She Had The Business – Reimagining Hustle with Jessica Maldonado

Roxanne Merket: Podcasting from under my blankets. So it’s quiet enough to hear me. This is Reimagining Hustle, a podcast for entrepreneurial parents, creating a life or business and parenthood live peacefully in the same space. I’m your host, Roxanne Merket, a mom of two, micro business coach, and serial entrepreneur on a journey to prove that it really is possible to do what you love. Without sacrificing all of your precious time. Let’s do this. 

Welcome back to Reimagining Hustle. I’m very excited for you to meet my guest today. I have Jessica Maldonado with me, but before I introduce her, I need to let you know that if you have run across Jessica before you may have seen her with her former name, Jessica Varian Carroll.

But I get the privilege of introducing her as Jessica Maldonado today. So Jessica, thanks so much for being with me.

Jessica Maldonado: Hey Everyone. Thank you so much for having me. I’m so excited. I’m so honored and I am just so happy to be here. Thank you so very much. What you’re doing is so important and I’m here to share whatever I possibly can. That might be a little nugget for someone moving forward.

Roxanne Merket: Awesome I cannot wait. I know that there, there always are. It’s amazing to me as I’ve been doing this podcast for a while now, it’s so fun to me to recognize the value in telling stories like yours, right. Where it’s just we’ll, we’ll get, we’ll dive into it and we’ll hear more about what it is you do, but I just, I’m so excited to have this conversation.

And also I did acknowledge the name change here, but I want to tell you, congratulations. I know it’s been a couple of months since your wedding, but congratulations on the marriage. That’s very 

Jessica Maldonado: exciting

Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, it’s wild.

Roxanne Merket: you know, right. Pandemic wedding, which I’m sure we’ll hear more about, but will you just tell us about you tell us about the work that you do, your journey to get there.

[00:01:56] Jessica’s Story

Jessica Maldonado: Absolutely. Okay. So 2010, I realized that my first marriage wasn’t working it wasn’t going to happen. And. I mean, we were losing a house to a foreclosure and I was afraid we were going to just come home. The doors would be locked, me and the kids would not be able to figure that out. So I took a job in the church and I said, you know, I’ll do anything, whatever you need me to do.

And so, you know, after a few weeks of like talking to the priest, You know, if you need anything, anything. And he said, okay, I have a job for you. And so he hired me for the after-school program and it was in Asbury park, a lower income, um, uh, almost poverty level, kind of a after school program in Asbury park. And there’s no fee.

So, you know, they just dropped off the, the children and it’s predominantly minority. So most of the kids came from families that, you know, English was not their first language. So here we are, we opened the doors for a couple of hours a day and we have snacks or we do what we can. And, uh, you know, my kids at that point in time, me and my four children.

Um, we’re living in, um, very small ranch, uh, sharing three bedrooms, but we were lucky if it was maybe 800 square feet. And now my two youngest at the time writing Damien, they didn’t have a lot, but I realized they had a lot more than these kids did. And I was like, whoa, something’s wrong. So I was put in charge of the kindergarten class.

So next thing you know, they’re the two of them, they’re boy and girl, where are we’re sharing a bunk bed room and I’m purging their stuff. And I was like, you know, you guys don’t even play with this and they didn’t have a lot mind you, but I was like, Plastic kitchen. That’s gone, you know, this, that and the other.

And I brought it into the classroom and, uh, you know, and then these kids were like, oh my gosh, this is amazing. You know, some of the kids even showed up in pajamas. Like they went to school in pajamas. And so it just, you know, something really occurred to me, there’s something transpired and I didn’t know what it was while I was there.

I ran into a woman and she’s like, oh, you know, I’m part of this networking group, this women’s group, maybe you’d like to join. It’s called WIP women in power. And I was like, okay. At the time I started a small, um, multilevel marketing candle party, like candles. So I was doing that at night. On the, you know, on the rare chance that I could and I wasn’t passionate about it, but I was just trying to bring in a little more income.

And so I joined for that. And I got into that room and I looked around and I heard all of these women doing all of these things and I wanted to hide in the corner. I was like, oh my gosh, this is not for me. I don’t deserve to be here. I didn’t graduate college. I didn’t even go to college. Like, oh my gosh, please don’t talk to me because I don’t know what I’m going to say.

