Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Traugh.
Hi Amy, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I always thought that I was an organized person… until I had kids. I had the idea ingrained in my mind, prior to having babies, that I would have a spotless playroom, with books organized in the colors of the rainbow. I envisioned that I would teach my kids how to properly tidy their toys each night and place them back in the perfect rainbow order on the bookshelf.
Flash forward to having two kids, under the age of two, in diapers. Survival mode kicked in. I was overwhelmed by the number of things that had accumulated in our home. I felt like I was constantly searching for things that I couldn’t find and frustrated that this process continued day after day.
So, I did what most moms do. I went out and bought lots of cute little bins and containers thinking that this would solve all of my problems. It turns out I was wrong. Very wrong. What I ended up with was the same amount of stuff shoved into little bins that my kids loved dumping out and leaving strewn about the house.
Fed up and exhausted by the never-ending scavenger hunts for things, I started searching for a solution. I read just about every book ever written on the topic of home organization and I got to work. I actually scheduled time on my calendar and started to declutter. Bin by bin, shelf by shelf, and room by room, I began to gain control. I had more time. I was less stressed. I spent less time cleaning. I finally felt in control of my environment!
Flash forward five years into the middle of a pandemic, I took a voluntary furlough from my job as a healthcare provider in order to home school my kindergartner during the lockdown. I had the time to reflect upon life and what direction I wanted my life to take as I realized how fragile life is.
For years, I had talked about starting my own home organizing business, however working 40 hours a week, and raising kids, the time wasn’t there. Now that I had the time, I took action. I formed my LLC and opened my home organizing business, Simplify Me by AT, LLC in May 2020.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Being a small business owner has been a challenge. Being a small business owner and a mom brings a whole new set of challenges. I like to call myself a “mompreneur” because even though I now consider myself an entrepreneur, I will always be first and foremost, a mom.
I never realized how much went into the back end of starting and running a business. Websites, taxes, SEO, scheduling, legal aspects, social media. It was a juggle. I watched hours of endless webinars, talked with amazing fellow business owners, and through the course of 2020, I learned a lot.
My business continued to grow, but something was missing. I knew that I couldn’t be the only mom out there that started a business, felt overwhelmed, and longed for connection with others going through a similar journey. So, in November of 2021, I launched Moms on a Mission to bring together mompreneurs in Northeast Ohio.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Moms on a Mission is a network of mompreneurs in Northeast Ohio. Our mission is to motivate, encourage, and support one another. We believe in collaboration, sharing our strengths, and that community over competition always wins!
One of the hardest things in being a small business owner is getting seen. That’s why we created an online directory of local mom-owned businesses on our website. We hold monthly mastermind sessions to learn new skills from one another, and we have a monthly coffee talk event to connect and support one another in person.
The feedback we have received has been amazing. It is so uplifting to surround yourself with like-minded mompreneurs who are working hard, day in and day out, to achieve their dreams and be positive role models for their children.
Simplify Me by AT, remains as strong as ever, although I have recently branched off into more virtual clutter coaching versus in-home services as Moms on a Mission has grown. Working with moms, I found that the hardest part for nearly all of the moms I work with is a lack of follow-through. Clutter coaching addresses this challenge by providing the one-on-one support and accountability needed to achieve a successful outcome. Think of it almost as life coaching for your home.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
I learned that nothing in life is guaranteed. Who would have thought a healthcare worker would be furloughed during a pandemic?
Seeing how fragile life is, has really opened my eyes to how much we take our health for granted. The Covid-19 Crisis gave me the opportunity to reflect inward, discover my true passion, and pursue my dreams. I won’t look back one day and wonder “what if.”
Contact Info:
- Email: amy@simplifymebyat.com
- Website: www.SimplifyMeByAT.com
- Instagram: @themomsonamission
- Other: www.themomsonamission.com
Image Credits
The Cannons Photography
