The ShipShape Story: Why I Do What I Do – Deb Stone
My husband works for a marketing agency, and preaches that every company should have a story, strategy and system. All his talk about stories has made me want to contemplate mine and what the ShipShape story is all about. Our customers always ask, “how did you get into this business”? More often than not, when we are cleaning out a basement or in the weeds of paperwork, they not only ask the question but their body language is saying, you are obviously intelligent, capable women, and their question takes on the tone of “are you crazy, why are you subjecting yourself to my clutter?” The answer is two-fold.
Why we do what we do.
Deb and I, and our ShipShape team, like order. We enjoy the feeling of peace one feels when everything is in its place. Personally, there is a difference for me when I enter my kitchen after a work day, and see that some of my family members may have left a few dishes and pots and pans in the sink in their mad dash to get somewhere, versus coming back after a day to the same, clean, orderly kitchen I left that morning. We can’t control everything in our lives, actually we can control only a few things when it comes right down to it. Maybe control is even too harsh a word. By having order in my home, it makes me feel like I have order in my life. This structure provides me with a type of comfort, knowing that I can find things when needed. That I am living my life, at least in my home, with me being in charge of belongings, not the other way around.
Many of our clients ask us to help with the goal of then allowing them time to focus on other more relevant aspects of their life, like children, work, creative projects or play. “I need your help because I am taking a few days off to get my house in order – it’s out of control. I just got a promotion and need to start focusing on work and not the chaos that surrounds me at home.” This is an all too common theme. A sense of order at home, let’s you do what you need to do better. Too many people are controlled by their clutter, leading to a feeling of helplessness and chaos in others aspects of life. That feeling when you are leaving for an important appointment and can’t find your keys…. You control your belongings, not the other way around.
The second reason I am in this business is because of my clients. Their accolades make my job so rewarding. Yes, there are challenges to figuring out how to organize an office and specifically what systems will work for them. I was a Psychology major, and enjoy figuring out how people think, function, and use their “things” and the space in which those “things” live. Comments like, “you seem to be able to read my mind,” make me realize that this is the reason I started this business as well. I am good at it, and I appreciate the gratification of knowing a client can find something when needed – from an insurance policy to a special memento.
So, that’s my story of why I do what I do. We all strive to be the authors of our own stories and it seems to me that if you are in frantic mode, you are not the author of the story you would like to tell. Click here to find out more about the ShipShape team and click here for more of the ShipShape story.
