Creative daily

How This Creator Turned an interest in organization into a 7 Figure Business

Aug 15, 2024

Cassandra Aarssen, founder of Clutterbug is a home organization motivational figure, and the real meaning of the saying "do what you love, and you'll earn money," and her company has impacted millions of families across the globe.

This blog delved into the slow-burn of Cassandra's fifteen-year-old-in-the-making story that has inspired people all over 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 in a position to do what you love at home while having children and making a living is such a gift - my aim was to assist other people do the same."      

In this article, she explains the ways that persistence and perseverance were key in her journey of developing her dream career.

Discover how Cassandra turned her passion into a paycheck:

She found her niche

Clutterbug is the result of Cassandra becoming exhausted of being an "super slob" that was battling with excessive clutter. Then, she decided enough was enough and decided to say goodbye to the clutter which was taking over her life. The spark for a new passion was ignited when Cassandra recognized how transformational it would be to have your home in control. She wanted to help those who feel that they're not doing enough because keeping their house is a part-time job.

Cassandra revealed how the development of her business happened very natural; she was inspired by turning her own life around, that she decided to start aiding family and friends, which eventually led to her getting clients, and then establishing a fantastic business that teaches people to manage their lives to allow them to focus on the things that matter.

In response to a question about how she decided the demand for her expertise, Cassandra laughed and said that she did not even give a second thought to the idea. She simply began due to her passion in helping other people declutter their lives. Her passion for organizing eventually grew to become a flourishing company. And how, might you inquire?

Cassandra stated that the secret to her success was simple:

        "Be honest and vulnerable to your fans. Staying true to yourself is how you find your core followers."    

In the years prior to her popular online courses , which are just a small element of her larger organizing business, Cassandra spent years organically building a loyal online community. She stressed that having a mindset where "I would like to assist individuals," producing material with a sole purpose of making her followers' lives better, she cultivated an engaged and committed audience.

Cassandra's genuine passion and enthusiasm is the driving force behind the long-term viability of her company and community. She is a perfect example of when you are doing something you love, success will follow!

Her procedure for creating content simple

Cassandra's passion for organization started 15 years ago, and over the last 10 years, she has made a profitable business from giving her advice and teaching people. In response to questions about the process she uses to create content, Cassandra said she has always kept it simple.

  Her trick to content creation is to create value.

In the process of adding value consistently, Cassandra created a following of a lifetime. Producing content - whether people are able to afford it or not - establishes trust and connection. Using free content through sales funnels can draw people in and allows them to see that you are a trusted and credible source of knowledge.

Leveraging free content such as guidebooks, ebooks as well as printables with helpful advice provides value to individuals' lives. Therefore, when it's time to tell someone "hey do you need more information, I have an online course that you can take," there is an extremely high conversion rate as people already trust your content.

Cassandra actively creates weekly YouTube podcasts and videos. She later, she repurposes these videos and podcasts for Instagram reels as well as TikTok. When she is using different social media platforms to promote the business she runs, she says that she isn't caught up on following the latest trends on social media. Chasing trends can be exhausting If you keep doing it over a prolonged period, it will become job you've never enjoyed.

She highlighted this crucial message:

        "Make things that YOU like making. Design content that you enjoy watching."    

It is simple to become lost when playing the numbers game. Cassandra says that she knows people with lots of followers within her field that earn less money as she does because followers and subscribers are not the same as the same amount of money... the active audience is.

  The bottom line is to keep your content creation process simple.  

Cassandra's best piece of advice to anyone who wants to produce web-based content is not to be concerned about perfectionism no matter if you are making bad, rubbish content, simply put your content out there. Do not wait for a perfect outline or plan until you purchase high quality tools. You get better by being consistent. The most effective creators she's met are people who invest the least amount of effort and money in their process of creation.

She has remained constant

If asked about her content creation process, Cassandra said the key is being consistent.

She does not put any obligation on herself and dedicates to posting one YouTube video and one podcast a week, which has demonstrated steady and constant increase. Cassandra doesn't plan her content in advance and she just goes with whatever she is feeling in the moment, which is a factor that has lead her followers to consider her real and authentic.

She said she hasn't seen any viral video or overnight success, which many creators hope for (although it's not always the case in the in the long run). Her slow and steady process has led to an enthusiastic and loyal audience who has stayed on her show for years and years.

Something that Cassandra is very proud of and illustrates how her dedication to the cause has paid off is the Clutterbug quiz which helps people to discover their own organizing manner. Over four million people have taken the quiz each throughout the past five years.

Cassandra's advice: "If you're persistent and stay with it the end result will be worthwhile when you're done."

