We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Candy Speight. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Candy below.

Hi Candy, thanks for joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

By 2008, I’d been with Xerox Corporation for 29 years, and I’d been a field manager for more than 10 years and over time my role was becoming more and more stressful. By now, I really couldn’t see spending the rest of my career, just going through the motions. It was around 2009 when I asked the Lord to allow me to do something different. I didn’t necessarily want an easier job, just different. So, it was October 7, 2010, that I sat down, and I wrote my dream on a 4X6 index card. My dream was to have my own business, so I put the card on the mirror of my dresser in plain sight, so that it would not just drift away into Never-Neverland.

Shortly thereafter, I was sitting in the kitchen, looking at the mail, and I noticed on the neighborhood Merchandiser paper, “DECLUTTER” was on the first page in big letters. I read through in amazement, because although I’d always enjoyed organizing my home, I did not know that you could make a living organizing other people’s living and work spaces. It was around July of 2011 when I glanced at the 4X6 index card in my mirror and decided to make my dream to own my own business a reality.   The Lord gave me the name, Order Your Steps and my next step was to go to my oldest daughter, Elayna, the graphic designer, and she created my logo, which not only looked like a house, but also an arrow pointing upward toward heaven. As of September 13th, 2011, I registered my business name and, Order Your Steps was a reality.

I’d never strongly considered retirement before now; I figured that I would have to work at Xerox at least until I was 80. I had not planned financially for my retirement and at 55 years old, I would need millions of dollars saved to retire comfortably. But, I spoke to my husband about retiring early and instead of worrying about the money and the millions of dollars our account didn’t have, he gave me his blessing and the rest is history. On December 30th, 2011, I officially retired from Xerox Corporation after 32 years and I’ve never looked back!

Candy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’ve always loved organizing my home, but now as a professional organizer, I help other people not only to declutter their living and work spaces, but to un-clutter their minds. My philosophy has always been that when you organize your spaces, you add a little more Order to all aspects of your life. Therefore, I strive to get to know them as an individual versus simply their spaces. It’s been proven that clutter in people’s environment can cause stress and anxiety, negatively impacting overall productivity and efficiency, So, I develop a customized organizing project plan and guide them through the process. Over the years, I have worked with hundreds of people, and usually when they decide to bring a professional organizer into their homes, it’s because they have become overwhelmed and frustrated with the clutter of their spaces and the disorder of their lives. My greatest satisfaction is to help restore the Order & harmony into their homes and peace in their minds.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Before starting my own business, I spent 32 years in corporate America. I took a quantum leap to leave my 9 to 5, at age 55, with a steady income, to start a brand new business. I had never been a business owner. I had never even had a side hustle. I literally went to the bookstore and found books on how to start a professional organizing business. My very first client was referred to me by an ex-coworker from Xerox, and the clients have just kept coming, most of which were referred by other clients.

Now 13 years later, my company is in the midst of a pivot. My job is very labor intensive and I’m not getting any younger. Although I’ve always used coaching with my clients as part of the organizing process, in 2022, I enrolled in a Christian coaching certification program. My hope is that Order Your Steps will move into more life coaching in order to inspire and encourage primarily women, but not to exclude men, to live their best life and to do less professional organizing, although organizing will always be my passion.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

I believe that it’s imperative that we stay in touch with our clients, rather we provide a product or service. I have clients that I have worked with off and on for 7 or more years, and I’ve also had clients that I may have taken a break for 5 years or more that have come back. I always follow up with my clients periodically, just to see how things are going, not necessarily to sell something. We want them to remember us if/when they may need our services/products or they know someone that may need our services/products. I’ve used newsletters over the years to also stay in touch. It also helps to remember birthdays and contacting them with special offers during holidays. Communication is key, but don’t be a nuisance. We are in an era when we are inundated with lots of info, so be mindful to make our touchpoints effective.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.orderyoursteps.net
• Instagram: instagram.com/orderyoursteps
• Facebook: facebook.com/orderyoursteps
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAznjzyO4RaaonScdAulaFA