We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Courtney Colleary a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Courtney thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

I’m in my happy place when being a business owner. I’ve always made a joke that I would rather live in my car before working a 9-5 job and the joke became a reality at one point in my life. I knew I rather work endless hours with the ups and downs on something that’s for me versus something that is on someone else’s time. After 10 years of owning my own business and being my own boss & when it came crashing down during COVID-19. I was losing everything I worked so hard for, yet there was still not a moment that went by when I thought I’d be happier working a 9-5 job. I always knew that being in that work environment would make me unhappy & I wouldn’t thrive in that environment.
I never thought in a million years could have painted the picture of the struggle I was living. It was incomprehensible to me.
My resume is packed with so much experience but not once could I get myself to make a resume, apply for a job, get interviewed, and then be hired to work in an office or from home, alone.
In the darkest time I still confidently knew my work ethic and drive was going to bring me out of my darkness faster than a steady 9-5 ever would. What I realized … this is entrepreneurship! It comes with a lot of sacrifice but if you’ve got the grit for it, you’re going to make it and I truly believe in yourself.
I’ll always be happier being a business owner and even more happy when I’m surrounded by like-minded people.

Courtney, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

After owning my business, CocoRose boutique in old town Orange, for 10 years, I decided to make a career shift. During my time of figuring out what was next, I indulged in many types of jobs and jumped into a lot of assistant work for multiple types of people and businesses. One of the biggest things I instantly realized was that would bring structure and peace to a lot of my clients. Life was something as simple as organized, functional, and aesthetically pleasing spaces. Whether it was from their place of work or their home life, this was something that I was seeing as a common denominator across the board. I was approached by Nicole, my business partner, who owns HAUS OF DESIGN, and pitched me the idea of starting an organizing business. It made all the sense in the world. I had already gained experience in this line of work, and it was the perfectly packaged deal to go hand-in-hand with her interior design/staging business.

What our company does is bigger than just organizing people’s spaces. This business helps spring structure and peace to a place that deserves to feel cozy and inspiring whether it be your workplace or your home. We elevate your space with not only organization, but perfectly functional layouts that are aesthetically pleasing for every member of your family, and or your guest who comes to stay with you.

What brings me and this company so much joy is when we can take someone’s chaos and stress and turn it into a sense of relief and functionality.

We take care of the overwhelmingly stressful things and turn it into something you can’t live without.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Communicate effectively: Keep your team informed about company goals, updates, and changes. Open lines of communication help foster trust and transparency.

Show appreciation: Recognize and reward your team members for their hard work and contributions. This can be through verbal praise, bonuses, or other incentives.

Foster a positive work environment: Cultivate a workplace culture that values collaboration, respect, and positivity. Encourage teamwork and create opportunities for social interaction among team members.

Provide growth opportunities: Support professional development and offer opportunities for skill-building and advancement within the company. Employees are more likely to stay motivated when they see a clear path for their career progression.

Listen to feedback: Solicit feedback from your team members and consider their input when making decisions. This shows that their opinions are valued and can help address any issues or concerns before they escalate.

Lead by example: Demonstrate the values and behaviors you want to see in your team. Be approachable, fair, and empathetic in your interactions with employees.

Encourage work-life balance: Respect your team members’ time and encourage them to prioritize self-care and personal interests outside of work. A healthy work-life balance leads to happier and more productive employees.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

I guess, in a way you could say, my side hustle, became a business. I was doing a lot of assistant/managing work with multiple clients. With each client, it was something different whether I was managing a property of theirs, running their podcast schedule or social media, planning and executing an event, and / or picking up their dry cleaning, I was doing it all and I was enjoying it. My name was spreading like wildfire with Orange County, and I went from having absolutely no job or income to having too many jobs and clients. I was problem-solving all day and helping organize people’s lives to make it easier. It starts within your household. An Organized Haus is more than just clean spaces, it brings a breath of fresh air and structure, and people need that & even more now than ever. My business partner, Nicole, and I launched this business on January 1 and we’ve not had a week off from clients and couldn’t be happier! This is blowing our expectations and we can’t wait to keep growing this company and helping our clients lives daily.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://theorganized.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theorganized_haus/

Image Credits
ANDREA DOMJAN https://www.andreadomjanphotography.com