Rose Miller

I really individualize my approach based on learning style and lifestyle. My degree is in teaching, so I really pinpoint the learning style of a person, the lifestyle of a person. It's about helping people create sustainable solutions, not just making pretty pantries. The biggest sustainability is in the edit, the decluttering, the letting go - that's where it begins with order. I surround myself with people that inspire me and challenge me. My friend Candace Yeager challenged me to start doing presentations and charging for it, even though I was afraid to get up in front of a crowd. She said I'm literally in front of billions of people when I do a TV segment. So I took her on, I took it on. You really want to surround yourself with someone that would inspire you, that would challenge you. I was always a great mentee. Nobody should be ageist, we have something to learn from everybody. You can learn so much from younger people.

Know your worth, never negotiate your rate & own that your time and expertise is priceless

Make sure you really like it. It's not about just making pretty pantries, it's really honing in on the client. It's also not getting up and being tenacious. Know who your target market is, your strategic partners. Really look at if you're really into this - it's not a small job. You could be organizing a kitchen, basement or garage, trust me you're going to come into undesirable elements. It is never just about making things pretty and Pinterest perfect.. Really research - I think when people first start, they say oh, I'm going to charge $25 an hour, but really look up what your local area is charging. In my opinion, even if you're just starting out, you should be $60+ an hour. And or package yourself. If you're going to start out in your business, you really, truly want to surround yourself with someone that would inspire you, that would challenge you.

When I started 14 years ago, there was not this industry like it is now, and now it's a flooded industry. I think it is a very deep marketing, monetizing the largest sector of people downsizing. There's also the marketing end of it - it started with Marie Kondo. I did an interview on Fox about Marie Kondo when she came out with her Netflix, and I don't think it necessarily translates to America. I think her folds are great, but helping people create sustainable solutions is based on learning style and lifestyle, it's not a one-stop shop. You have the home edit now, you have all of these shows that really are encouraging consumption. It encourages organization as well, but I have gone into so many houses where every bin that was in the pantry is now in the basement. I don't think it's very sustainable. If you're the Kardashians and you have a butler, because that's who's organizing their Oreos in a glass container.

My favorite title is Mom, and I would always say life is the masterpiece, it's not the stuff. I really value being present and the people, not the things. I love just helping - after 14 years, I truly still love what I do. I value the honor of having people help me, letting them help me, and letting me into their home. I value that a lot. It's not my stuff - there's so many stories behind this stuff, how we got here. It's never just our stuff, it's our kids' stuff, our parents' stuff. I got into opening a business to be more present as a mom, so I would always ask myself, is this worth my time? Networking wasn't going to be worth my time, because then it made me more present as a mom. But volunteering I did, and I met tons of notable clients that way, but I didn't go into it because I wanted something out of it.