You do. And, um, over time, things started to change and, uh, Then I had this idea. I had watched an episode of hoarders the night before our monthly meeting. And so I was hosting at my house, which was a huge, big deal. So I had this tiny little house and it was the first time I was hosting like mature women, like, you know, so I was feeling, you know, more comfortable. And we had a question of the night. So we closed with a question. Anybody could grab it, you know, and take it. So here I was, I was like, I was like, I’m going to say something. So the, you know, closing toward the closing of the meeting, my heart’s beating out of my chest because I’m going to say something I’m going to bring up something.

So I approached and you know that the dozen or so women that were in my house, Is there really a need for this home organizing thing, this home organization kind of business and half of them. Now this was 2011, pre Marie Kondo and joy of tidying up and all of that stuff. And they said, are you kidding me?

Absolutely. And half of them hired me that night.

Roxanne Merket: Oh, wow.

Jessica Maldonado: So I was beside myself and I knew I had to, you know, really take advantage of it. I was working part-time at this school. So I immediately followed up, okay, when are we doing this? What night? What weekends? And like, just making it happen and to see. So I would work at this school.

I would do this in the off time. And then I was researching and I was like, oh my gosh, organizers make 50 to $200 an hour. Like I was blown away. Like you could even possibly get something like that. And I just started. And I think within four months I knew that it can be a thing that I was capable of doing it.

So I had tested, I got before and after photos and because that’s what my networking groups are, like, get those before and after photos, those are what you need. So within four months I opened up my LLC and at the time it was organized by design. And a year ago, I rebranded to Organista Home. So since then I’ve been in business, it’ll be 10 years next.

Roxanne Merket: Congratulations. Happy anniversary. That’s a big deal.

Jessica Maldonado: a big deal. Uh, I’ve worked with over 300 clients and donated over a million items to charity. So helping women reclaim their space, feel happy at home, saving relationships. Um, friendships, all kinds of things. I mean, I just got off an eight hour job in Manasquan, two very busy doctors, and I’m just helping them purge it and actually finding that word here.

Now they were my very first client, so they’re just so busy. I’ve moved them, I’ve unpacked them. And we just keep in contact because they thrive. At what their zone of genius is and it’s not organizing. So they have me come in because they realize it’s really important for your Headspace. That it’s just clear.

So, uh, so I’m still doing that. I was had the good fortune of hiring a few women. And so I have a few women that work for me, sadly, you know, things have occurred and through the pandemic, you know, I have them part-time as needed. It’s not as needed as often, but I’m hoping I’m very optimistic that we’ll get back there again.

And I’m just so grateful for the opportunity, because I know not only am I helping my clients, but I’m helping people in less fortunate situations. And then for people that don’t know where they would put things, you know, they’d be like, oh, I’m just gonna throw it away. Well, it doesn’t go to the landfills.

So I rehome it essentially. So it’s like a big win, win, win, win, win, win, win, you know, and it’s just very exciting. I love it. I’m past so passionate.

Roxanne Merket: I mean, I can tell you to talk to it. And I think about, you know, as you share your story and, and seeing, you know, kids in need and things like that, to basically pull all of that into your business, right, where you are finding an opportunity to, you know, support others who may be less fortunate than you are right now to find opportunities to support women and to hire them.

What an incredible thing that you’ve turned this whole business into. That’s absolutely incredible. I would love to ask you for a really, like, is there something actionable that you could recommend to us, like right now that if you’re struggling with organization in your home, what’s like the first thing that you would suggest to people?

[00:09:38] Actionable item? Purge!

Jessica Maldonado: Purge, you got to purge, but pick one area and be very specific as you could be, you know, during headlights or a squirrel squirrel, squirrel, you know, pick one area stay there, you know, pick a six foot section in the kitchen and you just say, then you just knock it out of the park. So that would be my number one thing. In December, I think, or January I woke up one morning.

Burning desire to purge. And I live a minimalist lifestyle. So I don’t have, if you look around my house, it’s like, there’s not that much stuff there, but I woke up and I was like, I’m going to do a 500 item challenge. So I woke up, I put it out to my show, search social media network. I had 50 people take that 500 item purge. So that’s what 25,000 items people were purging. So little did I know if you look through my bedroom, you won’t believe it, but I pulled out 300 items, whether it was trash donation or recycling. But if you, if I told you I pulled out 300 and she’d be like, no way, like where, but I mean, every item counts.

