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

Teri , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers

We were hired by a church to clean out a storage unit owned by a member who bequeathed her estate to the church. The unit contained furniture, knick knacks and boxes filled with playbills and memorabilia. We were asked by the church to save all tax-related documents and to be on the lookout for a small hand-made chair that the family wanted to keep.

We sold most of the furniture and knickknacks and donated the remaining items to a local charity. We then worked our way to the back of the unit filled with multiple rows of boxes, stacked floor to ceiling. We were about 8 boxes in when we found a file full of U.S. Savings Bonds dating back to the 1970’s. We were thrilled with our discovery so we quickly delivered the bonds to the church and returned to sift our way through boxes.

We found the hand-made chair the very next day. It was special to know that we were able to help the family through the grieving process and hold on to special memories of their loved one. When we contacted the church to let them know about the chair, they told us that they remitted the bonds we found. They now had an additional $38,000 from the bonds to create an endowment in the owner’s name. That felt special too!

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?

My first experience with downsizing was over 14 years ago after my grandmother passed away and then again when my mom moved from her big house on the lake to a townhome. I learned firsthand how difficult it can be to let go of special items that may be of little monetary value but hold treasured memories. I also learned ways to cherish those memories without having to hold on to all the stuff.

My background is in education, real estate and yoga. I feel like my whole life has been preparing me to help others organize and create calm in their homes and in their lives. And I have to admit that my meditation techniques and deep, belly yoga breathing exercises have come in handy for clients when they need a helping hand.

I started my first organizing company in 2018 with my friend and business partner in Iowa. When my husband and I decided to move to Arizona to be closer to our first grandchild and escape midwestern winters, I turned the company over to my friend and looked forward to discovering a new path in our new home.

It didn’t take me long to realize that my true passion and purpose is helping clients organize their lives and create calm in their surroundings. I created my new company, Minimyz, so that I can continue to provide caring and compassionate organizing, downsizing and senior move services with my new community using a mindful, meditative approach.

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

The best source of new clients for me is referrals from existing clients. I make sure to take care of my clients so they are 100% delighted with my service and eager to share my business with family and friends.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I stay in touch with my clients through social media and good old snail mail! I send cards to my clients throughout the year to let them know I’m thinking of them and grateful for their business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.minimyz.com
• Instagram: creatingcalmandharmony
• Facebook: https://l.facebook.com/creatingcalmandharmony
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/minimyz/