Laurie Palau: My Mentoring Story

When I was approximately two years into building my business, I found myself at a crossroad and decided to seek the professional advice of a nationally recognized business coach by joining her mentoring program.

This was a big step. It was a significant investment of both money and time, and despite her professional successes and accolades, it didn’t take me long to realize that she was not the right fit for me. She was unable to relate to my specific challenges, and therefore her perspective and advice was limited in those areas.

Don’t get me wrong, she is an awesome person and I admire her to this day, but she lacked the understanding and perspective of the obstacles I faced, both as a working mom, and those unique to the professional organizing industry.

At the time I was a working mom with 2 small kids trying to figure out how to be both a mom, and an entrepreneur. I felt exhausted, frustrated, and was riddled with self-doubt.

I often felt like I was failing as both a mom and an entrepreneur. Because while I was trying to grow a business, I still needed (and wanted) to be present at home. I desperately craved the guidance from someone who has walked in similar shoes, who could both talk me off the ledge, and give me practical, actionable strategies (just like we do for our organizing clients!).

But I didn’t want a one-size fits all approach. I wanted someone who was willing to LISTEN to where I was, and who was willing to meet me there.

It wasn’t until I was “in it” that I realized the importance of seeking support and guidance from someone who could relate to my struggles and help me navigate a pathway to overcoming them.

I had an idea of what I WANTED my business to look like, I just needed a roadmap of HOW to get there.

Unfortunately, her advice didn’t apply to my clients, or my life as a working mom. Her experiences, clients, and goals were so off from mine that I was left feeling more frustrated than when I started. Not to mention that I was $5,000 poorer than when I started!

Through lots of trial and error, I spent the next several years trying to recoup my investment, and “figure things out on my own.” As a result, I often prioritized the wrong things because I was so focused on what was in front of me that I was losing sight of the big picture.