And then just to see the movements of people that were like, okay, I’m on. I want this. So, you know, you had a week to do 500 items. And they say the average American house has over 500,000 items in it. Anyway. So yes, American, you know, in

Roxanne Merket: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Jessica Maldonado: there’s a difference there too, but, uh, yeah. So that way you should be able to do it with your eyes closed.

Roxanne Merket: Wow. That’s I have a big move coming up and I’m like, we should do this now. I should see if I can do 500 items in every room. Like let’s do this. Let’s see. So that’s,

Jessica Maldonado: absolutely.

Roxanne Merket: Wow. Wow. That’s absolutely incredible. So it’ll be 10 years next month. What does success look like to you?

[00:11:33] What does success look like?

Jessica Maldonado: Uh, and for me, it’s really, um, being a good role model to my children. So right now they’re from 14 to 20.

Roxanne Merket: Okay.

Jessica Maldonado: you know, they’ve been with me through thick and thin. I braced them as a sole provider financially, physically the whole deal. So, I mean, I would have the minivan full of black bags to pick them up from school.

They’d have to jump over. The black bags are sitting on the black bags. So they’ve been there. They’ve helped me. Dropped off the items that, you know, and so there, they really saw their mom in action and making things happen. So for me, seeing that, and hopefully it resonating somewhere in there, you know, in their journey forward in their lives that, you know, they can really essentially do anything.

I was able to support them after three years. I couldn’t even work at the church part-time anymore. I had. Just do my business full time. So sadly, I, you know, I haven’t received child support or I didn’t for at least eight years. So I was able to, you know, raise them alone just off of what I made working part-time hours.

So I really wanted, you know, my goal at some point is to make it, um, a pod thing where other women, I can teach other women to do this or franchise it because I was a single mom raising four children who were in sports, who did things. So, you know, I could do the four hour shifts, make enough money to support us in the four hours, the 20 hours a week.

So do the rides, do all the things, the things that I had to do. So.

Roxanne Merket: Wow. I love too that you just described success, not only now, but past successes and what future success looks like to you. So to have that vision so clear in your mind is such a beautiful thing. And you mentioned something I want to ask. So your kids are 14 to 22 now, which means if I’ve done my math, right?

They were between four and 12. When you first started doing this, have you noticed. They approach organization differently. Now having watched you do this for 10 years.

Jessica Maldonado: Sure. Yeah. I have two that are on track that are very, pretty much OCD, almost slightly anal. And then I have two that don’t even care. They don’t, you don’t want to check their rooms out. Trust me. It’s, it’s not a pretty sight, so I didn’t want to impose my, you know, you know, you got to keep the room orderly, but I’m not crazy.

Crazy. So.

Roxanne Merket: certainly I appreciate you being so honest with us too, you know? Cause I think we have this, you know, this vision of, of what it would be like if like for me at least, you know, what would my life be like if I were as organized as you are, right? Like how organized would my children be? And so I appreciate that.

You’re so honest with that. Do you have suggestions for, especially because this podcast is really for entrepreneurs who are also parents. Are there suggestions you have for getting your kids involved as you do things like purge items in your house?

[00:14:31] How do you get kids involved in organization?

Jessica Maldonado: Yeah. I mean, I’m, I make it fun, you know, so I would pose challenges to them like, oh, let’s see how many it’s my daughters. I have three boys and a girl. And I said, you know, let’s see if you could do 50 items. And this was when she was, you know, much younger. She came out with, you know, 101 items and my, uh, 22 year old, bought a house last year.

And you know, that just goes to show, he saw his mother working hard and aggressive. So at 21, he was able to purchase his first condo because of his priorities. And, you know, so I knew I did a good job because he’s able to do that. He wasn’t just gifted a house, you know, he had to work for it and make it happen.

And he did it at such a young age. So that’s one of my accomplishments is knowing that he watched and he, you know, saw, and he he’s a hustler. You know, if he has an opportunity to pick up a set, you know, side jobs I’d work, he’s doing it. So that’s very important to me that the kids, you know, You don’t need the college degree.

The two of my two older boys, virtual college is not for them and that’s okay. So now they’re just, they’re just doing their thing and they’re, they’re making it happen whatever way. And they’re good kinds of people. I mean, They worked together and, uh, you know, they get all these compliments they’re in customer service.

