Meet Kat Reichmuth | Home Alchemist & Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kat Reichmuth and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kat, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I was 25, working as an insurance agent, miserable, and the fluorescent lights office lights were soul-sucking. I knew I wouldn’t last and had been dreaming of opening my own business.

Coworkers were always coming to me, asking me to organize their files because I had a knack for organizing. Clean Sweep and Clean House were popular shows at the time, and with a quick google search, it all came together. The National Association of Professional Organizers was a thing and this could be a real business. When a coworker found me crying in the bathroom one day and said to start my damn company already, I took it to heart and quit so I could start The Simplified Life.

My hospitality management degree turned out to be a business degree in disguise, and I remembered from my classes all the things I needed to do to start a business. I put up a website, filed a DBA and business license, took a night job as a waitress, and started hustling.

Having my own business allowed me to finally call the shots in my life. Working for other people always felt…weird. Like wait, I can’t go to this wedding because you won’t give me the day off? But my friend’s wedding is way more important to me than selling another widget for you, so why can’t I go? And you want 40 hours a week from me? And I don’t have a choice in my schedule? And I have to drive and spend the best hours in a day stuck in an office? Yuck. No thanks.

I worked briefly for Virgin America in 2012, and in training they gave the best advice: “schedule your life first, then schedule your work around it”. Wait, WHAT?!? Mindblowing.

I couldn’t find that sort of flexibility in any of the office and restaurant jobs I’d held, but this resonated so hard with me. It was the whole reason I’d started my own business, and now I had a major company giving me full permission to run my life that way. Now my life comes first, business comes second, burnout is a thing of the past, and I’ve been successful with that mindset and better able to coach clients now that I’m living fully in a way that works for me. Put your own oxygen mask on first, as they say.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The Simplified Life has been my dream life and business since 2007. From parents and partners that told me to “get a real job” to not having any friends that were entrepreneurs, I didn’t have any real support or mentors around. In my parents’ defense, they are both entrepreneurs and couldn’t fathom why I’d trade a corporate job for the stress of entrepreneurship.

So was it easy? No, not in the least. But I kept at it, read every business book I could get my hands on, studied other business, and learned the power of perseverance. I even created a little ebook on starting a business to hopefully save others from all the mistakes I made, like my $5,000 website. If you’re starting a business, look up your proposed website in a private browser, otherwise, bots will buy your domain name and sell it back to you for thousands.

For aspiring entrepreneurs, I would say you can’t shake the bug. If you have a business inside you, you’ll never be content working for someone else, so just start it. Even if you have to work 2 jobs while it’s getting started, I promise it’s worth it.

As The Simplified Life turns 15 this year, I would love for the world to know that we aren’t just a home organizing company. We are a personal development company using peace in the home as a gateway to peace in life. If this former hot mess, disorganized, burnt-out, packrat can make her dreams come true, anyone can. I figured it out in my life, and my greatest love is helping others find vision, clarity and peace of mind in their homes and lives through our signature course – Sanctuary: Your Pathway to Peace.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Not sure if I’m supposed to answer for San Diego, or my area (I’m near SF), so I’ll answer both:

San Diego:

A MUST after landing at SAN is heading to Lucha Libre taco shop. It is campy AF with great food. Then on to a cute Airbnb in the Gaslamp Quarter. After a disco nap, we’d head to The Neighborhood for food, and mosey into the adjoining speakeasy, Noble Experiment, for a cocktail.

Day 2 I’d take them to Coronado Island for some beach time and a cocktail on the deck of the Hotel Del, followed by dinner at McP’s Irish Pub.

Day 3 would be wandering around Balboa Gardens, followed by dinner at Madison in University Heights.

Day 4 would be the Midway Museum, followed by a sunset sail.

Day 5 we would head to La Jolla to kayak, see the tidepools, and play at the beach with a quick dinner from The Taco Stand

Day 6 we would wander around the Gaslamp quarter again, having brunch at Garage Kitchen & Bar, and shopping.

Day 7 lounge and then head back to SAN

San Francisco:

I live on the peninsula, south of SF, so we would start at my house and check out the neighboring town of Woodside. With a trail club dating back to 1948, it has one of the largest riding trail networks in the US, with trails going by the likes of Larry Ellison’s house. After a walk through town, we would eat at Buck’s, a local institution and take another walk after lunch to see the rest of the town (it’s tiny!).

Day 2: Walk the Golden Gate Bridge, fog permitting, and then take the coast down through Sea Cliff to little known China Beach. After dipping toes in the freezing water and collecting a few shells, we’d get back in the car and head down to stop at the Sutro Baths ruins, then to the reopened Cliff House for some clam chowder. After that we’d park at Ocean Beach for a minute, then drive The Great Highway south and take the 1 all the way down through Pacifica to Half Moon Bay and then home.

Day 3: Back to Half Moon Bay to hit up the shops and tidepools. Lunch would be at Cameron’s English Pub (complete with double decker red bus!) and dinner would be at Monsoon Himalayan Cuisine.

Day 4: Time to paddle! We’d take the paddleboards out from our houseboat and enjoy a leisurely paddle down under the 101 freeway. Sounds industrial, but it’s really trippy when you can touch the freeway bottom because the tide is high. After paddling, we’d have sushi from Yokohama while sitting on our floating barge, watching the sun set.

Day 5: Back to SF! Because, touristy as it is, we have to go Pier 39 and stroll around that part of the city. Lunch is clam chowder from one of the restaurant stalls, and dinner is at Scoma’s, a long standing institution for delicious dining. If we time it right, we’d take a sunset sail from one of the charter boats at the marina.

Day 6: We hang out on the peninsula, and do a little fancy shopping at the Stanford Shopping Center, with dinner at Alpine Inn in Portola Valley.

Day 7: We lounge by the pool and then I take them back to SFO

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Chris & Jen from Superconnector Media have been instrumental in revamping my business from a home organizing business into a coaching business. They have provided support, insight, and a road-map to create the digital company of my dreams.

My partner, Marcus, has also been unwavering in his support of turning my business into a 15-year overnight success. As I’ve completely revamped it over the past year, he’s been the one cheering me on and saying “don’t worry, this will work!”

Website: www.thesimplifiedlife.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesimplifiedlife/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katreichmuth/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesimplifiedlife

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-simplified-life-woodside-2

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/thesimplifiedlife

Image Credits
photos by self, and partner, Marcus Vargas