The Thousand Solutions Blog

How This Creator Turned the passion for organization into a seven-figure business

Aug 15, 2024

Cassandra Aarssen, founder of Clutterbug is a home organizing source of inspiration and represents the real meaning of the phrase "do what you love, and you'll earn money," with her business impacting millions of families across the globe.

This blog delved into the slow burn of Cassandra's 15 years-in-the-making success story, which has inspired thousands of 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 able to enjoy what you do while staying home with your children and making a living is a wonderful thing - my goal was to help other people do the same."      

She explains here the ways that persistence and perseverance were key in her journey to build the career of her dreams.

Learn the ways Cassandra turned her passion into a paycheck:

She found her niche

Clutterbug was born from Cassandra becoming tired of being a "super slob" that was battling with excessive clutter. Then, she decided enough is enough and said goodbye to the mess that was consuming her life. A newfound passion was born once Cassandra discovered how transformative it was to get your home in control. She wished to aid those who feel that they're unable to maintain the house is only a part-time job.

Cassandra revealed how the development of her business happened very naturally. She was impressed by the way she turned her life around that she started aiding family and friends that eventually brought her to clients, and then establishing a fantastic business teaching people how to manage their lives and focus their attention on the things that matter.

When asked how she determined whether there was demand for her expertise, Cassandra laughed and said that she did not even consider the idea. She simply began because she was incredibly passionate in helping other people declutter their lives. The passion of hers gradually but surely developed into a thriving enterprise. And how, might you wonder?

Cassandra said that the reason for her success was a simple formula:

        "Be transparent and open with your followers. Be true to yourself and that's how you find your core audience."    

Before launching her two profitable online courses that are only a tiny element of her larger organizing business, Cassandra spent years organically building a loyal online community. She stressed that coming from a place of "I want to help people," creating articles with only the aim of making their lives better, she cultivated an enthusiastic and loyal audience.

Cassandra's enthusiasm and passion drives the longevity of her company and community. Again, she embodies if you do what you love, money will follow!

She kept her procedure for creating content simple

Cassandra's interest in organization began around 15 years ago. in the past 10 years she's built a successful business from giving her advice and teaching the public. When asked about her content creation process, Cassandra said she has always kept it simple.

  Her trick to content creation is to provide value.

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

Making use of free content like online handouts, guides as well as printables with valuable information is a great way to enrich individuals' lives. So, when it comes time to tell someone "hey, if you want more information, I have an online course that you can take," there is an exceptionally high chance of conversion because users already have confidence in your information.

Cassandra actively creates regularly scheduled YouTube podcasts and videos. She and then reuses the content on Instagram reels and TikTok. When she is using different social media channels for the business she runs, she says that she isn't distracted by what's trending online. Chasing trends can be exhausting, and if you do for long periods of time, it'll start to feel like job you've never enjoyed.

She highlighted this crucial message:

        "Make things that YOU like doing. Make content you would want to watch."    

It is difficult to lose yourself when playing the numbers game. Cassandra claims that she has met creators with a lot more followers in her niche that earn lower as she does since followers and subscribers don't equal money... an active audience is.

  In the end, keep your content creation process simple.  

The best advice Cassandra can give to anyone who wants to produce content online is to not be concerned about perfectionism regardless of whether you believe you're making a mess of crap content, you should just get your work on the internet. Do not wait for a perfect outline or plan until you purchase high quality equipment. You get better by being consistently. She says the most successful creators she knows are the ones who have put in the least amount of effort and money in their process of creation.

She was in the same place

If asked regarding her process of creating content, Cassandra said the key is being constant.

She puts no obligation on herself and dedicates to posting one YouTube video and one podcast each week. It has proven to show steady and constant expansion. Cassandra isn't planning her content in advance, she does what she feels in the moment, which has resulted in her fans viewing her as genuine and real.

The actress said that she's not had any viral videos or overnight success, which most creators wish for (although it's not always the case in the for long). Her gradual and consistent procedure has produced an engaged and committed viewers who have stayed on her show for decades and years.

One thing Cassandra is very proud of and proves her consistency has paid off is the Clutterbug quiz that helps people find their organizational style. Over four million people have taken this quiz every year over the last five years.

Cassandra's lesson: "If you're persistent and stay with it, it will always be worth it when you're done."

In order to reach the people you want to To reach your target market, you must embody the attitude of "I am in love with this and I'm eager to share it with you." If you put yourself out there as much as possible and make the content that you love, you'll find your online group of followers. What's more is that they will want to support you because you have supported them.