Who raised you, who was your mother? Like, I want to meet her, you know, she’s, you guys are so friendly, you’re talkative and things like that. And that means the world to me, knowing that yeah, we had a lot of tough times. I mean, there was a time we lived in that small little place and, you know, the water was shut off.

And, you know, trying to figure that out and how to navigate those fields. So they’ve had some really extenuating circumstances, but Hey, they made it through and everybody’s doing really well,

Roxanne Merket: Oh, that’s wonderful too. And congratulations to your son on purchasing the house too. That’s really exciting. So can I ask you about this word hustle? Because this is what this whole podcast is about. Is this idea of reimagining hustle. I want to give you a little bit of background to the question that I’m about to ask you.

So when I first started. My entrepreneur journey. I was not a parent. I started and I was, you know, doing all the things that I love, the hustle, hustle, hustle, go, go, go culture. You know, it felt really good to me. It felt like, you know, I really thrived off of that culture. And then I had my first child and my whole world stopped and I went, oh no, this is not sustainable.

Must find something else. So what are we going to do here? And, uh, so I’ve been on this quest to re-imagine hustle since then. And so I would love to know what does hustle look like to you now? You’ve described it a little bit, but I would love to know like, If I could just ask you point blank. How do you re-imagine hustle?

[00:17:16] How do you reimagine hustle?

Jessica Maldonado: Sure. Well, for me. Hustleing in my scenario. Things have changed over the years, but for me, my hustle, I had one motto. I was raising four kids alone, financially, all, everything, it was work or be homeless. That was my Mo and my mentality. I didn’t have anybody to fall back on. It was me. So me hustling me working every day.

It was just what it was going to be. And now things have changed. And I’m in a better scenario, you know, I’m not so, you know, floating on, you know, bags of money, but things are better, but I haven’t, I’ve loosened up the hustle to enjoy life more, but I am still hustling. I’m not giving that up. I still want to provide and want to be better.

I want to be debt free. You know, I want to do all of those things. So, you know, hustle in my early days was work or be homeless, which was a lot. And then I really got shifted when the pandemic hit and all of the sudden I’m not working and here. So for, you know, eight years I went hard. I mean, I was working, I was hustling.

It was, you know, booking appointments and now it’s like fall screeching halt. And I didn’t, I was so disoriented. And not knowing what to do. So I took, you know, maybe two weeks and then I was, I caught up another priest. I was like, I need work. I need to help. And I, he said, okay, well we’re delivering school lunches, the kids, you know, and as.

So I went into the church, I helped make the brown bag lunches. And then I got in the van and we delivered them to all of those areas. You wouldn’t drive through. And everybody like, well, weren’t you afraid, you know, COVID and you were in the, you know, you’re doing all this and I’m like, no, I’m protected.

You know, I’m doing good stuff and doing the work. These kids are not. Yeah, food necessarily because their parents can’t drive them to pick up the free food for lunch. And so I was in there and, you know, it was just about being in there, giving back, helping others, where in our mothers would have to worry like where the lunch is going to come.

You know, if you get free lunch five days a week, and now all of a sudden actually do breakfast and lunch. So it, it was just, you know, so I helped out there. And slowly, you know, I start working in bits and pieces here and there, but I, I, you know, so my hustle is different, definitely, but it’s, it’s still there.

Roxanne Merket: That makes a lot of sense. Well, and I I’m really interested in how you’ve described this. You know, your children have been a part of this service has been a part of all of this, you know? And so I think that, that, you know, that concept of hustle kind of, um, For me, at least that that hustle culture was kind of ignore everything else and only do this one thing.

And you still, you know, you know, you mentioned that it was work or be homeless and that’s, but you still did that. Right. Cause you still had, you were still caring for all of these other people in your life. And I think that that’s really an inspiring story to me. And I really appreciate you letting us in on that. Piece of your world too. How has being a parent during all of this journey of yours? You know, this being, you know, in business for almost a decade now, how has being a parent during all of that changed you as a person?

[00:20:54] How has being a parent changed you?

Jessica Maldonado: Uh, it’s, it’s been interesting. Um, I am co-founder of a women’s organization is called SOAR sees opportunity and rise. So I started that maybe three or four years ago. And. Through my business, I’ve found through my organizing company. I found that a lot of the women I worked with, um, 90%, 90% women clients, that a lot of them almost seem to lonely or were looking for a friendship.

