We recently connected with Liz Crosswell and have shared our conversation below.
Liz , thank you so much for making time for us. We’ve always admired your ability to take risks and so maybe we can kick things off with a discussion around how you developed your ability to take and bear risk?
Taking risk has always been a part of my DNA. I’ve started several businesses in my lifetime. I love to create a business and grow into something wonderful. When I started Crosswell Organizing it was just me, out there working every day in people’s homes. I now have a partner and a team of 15 people. Starting a business is the easy part, it’s the follow through that is so challenging. In all business, you are constantly faced with daily challenges and hurtles. Dealing with the issues and coming out still alive, is what sets a business apart and gives it longevity
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Like I said before, I’ve owned multiple businesses. When I started Crosswell Organizing in 2009, I was a stay-at-home mom with 4 kids. To say I was going crazy at home with 4 kids, is an understatement. I was itching to start another business. I’ve been an organizer my whole life, and I decided to turn it into a business. In 2009, no one had heard of a Professional Organizer, so I spent a lot of time just explaining what I did. I love getting lost in the minutia. My team calls me “the widget sorter” because I love sorting anything and everything. What I didn’t realize about the job is the impact we can have on someone’s life. This is a huge bonus I never considered. We change people’s lives by helping them get rid of the clutter and mess that has often been weighing them down for years. One of my favorite things to do is a move in. We show up when the moving trucks get there and we unpack everything. Finding a place for everything and creating systems, gives our clients a fresh start in their new home. I love to watch the transformation from boxes to beautiful.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
There are many skills needed in my business, but there are 3 that stand out in my mind. 1. Compassion: In our business, compassion is probably the most important skill needed. Our clients are putting themselves in a very vulnerable position by letting us into their homes and showing us their shame. Many of our clients have never allowed anyone into the spaces we work in. We have to develop and earn trust from our clients for us to make a meaningful difference.
2. Being a good listener: While we are going through areas with our clients, we are not only deciding what stays and what goes. We are learning their patterns, their needs, their trouble spots, and what needs to be in “Prime Real estate”. Going hand in hand with active listening, is taking the information we are hearing and learning from it. By listening to our clients and team members, we learn better ways to do things and better products to use every day. It helps that I have such an amazing and smart team of women who come from different perspectives and lives.
3. Lastly, attention to detail is a very important necessary skill needed in our business. I drive my team crazy by going through a space after they’ve finished and rip off labels that aren’t perfect and critiquing everything they’ve done. This is something that sets our company apart from others.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
I would say this person is my partner, Tammy Hiskey. I started this business by myself, helping one person at a time. I slowly hired people and started building my team. I was doing everything in the company myself, from billing, scheduling, marketing and training. It got too much for me so I brought on one of my lead organizers, Tammy on as a partner. She has pushed me to improve all of our systems. I was very set in my ways, so this was not an easy fete. Because of her, we have now automated our scheduling, billing, and inventory management. She has taken over the training of our employees, allowing me to focus on the overall business management and marketing. We are now able to help multiple people at one time with several teams working simultaneously.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.crosswellorganizing.com
- Instagram: @crosswellorganizing
- Facebook: Crosswellorganizing
Image Credits
head shot and pic of the two of us was shot by Al Torrez
