We were lucky to catch up with Nicole Pate recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Nicole thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
Up until I got married in my 40s, I had been an independent self-sufficient woman enjoying decades of travel and successful careers in 2 different industries. After I married, I made the decision to step back from my career and work part time assisting my husband with his company. The decision was made based on our adoption journey through the local foster care system. My husband and I knew it was not reasonable to both work 40-50 hours per week while welcoming children into our home who would need constant emotional support. There would also be lots of appointments while the state had legal guardianship over them. Fast forward a few years. We bought a new house for our growing family, finalized adoption of our two children and the marriage began to crumble under the weight of my husband’s alcoholism.
At my breaking point, I chose to leave the marriage to provide a healthier environment for our children. Making the decision to leave was the easy part. The hard part: figuring out how to do it. I was in a job tied to my husband; I drove a car in the company’s name; and I lived in a house that I could not afford without my husband’s income. What would the future look like for my kids and me was constantly on my mind.
I turned in the company car and moved to a modest rent house. My next career move needed to be one where I could control my own schedule. This led me down the path to considering opening my own professional home organizing business. I had subcontracted for a company over a decade before doing this type of work. I loved it! But did I have what it took to do it on my own? Lots of doubt. Should I instead go back to education or a sales job where a consistent paycheck would be the norm? Probably. At the end of the day, I took the risk of being an entrepreneur instead of the safety of a steady income. And I am so glad I did! While it was risky and being a business owner can keep you up at night, I have not once regretted my decision. I enjoy helping clients see how their quality of life improves as their environment becomes decluttered and organized. I never take for granted that I control my schedule. It is amazing to see how God has worked in my life after taking the leap to start my own business!
Nicole, 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 love all aspects of organization! As a little girl, I would reorganize our photos into photo albums that made sense to me and make handwritten labels to go on the front of each album. Crazy, right? It was 2008 when I learned you could organize peoples’ houses and get paid for it. Sign me up! I worked part time for a company in Houston doing just that for years. Eventually, I went to work in the education industry, but I never stopped organizing friends and family’s spaces…anyone that would let me really!
In 2022, I decided to jump back into the organizing industry full time with my own company called Space to Breathe. From organizing pantries to decluttering garages, I’ve had the privilege of helping countless clients transform their spaces. Each project brings its own unique rewards – whether I’m designing systems that help busy families access their pantry with ease or rolling up my sleeves to help clients rediscover long-forgotten treasures in their garages.
Some of my most meaningful work comes from supporting clients through the emotional process of sorting through a loved one’s belongings after their passing. These sensitive moments require a gentle touch and deep respect for both the items and the memories they hold. Equally rewarding are the joyful transitions, like helping empty nesters start an exciting new chapter of life in a new space.
When you’re moving into a new home, the last thing you want is to live among towers of boxes for weeks. We love to unpack! Our experienced team can transform those cardboard mountains into beautifully organized spaces within days. While you focus on settling into your new community and managing other aspects of your move, we handle the detailed work of finding the perfect home for each of your treasured possessions.
My background as an educator taught me the profound impact of serving others, and I bring that same dedication to every organizing project. There’s nothing more rewarding than watching the tension melt from a client’s shoulders as their chaotic space transforms into an organized haven. Whether it’s a busy professional who knows how to organize but can’t find the time, or someone who simply feels overwhelmed by a dysfunctional space, our team specializes in creating practical organizational systems tailored to a client’s unique lifestyle and needs. Every project, no matter how big or small, fills me with gratitude for the trust my clients place in me and reinforces my passion for this work. There’s nothing quite like helping people create spaces where they can truly breathe.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
In my mid-20s, I worked for a tough, no-nonsense businesswoman at a prestigious higher education organization. Not only did my boss have high standards so were the Yale and Harvard graduates I worked with. I learned to always be well-prepared in meetings and presentations. I needed to have all the options thoroughly researched with supporting information ready to disseminate at a moment’s notice. There was a very specific hierarchy of whom within the organization it was appropriate to directly, or not directly communicate with. Fast forward, I went on to work for a sales company that required new sales reps to pass exams related to products and medical terminology with a 90 or above. We were expected to have high level medical conversations with physicians related to the products we sold.
Over these 10 years of my career, I learned to be overprepared for every conversation, every meeting and every presentation. I read and reread emails before hitting send, as if, a typo would cost me my job. Fast forward to owning my own business, I have a new perspective on over preparedness. Over preparedness is overrated! As a business owner, you rarely have the luxury of spending too much time on any one decision. And you definitely do not want to land in “decision paralysis” where you can’t seem to make a decision at all. Most of the time, you are making decisions with more questions than answers. I spent a lot of time in the past trying to be perfect and therefore making every decision perfect. It is not realistic in entrepreneurship for you to do hours of research on most business decisions. Not to mentions it puts unnecessary stress on yourself. Business owners sometimes need to listen to their gut and just go for it. You learn that your best success usually follows your worse failure.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
Word of mouth is always the best sources of new clients. It can be intimidating to invite a complete stranger into your home to fold your underwear or set up a paper filing system for your sensitive financial information. A professional home organizer can be involved in some very delicate parts of a client’s life and home. Not to mention, there is also sometimes shame that surrounds one who has a disorganized or messy home. For all these reasons, a reluctant momma scared to let anyone into her closet, or her laundry room might be more open to the help when a trusted friend or family member recommends us. This type of referral gives the individual some peace of mind that we are non-judgmental and discreet. Word of mouth referrals tends to have the highest conversation rates of any type of leads for us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.spacetobreatheorg.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spacetobreatheorg/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Space2BreatheOrg
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-pate-23937ba/
Image Credits
Liz London Photography