Meet our M.O.M tip contributor, Julie Starr Hook
After spending seven years as a stay-at-home mother of three, she decided to become a professional organizer.
This was a great career decision. I formed Five Starr Organizing in 2003, and have been going strong for over a decade. To build my brand awareness I have done many speaking engagements, am a regular guest on Portland, Oregon’s morning show AMNW. I has also written over 250 columns on organizing and published a book, called “From Frazzled to Freedom” in June of 2012.
My best advice for budding entrepreneurs: is to not give up on following
your company. There are many times when a new business doesn’t pay the
bills.
1. Be realistic on how long it takes to get a business up and running.
It may take 2-3 years to make money on your business. Don’t expect that
money
will roll in right away.
2. You have to give to get. There are many times that I can recall
when I have to decrease the cost of my services or donate my services in
order to build my business.
3. Explore as many “free” advertising tools as possible. I wrote for a
newspaper for 6 ½ years that gave me brand awareness. I made $20 an article
each week. This may seem crazy, but it built my brand.
4. Get involved in a group of others in the same industry. This will
encourage you and keep you up on the latest trends, etc….
5. Keep your customers happy by good follow through and thank yous.
6. Maintain your customer list with their current information.
7. Check in with your customers as much as possible.
8. Be willing to try new marketing ideas if what you are doing is not
working.
9. Don’t let fear stop you from getting your business name out to the
public. Stretch yourself!
10. Get support from friends and family. This will help give you momentum
during those tough times and you can share with them the joys, too.
What is a must-have site or resource all entrepreneurs should know and follow?
Pick one or two social media outlets that you can really
focus on. Don’t let social media bog you down. For me, I spend a lot of time
investing
in a quality website and that has proven to pay off. I am also on Linked in
and Facebook. No Twitter, etc… I don’t have the time. Only spend your time
doing what you can devote instead of doing things half way. Find a good resource for others in your field where you can connect.
I have two Quotes 'to live by.” “Dream Big” “Work smarter, not harder.”
Meet Julie:
Julie Starr Hook resides in Salem, Oregon, with her husband, three children
and two step children. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Rhetoric
Speech and Communications from the University of Oregon in 1989.
For six years, she worked as a sales representative for a food broker, where
she learned space management techniques in the grocery industry. In 1996,
Julie decided to become a stay-at-home mom and began exploring her interest
in organizing homes. In 2003, she formed Five Starr Organizing, and began
writing a weekly column on organizing for a northwest newspaper.
Julie enjoys speaking to various groups about the importance of organizing
and is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers
(NAPO). She is a regular guest on Portland, Oregon’s morning show AMNW. She
has written over 250 columns on organizing and published her first book,
“From Frazzled to Freedom” in June of 2012.
check out her two websites:
http://fivestarrorganizing.com/site/
and
www.fromfrazzledtofreedom.com
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