Today we’d like to introduce you to Beth Penn.
Hi Beth, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I first heard of the Professional Organizing industry when I was at a crossroads in my life. Not sure if I wanted to go to graduate school (and what I would study) so I stalled and got a job as a receptionist at a salon. A client of the salon, who through interactions became a friend of mine, told me about the National Association of Professional Organizers. She brought it up thinking that it might be a good fit for me since I was a very organized person. Throughout my life, I’ve always gravitated towards the neat and tidy. As a child I would love going through my mother’s jewelry box, putting like with like. As I got older, I would talk friends into letting me organize their closets (which were usually very messy). I think I got extra babysitting work because parents knew I would clean up all their kid’s toys.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I would say it hasn’t always been easy. Building a business takes a lot of work and for me, it didn’t happen overnight. I started my organizing business in January of 2006 and I’m at a point today where I feel like I have a pretty established business. But it feels like it took a long time to get here. Looking back, I have very fond memories of the struggles — every Saturday I would hold a paper organizing bootcamp in a church community room in Echo Park to build my clientele. It was usually free of charge (or a small fee) but sometimes there would be no attendees. Other times there would be ten but it would vary and sometimes it felt defeating.
And then in 2013, I started entertaining a partnership with a dear colleague. We had big ideas and wanted to open a boutique organizing store that offered services that everyone could afford. Decluttering paper, email and stuff! We workshopped it for over a year while still taking on our at-home organizing clients. It was a year of growth but ultimately, the store didn’t make it off the ground. We even did a pop-up shop for a weekend to test the concept. But unfortunately, the partnership (nor the idea) lasted but thankfully she is still a dear friend and colleague.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Bneato Bar Professional Organizing?
I’m a professional organizer and a writer. I work with clients in their homes or office spaces to declutter, organize and contain their stuff. This includes helping clients move out of their home or into their new home.
I’m also an author and wrote The Little Book of Tidying.
When I started my organizing career, I also started writing for blogs about organizing (Apartment Therapy to Emily Henderson to Rubbermaid to name a few).
As a business owner, I’ve worked tirelessly to secure press and to get my name out there. I’m most proud of The Today Show segment on my email inbox organizing services. I also had a feature of my organized home in the magazine, Real Simple. Another PR highlight was when The Hollywood Reporter showcased a home study that I overhauled and turned it into an entire closet.
I believe a better life is a decluttered one. I want to create a world in which folks constantly get the feeling that they’re winning at life— which happens when you can quickly maneuver through a streamlined inbox, efficient home entryway or creative project task list.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Back in 2007 when I was still a server at a popular Silver lake restaurant called Gingergrass, I felt that I couldn’t fully commit to starting my organizing business if I was still spending long nights at my waiting tables job. I also knew that not having a job would light a fire under my butt to hustle. It was a huge leap of faith to quit my job and start organizing–especially since I had only one client.
In 2014, I also had independent contractors go out and do organizing instead of me. My business model at the time was hiring someone to answer the phones, someone to do the bookkeeping and a team of girls to work with my clients. It was a huge risk because what if the organizers messed up? What my clients didn’t like them? Would my business suffer? When I had a team of organizers, it allowed me to travel and write my book proposal which led to me getting hired to write a book.
For me, it’s important to take risks because there’s always an opportunity to learn more about yourself and your business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bneatobar.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bneatobar/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bneatobar
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/bneato-bar-los-angeles
Image Credits
Jeff Mindell for Studio DIY