To reach your target market, embody the mindset of "I enjoy this and I'm eager to share this to you." If you're willing to put yourself in front of people as frequently as possible and make videos you like and enjoy, you'll be able to find your online group of followers. The best part is that they will want to support you because you have supported them.

She launched the online class

Cassandra discovered that YouTube, podcasts, and other social media-related content was far more "to-the-point" and about entertainment. So she decided to design something that was more thorough which had a greater impact. The creation of an online course could take her business to a new level.

"There's something very distinctive about an online class that's similar to working in a one-on-one setting with a person and showing people how to change their life," she says.

Cassandra designed an online class that featured video, printed and ebooks. It taught others how to declutter and organise. Upon completion of the course she certify her students as certified as an organizational specialist that allows them to begin their own business with confidence. More than 5000 individuals have launched their own businesses after taking her class. While this is not an industry that is regulated, often, having a certificate can make the difference between trying or not.

Cassandra decided to host her courses online due to an easy, all-in-one procedure that handles the landing page, sales pages and checkout for students. She also loved being able to provide free courses and determine her own pricing. She revealed that the landing page feature could be easily integrated to her site that seamlessly linked to her website's course pages.

Creating an online course is something that you can do once and never have to touch again. Cassandra has the liberty and flexibility to follow other passions (for example, she just got a job as an emergency responder!) now that she has recurring earnings that are passive and will provide her with a steady income for the rest of her career.

She marketed her courses organically

Since Cassandra is gaining such a loyal following Her online course's success wasn't due to insane strategies for marketing, but from organic leads. Her audience is made up predominantly women who are between the ages of 30 to 70. The reason she is able to make her sales are due to the communities she established online.

However, Cassandra said that the best tool in her business is her email database. It is the most efficient conversion rate, and it's yours forever. Her current email list is about half a million users, and she frequently edits down if people aren't interested.

She was able to determine her worth

Cassandra is frequently confronted with astonishment whenever she says that she didn't make a cent in her first 5 years she began sharing her love of the field of organization. It was a joy and she accomplished it for free.

Looking back, if Cassandra had a choice, it would be to take her passion and turn it into a business sooner. Cassandra said that over a period of time she had a difficult time selling to people and charging money for her services.

She learned that offering her services in exchange for nothing was a blunder as she wasn't not earning money, but her fans didn't treat the advice seriously. Cassandra saw the biggest change in her community when her followers started paying to learn the skills necessary to keep their homes to a better place.

"Something incredible happens when there is the exchange of dollars. it makes people more committed to actually doing the work in order to make a difference in the way they live their lives."

The day Cassandra launched her first course online, she charged $24 and made over $100,000 at the time of her initial debut. The course's creator exclaimed at the time, this was the most money she'd ever made during the entire year. the experience blew her away and changed the way she saw her business overall. Then, the hobby transformed into a business!

Her biggest struggle was recognizing her own value and putting the value of her time. She had her first course online priced at $24 over the years, and then realized that the course wasn't taken with the same seriousness as she thought it would be. On a whim she decided to change the cost to $150, after thinking about how the time, effort as well as the resources and accreditation in the course were way more valuable than she had realized.

What's the most amazing thing? MORE people bought her course on the internet.

After Cassandra started valuing her expertise other individuals considered it a feasible program and regarded it as more valuable as well. Not only did she earn much more however, she was in a position to assist more people.

Her work has created a vibrant community

Cassandra's Clutterbug principle is that order cannot be one size fits all. With this approach, she created an active community that has many artistic outlets.

Students have taken the online classes and been very active on the group's course and community. For her first course "Organizing Professional" she does not offer upsells, however for her next course "Take Your house back" she has a $10 annually renewal fee for staying within the group, and it has proven to be very efficient. Both of her courses complement one with each other, and she's contemplating adding membership options for the future.

Some of her members are paying members, but Cassandra is able to find a balance in paying and free courses and content ensures that her audience is active and active. Again, her goal is to provide the most value for everyone.

She focused on the proper attitude

Cassandra has a genuine passion for what she does and one of the highlights of her day is when reads her followers' comments about how they've made a difference in their lives for more positive.

Creation of content must be about inspiring and educating the masses, and when you've created something, it'll continue to help people in the in the background. Cassandra knows that she'll never be bored from turning her passion into a profitable business.

"You aren't required to nurture your old skills for them to continue in their effectiveness - this is one of the best careers because you get to do something new every day."

The message of Cassandra to future course creators: avoid thinking too much about your process for creating. It is important be guided by a sense of genuine passion and excitement regarding what you're doing.

Are you ready to dive into the world of online course creation? It's time to start with no cost today.