mollyzwinters It’s Business Simplicity Summit™ season, which means we’re knee-deep in promoting this incredible event and things are busy. But I thought I’d take a step back and answer a question that’s at the core of this whole shebang — why did I start the Business Simplicity Summit™?
Going into business has a funny way of revealing things about yourself. The first thing I uncovered was that I had a passion for email cold pitching. WHAT?! So weird. Never in a million years would I have thought I would ever write the words, “I had a passion for email cold pitching.”
Equally surprising, was when I had a hair-brained idea in 2023 to plan, create, and host the very first Business Simplicity Summit™ in 45 days.
The Inspiration Behind the Business Simplicity Summit™
Near the end of 2022, I took an online course called Visibility by Lisa Johnson. Can you guess what it was about?
I adore Lisa’s ability to cut through all the overcomplicated layers we tend to pile onto entrepreneurship. When I first crossed paths with her, she said something that stuck with me — “Business isn’t complicated. People make it complicated.”
As a born overcomplicator, this spoke directly to me. Raise your hand if you can relate! 🙋♀️ (Psst. How funny would it be if you actually raised your hand right now as you’re reading this?)
Business isn’t complicated.
– Lisa Johnson
People make it complicated.
In the course, Lisa broke down different aspects of visibility and when she mentioned online events like summits, I literally remember thinking, “I’ll never do a summit. That sounds awful.”
But within a month or so, that completely changed.
I can’t pinpoint why or how, but suddenly I started obsessing over how we overthink things. (Dare I say, I was overthinking overthinking?)
I believe we’re often attracted to the things we struggle with most, and I’ve always had a passion for simplicity and a desire to bring more of it into my own life. As an organized person and a doer, that’s why I ran my own professional organizing business from 2007-2010.
As I was sitting there, overcomplicating things, suddenly the name Business Simplicity Summit™ popped into my head. I started to envision a group of people who share my passion for simplicity coming together to discuss ways to simplify business.
Because at every stage of business, there’s always SO much to think about…
- Branding
- Messaging
- Marketing
- Social media
- Sales and Revenue
- Finance
- Legal Protection
- Oh yeah, and how to get the clients that help keep the lights on!
It’s enough to make even the most efficient people feel overwhelmed! But what if we could come together and figure out ways to simplify our businesses, so we could help MORE people simplify their lives?
Boom.
The rest was a whirlwind. Another Lisa Johnson quote I love? “Fail fast.” May as well get through it quickly!
Fail fast.
– lisa johnson
But the first Business Simplicity Summit™ was a total success and not a failure! There was an electrifying, palpable vibe of community and collaboration, even in a Zoom room. I was floored by the quality of everyone who joined us — our speakers, our attendees — everyone was super engaged, and the entire event was uplifting, inspiring, and actionable.
I realized my passion for bringing people together to do good things. So that’s why we’re doing it all again and I sure as heck hope you’re joining us this year.
Why We Have Sponsors at the Business Simplicity Summit™
As incredible as the first year was, I realized that for the second year, I needed help.
Planning and implementing the entire event myself, though rewarding, was also exhausting — physically, mentally, and financially.
That’s why this year, I enlisted the support of a few incredible sponsors who are of the same high caliber as the people who attend the event and I’d like to take this chance to introduce them to you!
ASPO — Sponsor Spotlight
I connected with Jennifer Martin when I discovered she had an SEO workshop for professional organizers. After getting to know her, I learned she was also one of the founders of ASPO, the American Society of Professional Organizers.
This is what I learned about their incredible organization.
ASPO was founded in 2018 with a simple mission. Our goal was to make the organizing profession and certification affordable and attainable for aspiring organizers and to ensure that all organizers enter the field responsibly and as true professionals.
At the core of our mission is to provide a solid education and professional support that ensures organizers are prepared and confident in their work and that the public has ample access to qualified professionals.
We simplified our Certification process to include exactly what is needed to learn how to organize professionally in client’s homes and how to start and grow an organizing business.
We value Simplicity over Productivity. Our goal as organizers is to make our clients’ lives easier — not encourage them to do more. We streamline their homes to make life more efficient so they spend less time on tasks and maintenance. Simplifying our personal daily tasks and our work systems improves the overall quality of our lives. We invite you to join us in our mission to support Professional Organizers and our communities!
Learn More about the American Society of Professional Organizers.
LM Consulting — Sponsor Spotlight
When I first came across Leslie Marshall and LM Consulting, I thought, ‘Hmmm, she seems familiar.‘ It took me a hot minute, but I finally connected the dots and realized that she was the previous owner of The Marshall Concept professional organizing company. Clearly, Leslie knows what she’s doing when she consults with her clients!
After connecting with Leslie and meeting on Zoom (love this digital world we live in!), I knew she was a doer who goes the extra mile for her people. Here’s what I learned about Leslie.
As the former owner of a recently sold organization business with 6 years experience , I encountered new opportunities that sparked my creativity during my time at home with my toddler. Despite initial thoughts of stepping back from entrepreneurship, I realized my passion for organizing was still burning bright. Enter LM Consulting—a place where I blend my skills with a fresh approach to assist my organizing friends and community.
LM Consulting assesses our clients current situation and develop customized strategies to improve their organization and efficiency. We will work closely together to understand your goals, priorities, and unique needs in order to create tailored solutions.
Learn more about LM Consulting.
Elenore.io — Sponsor Spotlight
Last fall, I took a big business leap and attended the How To: Summit in Cleveland — and I’m so glad I did. If you know me at all, you know I love the power of human connection and that’s what you get when you’re sitting in a room full of professional organizers!
I had the pleasure of listening to Keli Jakel from Organized by Keli and Organizer Near Me speak about Elenore.io. She gave us a demo of all the amazing capabilities Elenore has to help you streamline your systems.
After the event, Keli and I bonded over our shared desire to collaborate more with others because we know how fulfilling that can be both personally and professionally. That’s why I was thrilled when she agreed to be one of the first sponsors of the Business Simplicity Summit™. Here’s a little more about Elenore.io.
Many professional organizers enter the industry without a background in business, driven by their desire to help others and generate income through their skills. However, as their businesses grow, they often find themselves overwhelmed by the abundance of opportunities and the demands of day-to-day operations.
To alleviate this stress and allow organizers to focus more on serving clients and growing their businesses, we have created Elenore — an all-in-one software platform designed to simplify and scale their operations for success.
With Elenore, regardless of where you are in your journey as an organizer, you can streamline processes, save time, and dream bigger. Elenore is here to empower you to achieve more with less effort. Let us help you transform your organizing business and unleash its full potential.
Rockstar Organizers — Sponsor Spotlight
Another incredible person I had the pleasure of meeting in person at the How To: Summit was Holly Southerland of Rockstar Organizers.
Holly is as warm and kind as she comes across online. When we first met in person, she said, “Hi Molly!” and offered a big hug.
I also met several of her coaching clients at the summit, and they all raved about her — which wasn’t surprising. While attending HT:S they even shared an Airbnb, brought along their branding photographer, and clearly had a grand ol’ time!
This feeling of community is often what’s lacking when you’re starting your own business. Be sure to check out Rockstar Organizers if you’re looking for support!
Here’s a little more about Rockstar Organizers.
Professional Organizers work with Holly on the business side of things to explode their sales, build their dream team, stop working onsite as much, and find friendships with experienced organizers.
