Breaking Out As a First Time Business Owner and Professional Organizer

This episode of the NAPO Podcast Series ‘Stand Out’ is a little different. Throughout the series, we have spoken with leading industry professionals, seasoned veterans, marketing pros, and financial experts. But as we continue to expand our content library, we also need to engage with professionals who are new to the industry. We welcome Mary Jo Contello, a “newbie” for her unique perspective on the first few years of her journey toward becoming a professional organizer.

Mary Jo has been a NAPO member since 2016 and is the owner of Organized by MJ. After working in the corporate world for almost 20 years, Mary Jo decided to leave an entire career behind to start her own business, Organized by MJ.  In this episode, we dissect MJ’s journey in her first years of becoming a professional organizer and recognizing that still being in those beginning stages is okay. In fact, we want to celebrate that!

During this episode, we brainstorm new ideas for MJ’s business and discuss her current strategies.

Key takeaways from this podcast:

• MJ’s journey and how she started her own business, and what gave her the confidence to branch out on her own.
• The importance of having dedicated time to work on your business.
• Specific ways that being a member of NAPO has helped MJ’s business.
• How MJ found out and got involved with NAPO in Houston.
• Tips for getting over that social media hurdle and future strategies.
• How MJ was able to DIY her first website.
• Importance of having your website set up correctly for SEO.
• Finding the value in brainstorming with other business owners.

Links mentioned in the podcast:

Mary Jo Contello — https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryjocontello/
Organized by MJ — http://www.organizedbymj.com/
MJ on Twitter — https://twitter.com/organizedbymj
MJ on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/organizedbymj/
MJ on Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/OrganizedbyMJ/
Geralin Thomas — https://www.metropolitanorganizing.com/
Ellen Delap — https://professional-organizer.com/
Ellen Faye — https://www.ellenfaye.com/
NAPO — https://www.napo.net
QuickBooks — https://quickbooks.intuit.com/
Wix — https://www.wix.com/

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