#5: Organizing to Make More $ Money

There are many ways to make more money, whether through investments, sales strategies, salary negotiations, or career advancement. But beyond the specific methods, the key focus is to discover what type of person we need to become to generate more income effectively. In this episode, let's explore the essential traits and mindset needed to thrive financially and achieve greater success.

Support the show! Buy me a coffee ☕😀❤️!

One-on-one coaching session with me

Follow me on Instagram

Affiliate link to the book "Baby Steps Millionaires: How Ordinary People Built Extraordinary Wealth - and How You Can Too" by Dave Ramsey

Affiliate link to the book "The Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey

Link to give me a review on Apple Podcasts 🎙️

Follow my Facebook page

A gift for you! FREE Daily Focus List

Support the show with Bitcoin!

Credits: 

Song: Green Lights
Performed By: DLP
Written by: Daniel Labate (BMI 100%)
Published by: Boss Soundstripe Productions (BMI 100%)

Song (Trailer): Epic Hybrid Trailer Music
Performed by: by 2CoolFire
Licensed by: Envato Market

Cover Photo: Angela Clifton Photography
Hair and Make-up: Casey J. Cheek

Transcript

You are listening to the Neat Lifestyle Podcast, episode number five. Today's episode is all about organizing to make more money. You won't want to miss what's next, so stay tuned.

Welcome to The Neat Lifestyle Podcast. My name is Katia Mesquita. I'm a personal organization expert, an online business entrepreneur, and your host on this weekly variety show. I'm excited to bring you an extra dose of inspiration to become more organized, stay organized, and make things work better for you. My goal in this podcast is to help you achieve a more functional, harmonious, and meaningful life. I can't wait to connect with you today. Thank you so much for tuning in, and now let's begin. Hello and welcome to episode number five. Woo-hoo! You are here! A big warming, virtual hug for you from your host Katia Mesquita. I am super excited to share this episode with you because I will talk about some of my personal experiences related to what caused me to make more money. 

I included as many details as possible to ensure to add some value for you. Okay, let's dive in. There are many ways to make more money. We can do it by investing or increasing sales or prices of products or services for those who are business owners, and for those who are not, they can make more money by becoming eligible for a higher salary or a higher position in their jobs or careers or increasing the percentage of a commission, for instance. Anyway, regardless of the different ways we can make more money, there is one point in common between them. The point is, what type of person we must become in order to be able to make more money? In other words, what characteristics do we need to develop to be the type of person who makes more money? This is what I'm going to talk about here today.

As many of my listeners already know, I'm from Brazil. I have a legal background over there, but I was here in Florida when the pandemic hit, and things got shut down. Many businesses shut down everywhere. Eventually, of course, the flights were canceled, many airports closed. Anyway, I'm not going to repeat my whole story because I already did an about me episode, which is episode number three, and I give more details over there. You can check it out later, okay? But to give you some idea of a context, at a certain point, I needed to work here. Once I got the permission for that, I couldn't just transfer my degree and start practicing law here. It would still require for me some time to prepare to take the Bar Association exam, but I needed to start working as fast as possible, so I started working with what I could do at the time, which was cleaning and organizing homes. 

I found a job as a cleaner and organizer, and this experience of working as an employee temporarily was somehow beneficial because it allowed me to build and strengthen my structure here, my material structure, emotional structure, and educational structure, somehow, until a certain point, of course, because I was not working in one of those top hundred best places to work, and unfortunately, I experienced some sort of, let's say inconvenience. No matter how hard I tried, I was considered to be too slow, detail-oriented, and never enough. They expected me to rush more to do more houses. Their core value was more houses, more money, and I was more focused on quality and there was something about them bothering me a lot. And get ready for me to tell you something a little gross. So, if you're eating now, I'll give you the opportunity to pause this podcast to finish your meal and come back later, alright? 

