We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Charissa (Grace) Hall a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Charissa (Grace) thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

I started Grace to Organize officially when I was 26 years old, I remember very well how it all started. It was September when I officially became registered with the state of Colorado as a business. Just a few months prior to that in May I had graduated from Charis Bible College in Woodland Park. Going to this school was never a career move for me, it was strictly personal growth, and I’m beyond grateful for that! But, as I was getting closer to graduating I was wondering to myself and to my mentor, “What am I going to do with my life!?” She suggested I make a Facebook page for anything I’m “good at”. I made a childcare page, and an organizing page, and within one month I had two people reach out saying “I didn’t know you could organize, please help!” So, I had my first official clients. One of them lives in Denver and I had an hour drive home from her house and the entire way I felt like God was showing me how He created me for organizing. In fact, I had this thought “You’ve been hoarding your gift for organizing” It was in that moment that I decided, I have to start a business. It felt like divine timing and placement for me, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. However, there have been countless times since then that I have wondered what life would have been like for me if I would have seen and recognized this gift in myself earlier. It occurred to me that I could have started an organizing business even 10 years before that, and would have learned SO many valuable lessons and had more “success”, although that’s not the word I truly want to use. The lesson I take from this is how important and beautiful it is to see the natural gifts and talents in others, including our children and be vocal about it. It never occurred to me that my organizing was really a gift, and that other people would benefit from it, and even pay me for those skills. Do I wish I would have started my business sooner? No, I’m grateful for my story and how it lined up with all the other circumstances in my life.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Grace to Organize was birthed out of a revelation of the natural skill and talent I had always carried, and pretty much kept to myself, unintentionally. My earliest memory of organizing is 6 years old, although my Grandma says that even as young as 4 years old she noticed it. I remember restacking the cans in her pantry, lining them up, and keeping the like ones together. Over the years I had kept my own spaces incredibly tidy, and found such joy, peace, and energy in keeping things organized. I remember childhood sleepovers organizing my friends’ closets. I would deep clean, rearrange and redecorate my own room at least twice a year, and I always slept SO great that night. Every job I had I would clean and organize in my free time, my bosses absolutely loved that about me. I have never been able to not organize, it just flows out of me. I never really took the time to notice that other people either don’t like organizing, don’t know how to do it, or it stresses them out.

I started Grace to Organize over 5 years ago now, after seeing the need people have for this kind of service, and I truly feel I’m living out my purpose when I serve others in this capacity. The word I hear most often from clients/potential clients is “overwhelmed.” They simply don’t know how to start, or what to do.

About 80% of my clients want side-by-side help to declutter and organize their spaces. They want to help make decisions on what to keep/get rid of, they want to learn and collaborate on ideas. The other 20% of my clients don’t even want to be bothered with any decisions, and just want me to organize for them. Either way, the sense of relief is so tangible. Many clients now have the space, time, energy and motivation to work on their own craft, business, or dream!

The main message I have for all of my followers, clients and friends is GRACE. I am not in your space to judge you for how you got there. If you knew the stories I hear and the why behind the clutter, or chaos, you would have nothing but grace for them as well. True freedom comes from truth, admitting when you need help, and being in the presence of grace and understanding.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Being my authentic self has helped me build my reputation in business. For those of you who enjoy information like this, I am an INFJ in Myers-Briggs terms, and my top 5 strengths according to Clifton Strengthsfinder are: Input, Empathy, Intellection, Positivity, Developer. For those of you not familiar with any of those terms, basically my personality is such that I enjoy interacting with people on an emotional level, I tend to be very thought filled and introspective, I maintain a high amount of positivity and optimism, and see opportunity for growth in every situation. I am also a blend of introvert, and extrovert. In fact, I took a test once that said I’m 51% introverted, 49% extroverted, so I adapt to all sorts of social situations well. I truly believe that God designed my heart and soul for this kind of work. My name quite literally means GRACE, and I aim to bring that energy to every interaction I have, and over the years that has really shown up in my reputation.

I’m truly grateful for all the reviews I’ve received over the years, my top love language is Words of Affirmation, and knowing that my reputation matches my desires to be gracious, kind, and helpful is beyond satisfying!

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

I often say that when clients need a professional organizer they “push the panic button”. Many clients have told me it was the middle of the night, they were trying to clean up an area in their home, or work with someone in their house to problem solve and just got to the end of themselves, they google in haste “organizers in my area” and they see “Grace to Organize” come up, they immediately felt some peace knowing two things: YES, there is help for someone in my situation, and YES, she will show me grace and be non-judgmental.

I also find a lot of my clients through Facebook, or rather they find me. They see something I post and they follow me and enjoy seeing my before/after pictures, they feel they can relate to those situations and they know who to call when they get overwhelmed.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://grace2organize.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grace2organize/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grace2organize
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grace2organize/

Image Credits
Michelle Betz Photography took 2 of these pictures