2014 has been an amazing year for me professionally and I’m proud to say it! My hard work has paid off and my vision for expanding my brand into a business has actually happened. This year there have been so many great moments that I’ve stared with you on the blog, Facebook, and Instagram but today I wanted to collect my top 14 to reflect on where I’ve been.
I started the year in what seemed like a rat-race because the demand for my services was so high but I could only be in one or two places at a time. I could see Taylor and Al starting to get burned out and then Billy got pneumonia in March and I thought it was going to turn into that Seinfeld episode, “the whole office has the flu.” In the end we survived and then planned a job search to expand the estate team by adding a specialist. Much to our glee our HR gal Sutzi found us 2 amazing candidates and I made the executive decision to hire both. It was the best decision I’ve ever made. By seeing how we could all benefit with competent and wonderful people added to the team we added a metal and recycling guy to the mix along with Monica our events and special projects gal. The team is officially up to 11 and I can’t believe it! I AM SO LUCKY! Sorry, have to say that in all caps because I feel it everyday.
One of the greatest lessons that I learned this year is that the boss wears a lot of hats. I say this because #1, someone is always handing me a hat to try on for a photo and #2, I have become a teacher, a friend, a payroll company, a blogger, a management team, a CEO, a junk truck driver, a banker, and much more! The only job that I dislike is trying to figure out how to feed my team on big work-days. I really need a taco truck to follow us around, if you know anyone let me know!
We started off the year with a blog series called 8 Weeks to Home Organization Bliss. It was a great way for me to teach Taylor some of the organizing basics and review all of my past projects. It was also very helpful to many of you who follow the blog or pin the ideas on Pinterest. I’m looking forward to many before and afters and tips and tricks on the blog this year.
The BlogHer conference was such an amazing opportunity this year. Monica and Taylor joined me for 3 days of marketing, writing, business, and blogging education. We were able to meet some of my favorite brands like Lysol, Angel Soft, Ziploc, and celebrities like Arianna Huffington, Kerry Washington, and Khloe Kardashian. We really committed to the conference schedule and attended every session and party they offered so we gained a lot. It reminded me how wonderful it is to get outside my comfort zone into a different environment for a few days. Since we attended BlogHer we went to BlogHer Pro and had an equally great time.
Last week I held an estate sale wrap up meeting at my house where we hashed out the projects from 2014 and planned for 2015. One of the questions I asked everyone was which sales were there favorite and which were their least favorite. I won’t share the bad ones (there are a few) but my favorite are below! I’ll start in the top left corner, the Burke Road Part II Estate Sale. This project was so amazing, the clients were wonderful to work with the home was a true estate. It came after a slew of totally filthy projects so my staff was thankful to work and enjoy this home for a week.
The next sale is on the top right, it was our recent Potrero Hill Estate Liquidation. There was a very interesting story behind this home and it was FULL of amazing goodies. It’s one of the only projects that I bought items to put in my home at from the entire year.
The next project is on the bottom left, our Atherton Estate Sale. This sale was a total WOW when it comes to the Estate Sales on the Silicon Valley circuit this year. The clients were dynamic, we had a private security detail, there was $190,000 worth of jewelry (that I just wrapped up selling), and we met lots of new shoppers.
The last sale was our Mountain View Estate Sale in a little house full of charm. The client was also fabulous and no one expected to find what this house had for sale! So many gorgeous things and lots of costume jewelry. We held it the same weekend as a sale we had in Los Altos and it was a hit to have both of them open at the same time.
In total we organized 55 estate sales and liquidations in 2014. I have always done liquidations but this year we changed things up and started inviting our email list in for a private sale to help us out. Our first liquidation sale was in February and it was a hit. We only had a dozen or so shoppers but after that the email list was hooked. Now you will find over 75 people in line to get in and the entire house is empty be the time they leave. It’s a wonderful service for the families we work with and it allows us to take on projects that might not qualify for the estate sale service due to location, timeline, and volume of items. Below is one of my favorite photos from the estate liquidations this year, only at a Kuzak project can you find a pink wig for yourself and one for your friend! Can’t wait to see the liquidation service grow next year!
With all of the exciting things going on at Kuzak’s Closet I shouldn’t have been surprised with all of the press the company received. I’ve never paid for press so when it comes my way I feel like there is a little angel patting me on the back letting me know that my hard work is worth it. I was able to be featured in the Los Altos Town Crier for winning a BlogHer award for organizing, the San Jose Mercury news with back to school organizing tips, and the San Jose Mercury News for best blog for the 3rd year in a row. Because we’ve been able to repeat this honor the Merc sent out a photographer to snap some pictures of me and the team, it was a highlight. If you click here you can see Billy, Al, Taylor, and myself all dressed up!