So sometimes I saw like I was fired. Yeah, we did a little work, but it was more, you know, talking more friendship, things like that. And I was like, something is wrong here, you know? Something is off balance. So when I joined that women’s group, all of those years ago, you could have said, I could have been one of those women.

I couldn’t have afforded to have someone to help me. But, um, so now over the years I became more comfortable in all of those women. I was intimidated are all now my best friends. So I have this big network of women. And I was like, you know, this isn’t right. And so I, I have two parties a year, my birthday in August, and I have a Christmas party and I invite my clients and my friends.

And next thing you know, that day after I see on Facebook, this one’s friends with this one now, and this one and this one, and I’m like, this is a beautiful thing. So I had met with a woman when I was writing my book years ago. we just stayed in touch. I shared with her my story about going to Haiti in 2011, 2011 was big year for me, for whatever

Roxanne Merket: Sounds like it. Yeah.

Jessica Maldonado: I raised a bunch of money with a man from church.

She said, can you partner with me? We’re going to do tents for Haiti. So I shared that story. I flew over to Haiti with medical supplies and all kinds of stuff. And she’s like, well, you need to talk to my women’s conference in Pennsylvania. And at that time it was called bold heart. And so I did that. And then a few years later, she was like, I want to bring that to the Jersey shore, where we both live. And, um, so her and I, we started talking and I’m like, wait, this woman has written books. She’s got companies. Why is she asking me to be her partner for this? I’m like blown away. And, uh, so we did, and it turns out her and I were in alignment for, you know, around that timeframe. We were both thinking like women need to connect, women need to come together.

So we created this thing, which our daughters, both they’re still young, but are apart very much a part of it. So it’s talk about bringing your children and having your children in. My daughter right now is, um, in all accelerated high school programs. And I think it’s from that lesson of her, seeing her mother really hitting the grindstone with everything, I, the minute I found out I was having a girl, I signed up to be a girl scout leader.

So, and my troop wasn’t accelerated true, but I didn’t have just like, oh, arts and crafts every Wednesday, you know, we had a 1500 cookie box school. We broke it down on how many were you going to sell a week? And, you know, so I think those examples, uh, has pushed her to like these enormous, enormous level.

And even for my sons, um, they help stuff. The swag bags, they drop off stuff to donation, to charity. They, um, are people, people, uh, people, you know, people, people, people, people.

Roxanne Merket: I got you. Like people, like, they care about people. Like people, not like people pleasers, but like they’re. Yeah. Like a people, person,

Jessica Maldonado: Yeah, that’s it. I was like, what is that

Roxanne Merket: people, people. Yeah, totally. That’s that would be the blur of people, but like a people person. Right? Both of them, there are people, people. Yeah.

Jessica Maldonado: And so it’s just, you know, the kids have seen that. Um, they know that I didn’t, you know, I finished high school. I never went to college. I had my oldest son when I was 19. And just seeing that anything is key, you’re capable of anything. So just planting that seed. Like, Hey, yeah, you might have a different path and that path isn’t wrong, you can succeed, but you got to put it in the work the time, the energy, and, you know, go for it.

And, uh, you know, so I’ve given them little offshoots of jobs. Uh, you know, last night, my 14 year old was matching socks for one of my clients. Cause you know, you never know what’s going to stick. What’s not going to stick. They, you know, my kids did a few different ventures. Um, just to, you never know, you know, what is going to happen, what’s going to, but I think they’re all better for it, for sure.

Roxanne Merket: Absolutely. Jessica, have you ever experienced guilt around raising your kids and growing a business at the same time?

[00:25:45] What about guilt?

Jessica Maldonado: Um, well, I was very fortunate with my organizing company. At least I made my own hours and works Monday through Friday. My favorite timeframe was well right after they were in school. So I would love like the eight to 12 shift or the nine to one shift. So essentially. In their eyes. I never worked, you know, I might have got bags and bags full of donations, but I was always around there.

Wasn’t, you know, You know, there was sorting, there was a little research, um, since doing soar, you know, but essentially I’ve never worked in nine to five that they’ve, they can recall. So they, they don’t realize, um, it not being a thing. I don’t think so. I’m fortunate in that way. So.

Roxanne Merket: That’s awesome too, that I, you know, I think that’s one of the biggest perks and the biggest draws of entrepreneurship, especially to moms is that you can create your own hours. I think sometimes we forget that as you create your own hours, it doesn’t have to be nine to five. You know, you can’t, you can say, Hey, Nope, I’m working after I dropped my.

