We were lucky to catch up with Kat Farrior recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kat, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?

Of course. After I left my last position as an office manager for five beauty schools in Texas and New Mexico, I had to come to terms that starting a business and being successful right away wasn’t a thing. I had to figure out how to make enough money to support myself and to pay for all of the miscellaneous start-up costs, so I accepted various odd jobs that gave me the flexibility to work on my business plan at the same time. One of these jobs was a personal assistant position for a partner of an investment firm who threw all types of tasks my way. When it became apparent that he could also use some help around his home, I quickly whipped out my first business cards and let him know that I was a professional home organizer. Little did he know that he was my first client ever :)

Kat, 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?

My name is Katrin Farrior, born and raised in Germany but I have been living in the US for over 16 years now.

I believe growing up in Europe had a huge impact on me becoming a home organizer. The buying behavior is very different over there; while most items in the US are purchased with a credit card, in Germany people save to buy cash. I believe this automatically limits impulse purchases and the amount of things people store in their homes. I’ m sure this is also why I appreciate a rather minimalistic look, and feel more at home in spaces with a handful of carefully-selected decorative items rather than being overstimulated with tons of trinkets on counters and shelves.

On top of the design aspect, it is very important to me that I don’t waste valuable time searching for things that should have their place in easy reach. Whether it was in my own home, any office I’ve worked in or when friends asked me for help getting their houses in order, setting everything up in a way that doesn’t only look aesthetically pleasing but also creates a high level of efficiency has always been my goal.

It only made sense that I would eventually find myself in a field of work where my eye for detail and organization was needed, and while I truly enjoyed my career as an office manager, I feel so much more accomplished directly helping our clients in their homes. Most of them are busy professionals and (new) parents who have their hands full and it is such a pleasure for my team and I to take a load off of their shoulders and make their lives easier by setting everything up in the most efficient way possible.

If you have multiple revenue streams in your business, would you mind opening up about what those streams are and how they fit together?

In addition to the income for the services we provide, I also receive a commission whenever our clients purchase certain supplies we recommend. In the future, I plan on starting my own local shop with our most frequently used products in order to avoid shipping delays, which we oftentimes struggle with.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I strongly believe in always going the extra mile, which in my opinion always sets you apart in the service industry. In all stages of our organizing projects – from initial consultation to design phase, supply purchasing and finally to the actual editing, sorting and reorganizing stage – we try our best to go above and beyond and offer additional services, such as small donation drop-offs, free of charge. I also like to add a personal touch by sending a Thank You note to all of our clients upon project completion and reward everyone for leaving their public feedback or refer us to their friends. We really appreciate all of our clients and their trust in us with their homes.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thedetailedlife.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tdl_organizing/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedetailedlife
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-detailed-life-austin-3