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Here's to Simplifying Your Life
By Jennifer McGuiggan, Communications Coordinator
Patty Kreamer couldn't figure out why she always finished projects more quickly than other people. "I thought I was lazy," she says, "but I found out that I was just efficient." It turns out that what she initially thought was cutting corners was simply eliminating unnecessary steps and saving time. In 1999 Kreamer put her talents to good use and founded Kreamer Connect a company that provides productivity and efficiency solutions through individual consulting and group training. She also offers relocation services and educational materials. In short, she's a professional organizer and speaker.
Ironically, it was her fear of public speaking that prompted her to take the entrepreneurial plunge. She claims that this fear was so great that she quit her job in Virginia and moved to Arizona when her employer asked her to make a speech.
Realizing that her fear was a "huge ugly monster," she finally decided to face and overcome it. So she did the entrepreneurial thing and began presenting seminars on organizing. Fortunately for her, she says, "For the first couple of seminars I set up, nobody attended." In reality, so few people registered that she canceled the seminars. When she called to tell the registrants, they began asking for private consulting sessions, and voilà - another aspect of her business was born!
Now Kreamer Connect not only does individual consulting, but also offers business consulting, moving services, and training seminars. The woman who used to quake at the thought of speaking in front of a group is now a member of the National Speakers Association and the Pennsylvania Speakers Association. She has even served as president of Toastmasters Club 144. In addition to public speaking groups, Kreamer is also a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), Pittsburgh Human Resources Association, and was previously a board member for The Women's Business Network. Furthermore, she is the founder of Pittsburgh Professional Organizers, a NAPO chapter in formation. A strong believer in the power of networking, she credits all of these organizations with helping her to build her business. "That's how I run my business," she says, "by networking."
The variety and challenges of being a business owner do nothing but excite Kreamer. "I love to wake up everyday and hit a challenge," she says. "That's why it was hard for me to work for other companies." Her employment history followed a disheartening pattern: within six months of starting a new job she'd have everything so well organized that she was ready to move onto the next level, only to be told that promotions were out of the question at six months. Then at 15 months there were still no opportunities for advancement. In the end she'd leave for another company. These frustrations and her drive to "always be number one" made her a prime candidate for entrepreneurship.
Kreamer credits her family as her biggest source of inspiration, especially her mother, who worked for Ford Motor Company for 30 years, starting as a secretary and then retiring as a Retail Marketing Manager. Kreamer notes that her mother accomplished all of this with just "a high school education and the school of hard knocks." She considers her father, who worked as a carpenter for 50 years, a wonderful steady presence in her life, helping to create a perfectly balanced childhood home. "My mom could do anything and my dad was consistent. That was really cool… Everything was steady… All of my brothers and sisters are successful as well: four out of five of us have our own business!"
"I don't look at myself as a woman in business," Kreamer explains. "I see myself as a businessperson with opportunities to grow and increase my business. I look for the positive and that brings good things to me. You attract what you seek. That is why they say be careful what you wish for — you just may get it." Growing up with a strong female role model and a feeling of security gave Kreamer the confidence to succeed. "There was never a question in my mind that I could do anything that I put my mind to. I was very fortunate to have parents who gave me the confidence and freedom to be who I am."
That confidence has allowed Kreamer to do a wide variety of things. With a BS in Marketing from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and extensive coursework in International Trade in Spanish, she has worked in marketing, sales, and even as a teaching golf professional in California.
According to Kreamer, being the youngest of five children has even effected her ability to objectify the process of organizing. She jokes that by the time she was born, her parents hardly bothered to take more than two pictures of her. Hence, she doesn't suffer from pack-rat tendencies brought about by sentimentality. However, this also allows her to get a bit out of hand when it comes to organizing her own possessions. "I've thrown many things away that I need and then thought, 'oh, you were in that mood.' But I just move on … get another one or find an innovative way to handle it." Still, she recognizes that many of her clients want to hold onto things with special meaning. Her job is to both respect their needs and help them make solid decision about what to keep and what to throw out.
This balance is essential to professional organizing. Kreamer points out that there is a big difference between being an organized person and being a professional organizer. A good professional organizer utilizes strong consulting skills by talking to her clients and really listening in order to understand how they live. Then she designs custom systems based on their individual needs to help keep them organized. After all, what works in the organizer's own life may not fit the client's needs; each system must be personalized to maximize results.
Of everything she's done, Kreamer's proudest business accomplishment is her recently published book, …But I Might Need It Someday!, published by First Books Library. The book pulls upon her expertise to offer simple, practical solutions on how to organize your life and win the clutter battle once and for all. 
In addition to her book, people will be seeing more of Kreamer as she puts up ten billboards around Pittsburgh. You can also catch her from time to time as a local expert on "Agewise," a show on the local PBS channel, and as a regular contributor to Pittsburgh Boomers magazine. Her client list includes impressive names such as Bayer Corporation, Alcoa, UPMC, Fantastic Sams of PA, Chatham College, University of Pittsburgh, and National City Bank.
What's the strangest thing Kreamer has seen people hold onto? The list is too long and varied to name them all, she says, but she specifically remembers ponytails and balls of tin foil as large as basketballs. Still, Kreamer retains her composure even in the face of such odd treasures. She says that organizing is "a big pile of decisions, and people get tired of making decisions." And that's where Kreamer's solid expertise can help.
February 2003 |
