We were lucky to catch up with Caroline Guntur recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Caroline, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear a story from back when you were an intern or apprentice. What’s a memorable story you can share with us?
When I was a 15, I worked at my local record store as a summer intern. I had always loved music, but as a teenager, I naturally had little to no money to spend on records for myself, so it was the great way to listen as new albums dropped without having to buy them outright. I didn’t know it then, but this experience would gift me a great lesson in what not to do to your employees.
My boss ran on coffee (as most bosses do), and the third day on the job, she asked me to make her a fresh cup in her brand new $2000 espresso machine. I had never seen anything so expensive in my entire life. I remember being scared to even touch it because if I were to break it, there was no way I would be able to reimburse her for it.
Add to that, the fact that I don’t drink coffee. Still don’t. I just don’t like it. I know that’s an unusual thing in the US (where I live now), but growing up in Europe, we were always more into tea. To this day, I am passionate tea lover, and can tell you at what temperature to steep any type of tea on the planet. But I don’t do coffee. So that morning, I had no idea what to do or where to start, and I can tell you that I have never felt so stupid in all my life. I mean, most people know how to make coffee. Why didn’t I?
My boss she had shown me over the two prior days that she was quite a rude person (contrary to my first impression of her), and she had absolutely no interest in guiding me. When I had asked her to show me something on the first day, she had shrugged her shoulders, rolled her eyes, and told me to “just go figure it out.” I was there “to help her, not the other way around.”
That sentence was still fresh in my mind, so I didn’t want to ask her about yet another thing. I was sure that, if I did, she would think I was completely incompetent. That’s certainly how I felt. Trembling with nervousness, I managed to figure out how to put water into the machine, press a couple of buttons, and out came coffee…or something that was supposed to be coffee. I could tell by the look on her face when she drank it that it wasn’t quite what she had had in mind.
I’m a smart person, but by then, I had lost all confidence in myself. The working environment was so awkward and hostile that I felt useless just walking in the door. I didn’t know it wasn’t supposed to be like that. I was young and inexperienced, so I had never known anything different. It was my first “real” job, and I wanted to do well, so I just did my best. Clearly, I didn’t quite live up to her notion of what an intern was supposed to be. But was it my fault? Not at all.
If I had I felt comfortable asking her what to do, it would have turned out better. Had I had access to the espresso machine owner’s manual, it would turned out fine. Had she had offered to walk me through it just once, I would have gotten the hang out of it. I catch on quickly, but I had absolutely no help and no guidelines. You can imagine the hit my self-confidence took that day. I was utterly embarrassed.
Fortunately, this situation sparked something in me because I became passionate about communication, and that fuels what I do today. I love helping small business owners with their systems and operations, organization skills, and productivity, and I make sure that employees everywhere have access to guidance. Why? Well, because it’s all about facilitating communication. My seemingly “simple” coffee situation was such a brilliant lesson in why the things you take for granted as obvious needs to be clarified for others.
Responsible, inclusive business leaders know how valuable it is to have people from different cultures and backgrounds on a team, and when that happens, we must standardize our processes. In order to standardize, we have to make a decision on how we do things and provide instructions on that, so that anyone can follow them. It’s not enough to assume that people “should know” what to do. The simplest of tasks need a standardized process that’s clearly outlined.
This is what communication is all about. You being clear and communicating with your team members is what is going to empower them to take charge, learn from you become better leaders, and ultimately help your business grow. You want to invest in their learning experience, and plan for success.
Expecting others to read your mind and living up to your expectations based on your preconceived ideas is a recipe for failure. We all have different circumstances, different life experiences, and different preferences, and you can’t expect everyone to know everything. Not by a long shot. Not even something as seemingly easy as making coffee.
Caroline, 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 have been a Professional Organizer & Productivity Coach since 2009, and I have tested out many niches over the years, from residential closet organization to digital asset management. While I still love the full spectrum of the industry, I have found myself happiest when showing small business owners (especially those in the creative fields) how to run their businesses efficiently. It involves planning, project management, organization skills, and communication. Living as a digital nomad myself and running my business completely online involves a high degree of efficient operations, and I love to help others find their ease in making work more fun and streamlined. We have so many brilliant innovators who are struggling because they cannot find the downtime they need, and I truly believe that you shouldn’t have to martyr yourself to make an impact in the world. It is possible to create impact for others and still live a healthy, fulfilling life full of boundaries.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
The entrepreneurial journey is full of pivots, and I have certainly had my fair share over the years. Just to name three, I started out as a residential organizing specialist, then went into digital organization, and then into productivity, and the reason for all of those changes was a gut feeling that told me it was time for change. The numbers looked great on paper, but I knew that I wasn’t living up to my fullest potential.
Every single one of us has a zone of genius, but sometimes it takes a while to figure out what that is, and how to go about getting there. For me, it has been a natural evolution, and I’ve never been afraid to accept that change. In fact, quite the opposite.
I feel like many people think of pivoting entrepreneurs as flaky, thinking that “they can’t make up their mind.” I would argue that this is how the process naturally unfolds. When you are in business for yourself, there is always a bit of experimentation of what the next evolution of you looks like, and that’s how it’s supposed to be. Businesses that don’t evolve, stagnate, and fold, so there’s nothing wrong with moving on when the time comes. Entrepreneurship is a lesson in personal growth, and without personal growth, there is no more entrepreneurship.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
While I love working remotely, nothing beats personal networking when it comes to growing your clientele. Connecting with new people is the best way to make things happen for yourself, so I have made this a recurring practice. I constantly look for exciting conferences I can attend and events where I can attend and meet ideal clients, and I will often travel to them because the investment pays for itself. There are plenty of effective strategies out there, but who you know and who can recommend you is still my number one way of selling.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theswedishorganizer.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolineguntur
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caroline.guntur/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolineguntur/
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/carolineguntur
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7KxPuUgHsWJAD5bcIx3C1Q
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@carolineguntur
Image Credits
All images owned by Caroline Guntur.