CONNECTION-Community and Competition as a Small Business Owner with Lisa Eckerle | Ep 121

Efficiency Bitch, How Ambitious Women Can Have It All Without Doing It All

Hey there,

Today I’m joined by Lisa Eckerle. Lisa is the founder and CEO of The Designer Organizer, a company based in Carmel, Indiana that provides luxury in-home organization, space planning, and organizational design services. She founded her business in November 2019 while working full-time in advertising. In 2021, she made the jump to full-time entrepreneurship and has grown her team, service offerings, and revenue every year since, even amongst a company name change earlier this year.

Her work and expertise have garnered online recognition from esteemed brands such as Crate & Kids, Architectural Digest, West Elm, The Container Store, & mDesign.

Lisa describes herself as a combo of Dorothy from Golden Girls, Sporty Spice from the Spice Girls, and Punky Brewster. She has been married for 11 years and has a daughter named Nina in 2nd grade and a son named Leo in Kindergarten. Her perfect evening is spent outside around a campfire with a glass of red wine in hand.

During our conversation we discuss the emerging professional organizing industry, the strong sense of community amongst organizers, and managing competition locally. Lisa emphasizes slowing down the organizing process to fully understand clients' lifestyles and design customized systems.

Key Takeaways

• The professional organizing industry has grown rapidly due to Marie Kondo and shows like The Home Edit.
• Organizers have an exceptionally strong sense of community, supporting each other with education and resources.
• It's important to differentiate yourself from local competitors through your personality, expertise, services.
• Slow down the organizing process to deeply understand clients and design customized systems.
• Build a team to meet demand but don't sacrifice strategy and thoughtfulness.
• Support the national community but set boundaries with local competitors.
• Don't let community overpower your own business goals and innovation.
• Female-dominated industries tend to prioritize community over competition unlike male-dominated ones.

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This was an insightful discussion about both the supportive community and competitive dynamics in the professional organizing industry. Lisa offered practical advice for standing out from local competitors while still contributing value to the broader community. She emphasized not sacrificing your business's goals and innovation in the name of community.
Connect with Lisa https://thedesignerorganizer.com

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1. CONNECTION-Community and Competition as a Small Business Owner with Lisa Eckerle | Ep 121 (00:00:00)

2. Welcome to the Efficiency Bitch Podcast (00:00:02)

3. Lisa's journey from advertising to professional organizing (00:04:26)

4. Changing Perceptions of Professional Organizers (00:10:55)

5. The mindset shift in the organizing industry (00:12:23)

6. Realizing the amount of work involved in running a business (00:13:48)

7. Managing local competition and evolving the business (00:15:14)

8. Building a Broad Community for Helping Others (00:16:44)

9. The importance of vulnerability and personal connection in business (00:17:59)

10. The unique aspect of female-led industries supporting each other (00:20:49)

11. The value of community and professional courtesy in referrals (00:23:12)

12. Balancing community and competition with business goals (00:27:37)

13. The Fine Line Between Stealing Ideas and Competition (00:29:07)

14. Wrapping Up and Thank You for Listening (00:30:41)