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The Way This Designer Turned A Passion for Organization to a 7 Figure business

Aug 15, 2024

Cassandra Aarssen, founder of Clutterbug is a home organization inspiration, and is the true definition of the phrase "do things you enjoy, and money will follow," with her business impacting over 500,000 families worldwide.

This blog delved into the slow-burn of Cassandra's 15 years-in-the-making success story that has inspired people across the world. We'll explore how her passion-turned-hobby-turned-business didn't see any profit for the first five years, and then how she made more money in one year than she would've made working a normal job for 10 years.

        "Being capable of being able to do what you love while staying home with your children, and earning a decent income is a wonderful thing - my aim was to assist others achieve the same."      

Here, she shares her experiences of how perseverance and a consistent approach are the most important aspects in her pursuit of developing the career she wanted to pursue.

Learn the ways Cassandra made her hobby into a job:

She found her niche

Clutterbug was born out of Cassandra becoming fed up of being a "super slob" who struggled with unnecessary clutter. Then, she decided enough is enough and said goodbye to the chaos which was taking over her life. An entirely new interest was born when Cassandra recognized how transformational it was to get your house in order. She wanted to help people who feel they're failing because maintaining their house is a part-time work.

Cassandra explained how the beginning of her venture happened organically; she was so inspired by turning her own life around, that she decided to start helping friends and family and eventually, it led to her getting customers and launching a great business that teaches people to take control of their home so they can focus on the important things.

When asked how she determined if there was a market for her skills, Cassandra laughed and said she didn't think about the idea. She simply began because she was incredibly passionate of helping people simplify their homes. This passion project of hers eventually grew into a successful enterprise. And how, might you inquire?

Cassandra stated that the key to her success was a simple formula:

        "Be transparent and open with your followers. Be true to yourself and that's what will help you identify your ideal followers."    

Prior to launching two highly profitable online courses which are just a small element of her larger organizing business, Cassandra spent years organically building a loyal online community. Her main point was that, by being driven by the idea that was "I would like to assist people," creating content with the only goal to make her readers' lives easier, she gained an engaged and committed audience.

Cassandra's passion and genuine excitement is what drives the long-term viability of her community and business. She is a perfect example of when you are doing something you love, money will be the next thing to follow!

She kept her creating content process easy

Cassandra's interest in organization began 15 years ago, and in the past 10 years she's built a successful business out of sharing her expertise and educating the public. If asked about her content creation process, Cassandra said she has maintained a simple approach.

  Her strategy for creating content is to add value.

Consistently adding value is how Cassandra built a loyal following. Making content, regardless of whether you can afford it or not - establishes trust and connection. Making free content available through sales funnels draws people in and lets them see you as a trustworthy and trustworthy source of information.

Making use of free content like guidebooks, ebooks, and printables that contain valuable information is a great way to enrich individuals' lives. Therefore, when it's time to say "hey I'm glad you asked. If you'd like additional information, I'm offering this online course available," there is an very high rate of conversion since people already trust your content.

Cassandra is a regular contributor to every week YouTube podcasts and videos. She then repurposes this content for Instagram reels as well as TikTok. While she utilizes different social media channels for the business she runs, she says that she never gets distracted by the latest trends on social media. The pursuit of trends can be tiring when you're doing it for a long time it can feel like work you don't enjoy anymore.

She highlighted this crucial message:

        "Make things you like doing. Design content that you enjoy watching."    

It is difficult to lose yourself in a game of numbers. Cassandra claims that she has met authors with many followers within her field that earn less as she does since followers and subscribers do not equal the same amount of money... the enthusiastic audience will.

  In the end, keep your process for creating content easy.  

The best advice Cassandra can give to those looking to create online content is to not worry about perfection regardless of whether you believe that you're creating bad crap content, you should just get your content on the internet. Don't wait for the ideal outline or draft or until you invest in high quality tools. It is easier to improve by being consistent. The most effective creators she has met are the people who invest the least amount of time and effort into the process of creating.

She remained in the same place

If asked about her content creation process, Cassandra said the key is to be constant.

She does not put any obligation on herself and dedicates to posting one YouTube audio and video each week. It has shown constant and consistent expansion. Cassandra isn't planning her content in advance, she does whatever she is feeling at the time, which has resulted in her fans believe that she is genuine and real.

She expressed how she's never been a viral star or overnight success, which most creators wish for (although it's not always the case in the for long). Her steady and slow method has resulted in an engaged and committed fan base that has been on her show for decades and years.

A thing Cassandra is extremely proud of that illustrates how her dedication to the cause has paid off is the Clutterbug quiz which helps people discover their organizing manner. Nearly four million people have taken this quiz every throughout the past five years.

