Sharon Pinches Entrepreneur

Scalability. I have so many ideas for how I can expand this business, but ensuring I have income requires in-person services for clients, and that is preventing me from growing. Another key challenge is scheduling/commute-- it's very difficult to walk the line between billable hours and administrative duties. Finally: the pandemic hit hard: I took out an EIDL loan, lost a parent, and then got quite sick with Covid and Long Covid-- about 8 crippling months. I'm better now, and trying to return to 2019 momentum.

Working on a book that outlines the method, have recorded some demo videos to pitch a show concept-- need to find an editor-- have spoken with some production connections in the non-scripted television world who have responded with a lot of enthusiasm. I've found a great handy man, but hiring assistance for individual projects has proven challenging---whenever I find someone good and train them, they tend to move on to more stable/lucrative employment. I have social media, but often forego updates in order to complete client projects and necessary admin... that's another challenge: finding time to work on increasing SEO. I already feel like I'm not handling what I do have well, which is why I haven't focused on that as much. I need to move from a 1 or 2 week to 1 month out lookout to a more quarterly and yearly view. That chasm feels so wide right now.

Change lives. (Though that is happening on a small scale already.). Build a significant online following, publish a book detailing my time-tested method, create a subscription-based app that will help folks achieve their organizational and design goals according to the method without having to hire me-- or a Closet Muse Method certified coach-- personally. Build and train a team of associates to expand the business' coaching reach. Build a nationally (if not internationally) recognized brand that rivals what the KonMarie method has done (sort of. I actually don't think she really has a method so much as a theory of minimalism.) Change lives. So many first-world folks struggle with overabundance. I've encountered and helped so many individuals and families who's lives are in total upheaval because they are not managing their living and working spaces organizationally or aesthetically. For most of human history, we've been a species contending with scarcity. It's what we're hard-wired to prepare for. With the advent of cheap manufacturing and near-instantaneous delivery services, as well as the constant technological onslaught of marketing, and modern life's demands on our time, the average person is taking in more material than he or she is letting go of. And feeling very guilty or defeated about it. I aim to solve these problems coherently and comprehensively-- while scaling for profitability.

So many. For one, having an accountability partner is huge. I often allow client "emergencies" to derail my plans for investing time in strategy/growth, because the only person I need to be accountable to is myself and my clients, who often find themselves in traumatic situations as a result of their disorganization. For example, I was with a client last night until 10 pm (after going to bed the night before at 3am preparing for our work) because the situation involved a hasty divorce and a nine-year old child basically living in garbage. It was unbearable, so I did work beyond the scope of what was asked because the client begged, and I know what he told me he could afford would not be sufficient to make a sustainable dent in the problem to ensure creation of a secure environment for the child. I dropped everything to help this parent, but my own goals are suffering in the meantime. I'm struggling to walk the line between pricing my rates and what families can afford (or think they can afford/prioritize.). I also have a tendency to invest more energy in families with high need over those with higher incomes and more superficial projects. That's impacting my bottom-line. I'm hoping for a mentor who will provide some perspective when I get lost in the "problem solving" and lose track of the "profit problem." There are a lot of gray areas in my work, and I need to do more to ensure consistent booking and a waitlist. I'm also not good with updating social media. I need help thinking about (and tracking) financials. My schedule is often trashed because of NYC-area commute delays. Because I am dealing with disorganized individuals, their disorder can sometimes infect my own life. I need to create better structure for combatting that. I need to pay bills, but find a way to be focusing on growth simultaneously. I KNOW there is tremendous potential in my brand, but building that visibility and scale is the next big step.

Closet Muse is both a method and a service. I provide organizational coaching and design services for individuals in all walks-- and spaces-- of life, primarily residential spaces in the New York City metropolitan area. Many clients come from a background of spatial unrest, and I help them overcome spatial challenges. Think Marie Kondo meets Hoarders meets therapy meets personal training.