The thing is, I didn't like to see the company handling us a basket with cleaning supplies that included one single toilet brush to be used for all toilets in all different houses. So imagine your house cleaner cleaning your toilet with the same toilet brush used in other houses' toilets. I couldn't take it. Same thing with the sponges. It was the same sponge for all houses, whether it was for the bathroom or for the kitchen, and please make sure your house cleaner is not doing that. If you see that she brings a toilet brush in her basket at every visit, the chances are really high. Anyway, I couldn't stand for that. It was against my core values. I suggested some changes, but they didn't take it very well, so my suggestions were not very accepted, very welcome, and at that point, I was at a risk of losing my job, also dealing with a lot of pressure, and of course, my responsibilities not only to do the best I could, but also responsibilities about my bills, my payments, etc. 

And I was also feeling underpaid, kind of feeling exploited. The feeling I had was something like I was just working to make money for them, not for me. Plus, I was not adapting to a surprising schedule. Every week my schedule was different and unpredictable, which prevented me from having a side job or any chance of an extra income because I never knew in advance when I would be available or even when my day off would be. I could not plan a fun time with friends in advance. It was always a last-minute plan to have fun, and I came to a point in which it was no longer working well for me. I came to the conclusion that working as an employee in those circumstances was actually giving me a false sensation of stability and peace of mind because I was very often experiencing the fear of losing my job. Then something clicked. I realized that even though I was working in a position of an employee, I was actually experiencing effects very similar to those of a business owner: risk, uncertainty, pressure, responsibilities, etc, but without enjoying the benefits of it, the flexibility of bearing income, an organized schedule, more freedom, etc. 

And then I started to think, "You know what? I have all the basics. I need to start offering services directly to clients, and I can learn how to get clients and a few more skills to make it happen, including skills to build my own business." So, I quit the 9-to-5 job to start my own thing. It was a frightening situation with no place to work, no clients yet, me in a different country, still struggling with the language, and no business or marketing education whatsoever. Actually, my entire academic education was basically learning just how to be a good employee and accept whatever they offered as a salary. Anyway, deep inside I was sure I would find clients who would be more than happy to pay me well to have their service done the right way. That moment, the moment of that decision was the first time I took an efficient step to make more money. 

I had never tried it before just because I didn't believe it would be possible, so I wouldn't even bother to try it. The difference was that this time, I believed, so believing was the first turning point for me. Regarding making more money, I experienced two different stages. The first one was leaving my 9-to-5 job to create my own business, which was a cleaning and organization business. This type of business consists of physically going to the clients' homes or offices and performing the cleaning and organization service, whether by me or an employee. It allowed me to charge a higher price for a better quality of service, which was good. Having my own business actually made me feel more stable, more secure because I trusted my service. I improved myself and trusted my skills, and I was providing exactly what my clients wanted. It was basically a matter of keeping the quality high, being responsible, and keep monitoring if things were going well. 

And better yet, it was up to me to take action to keep my work desirable, charge what I really wanted, choose the time I would be available and have more flexibility. I could even choose when I would have my vacation or time off. I really had a great experience in the whole process of building my own business. I was so grateful for that business and for my clients, but over time, as they already knew because I spoke to them, I wanted something else. And as I was already teaching and coaching some of my clients, I went to the second stage, which was creating my dream business, my online business related to what I really love, which is teaching and coaching. Besides being something I am really passionate about, it allows me to scale from a one-to-one to a one-to-many format with group coach, for instance. I still do one-on-ones, but I love the possibility of the one-to-many format. 

It's incredible. I can work with passion, I can make people happy, and more money is just the consequence. Clients love paying well for a great service. Now I'm going to tell you how exactly I started organizing for that. So, I started by listing what I had. I had the essential supplies. I had a cell phone to communicate, the technical skills, I got a uniform, the car for transportation. I was able to deliver the type of service my potential clients needed. I ordered a few business cards, I placed an ad on an app called Nextdoor. Nextdoor was this service I used it at the time. It is a social networking service for neighborhoods, and I also did some posts on the local Facebook groups. I used some online listing services available at the time. I also distributed business cards locally to my neighbors. Some of those business cards I put on a wallboard inside the condominiums. After being given permission, of course. I would take advantage of every opportunity to introduce myself to people and give them my business card, and here starts the juicy stuff.

