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

Tink, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later

If I could go back in time and start my business sooner, I certainly would! Growing up, I lived in a world where you checked off all of the boxes. You went to college, you got engaged, you got married, had a baby…it was all part of the plan. The problem was, it wasn’t my plan, people-pleasing can take years from your life.

In 2019, just as the world was being flipped upside down by the pandemic, so was my idea of the “perfect life”. I started to ask myself more questions. It was crazy to me that at almost 40, I couldn’t think of anything that I really enjoyed doing. I was a mother, a wife, a teacher, a coach, but in all honesty, I couldn’t think of something I enjoyed doing for myself. I didn’t hate my career, but it certainly wasn’t fulfilling. The world of education was changing and so was my desire to stay in the classroom

I had a conversation with my wife one night. She made a comment implying that I didn’t enjoy teaching. My gut reaction was “how dare she say that! I worked my whole life to get where I am!“ But, the more I thought about it, the more accurate she was. I didn’t enjoy my job. I didn’t wake up every day excited to go to work. The passion was gone. She said I need to do something I love. I remember responding sarcastically “oh, you mean like cleaning and organizing?“… Her response might surprise you. She said “yes!“. I couldn’t fathom how cleaning and organizing could be a career. I did however, like the idea of starting it as a hobby. I did just that!

On the weekends, and evening nights that my daughter was with her father, I began seeing clients. I helped them get organized, which helped me ignite my inner flame again. The more energy I put into organization, the more skilled and talented I felt. I was changing lives! After each job, I would get a message from a client telling me how thankful they were for helping them fall in love with their home again. I felt like I had a purpose.

So, after 15 years of teaching, I decided to leave my benefits and pension to follow my passion. It was so scary! But more importantly, it was liberating! I was lit up again! Every spare moment went into this new endeavor. My smile was bigger, my confidence was growing, and I felt like I was actually making a difference in peoples lives. Ironic, that I left the profession of teaching to organize, and I am able to say that. But it’s the truth! You only get one life, you should wake up every day excited to live it! Your career, should be what you are most talented at, the thing that brings you the most joy! If we spent more time telling children how great they are at the things they enjoy, instead of trying to push our agendas onto them, we may actually have a world filled with purpose and contentment.

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 name is Tink Rainbow. I am the owner and founder of Clean House professional organizing. We are a full service, professional, organizing company. We provide nonjudgmental support while helping our clients fall in love with their homes again. We offer moving management, closet and pantry installations, room makeovers, downsizing, and much more!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Being an entrepreneur requires much more than a dream. You are constantly learning and growing. Entrepreneurship requires resiliency. I believe my resiliency is fueled by my passion. When something isn’t working for the business, pivots must be made. I can’t take it personal, I need to learn from it, and make shifts.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn The ways in which I was led to believe, checking off the boxes, was a way to be happy. I had to listen to my inner voice and really give it attention. Also, I had to figure out a way to weed out others opinions, while only listening to my own. If you want to make YOU happy, YOU have to know what brings you joy and you need to listen to that voice.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Cleanhousetink.com
• Instagram: @cleanhousetink
• Facebook: @cleanhousetink