We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lastree “Las” Lemene. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lastree below.
Alright, Lastree thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a time you helped a customer really get an amazing result through their work with you.
There have been so many customer success stories because nearly every client we’ve worked with has felt a sense of relief after our time together.
One of the most memorable client experiences was with someone I actually know personally. She told me that she hesitated to reach out because she felt so ashamed of her space. That was surprissing for me because it made me understand why strangers sometimes are often reluctant to reach out for help. Society has forced us to believe that we should somehow be able to do it all and that’s just impossible.
As successful busy parents of 2, my friend and her husband are constantly on the go. Add the limited storage space in some South Florida homes and what you end up with is piles of clothes shoved into a small closet. Without a proper system in place, it’s no wonder she always felt overwhelmed and defeated. Needless to say, I was thrilled to help transform her closet (&bedroom) to a fully functional and organized space.
We completed this project in two days, but not without some bumps in the road. I don’t think she expected what was coming but I kept reassuring her that it gets worse before it gets better. After removing everything, I mean every single item, from the closet, we started going through every item. Dresses she hadn’t worn in years revealed themselves through the pile. The trash and donation pile kept growing. Her husband peeked and was amazed at the progress. After hours of sorting we started putting things back using a system they’d be able to sustain.
But you’ll never guessed what happened? The entire closet rack came off the wall and fell! I’m sure I shed some tears that day lol! Thank goodness a handyman was available the next day and was able to install a new closet system. After some adjustments, I got to work folding, hanging and organizing their closet once more.
I think what stood out the most was seeing my friend’s and her husband’s face at the end of the project. Seeing the relief on their face. Seeing the burden, guilt, overwhelm, shame and overall stress disappear in an instant.
The texts below that I received the days after we finished, were the reminder I needed to keep meeting people where they’re at, helping them through the process and removing any shame associated with asking professionals for help.
“Showing my pics to my co workers since this am. I am so happy I don’t even have shame knowing they know how bad things were lol”
“This morning I cleaned around the tv area in our room and I had you in mind as to the steps I needed to take to clear it”
“Girl I am a new woman after this weekend I!!!!!!”
We’ve worked on other areas of her home since then and it has brought me so much joy to serve her.
Our interaction helped me understand that people from all walks of life apply so much pressure on themselves to do it all when we’re not meant to. So as a professional organizer, I strive to remove the guilt and shame associated with having cluttered spaces. Because underneath all the clutter is: busyness, exhaustion, depression, anxiety, adhd and more.
Lastree “Las”, 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?
For many years, I struggled with anxiety and depression, but never really saw the correlation between anxiety and the chaos that surrounded me. I sometimes felt stuck in the disorganization, both mental and physical, and the cycle was never-ending. Clutter is making me more anxious, but depression is making me feel “lazy”. What. A. Cycle.
After therapy, living on my own and watching videos about minimalism, I stared working on it. I decluttered a whole lot over the years, and worked on my relationship with…things. I participated in minimalism challenges and felt better. Today I still shop too often on Amazon, buy items impulsively and find myself having a mess occasionally, but there is no more clutter and tidying up takes minutes. I give myself grace, knowing I’ve established the right systems to help me manage my space. I’d always had an eye for organizing. My closet was color coordinated since I was a teen. I had the eye, the skills and talent, and simply needed to put a name to it. I knew I had to share my gift with others. Ready Set Declutter was officially established in January of 2021, but prior to that it was a service that was offered to friends and family under….
“Hey Las, come help me figure this closet out please, you’re good at this stuff”.
Mom, we have way too many mugs, why do we need so many? I’m going to get
rid of some.
“Hey, come help me organize my desk this weekend”.
On November 20th, 2020 the dream was born. I messaged my then boyfriend, now husband, and said…’so I was thinking of a decluttering business, {Clear your space, clear your mind}, like you know how I’m always getting on your case or helping [friend], I enjoy it. Order gives me peace. I wonder how much I can help others.’
After a bit of research and prayer, I decided to form the LLC and the rest has been history. Since I started, I’ve been honored to help countless clients from all walks of life. Together we have eliminated clutter, improved relationships with family, saved a ton of money, enjoyed more time at home, and improved our overall mental health.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
As a professional organizer, the start up costs aren’t outrageous. One of the first things I did was work with a coach who was already in the business. She provided strategies to start, documents I’d need at the beginning, coaching calls etc. This was an investment I knew I had to make in myself so I used personal funds to do that.
Within the first few months, I used the good ole bartering system to get us off the ground. I wasn’t afraid of networking with my personal circle in exchange for organizing hours. That allowed me to build a portfolio and start getting referrals.
I also leveraged the power of social media to get a few clients initially. By keeping costs low, I was able to save the earnings from our first projects to establish a good cash flow.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
Many clients come from personal referrals. However, there’s also clients who find us on social media and via Google. Our goal is to continue connecting with the community so they know who to call when they’re ready for their transformation.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.readysetdeclutter.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readysetdeclutter_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/readysetdeclutter
- Other: https://g.co/kgs/kJmdHJ