Blog submitted by NAPO Member and NAPO2018 attendee, Ryan Lanier

I started my biz in Jan 2017, but was not able to go to Conference that year, so it’s been over a year of anticipation for me to finally GET TO GO!!  This year’s “retreat-style” had all the veterans head-scratching and wondering what it could possibly look like?  The Q Center in St. Charles, IL, just outside of big-town Chicago, was indeed in a restful, wooded area, but also had ample facility to host several concurrent conferences.

Top 3 things I loved about conference:

#1.  The cafeteria!  The extensive buffet-style food was included, delicious, and catered to ALL dietary needs.  The seating area invited interaction, and I made it a priority to sit down and introduce myself to new people so as to make those connections that are the invaluable part of going to Conference.  You have to push yourself sometimes in order to reap benefits.

#2.  The sessions!  Wow.  From the keynote, Jessica Butts, who blew our minds with fascinating research and compelling evidence as to how imperative it is for us to take our clients’ personality types into consideration while working with them, to the session on how multi-taking ACTUALLY makes us stupid by dividing our attention so badly that you’d be more productive while being HIGH than trying to do to “simultaneous” tasks!!!  If you couldn’t go, make time to listen to the sessions.  Again, push yourself to get educated from other NAPO members.

#3.  The sisterhood of powerful women!  Unbelievable.  The caliber of strong, motivated, successful entrepreneurs at both elbows is simultaneously intimidating and intensely compelling. As a newbie of less than 1 ½ years in biz, I found the energy of being surrounded by so many levels of business owners to be intoxicating.  The resource that NAPO is, the education it offers, the legitimate business generator that it provides are here for us to access and integrate into our own businesses.

The best news of the weekend was that next year it will be in FORT WORTH:  within driving distance for us!  This is a perfect opportunity to GET TO CONFERENCE, NAPO2019 without the added expense of a plane ticket.  So register now in the pre-sale and early-bird window, and pat yourself on the back for deciding to drink the NAPO Kool-Aid!

Ryan, owner and founder of Love Your Space Organizing in Austin, TX, is a former Spanish teacher and current community enthusiast who has a passion for all things organizing. While closets are her first love, she is practically obsessed with RECYCLING, FREE-CYCLING, and DONATING the items that we no longer use.  She finds that with a little effort, almost all of our cast-off items can go to benefit others, and not just the typical drive-thru drop off centers. While only in business since January of 2017, she is 100% certain she has found her forever career!