Cassandra's advice: "If you're persistent and stay with it you'll always find it beneficial at the end."

To reach your target market be a person who says "I love this, and I want to share this with all of you." If you're willing to put yourself out there as much as you can, and produce content you enjoy, you'll find your online community. And the best part is that they will want to be a part of your team because they already have their back.

She has launched an online program

Cassandra realized that YouTube, podcasts, and social media content was far more "to-the-point" and about entertainment, so she wanted to develop something deeper and more impactful. The creation of an online course could take her business to the next level.

"There's something very unique about online courses It's like being in a one-on-one setting with a person and showing people how to transform their lives," she says.

Cassandra designed an online class which was video-driven and included books and printables that taught people how to get rid of clutter and get organized. After completing the course, her students become certified as an organizational specialist that allows them to begin their own business with confidence. More than 5000 individuals have launched their own companies after completing her course. While this is not an area of regulation, at times, having a certificate can be the difference between attempting and not trying.

Cassandra chose to host online classes due to the simple all-in-one system which takes care of landing pages, sales, and checkout for students. It was also a pleasure the fact that she was able to offer no-cost courses and set her own prices. She also revealed that the landing page feature could be easily integrated on her website and seamlessly link to her page for courses.

The process of creating an online course something you could create once and not have to revisit it. Cassandra is able to enjoy the freedom and freedom to pursue various other interests (for example, she just became an emergency responder!) Now that she earns a regular passive income which will sustain her for the rest of her career.

She marketed her courses organically

Since Cassandra has gained her following to a large extent, her online course success isn't due to crazy advertising strategies, but from organic leads. Her followers consist of women who range aged 30 and 70. Her success is due to the community she created on the web.

But, Cassandra said that the greatest business tool she has is her email database. It is the most efficient per-subscriber conversion rate and it's yours forever. Her current email list is about half a million members, which she periodically trims if her subscribers aren't active.

She worked out her value

Cassandra is usually confronted with astonishment whenever she claims that she didn't earn a dime for the first five years she shared her enthusiasm for organization. The experience was enjoyable and she did it completely for nothing.

If Cassandra had a choice her first step would be to begin treating her love of writing as a business sooner. Cassandra said that for a long time, she felt uncomfortable selling to customers and charging them to use her skills.

It was clear that giving the services she provided in exchange for nothing was a blunder since she was doing nothing, but her fans didn't treat the advice seriously. Cassandra noticed the largest change in her community when the people she was advising to pay for learn the skills necessary to keep their homes under control.

"Something extraordinary happens after an exchange of dollars - this makes people more committed to actually doing the work in order to make a difference in their lives."

When Cassandra launched her first course online, she cost $24 to launch and made over $100,000 during her first debut. The course's creator exclaimed at the time, this was more money than she had ever made during the entire year. the experience blew her away and changed how she saw her business overall. Suddenly, her hobby business transformed into a business!

Her biggest struggle was recognizing her worth and placing a dollar amount on her time. Her first online course costing $24 and was able to see that it wasn't being taken in the way she imagined. At a spur of the moment she decided to change the cost to $150 after considering how much time, effort in resources, as well as the certificate she earned in her class was far more valuable than what she thought.

The crazy thing? More people have purchased the course online.

After Cassandra started valuing her expertise, other people considered it a feasible method and appreciated it as well. Not only did she earn an amount of money more frequently however, she was in a position to assist more people.

She developed a thriving community

Cassandra's Clutterbug concept is that organizing cannot be one size fits everyone. Through this philosophy she built an active community that has many creative outlets.

Many have enrolled in her online courses, and been very active in the course group and community. For her first course "Organizing Expert" she does not offer upsells, but in her subsequent course "Take the house back" there is a $10 annually renewal fee for staying within the group, and it is proven successful. Her two courses complement each with each other, and she's contemplating adding membership options for the near future.

There are a few of her communities that are paying members, but Cassandra discovers that the balance between paid as well as free content and courses ensures that her audience is active and engaged. The goal of her community is to provide the most value to everyone.

She focused on the correct mindset

Cassandra has a genuine passion for her work and one of the highlights of her working day is when she reads her followers' comments on how they have made a difference in their lives for more positive.

The creation of content should be about inspiring and educating the masses, and when you've created something, it'll keep helping people who are in the in the background. Cassandra knows that she'll never get bored by turning her love of writing into a profitable business.

"You don't have to nurture your old skills in order to be effective This is among the top careers as you can do each day something completely new."

The message of Cassandra for aspiring course creators is to resist thinking too much about your process for creating. It is important be guided by a sense that is full of enthusiasm and passion in what you're making.

Do you want to enter the online world of courses? It's time to begin with free now.