The next highlight is MORE press! I was selected by SMEAD to be featured as a professional organizer in a Podcast. I was a little nervous to be on camera but John Hunt was a great interviewer, it felt like we were old friends just chatting about business. Most recently I was featured in the Huffington Post with my top 5 secrets to success. Can you believe that? I still can’t!
One of the things I’m most thankful for is all of my estate sale shoppers! Seeing the crowds lined up to get into our sales makes me so happy! I’m always amazed that with our organizing and project management skills we are able to get everyone in to have fun and shop without any headaches. This year we’ve really created a regular following, I think we love our shoppers as much as they love us. They can count on fair prices, an organized home, and great customer service, three things I’m very proud of. If we’ve had any issues with theft or harassment this year the shoppers have taken care of it before I even knew about it, it’s quite the community. If you’ve never been to one of our sales you need to come! It’s great people watching and you will guaranteed make a new friend (Military Al is always making friends so watch out ladies!).
One of my favorite projects this year was working with The Dude! This client answered the door for his initial meeting with me in a bathrobe, drinking a beer, and smoking a cigarette. He was in town for a short period of time to settle out his mom’s estate and was totally overwhelmed. He needed a professional organizer with knowledge of antiques and collectibles and a posse of friends who would be willing to lug loads to donation and the dumpster. Al and I were able to work with him side-by-side and each moment was memorable, especially this photo of him saying goodbye to his childhood piano. Taylor never got to meet him in person but she has the same fondness for him after working on a few special projects at the house after he went back home. He reminded me how much I love people!
I’ve been looking for office space in Los Altos and Mountain View this year with no luck. The market is just to competitve and nothing is available. It bothered me for a bit but then I realized that this is typically the view from my office and I actually love it. My day is always different and I’m thankful for that. I ended up buying a huge desk with tons of file space for my living room and turned the spot under the bay window into my home office. It works for me and I love working at night with Harper sleeping on the floor next to me. My house is also great for staff event and meetings and I think that will work for 2015. I’m looking into a mobile office that would be a small RV or sprinter van so we can have computer access on the job as well as a secure location for supplies and a spot for us to take a break or make lunch. We’ll see if that dream comes true!
This year was the year of workin with the big-dogs. My organizing projects have brought me to a new level with working for celebrities or very well-to-do private people. The concierge package that we often offer to clients is a hit with this market because they know that everything will be taken care of seamlessly. I have found that my eye for design has actually paid off and designers are excited for my opinion on cabinet layout and planning. It’s been a real treat to expand into this type of market but there is pressure to perform. You’d never think that with an organizing business but it’s true. I’ve always got a time limit and goals a mile long. I wish someone could follow us around for these types of projects for a behind the scenes look at life as a professional organizer, it would be a hoot! Maybe television will come calling!
My goal for 2014 was to improve work-life balance. In some senses I can say I did accomplish this goal. I was able to let-go a little bit and let my team handle projects on their own. The thing that I’ve failed at is taking a day off or a day to myself when I’m at home. I’m okay if I go on a trip but I need to work on telling my team that I’m going to be home all day chilling out and not feel guilty about it. I bought myself a hot tub as a Christmas gift so I’m hoping that it will encourage me to relax and turn my business off more often. The picture below is of me enjoying a cocktail in Maui while Al and Taylor organized a dirty estate in Palo Alto…
Kuzak’s Closet has really expanded into the auto-market this year. I’ve lost count of the cars that we’ve sold in 2014 but I think it’s over 15. Many of the cars have been vintage and collectible so that’s been fun. Al loves this piece of the business and does a great job handling all of the details. I’m not sure how he let Taylor and I get away with an evening cruise in the Chrysler 300 but he did! I love this picture of us cruising on highway 85. Aside from this car we had the most amazing orange station wagon to sell around the 4th of July and I took advantage of driving it every chance I could. It reminded me of the nostalgia that I’m chasing in the business that I’m in. I’m helping my organizing clients curate and organize the past and then my estate client organize and sell the past.
The final highlight to share really encompasses many of the projects I’ve been apart of this year. I’m so lucky to be able to organize beautiful spaces! I feel like the organizing work gets tucked behind the estate marketing sometimes and next year I’m hoping that will change a little bit. Many of the details of the projects that we work on cannot be photographed due to confidentiality but I’m hoping to share more and more next year. This closet below was one of my favorite spaces to be apart of. My client and I designed the closet together and it turned out like the dream space she wanted. Cheers to pretty spaces in 2015!
Thank you for letting me share my highlights! This has been a great exercise of reflection for me as I’m putting closure on this year and chapter in my business. I am looking forward to what is in store next year and I’m excited to see what the highlights will be a year from now! It’s scary in some sense because I feel like things can’t get any better but exciting in another sense because I know that they will!
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