Meet Debbie Stinson of Make My Life Simplified in Lakewood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Debbie Stinson.

Debbie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
In 2009 I was going through some changes in my life and I was in search of a new career. At that time I owned and managed a hair salon.

I have always been super organized and enjoyed the challenge of finding a more efficient way of doing anything. Friends of mine gave me a label maker for my birthday one year and told me they thought it was the perfect gift for me. I was even teased for my organizational skills when I owned the salon. One time I went out of town and when I returned to the salon my coworkers had labeled everything including the drip from the ac unit in the back room.

Someone mentioned to me that there were Professional Organizers that made a living doing what they observed was a passion for me. As soon as I realized this career existed, I began to spread the word that I was starting my own Professional Organizing business and began booking clients.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
When I first started my business I worked part time at The Container Store so I could find out about their available products and tools. I learned so much!

As time went on I began to book more clients and it was a struggle to schedule clients without knowing what my work schedule would be in advance. I then took on a one day a week part time job and then as I booked even more clients I was able to organize full time and focus fully on my business.

Some choices I have made have contributed to fewer growing pains. Within the first year of organizing professionally, I joined what is now called The National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO) and attended their annual conference in Columbus, Ohio. The sessions that I attended gave me a good foundation as I was beginning my organizing business. This conference and the wonderful folks I met gave me the tools and confidence I needed as I took the first small steps to launch my new business and career.

I have always treated my small business as if it was a large one and I think that this has kept me on a good course. As with every business some aspects have evolved and I have learned to simplify as I go.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Make My Life Simplified – what should we know?
I work one-on-one with my clients who range in age from single digits to the nineties, to help them organize and feel more productive in their unique situations. Most of my clients are residential, however I also assist many of them with anything from small businesses to non-profits. I meet with many clients once a week while others spread their sessions over longer time periods.

I always begin the session by asking my clients what they have in mind for us to work on that day. We work on many different things from sorting, purging and rearranging items to setting up filing systems to helping them with a next step to keep the ball rolling toward a goal. My productivity consulting and professional organizing guidance acts as an anchor. I also can remove unwanted items that they want to let go of and drop them off at a Goodwill on the way home. My clients tell me over and over how they could not have accomplished this or that if I had not been there.

I am most proud of and thankful for the wonderful clients that keep my calendar pretty full. I am very lucky to have a job doing what I love and that I can do something that makes people feel better than they did when I arrived. A client told me just the other day that she feels lighter after we work together. I have very kind clients who make me excited about each and every session.

It is hard to say what sets me apart. I think when you choose an organizer that person needs to mesh with you and your personality. Showing up when I say I will and always being present for my clients is extremely important to me. I have also been told that I make people feel comfortable and I am patient and sensitive to working at a pace and style that is comfortable for my clients.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
All of my clients are an inspiration to me. I learn something from each and every one of them. Their creativity and intelligence is a joy to be around. When you work with someone and they open their drawers and closets to you, as you work side by side you really get to know each other.

I have clients that I have worked with for five to almost ten years, some of them once a week. Even though my clients hire me to help them organize I pick up many good tips from observing what has worked for them. I feel like a conduit between my clients as I share these with those I think will benefit.

My Grandparents had a huge influence on me. When I spent time with my Grandma, Evie, we would organize her photos and she would tell me stories about the past and I would take notes about these stories and label the photos so we would not lose this precious information. Many times I have thought about how she was training me for my future career and neither one of us knew it.

My Grandpa, Ernie, was super organized. I remember watching him sit and pay his bills at his neat little desk and everything had a place in his tidy garage.

My Grandma, Lou, decorated her home very simply and had very few items to dust.

My Mom and Dad have also influenced me. As my Mom, Peggy, kept track of the family finances and organized the bill paying, she influenced my bookkeeping skills. The quilts she sews are all about fitting pieces together in a space. My Dad, Jim, taught me how important integrity and stability are to a business, passing on some of his mechanical brain as well.

Each day seems to bring an encouraging smile, hug or kind word from family, friends and clients and I am very fortunate that I can experience this.

I am a member of NAPODFW and keeping in touch with my colleagues via social media is a huge support. I have to mention some authors here as well. I love to read and organize books!!! Some of my favorite’s writers are: David Alan, Stephanie Bennett Vogt, Barbara Winter, Gretchen Ruben and Eckhart Tolle.

When I walk my dog I and drive between clients, I find inspiration as I listen to my favorite podcasts like Happier in Hollywood.

I have a creativity coach, Jill Allison Bryan, (creativeoasiscoaching.com) who has played a big role in my focus and my own self-care.

It takes a village!

Pricing:

• Two-hour assessment 130
• Three-hour sessions are available in several packages:
• Start Simplifying (one session) 185
• Breathing Room (two sessions) 310
• Peace and Progress (three sessions) 420
• The Sky Is The Limit (four sessions) 495

Contact Info:

• Website: MakeMyLifeSimplified.com
• Phone: 214-906-4811
• Email: deb@makemylifesimplified.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/makemylifesimplified
• Facebook: facebook.com/MakeMyLIfeSimplified

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