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

Gretchen, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

There are many facets to success, but I believe it begins with what your definition of success truly is. For some, success could mean freedom to live a certain lifestyle, for others it could be status and for others, it could mean to have reached a financial level. Depending on the meaning an individual pours into the word determines what it means to them.

Success for me means that I am able to support my family financially with meaningful work that I am passionate about, changing lives, and making a positive impact in my community while having the freedom to make my own schedule. It has never been about reaching a certain income level or social status. It has been more about accomplishing the mission that I believe God imparted to me when I started my business five years ago.

In my years in the corporate world, I saw hundreds of executives, business owners, leaders and employees work until their life was sucked out of them. I knew that when I left corporate, I was going to find a way to earn an income, doing work that I loved so much that I would work for free.

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?

I spent 25 years in the corporate world in support admin roles. In the mid-1990, after college, I started my first administrative role as a legal assistant. From there, I went on to work in long-term care administration and then to a law firm, manufacturing, health care, and lastly, oil & gas. With various industries under my belt, I gained a great deal of experience working with various personality types, organizational leaders, and company owners. In 2018, the oil & gas company I had been with for nearly five years announced that the company was downsizing and my position would be eliminated. I had 30 days’ notice to find another job. During that time, I was meeting in a virtual prayer group, and the ladies I was leading through this 5 week’s group began to pray for me. After a few days, I was given a clear vision, a divine vision, if you will, for a new business. Now, mind you. I had been an employee my entire career. I didn’t know the first thing about starting a business. And yet, something inside of me told me that I had to try after much prayer and conversation with my husband.

On May 1, 2018, my little business was born. With an email list, a vision, and a heart to serve others, I created my first email newsletter announcing my new business. And in just 30 days, I had my first client. The first year was rough with very little client work and a big learning curve of becoming a business owner and learning how to track expenses, marketing, advertising, bookkeeping, figuring out how to find referrals, and then developing some sense of a process in how I work with my clients. I just passed the 5-year mark, and my revenue has continued to grow year after year. As my experience grows, my client base grows, and my network of referral partners grows, my business keeps improving. Last August, we had quite a turn of events when my husband decided, last minute, that he would retire from his union job as an architectural sheet metal worker. He had his 30 years of service in, and the demands from his company were becoming intolerable. So he left the trade work and joined me in my business as a home improvement consultant and handyman services. Even though the timing was not planned, it was just the push of growth we needed to take the business to the next level. My husband and I are privileged to work in this business together, serving our clients well and offering services that our community needs.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Building a business from an idea or vision is not for the faint of heart, especially if you start with nothing. Fortunately, a professional organizer does not require a large investment to begin work. While it did require access to some funds to handle monthly expenses, the overhead is quite low compared to most businesses. My services are mostly hands-on work that requires intellectual knowledge.

Starting a business does take courage, grit, and a willingness to fail. I have learned that I need strong support around me. The more support I have, the better the outcome will be. In 2019, I was invited to my first networking meeting. My cousin had attended a BNI (Business Network International) meeting and told me it would be great for both of our businesses. As soon as I walked into that meeting room and saw a room full of professionals and business owners, I knew that God had placed me in the right group that would be able to teach me what I needed to know to be successful.

Through BNI and other networking groups, I have found a true family of like-minded business professionals who want to help me succeed. Not only with solid referrals for new clients but sound business advice, mentorship, and friendship. They have minimized my failure rate than when I would have tried to run my business with my own best thinking. Even though I have made mistakes, lost money, lost opportunities, and not been charged enough for services, the journey has been amazing!

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

I was working in a law firm here in Kansas City back in the early 2000’s. I started as a receptionist, moved into the Work Comp billing position and then later created a new role as central billing clerk for the entire firm. I had created a solid career for myself in this firm and had gained the trust and respect from all of the partners and staff. I had accomplished a great deal in those three years and then my husband persuaded me to move to his home state of Oklahoma.

We packed up the house, left our jobs and moved to Norman, Oklahoma in 2003. I had landed a job as an executive assistant for the Regional President of Old Castle Glass. It was a great job with great opportunity to travel and work with others in the company across the country. While it was a difficult decision to leave family where I grew up and move to a new city, it was an exciting opportunity to learn and grow.

While I only stayed with Old Castle for about a year, I met Amy, another executive assistant in the Chicago region, who remains one of my dearest friends to this day. Even in the midst of all the change, the new home, new job, new friends, and new church, I was able to gain my bearings quickly and make the best of the situation.

One of my life mottos is to make lemonade out of lemons. I believe that how you hold yourself during challenging times is what will get you through those times.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.simplyliving-kc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplylivingkc/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/gretchenssimplyliving
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchen-moran-50aab514/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/simply-living-holt
• Other: Google – Simply Living, LLC