Need a girls’ night out? Wish you could have an individually-tailored one-on-one organizing consultation, but stuck with a tight budget? Love to have tons of fun as you learn new skills?

You need to host an organizing party!

How it works : You invite at least 3 friends over to your place, provide some quick and easy snacks and drinks, and then I’ll take care of the rest!

For a meager $10 per person, you will receive…

• Private shared access to organizing expertise in the comfort of your own home,
• Built-in accountability to friends who will motivate and encourage you after the party, and
• Hands-on organizing assistance from an expert.
• Bonus: Free hostess gift!

So, what are you waiting for? Schedule your first organizing party today!

The girls will love you for it!

No matter what the task at hand, if you try to get it done all by yourself, you quite likely won’t be a complete success. We aren’t superheros… we’re humans with limitations.

So, this week, I’m planning to invite a few friends and former clients to serve on my informal   [ real neat ] advisory panel. I’ll host the bunch here in my apartment, with snacks and beverages on-hand.

Out of this casual atmosphere, I’m hoping to get some honest feedback about some of my current business practices, as well as input regarding my new business model (i.e., what do you like? what do you not like? what would you like to see added? what would you like to cut out? general feedback / testimonials?).

How about you? Are there things that you’d like to improve in your own home business, your household, your church, etc.? Use this week to create and meet with your own advisory panel. Then, come back and share your feedback from the group. Will you be implementing any changes? Do tell !!

Courtesy of Carmen Coker, owner of Clutterbugs:

A well-known Zen parable tells of a wanderer on a lonely road who happened upon a fierce stream that had washed out the bridge to cross over it.

The man, afraid to swim against such a strong current, decided to build a raft. He spent many hours cutting down trees and vines for the project. In the end, the wanderer had a very sturdy raft that brought him safely across the river.

Once on the other side, he thought to himself: This is a good raft. If I meet with another stream ahead, I can use it again to navigate the water.

And so the wanderer carried the raft for the rest of his life.

Think about the moral of this story for just a moment.

From the outside, looking in, this might seem ridiculous. Why would some guy carry a heavy raft around if he didn’t need to?!

But, often times, we do this same thing in our own lives. Maybe not a raft, but maybe something else. It’s not uncommon for people to hang onto an item because it was useful at one point or another but has since become irrelevant. Bottom line: it’s now clutter.

If this sounds familiar, I encourage you to take a few hours throughout the next week to purge these objects that no longer add value to your home, office, or life.

Don’t carry these “rafts” when you don’t need to…

Georgetown now boasts its very own Business Network International Chapter called Success Masters.

BNI is the World’s Largest Business Networking, Referrals, and Word of Mouth Marketing Organization.

I attended the Kick-Off Event on Wednesday, courtesy of a personal invitation from a fellow Lilybugs consignor and mom : Alison Waldridge.

Having been accepted as a new member, I am looking forward to picking the brains of more experienced and successful local business owners. ( Of course, getting some client referrals wouldn’t hurt, either! 😉 ) Wish me luck!

Woohoo! The Lilybugs Children’s Consignment Sale was a great success! I’m looking forward to picking up my cheque on Wednesday. I made a net profit of $128.80… enough to cover what I spent on Amanda’s summer wardrobe, birthday presents, and advertising (i.e., my [ real neat ] business cards and checklists for the goody bags that were handed out to shoppers)!

My little 2-bedroom apartment is breathing a sigh of relief now that I have eliminated several bins of outgrown clothing and toys. Now, I should be able to find adequate storage space for the belongings that Amanda and I actually use (i.e., camping equipment, art supplies, bicycles).

So, if you haven’t done so already, set aside an hour or two to sort and purge your excess clothing as the seasons change and the weather gets warmer.

THE RULES:

• Grab your calendar now, and schedule an appointment with your wardrobe within the next 2 weeks.
• Invite a trusted friend to join you in weeding out your ‘old’ clothes. She’ll help you remain objective.
• Hold a private fashion show, and
  • TOSS any clothing items that have holes (or if, like me, you’ll never realistically repair or pay someone to repair these items).
  • KEEP only items that actually FLATTER your body type. Get picky and brutal. Rid yourself of all ‘skinny’ clothes; at the moment, they are simply taunting you every time you see them, reminding you that you’re fat, you’re lazy, and you’re not good enough. Nothing is ever worth all that negative self-talk. Besides, when you finally do lose the weight, you can reward yourself with a new wardrobe!
  • DONATE anything that is still in decent shape but that doesn’t make the cut (or you never really wear). I hate to burst your bubble, but honestly… if you haven’t worn an item in the last year, you’re never going to end up wearing it. Schedule an appointment on your calendar to take these items to friends or local charities.
• Put away whatever items you keep (in an organized manner, of course). Need ideas? Sort by color, by length, by clothing type, or even by complete outfits.
• Take inventory of the clothing that you kept.
• Make a shopping list of items that you need to replace in order to fill out your wardrobe for the upcoming season.
• Block off some time on your calendar for a shopping date; and, when the time comes, shop with confidence and a discerning eye.

So, what about you? How do you sort and purge your wardrobe? Please share your tips in the comments below.