Celebrating 10 years of the Good Life
In January 2010 Good Life Organizing was launched. Back then I was so enthusiastic about helping people organize their lives. Now that is 2020, my business has transformed into Good Life Photo Solutions and I am dedicated to helping families organized, preserve and share their precious photographic memories. Similar name, similar goal, same great story.
As a celebration of 10 years of the Good Life, I thought I’d share the story of how Good Life Organizing, and then Good Life Photo Solutions, came into being.
I’d also like to share some of the highlights of the last 10 years. There have been quite a few!
The Story of the Good Life Business
In 2008 my family of four relocated from the tiny town of Ridgway, PA to the small town of Perry, GA when my husband took a job with a Weyerhaeuser pulp mill in the area. Honestly, we hated moving away from Ridgway because it was such a warm, embracing town where we had made lots of good friends. But move we did, and when we settled in both of our kids started school (3rd grade and Kindergarten) and I became a full-time stay at home mom for the first time ever!
Talk about a shock to the system. Don’t get me wrong, I loved having the flexibility to volunteer at the kids’ school and be my daughter’s girl scout leader, but it was strange to not have a job to go to when my kids were gone all day. That was great for about a year. Then in 2009, my dad passed away from a brain tumor and life seemed to dim a bit.
I knew I needed to make a change and that my dad would want me to. I started with interest lists and pro/con worksheets and all the stuff they tell you to do when you are trying to make a life change. Strangely enough, the impetus for my change came from television.
During that period I was watching a lot of shows like “Clean House,” “Mission Organization,” and “Neat.” I realized how much I enjoyed watching the process of helping someone declutter and organize their spaces. But surely this was just a gimmick for TV, right? One night I was playing around on Google and discovered that being an “organizer” was an actual job and there was actually a professional organization of people that actually did this! That’s when I discovered NAPO, the National Association of Professional Organizers (it has a slightly different name now), and the rest, as they say, is history!
I launched Good Life Organizing in January of 2010 and began working with clients soon after. I organized offices, closets (a favorite), kitchens, garages, bathrooms, basements, storage lockers…you name it, I probably organized it.
Over the next few years, I went to the annual NAPO conferences to learn, hone my craft and get to know my fellow organizers. In 2012 I attended the NAPO conference in Baltimore and that’s when I met Cathi Nelson and Lisa Kurtz and discovered The Photo Managers (the Association of Personal Photo Organizers at that time). And when I tell you that it was a real light bulb moment, I am not exaggerating. They told me about this organization that supported organizers who helped people organize and preserve their family photos. Because I have always been the family historian of my generation and have always loved family photos, this really spoke to me. Again, I had the moment when I realized that the was a real thing! Needless to say, I joined APPO right then and there.
Over the next few years, I continued my home organizing and took on several photo organizing clients and loved it. In 2017 I realized that my passion was really turning to photo organizing and I made a very big decision. In January 2018 I let go of the home organizing services from my offerings and decided to focus solely on photo organizing. That is when Good Life Photo Solutions was born.
Now I work exclusively with families who have years and years (sometimes generations) of family photos, videos, and memorabilia. Making their memories last is my prime goal. And I absolutely LOVE it! I’ve never been happier (or busier!).
Over the past few years, I have handled over 100,000 printed photos and slides and close to a million digital photos for my clients. Wow!! That’s a lot!
So thank you to all of you who have been with me from the very beginning (especially my husband, my kids, and my mom) and those of you who have joined in along the way. It’s really been quite a ride.
2010-2020: 10 Years…What a Ride!
Here are just a few highlights of the past 10 years and, of course, some photos to celebrate those moments.
2010 – Started Good Life Organizing and created my first website goodlifeorganizing.net.
L to R: Los Angeles, New Orleans, San Diego
2011 – Worked on an episode of Extreme Home Makeover in Madison GA
2012 – Coordinated local crew of 4 organizers for an episode of Hoarders in Alabama. We worked with Bebe who struggled after her husband’s murder in their foyer.
2012 – First Television Appearance on 41 NBC – Watch my entire YouTube library here.
2013 – Published my 1st ebook – Two Minutes to Organized: 100+ Ways To Organize Your Life Two Minutes At a Time. It’s still available on Amazon.
2014 – Became Featured blogger for Uncle Bob’s Self Storage (now Life Storage)
2014 – First international client in Russia
2015 – Became NAPO Golden Circle – 5-year member
2017 – Created the online course Get Your Print Photos Organized (currently being revised)
2018 – Good Life Organizing became Good Life Photo Solutions, focusing solely on organizing, preserving, and sharing precious memories
2019 – Attended RootTech Family History Conference rekindling my love of genealogy
So what’s still to come in 2020 and beyond? The sky’s the limit.
Connect with Good Life Photo Solutions
Instagram • Good Life Photo Solutions
Facebook • Good Life Photo Solutions
Pinterest • Good Life Photo Solutions
Sign up for our newsletter
Email us. I’d love your feedback and questions! [email protected]
Want to Know More?
If you want to work with a photo organizer near you to help you organize and preserve your photos, contact us or visit The Photo Managers to find one in your area.
*This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you purchase from a link, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my small business. See my disclosure policy for full details.
Connect with Good Life Photo Solutions
Instagram • Good Life Photo Solutions
Facebook • Good Life Photo Solutions
Pinterest • Good Life Photo Solutions
Sign up for our newsletter
Email us. I’d love your feedback and questions! [email protected]
Want to Know More?
If you want to work with a photo organizer near you to help you organize and preserve your photos, contact us or visit The Photo Managers to find one in your area.
*This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you purchase from a link, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my small business. See my disclosure policy for full details.
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Congratulations, Andi on this wonderful milestone! I loved reading about your organizing journey and light bulb moments. It’s inspiring to learn about the significant opportunities you undertook each year of your business. That creates a terrific model for other organizers to be open to saying “yes” to learning, to extending skills, to keep moving forward, and to refine your passions.
Here’s to another 10 years and more for helping family preserve their memories. And you never know, there could be more light bulb moments to come.
Congratulations on 10 years in the business(es). It is so nice to hear about your life and path in business. You’re a great inspiration to all of us. You have accomplished so many things, TV shows, books, blogging in a very short time. Can’t wait to see what the next 10 years brings you.
Wow, congratulations on 10 years Andi! You really have accomplished so much. “100,000 printed photos and slides and close to a million digital photos” is extremely impressive. You’ve really been a part of helping your clients keep and enjoy the memories they want. It’s been inspiring watching you refine your business model, and a pleasure being in your “digital circle.” I wish you ten (or more) wonderful years ahead!
Congratulations, Andi, on your 10 years! In small businesses, to adapt is to succeed. It is so nice to see you adapted to your surroundings and found your niche. I share your blog with my clients in my Eastern PA area too because it is needed. Thank you for sharing your story.
I love reading the background behind businesses and especially seeing how they’ve evolved over the years. Congratulations on all your achievements and thank you for letting me play a role in your transition!