She has launched an online course

Cassandra discovered that YouTube, podcasts, as well as social media's content were much more "to-the-point" and focused on entertainment. She decided to create something more in-depth and more impactful. The creation of an online course could propel her company to the next level.

"There's something distinctive about an online class It's like being one-on-one with someone and teaching people how to change their life," she says.

Cassandra developed an online course that was video-based with printed and ebooks. It taught people how to get rid of clutter and organize. When the course is completed, her students become an accredited organizational expert, which allows them to start an enterprise with confidence. More than 5000 individuals have launched their own business after having taken her class. Although this isn't an area of regulation, at times getting a certification can be the difference between attempting or not.

Cassandra decided to host online classes due to an easy, all-in-one procedure which takes care of selling, landing pages, as well as checkout for students. She also loved that she could offer free courses, and even determine her own pricing. She revealed that the landing page feature could be easily integrated into her own website, seamlessly linking to her course page.

The process of creating an online course something that you can complete once and never need to touch again. Cassandra is able to enjoy the freedom and freedom to pursue other passions (for instance, she recently got a job as firefighters!) now that she has recurring earnings that are passive and will sustain her throughout her career.

The instructor promoted her courses organically

Since Cassandra has gained her following to a large extent the success of her online courses wasn't due to insane advertising strategies, but the result of organic leads. Her audience is made up of mostly women who are between 30 and 70. The reason she is able to make her sales are due to the online community she built on the web.

But, Cassandra said that the most effective tool for business she uses is her email lists. It's got the best conversion rate, and you own it forever. Her email list currently stands approximately half-a-million users, and she frequently trims if her subscribers aren't engaged.

She was able to determine her worth

Cassandra is frequently confronted with astonishment whenever she reveals that she did not get a penny for the first five years that she began sharing her love of organizing. The experience was enjoyable and she did the work for no cost.

If Cassandra would do something different her first step would be to begin treating her love of writing as a business sooner. Cassandra expressed how for a long time, she was uncomfortable selling her services to others and charging people to use her skills.

She learned that offering her services at no cost was not a good idea since she was doing nothing, but her followers didn't take her seriously. Cassandra witnessed the most significant shift in the community after her followers started paying to learn the skills needed to get their house in order.

"Something incredible happens when there is an exchange of dollars - it makes people more committed to actual action to improve the way they live their lives."

In the year Cassandra released her first course online, she charged $24 and made over $100,000 at the time of her initial online course's launch. The course's creator exclaimed in the moment, it was more money than she had ever made over the course of a year. she was stunned and changed the way she thought about her company overall. In a flash, her passion business transformed into a enterprise!

Cassandra's biggest challenge was recognizing her worth and placing the value of her efforts. She had her first online course priced at $24 for years and realized that the course wasn't taken in the way she thought it would be. In a moment of desperation, she changed the price to $150, after thinking about how her time, efforts in resources, as well as the accreditation in the course were far more valuable than what she realized.

What's the most amazing thing? more people purchased her online course.

As Cassandra was beginning to recognize her skills other individuals saw it as a viable course and valued it more too. Not only did she earn much more however, she was able to help a lot more people.

Her work has created a vibrant community

Cassandra's Clutterbug concept is that organizing cannot be one size fits all. Through this philosophy she built a vibrant community of people who have many different creative avenues.

Students have taken her online courses, and stayed very active on the group's course and community. For her first course "Organizing expert" she doesn't upsell, but in her subsequent course "Take your house back" there is a $10 annually renewal fee for staying with the group. This has proven to be very successful. Both of her courses complement one other, and she is contemplating adding membership options for the future.

Not all her community is paid-for members. Cassandra is able to find a balance in paying as well as free content and courses keeps her community active and engaged. Again, her goal is to provide as much value as possible for everyone.

She honed in on the proper attitude

Cassandra has a real passion for what she does and one of the highlights of her work day is when she reads her followers' comments on how they have made a difference in their lives for better.

The creation of content should focus on educating and inspiring individuals, and after you've created something, it'll remain working in the in the background. Cassandra knows that she'll never get bored by turning her love of writing into a profitable business.

"You do not have to nurture your old skills for them to continue to be effective This is among the top careers as you get to do something new every day."

The message of Cassandra for aspiring course creators: resist from overthinking the process of creating and be guided by a sense that is full of enthusiasm and passion regarding what you're doing.

Ready to jump into the world of online courses? It's time to begin with free now.