We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Christina Singleton. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Christina below.
Hi Christina, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.
The thing about imposter syndrome is it is completely normal and natural. The only way to grow is to bring yourself outside of your comfort zone and try new things. The best way to get over imposter syndrome is to just keep pushing forward. Show up and be confident knowing that you are the expert in whatever it is you are doing. If someone is calling you for help, you already know more than they do. The more time that passes and the more that you work in your business, the less you will feel like an imposter.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I founded The Neat Squad in March of 2021 after noticing a significant improvement in my mental health after decluttering and organizing my own home from top to bottom. I knew I wanted to leave teaching behind and this would be a way for me to have a positive impact on my community outside of the classroom walls.
TNS allows me to combine my two passions- decluttering/organizing and preserving photos. Decluttering allows you to live with only what you love and need, while organizing allows us to create a system that will be both aesthetic and functional. Preserving Photos is important to me because I have lost photos due to theft and failed hard drives and those memories are irreplaceable. I don’t want anyone else to feel the pain of losing their memories.
Our home organizing services include whole home organizing, decluttering and downsizing as well as custom closets that we design, build and install to offer clients a more affordable alternative to wire shelving.
Our photo organizing services include digitizing photos, VHS tapes, memorabilia and more to make photos accessible and easy to share with loved ones. In addition to organizing printed and digital photos and videos, we can also design custom photo books and video slideshows.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
For me, the three most important qualities, skills and/or areas of knowledge are kindness, perseverance and patience. I believe that no matter what you do in life, you should be kind. It doesn’t cost anything and goes a long way with people. It is impossible to run a business without perseverance. There is not always going to be a consistent paycheck coming in which in turn will cause added stress, especially in today’s economy. You have to be able to plan ahead for and find joy in the hard times. As they say, patience is a virtue. Building a business takes time. Don’t rush the process, grow with it.
My advice for anyone just starting out is to write down your why and put it somewhere that you can see it regularly. There are going to be difficult times, times when you don’t know if money will ever come in again. Use that time to focus on your why and work on all the things you don’t normally have the time to do- like bookkeeping and planning social media content. Ride the waves and enjoy the journey.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
When I am feeling overwhelmed I know I need to take a break and ask for help. I have built a community of people that I know I can go to for advice. If there is something that I need help with in the photo organizing world- I will contact some of my friends at The Photo Managers or in my TPM Masterclass and ask them if they have had this problem and how they would solve it. If I am overwhelmed with business operations I would consult my CEO Mastermind group that I meet with locally or call one of my friends who is a business owner and ask them what they would do.
It is important to surround yourself with people who are in the same stage in life as you. If you are starting a business start hanging around other business owners and build your tribe.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theneatsquad.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneatsquad
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theneatsquad
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christina-singleton-parham/
Image Credits
The Southern Citrus
