Dashboard: She Built a Business by Learning to Run Her Home

·33 min·3 clips

Lisa Woodruff reveals how she built a business by helping women overcome the overwhelm of modern household management.

The episode features an interview with Lisa Woodruff, CEO and founder of Organize 365, on the 21 Hats Podcast. Woodruff explains that her business helps productive women overcome household overwhelm through systems and organization. She started the company 14 years ago after feeling overwhelmed, overweight, and depressed, quitting her teaching job without a clear monetization plan. Initially, she worked as a professional organizer in Cincinnati, carrying trash bags out of basements and building a team. After three years, she transitioned to online courses, using revenue from the service business to fund digital products like eBooks, podcasts, and physical items such as the Sunday Basket. Woodruff discusses her target audience, realizing it's primarily women interested in personal development, though men also find value. She shares a low moment at age 39 when an administrator criticized her teaching, leading her to resign and prioritize her family and home organization. Woodruff compares household management to running a business, citing the E-myth analogy and noting households contribute 68% to US GDP. She talks about her new book, 'Escaping Quicksand,' which outlines mindset shifts for overcoming overwhelm. The conversation touches on AI's minimal impact on her business and household, with Woodruff expressing frustration over smart home devices. She emphasizes that women entrepreneurs often run 'two businesses'—their company and their household—and advises hiring help at home first, like a cleaner, to free up time. Woodruff also mentions her PhD research on household labor division and her podcast's role in attracting customers. The episode concludes with details on her book release and live book club.

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