Here are some attributes I developed that helped me make more money. The first one: willingness to overcome fear. A few people started to warn me that it wasn't the safest idea and that I should try to reverse that and come back to have a job, but I decided not to listen to them. I listened to my heart and protected my decision. I knew I could do what it takes to make it work. Then I protected my ears from their negativity and gathered as much information as possible. Overcoming fear is doing what needs to be done, regardless I have fear or not. Overcoming fear is breathing through fear. As psychologist Joan Rosenberg says in her book 90 Seconds to a Life of Love, "Simply continuing to breathe normally as opposed to holding your breath can help you ride the wave and move through these feelings and physical sensations." 

Experiencing some defeat is part of success. It's a sign to change the approach and keep persisting. Failure is a learning phase. Great inventors knew it was just a matter of persisting and trying different approaches until finding the way. That's how the light bulb, the aviation system, computers, smartphones, and many other inventions were made possible and brought to life. Now, the second attribute: more honesty with myself and with others. When I started to be more honest with myself in the first place, by choosing what I believed I could do at that time, then my potential clients started to notice that honesty through my eyes. Our bodies speak. Sensitive people can read our body language. My eyes in the photo, the profile picture that I put in my ads, somehow spoke to people searching for the service I was offering. It wasn't about being lucky. It was a genuine reflection of my feelings through my eyes, through my picture. They grasped that. My eyes were speaking to them. 

Third attribute: initiative to take action and organize a plan. Okay, I'll share here my personal belief. I believe there is a creator, something greater that created us all and everything we see. I call this superior being God. Some people call differently and I respect that. Anyway, I pray to receive wisdom and inspiration, but I don't sit and wait. I believe the creator provides me with the tools and it's up to me to use those tools and build what I want. The creator provides me with the wood, the stones, the metal, and it's up to me to do my part and build a house. So, I firmly believe that we are supposed to co-create with God and take action to do what needs to be done. And here's the fourth attribute I developed: commitment. I committed to my plan. I committed to myself. I committed to my potential clients and I also committed to the outcome I wanted.

Fifth attribute: expression of my values in my ads. I introduced myself, I shared a little bit of my story, and I let them know the higher quality of service I was offering. I also displayed a few testimonials of people who had a great experience with the work I did before. And as I was still struggling with English, I am actually still learning English, so I used an app called Grammarly to help me with the correct spelling of the words and also to communicate in a higher level to be able to reach the kind of people who had the financial resources to pay the price I was asking for. Another attribute I developed was the number six: expression of confidence regardless of the competition. Hundreds of other professionals were also offering services. I didn't let myself to be intimidated by them. 

Each one of us is unique. Each one of us attracts a different kind of client. Each one of us has a different energy. There is an abundance of work and opportunities out there. We should not be intimidated by competition. It's like music. I don't see, for instance, the band Fleetwood Mac as a competitor of the band Eagles. I have them both, and I love them both. So, I want my playlist with as many artists as I can have. We don't want music from just one musician, right? Seventh attribute: determination to ask what I really wanted to charge for my services. Once again, I needed to be honest with myself. So, I asked to myself, "How much do I really want to receive to perform the service with the higher standards?" "How much money would make me feel happy to wake up every morning to do my work?" I wasn't intimidated by the possibility of not being hired because of the price I was asking for. 

I was sure the higher quality and the values I was offering would attract the level of people able to pay me what I was asking for, and they were happy to pay me. The price of the service doesn't determine the possibility of being hired or not. The price and the value of the service determine the type of client we attract. And here's another attribute, attribute number eight: gratitude and happiness now. I didn't wait to have the money or the client first to become happy and grateful later. I was happy and grateful now for what I already had. The vision of the future I wanted to create infused me with the enthusiasm and confidence I needed to attract clients. And once my potential clients started to reach out to me, they felt the vibration of my enthusiasm, my confidence, my gratitude, and my happiness. Do you think they would be more attracted by a voice infused with fear? With lack of confidence? Worry? Anxiety? No! So I decided to do it with happiness, and they started to book my services. 

