. Now with my individual clients, I get rewarding feedback right away.
What do you want your clients to take away from their experience with you?
I love showing my clients how much they are capable of, and that they can actually do it! Slowly, we put together a system that is built into their lives, and take small little goals to make a bigger goal come true.
How do you manage to juggle motherhood and your businesses?
I have found that I need to really listen to my heart, even when my mind wants to do something different. I make myself turn off the computer and phone at 2pm when my boys get home, even on days that I don’t want to. I know I need to have the patience to allow my business to grow slowly while my kids are young.
What’s the best thing about being mom to Traver and Enzo?
Everything! Seeing them through each stage, I think, is the best part. I’ve been so fortunate to be there for all of the firsts, like recently their first day of kindergarten!
If you could share one tip for other mom entrepreneurs, what would it be?
Know that you are your own business. Your work will always be there no matter how fast or slow it grows. But your kids won’t always be this small or this young. Relish in that.
Finally, where can our readers find you?
Website: http://everydaytidy.com/
Email: lori@everydaytidy.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everydaytidy
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/everydaytidy
Phone: 919-606-7170
Also, Lori is hosting a series of workshops at the Chapel-Hill Carrboro Chamber of Commerce:
Monday, February 13 – 6:30pm – Take Time Back…Time Management For All
Wednesday, March 14 – 12:00pm – Conquer the Closets
Monday, April 9 – 6:30pm – Growing Your Direct Sales/Solopreneur Business with Organization
The classes are $20, and they are Buy One Get One Free for Raleigh Mompreneurs! So grab a girlfriend and go get your organizing on!
I had such a good time speaking with you, Lori, so thank you for taking the time to introduce yourself to our blog readers! I also want to thank you for your patience and grace while dealing with my technical issues!
I wanted to add a couple of things that really stood out to me about Lori. I noticed when talking with her that she doesn’t just bring an organizational system into your life and try to fit you into the system…no, she actually observes your struggles and designs a system that fits into YOUR life. She also spoke of starting off with just making tweaks to what you do, rather than a massive overhaul of your life. I love her ideas so much, and I’m sure they help her clients to stick with the systems that they’ve worked at putting into place.
Another thing that Lori mentioned – your home does not need to be picture-perfect! (Or even Pinterest-perfect!) While it’s great to look to magazines for inspiration, don’t feel like your home must look magazine-worthy for you to be organized. And I agree…an organizational system can look beautiful, but if it doesn’t function well, or fit into your famiy’s life, it just won’t work. And then you’ll be back to making more resolutions…again!
~ xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo ~
Are you a Mompreneur, or do you know of an amazing mom entrepreneur who would like to be featured here? Send an email to christy@betrueimagedesign.com, and we’ll be in touch for a future feature!
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