When I saw the photos that our marketing gal Monica pulled for this month’s “day in the life” post I had to do a double take. It’s hard to believe that we squeezed all of these events in the month of September. It is a shorter month you know, with only 30 days in total. I guess it’s fair to say that we were able to maximize each and every one of them!
During September estate projects took the main stage. We organized a total of SEVEN estate sales and liquidations. Between regular sale days and frequent flash sales there was a stretch when I saw a handful of our estate shoppers 7 days in a row, crazy! I think those 7 days were also the hottest we have had in recent months. The temps were in the 90’s and inside some of our estate homes it felt like 120 degrees. My team consumed 20 cases of water and 10 cases of our go-to fizzy treat Refreshe. Don’t laugh, it is sparkling water that comes in a can and you can find it at Safeway – we LOVE it!
September was Hope and Sarah’s first month on the job and I think they are having a great time! I run the business more like a family than a 9-5 corporation so it can be a lot to adjust to. Let’s just say, we work hard but have fun doing it. Everyone seems to get along and we have really started to define our estate specialties. Over the month I have been working diligently to put each person on the team in a new situation, and I hope these challenges will help them learn something new about the business and our amazing clientele. My personal goal is for each person to be able to jump into any new task but first and foremost, really explore the areas they love most.
Taylor’s position has evolved into more of a management role and in addition to estate work, she is taking on more professional organizing projects so we can divide and conquer. Al has encouraged me to try new avenues like tackling a large tool sale in Campbell at the end of October and possibly even traveling to Santa Rosa for another tool sale in November (roadtrip!). Hope and Sarah have jumped right in as sales associates and are doing a magnificent job. Billy and the guys are as dependable as always and without them we couldn’t move at our current pace. Monica has been busy helping us establish relationships with brands like Poshmark and Kate Spade.
Speaking of Kate Spade, we are having an event this week at their Santana Row location. Monica has been working tirelessly, getting all of the event details in place. Last week she organized a photo shoot featuring their latest collection with me as the model. I was a bit nervous considering I am nowhere near the size of a model and I wanted to do the wardrobe justice! On the day of the shoot I went to the Drybar for a bit of pampering, what a special treat. If you have never been before you need to try it! The girls are all stopping in on Thursday before the event – so keep a look out for some hot babes!
Here is a peek at the photo shoot pics,
click here to see the rest…
My husband Chris rode in the Bike MS ride from San Francisco to Sonoma a few weekends ago. It is his third consecutive year participating in the event and I am so proud of his dedication. His time has improved by over 90 minutes and he has been able to gain 20 pounds (I know, most people are trying to lose weight on the bike but he was able to build muscle). I had the pleasure of following Team Google during the race to take pictures again this year. It is a challenge to be able to spot individual riders in the crowd of 2,700+ but I am improving each year! I made a few pit stops for snacks, shopping and coffee but for the most part I stuck with the team.
Their team had 60 riders this year and helped contribute toward the 2 million dollars raised. Individually, Chris raised over $3,000 with the help of many of you – so thank you! Google will match all of your donations and that total puts him in the top 100 for fundraising. Pretty cool! The race benefits such a great cause and something near to my heart!
After the ride we spent a few days relaxing in Sonoma. We both really needed a day by the pool without work projects or phone calls distracting us. I tried to catch up on my reading and my wine tasting, can you tell? An estate sale shopper just bought me a new book at one of our sales but if you have a recommendation for a fall read I’d love to hear it. I would prefer to read at night instead of work on my laptop (like I am doing now) … HA!
Home Organization is the common thread behind all of our projects. This month I cleaned out my closet to prepare for the fall season. It always feels good to purge even though I only donated one large bag. I usually follow my favorite organizing tips like the ones featured in this post…
These custom closets were so much fun to tackle this month as well. The project has been in the works since June so I was glad to finally work my magic.
I mentioned earlier that Al has been getting me to try new things and venturing to Santa Rosa is one of them. It has been a stressful month with all of the sales, new organizing projects and new staff so it was nice to take a day and get away. It was also fun to have one-on-one time with Al! He is such an inspiration for me and he and I could easily brainstorm business ideas all day long.
We hit the road at 6am and headed across the Golden Gate Bridge into wine country. The family who requested our help is so darn sweet, I am hoping they consider our proposal. I think it would be fun to meet some new shoppers and potentially expand our reach. If nothing else, it will give us the opportunity to hit up the Russian River Brewing Co. again. That place is FANTASTIC! We had the best pizza before we headed back to Silicon Valley.
The finale of the month was a pig roast at my house hosted by Billy with his family and friends. Billy has been trying to get me to agree to this pig roast for a few months. I am not a big fan of meat so I wasn’t too excited about innocent pigs being roasted on a spit (in my yard) but in the end, it was truly epic. We invited a small group of friends, my Kuzak’s Closet team and Billy’s family did all of the cooking and provided the entertainment. It was a magical night and I think the people who attended were in awe. My only regret is that I didn’t invite more people! Billy and I are already starting to plan a 2nd annual event so be on the lookout! I’m going to share more pictures from the event on the blog later this week.
Yes, that is a hula dancer performing on our patio … AMAZING! What is also amazing, is my old assistant Matt stopped by for a cocktail and a visit! It was so great to see him. Matt just graduated from graduate school at UC Davis and started a job at Price Waterhouse. I guess Kuzak’s Closet is now a happy, distant memory!
Okay, well that is a wrap for the month of September. October is full of organizing sessions and lots of estate projects too, I can’t wait to see what new and exciting adventures are coming our way!
PK says
The pig roast was a nice way to end a busy month. Looks like it was fun.
Sutzi says
Once I know the date for the second annual I will try really hard to be there!!