Back in 2004, after 13 years of working in corporate America, I decided to take the plunge and start my own business. It had been a dream of mine since college and the timing seemed right. My job had moved to Florida, and Jay and I (Midwesterners at heart) decided not to move with it.

It was time to do something different. It was time to start something of my own. It was time to create simplify 101.

Fast forward 11 years and simplify 101 has grown and changed a lot. (And I have, too.) What started as an in-home professional organizing business serving the metro St. Louis area, grew into a business where I was able to do incredible things—things I never would have been able to do in my former career. I co-authored a book, appeared on live television, and gave talks to hundreds of people at a time. (Not bad for a girl who used to rate public speaking as one of her greatest fears!) I became a blogger, an organizing coach, an author and the creator of fourteen online organizing classes—the first of their kind in the organizing industry. It has been, and continues to be, an incredible journey.

When I created my last class, The Secrets of Getting Organized, I knew deep in my heart it would be my last class, at least for now. I knew I had created all the classes I had in me on the topics of getting organized, goal setting and time management. I was proud of the work I had done, as well as the business that Jay and I grew together. Yet, I knew it was time to do something different.

But what?

I won’t bore you with the entire process I went through, but instead I’ll share that my decision was a career change. Early last fall I accepted a six month contract position as a Community Manager for a St. Louis based company. And…I love it! (Keep your fingers crossed that it turns into a full time position, k?)

So, you’re probably wondering what this means for simplify 101. Great question! Well, simplify 101 is like a third child to Jay and I. We have literally poured our hearts and souls into this business. We love what we have built here and are committed to keeping it going. We plan to continue to offer our popular online organizing classes. They are self-paced classes, and with our wonderful community and two amazing community leaders, the classes continue to thrive and help new students get organized and create meaningful change in their lives. I will continue to blog. In fact, I hope to blog even more because I have so much new material now that I’ve returned to a workforce outside of my home! So keep your eyes open for posts on topics like how to keep it all together when you work full time, have a family, run a business, and have other things you love to do (like running and charity work!) Of course I will also continue to share organizing tips and ideas via my weekly quick tip and blog, and I am doing a bit of one-on-one organizing and coaching in the evenings and on weekends. And there is a chance that this new perspective and new phase in my life will lead to a new online class as well as other products.

I’m super excited about what the future holds, both at simplify 101 and in my new position. And I look forward to taking the next steps in this journey with you!

Aby