That's when I realized that money comes from energy exchanged with people. This energy was what made them choose me over the competition. And here's the ninth attribute: positive attitude and pleasant communication. I made sure to exercise giving my clients a smile. I was always focused on making them feel good and making they feel that I care. I avoided bringing up my problems. During my work, their happiness was always my priority. Tenth attribute: over-deliver. As much as I could, I would surprise my clients with a little bit more than they expected. So, I got even more happy clients that would also recommend my services to their friends, to their family. And there is no more powerful advertisement than word of mouth. eleventh attribute: consistency. I gave my word and I honored my word as much as I could. 

Of course, sometimes, I would experience something that was beyond my power, but I made sure to call them to let them know. I avoided constant changes and kept up with the quality. Some professionals let the quality decrease over time. We are supposed to keep the higher standards. After all, the clients are not decreasing payment. Another one, number twelve capability to say no to what doesn't work for me. It took a while, but I noticed that I was saying yes too much and accepting clients even out of my ideal service area. Longer travel distances were draining my energy, so I decided to apologize and say no to them. Thirteenth attribute: willingness to invest in self-improvement. As much I invest in self-improvement, as much my income grows. it's a natural consequence. And that was my first stage. I looked for an accountant who would be willing to explain to me how things work and how to formalize my business, what I should prepare about taxes. 

So, it was easy because once I learned what I was supposed to do and I paid for his services, he was dealing with this part, so I didn't really have to worry about it. And with that, I reached the six-figure level. Of course, I had some little difficulties along the way, but I faced them, and I also asked for help when I needed. And the way I found to ask for help was not by begging or crying for help. The best way I found was by offering my clients a deal that would benefit both sides. And now comes the second stage of me organizing for making more money. I double x the level of honesty with myself and with others. This time, I didn't choose to do just what I believed I could do. Instead, I did what I really wanted and dreamed of doing. 

And here I am, in love with my podcast and serving with passion. I also developed my discipline. It may seem counterintuitive, but contrary to what some people say, discipline doesn't limit our freedom. It's the opposite. The more disciplined we become, the more freedom we experience. Mastery requires discipline. We see a lot of discipline in some martial arts, for instance. And discipline is what helps us avoid falling into the same problem again. I also developed more harmonious attention to other vital areas of life because we cannot think just of money. We can not think just of money. Life works better when we distribute harmonious attention to different areas, such as health, relationships, time, work, personal growth, finances, self-awareness, and purpose. The next one was willingness to learn marketing. It's incredible how our surroundings lead us to become consumers. 

I figured out that I needed to go against the grain. So, learning at least the basics of marketing was the way to go. And I cannot talk about making more money without talking about gut feeling. Gut feeling is that instinctive feeling or perception that we have about something or about someone. This kind of perception is not based on logical reasoning or intellectual analysis. Some people call it intuition, and I trust my intuition. I'm always developing my intuition. As I dive deep into self-awareness and self-improvement, I feel my intuition getting stronger and more clear. It is an essential tool for decision-making, problem-solving, and creativity. And the last one was willingness to do my best. I know some days will not go my way, but I truly believe putting in the effort is the key to getting there. There is always room to do my best.

Thanks again for listening. And remember, when it comes to making more money, everything starts with self-improvement, and becoming more organized is part of it. And the very first step we must take is organizing our time. That's why I really want to invite you to my next free live training on time organization. It's a 60-minute live training. It's coming up pretty soon and super easy to sign up for. Just head over to www.neatlifestyle.com/programs. I will put the link in the show notes for you. I really hope by the time you get there, the doors are still open, but if not, make sure to join the waitlist. I can't wait to meet you live. I'm Katia Mesquita, and I'll see you in the next episode. Bye!

Thank you so much for listening to today's episode. If you liked what you heard today, be sure to share it with those you care about so they can also benefit from it. If you aren't already following me on social media, do so by clicking on the link on the show notes or simply by visiting my website at neatlifestyle.com. I appreciate you so much. I hope you have an amazing day. I'll see you in the next episode of The Neat Lifestyle Podcast.