Meet Melle Hartley | Entrepreneur

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

Hi Melle, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
When I first started out as an entrepreneur I didn’t realize that being self-employed wasn’t just a career, it was a lifestyle. As an entrepreneur, you are your brand, you wear all the hats and it doesn’t just stop because it’s the end of the week. It spills into your weekend, your vacations, your personal time. As I adjusted to this “new lifestyle” I thought that’s just how it is, not really anything I can do about it. If I wanted success I would have to hustle hard, sleep less, and work non-stop. It wasn’t until I was operating 5 businesses all at once when I completely burned out and almost had a nervous breakdown. I had to stop and take a break to claim back my sanity. I was living an unhealthy life; I hardly slept, ate or had any fun. I remember I would get asked “What do you do for fun? What are your hobbies?” and literally all I could think of for an answer was “I work, but I enjoy my work, so I consider working to be fun” but the truth was I didn’t have any hobbies that didn’t revolve around my business. I wouldn’t do anything unless it supported my business in some way. After taking a few years off to reflect, I was able to take a step back and stop being so analytical and just enjoy where I was, what I was doing and who I was with. I started traveling again, which is I suppose in a way a hobby. Something I will always appreciate as a takeaway from my time at Keller Williams is how to build your career around your life and create the lifestyle you want. They taught us to plan your work around your personal schedule, which is something I still do to this day. One thing I truly fear is being one of those really wealthy successful people who has all the things; the mansion, the car, maybe even a private jet… but never gets to enjoy anything because I’m always working. Life is way too short! I still work very hard and get things done, but I’m more strict with myself about when to call it a day so I can start fresh in the morning. I absolutely love what I do but I am more aware of the fact life isn’t all about work. I make other things a priority; family, relationships, taking time for self care. It’s been a game changer, and I really do notice a difference in how much better I am able to operate my businesses since taking more time for creating a work life balance.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I started my first business very unconventionally. I had no experience, no business plan, and no clue what I was doing. Plus there wasn’t really a blueprint for how to run this type of business because it wasn’t as common as it is now. So I learned a lot by trial and error. Actually predominately by trial and error to be honest. But I think what set me apart — other than there not really being a ton of competition back then — was my skillset as an organizer. I knew what I was doing, and I enjoyed what I was doing for my clients. I truly enjoyed working with them and helping them tackle their at home projects. During consultations I would often ask first time clients if they had ever hired a professional organizer before and many of them said they had but they didn’t have that great of an experience with them. Getting feedback has always been a great tool for me to learn how to improve and grow the business. What did they like? What did they dislike? Taking everything with a grain of salt, of course. But I am very aware that as a professional organizer I have a skill that not everybody has, and I’ve been self taught in this skill for pretty much my entire life. I know the anxiety some clients have when it comes to letting a stranger into their home, to go through their personal things, and then completely rearrange everything. It can be overwhelming. So I try to go above and beyond to ease their minds, and I do this for every single client. I think part of the fun is that every single project is going to be different and that’s a fun challenge for me as a professional. As a business owner, it’s fun to keep evolving and adding new packages and services that will help my clients’ lives to be more efficient. I’ve been very blessed to work with some really interesting, cool people who all have such different personalities and goals, being able to be a small part of helping them achieve that is so special to me. This year we are expanding and growing but no matter how much we expand, I always want the company to have that small boutique feel to our clients.

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.
My new favorite spot is Belle’s Beach House in Venice! I also love Gran Blanco and Plant Food & Wine (also in Venice). I’m a huge fan of restaurants and lounges that make me feel as though I’m on vacation, since it’s been a little harder to travel lately. I recently went to the rooftop restaurant and lounge at the Proper Hotel in Santa Monica which was a whole vibe. Elephante is still one of my faves, too.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
So Good General Store! I had the pleasure of meeting Kameko at a pop up event in Mar Vista and I love all of her plant-based products.

Website: chamberlane.co

Instagram: chamberlanehome

Twitter: chamberlanehome

Image Credits
Sara Bignault