Today we’d like to introduce you to Crystal Nerpel.
Crystal, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Every day I get to teach people how to declutter, destress and simplify. However, before I was a professional organizer, I was an overscheduled, overwhelmed, slightly stressed out mama.
The house was a mess even though I felt like I was always cleaning. I would forget about appointments even though I was always looking at my calendar. I was tired even though I went to bed early each night. I knew I wasn’t living my best life. I knew something had to change. I knew it was ME that was going to have to make the change happen.
In 2016, I decided to intentionally control the chaos and my stress level, so when a friend asked the question (in her business Facebook group) “How are you going to improve your life in the new year?” I enthusiastically answered, “I’m going to get organized!”
I decluttered my obligations, my diet, and my possessions. As a result, I became less stressed and more fulfilled. I even asked some brave friends to let me organize rooms in their homes for them. I was hooked! I decided to start Cloud Nine Organizing the following January.
My passion to help others relieve stress and chaos, through decluttering and organizing, comes from a genuine place of understanding and compassion because I have been there.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Growth is great, but learning how to pace my small business’s growth has been challenging. Currently, I am a one-woman show. That means I can only book a finite amount of clients per week.
No one wants to turn away business or put clients on a waiting list, but sometimes it’s necessary so that my clients get my 100 percent best work. I never want to burn out or get overwhelmed. I created this job for myself out of a need to relieve stress, not create more of it!
I am excited about growing at a pace that I am comfortable with and hiring extra help in 2019.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Cloud Nine Organizing specializes in helping families live decluttered and more organized. It’s my goal to not only get clients organized but ultimately encourage them to stay organized. I offer hands-on organizing services where I work alongside my clients, in their homes. I’m proud to have also added two new services to Cloud Nine Organizing this past year.
I now offer nationwide, online coaching services where I work one-on-one with my clients to guide them through the organizing process. These sessions are done through video conferencing. We talk about roadblocks, challenges, and victories and come up with a realistic game plan. Online coaching creates a sense of ownership and pride in getting and staying organized.
I also created a self-paced decluttering workshop that is exclusive to Cloud Nine Organizing. This workshop focuses on getting surface-area clutter under control with several bonuses thrown in. I also offer a free 3-part video series on decluttering that can be found on my website. I periodically send organizing tips to my subscribers.
What were you like growing up?
I grew up in the small Texas coastal town of Matagorda. We would go crabbing off a little bridge and feed Roscoe the alligator. Seeing alligators and rattlesnakes is not uncommon in Matagorda. I spent many, maybe too many, days hanging out at the beach. I have the skin damage to prove it.
I was (and am) slightly introverted. Not shy, just quiet and awkward. I only had a few very close friends and liked it that way. Around close friends I was (am) loud and obnoxious. I prefer(ed) one-on-one interactions and building real, genuine relationships. I don’t need to be surrounded by a big group of people to know I’m loved.
I’ve always enjoyed being physical and being outside. I didn’t participate in team sports but loved gymnastics. And dancing was my favorite past time. It was hard to beat me at the slumber party dance competitions.
I was also a typical messy teenager who threw her clothes on the floor and never made her bed. If you were to tell my mom that I’d someday grow up to be a professional organizer she’d think you were confused. Plus, she’d have no idea what a professional organizer was. I didn’t even know it was a real profession until a few years ago! I told myself many lies when I was a kid and young adult.
Here’s a few:
-I’m ugly (I believed what other mean kids said) – Now I look at old pictures of myself and love that cute little girl.
-I’m not smart – I ended up being the first in my family to graduate from high school and made great grades in college. At one point, I even became a teacher. Education ended up being a big part of who I was.
-I’m not a runner – I’ve trained for two half marathons. Only completed one because one was canceled due to weather.
-I’m not an entrepreneur (I literally said this all the time) – I run my own small business.
The shy, awkward, directionless 16-year-old me would be shocked and proud of all I have accomplished at this point.
Pricing:
- $320 for one organizing session (4 hours)
- $1,560 for the 6-pack ($360 savings) which is 6 sessions or approximately 24 hours of organizing
- $179 for 2 online coaching sessions (this price will be increasing in 2019)
- $147 for my online decluttering workshop (this price will be increasing in 2019)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cloudnineorganizing.com
- Email: cloudnineorganizing@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cloudnineorganizing/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cloudnineorganizing/
Image Credit:
Rob Nerpel
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