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

Jill, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

About 6 years ago, I was sitting at an airport restaurant on a layover. The restaurant was closed, so there were a lot of empty tables around me. I pulled out my notebook and pen (I always travel with these!) and starting writing down all of the activities required to run a household. Laundry, taxes, space planning, grocery shopping, vacuuming, travel prep, school prep, decluttering, cooking…and so on and so forth. I had a LOT of activities written on the page before me, and I realized that they could be grouped by category. Anything related to managing physical possessions is one category. Managing money, paying bills, and filing important papers is another category. Planning trips, planning parties, and managing schedules, is another category. And, finally, cleaning our homes and taking care of our appliances is yet another category.

I thought to myself, “OK, we have stuff, money, time, and cleaning. It would be so cool if I could get ALL of these to start with the same letter!” After a few minutes of thinking through the four categories, the four pillars of household management were born: Clutter, Cash, Calendars, and Cleaning. I kept trying to think of things that would require another pillar, but I couldn’t.

What about kids’ sports? The gear is clutter, the entry fee is cash, the practice schedule is calendars, and uniform care is cleaning.

What about cooking dinner as a family? Sourcing ingredients from your pantry is clutter, buying ingredients is cash, finding time to go to the store is calendars, and cleaning up after the meal and doing dishes is cleaning.

Isn’t it magical?!

To this day, 6 years later, the four pillars remain intact. These are the pillars that hold up our homes. Without systems in these pillars, our home life can quickly become chaotic, stressful, and overwhelming. My mission is to help people feel calm, confident, and in control (ok, ok, I love alliteration) in their homes so they can free up time and headspace to focus on what brings them JOY.

Jill, 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?

I started my business in 2016 when I realized that my passion for household management was a unique skill. I absolutely love running our home, from declutter and organizing, to managing the budget, to overseeing household projects, to cleaning (especially vacuuming!). I realize that not everyone shares the same passion for household management, but rather they seek ways to make it easier. And that’s what I’m here to do. I help busy families create systems in their homes so they don’t have to stress about the controllables. Yes, laundry will always be a thing. Yes, grocery shopping will always need to get done. Yes, the oven should be cleaned periodically. I am here to make it EASIER and teach people how to automate these tasks so they don’t have to think about them every day.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I always show up and provide huge value. I do this daily on Instagram, I do this in my live classes, I do this when I write blog posts. I am here to show up for people who need me so I can make their lives easier. I know a lot about household management, and I am here to teach and inspire those who are ready to make great change in their lives!

Have you ever had to pivot?

When I was 19, my mom died in a sudden accident. She was only 40 years old. It was a massive tragedy and everything as we knew it in life came to a screeching halt. I was a sophomore at the University of Arizona at the time. After she she died, I went back to school to finish my finals and transfer my credits to ASU so that I could move back home to be with my family. This was a major life pivot. I was on a path of being a college student, away from home, and embarking on my own as a young adult, and then tragedy struck. I came home to take care of my family, and, in a lot of ways, assume the role that my mother held for our household. I managed our move into a new home, managed projects and contractors, grocery shopped and cooked meals, taught my brother how to drive a car, looked out for my dad, and tried to figure out what getting back to normal looked like. Now, 16 years later, I realize how impactful that pivot truly was.

Contact Info:

• Website: jryan.solutions
• Instagram: @jryansolutions
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jryansolutions28
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-mcmeekin-57148319/

Image Credits
Madison Satterfield Photography