Where did the idea for “In Their Closet” come from?
Welcome to In Their Closet, the home of my podcast, personal organization business and my online boutique. I have been extremely fortunate to turn this creative idea into a stream of income and I thank God everyday for the opportunity to make money in this way!
I have a large collection of clothes and shoes that I have been very blessed to obtain. Over the years during events, sharing photos and meeting people, I am often asked, “What all do you have in your closet?”
I am sure that you all have a friend, a coworker, a mentor or a neighbor that you see in passing and often comment on her designer shoes or vintage skirt. You wonder how she goes about acquiring, collecting and curating her ensembles into daily walking fashion art exhibitions. I like those people, too.
In 2016 we moved into a home in Cypress where the previous owner had a custom designed closet. Never mind the granite counter tops or the three car garage, the best selling point of our new home was definitely the closet! As soon as I moved in, I utilized every single space in that closet and lined up my shoes by favorite designer to highest heel. (Never mind that color combination organization.) I then moved the remaining items into the bedroom closets upstairs and finally decluttered what remained into garbage bags in the garage. I donated what I wasn’t wearing and sold other items through Poshmark, an online resell site.
All my hard work prompted me to consider offering this service to other home owners in my community. I sat on two acres with other women who probably had just as many clothes to donate, sell or organize in their own closet! With a few fliers and by word of mouth, I was in some of the most gorgeous closets in Houston, Texas and I loved every moment! The conversations were always so amazing with talks about the parties and people and circumstances surrounding each ensemble I organized. The wardrobes that I sifted through were full of hours of laughter and genuine heart felt lessons, it was hard to think of my task as work.
Shortly thereafter, my family began to feel financial hardships. I needed to leave the nest and return to work. I was continuing my education in Communication Studies and had acquired a new love for journalism all over again, especially for radio. So with the need for income and the desire for journalism, I researched podcasting, the new streaming service.
I purchased a website, contacted website developers and tried to maintain my 3.5 GPA while traveling back and forth to Las Vegas, Nevada. Life was very busy and times were getting tough. I had to think of a creative way to accomplish my goal to earn an income while pursing my passion for communication.
By May 2017 I had another degree in Communication and a new focus. Just weeks after completing school, I launched the podcast! It featured different entrepreneurs who were beneficial in my transition into the workplace. While my goal was to be a small business owner, it was not to be without a career. I have worked in the corporate industry for over twenty years and my degree helped me return to the daily grind of a balanced work life. So for years now, on the weekends I have posted pictures of items from my closet and the closets of my clients, and listed those items for sale. I have organized in the homes of my clients on Saturday mornings and edited podcast recordings on Sunday nights. It has been a fun, yet grueling schedule and I appreciate all your support while I have managed to figure each new problem with a solution.
Where can I get some?
The website is a constant struggle and the goal is to be able to sell all my items here however Poshmark and Tradesy are the locations where I sell items for myself and my clients. Poshmark is great for selling low end items like Forever 21, Abercrombie, BCBG or even your old Herve Leger dress. The shipping is including and the payout is fast. It is my go to for most client’s items from their closet.
However, some clients have high end, never worn items that require a more detailed sale and verification process. Tradesy is excellent at grabbing shoppers who are willing to pay for your gently used designer items without hassle. Unfortunately the payout takes forever and the consignment split is pretty expensive. Still, I sold a pair of $1200 Louis Vuitton Snow boots that would not sell anywhere else. This site brings the crowd that want to spend their money on items that are verified to be authentic and do not have a bidding process.
I have a great idea for the place to sell items and the price point to move them. And I enjoy selling and listing items from the comfort of my own home by using my own closet as inventory or that of my friends and clients. Until my website can sell at level that I am comfortable with, I rely heavily on these two sites for listing items.
I will continue to share my business ideas and lessons with you on the podcast or right here on the blog.
When do you share new podcast?
The podcast is my favorite entity of In Their Closet, however sometimes it’s hard to get people to come into the studio to share their story. Sometimes people are hoarders and are embarrassed to share why they hold on to items the way they do. Sometimes fashionistas don’t want you to know all their shopping secrets. Sometimes people are not who they pretend to be. Sometimes people are still protecting their stories and those that are involved, hence the name, In Their Closet.
I have learned that some people like to protect their secrets and hold on to as much as they can to keep them safe. While you would think this is shoes and clothes, sometimes this is the facade that others put up to protect the image that they present in public.
During a good declutter session, we often get to the root of the problem quickly, because people like to talk to me. But sometimes it’s not as easy bringing the conversations into a studio where they will live on a recording for perpetuity.
In the beginning, I was naive. I booked studio sessions at high end studios that required a full deposit and then I would have guest not show up because they lost the confidence to share their story. Boy did I lose a lot of money that way! I also lost the motivation since I was getting cancellations and losing money. I listened to other podcasters who shared advice with me about setting up a recording schedule.
My schedule is now like a college school schedule. I do not record during the summer, holidays or my birthday month. I also do not record weekly episodes anymore. Now I record on a biweekly schedule and I only post episodes that I think are worth listening to. So if I record a boring recording I will not share it. I will attempt to rerecord it or simply delete it. I will not allow the integrity of my podcast to suffer due to a boring episode.
Now I have recorded some horrible sounding shows because the equipment was not properly tested. However, those shows I have listened to and suffered through, because a great story is still a great story, even with a little reverb on the microphone.
It is best to SUBSCRIBE to the show so that when a new show appears, it will simply alert you through notifications. With so many wonderful podcast now available, you always have something great buzzing in your ear!
My recent departure from the podcast in October occurred because of a death in my family that was unexpected. It caused me to retreat to my safe place and it’s been hard for me to return. However, I am gearing up to head back out to start recording again. I will share the details with you at that time.
Again, I thank you for your support through my journey of entrepreneurship with this passion project that I am fully still enjoying. I am embracing the challenges and working through them and happily sharing this journey with you. Stay tuned!
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