To school until I go pick them up or whatever that might be, that, that you don’t have to work a 40 hour work week. You don’t have to, you know, that’s that’s it’s okay. And I love that you, you do that and you embody that. So that’s, that’s just fantastic to me. What do you wish people knew about living these two worlds of parenting and entrepreneurship at the same?

[00:27:15] What do you wish people knew about entrepreneurship and motherhood?

Jessica Maldonado: That it’s absolutely feasible. I mean, if I could do it with no support, um, from, you know, another party and really dive in there and really wholeheartedly, um, You know, dive in you, it can be done everybody, you know, there’s an excuse for this, or I can’t do this, you know? And if your excuse is big enough, your reasons bigger than your excuse, you can absolutely do anything.

If anything, you know, I’m living proof of that. I mean, we’ve been. know, through all kinds of scenarios. And, um, I mean, if anybody is interested in my book that I wrote last September, I really dive into that because my goal with this book was even if I could just help one mom it’s called, she had no business. whole time. I was like, I have no business doing this. I have no business doing this. I have no business doing this. And, um, so I really just wanted to share my experiences. So anybody that has been through things knows that you can get, uh, ahead of it. You can really rise above. Um, there’s many, a times that, you know, I could be in a fetal position laying on the ground, not wanting to ever move, but I couldn’t.

I have four kids. And so there’s tips in there. There’s a lot of explanations. Um, and Hey, I mean, what did I have, you know, did I have a reason to write a book? You know, my only goal was to help watch this one person. And see what happens now, you know, here’s the book it’s in Barnes and noble. It went to Walmart target and all of these kinds of things.

So you wouldn’t think, but I just tried it and I was like, what the heck, if it could help someone. So, um, it’s called She had no business, a real life tale of faith, courage and beating the odds. So my whole goal was just, you know, to help just that one woman that was in my position. Just go for it, just say, I’m going to do this.

I’m going to do it and she can do it. Well, I know I can do it. So that is, you know, one of the reasons that I did that and, you know, I’ll let you in a little secret. I just signed a shopping. With a major producer where he believes that he can bring it to the movie screen. So we’ll see if it’s

Roxanne Merket: cool.

Jessica Maldonado: here you go.

I’m telling you Roxanne. I mean, here I am. I have no business writing a book, but I’m going to do it anyway and we’ll see what happens. Well, it got picked up and all the engine, all the major co or companies or whatever, and okay. All right. That’s cool. And no. You know, maybe it’ll be a movie, God willing, you know, it’ll reach the people that need to see it that were in similar situations.

And just to know that, like my first dedication in this book, well, my only dedication to Jared Noah, Riley and Damien, and just remember all things are possible. So that’s living proof. I mean, who would have thought a girl that finished high school and that was it. Has a book in all of these stores might, you know, God willing, we’ll have a movie, you know, inspiring others donate a million.

You just don’t know. So just try it. What the heck, you know, what the heck?

Roxanne Merket: That’s absolutely incredible. And, and I want to just remind my listeners that this book, if you want to check it out, make sure that you’re looking for it under the name, Jessica Varian Carroll, not under the name, Jessica Maldonado, because I, I that’s, I, I know that that’s something that we talked about beforehand that this I’m.

I gotta go grab a copy of this book so I can read it too, but what an incredible thing and what a great name too, for the book, she had no business, like, oh my goodness. I’m so here for that, I hope it becomes a movie. I think that’d be really cool.

Jessica Maldonado: Thank you so much. Well, I have to tell you, I woke up in the middle of the night, two years ago. Like it was, she had no business and I’m like, what does that even mean? But you know, you’re supposed to write down what you think. So I got up or found she had no business, no idea what that was even. And then two months later, um, my partner for the women’s events came to me and she said, I had this opportunity and she. know, what do you think? Who do you know? And I was like, what about me? And then that’s where she, that was the title. And I didn’t even know, it just came to me in the middle of the night. So.

Roxanne Merket: I love stories like that. Those are the best Jessica. I am just so inspired by your story. Well, I feel like this whole thing has been a pep talk, but will you give us a very like specific pep talk for parents on this entrepreneur journey? Or just feeling like they just need a little bit? Yeah.

[00:31:58] Pep Talk!

Jessica Maldonado: Okay. All right. I’m going to say, dive in, jump in, just go for it to hell with everybody else. You know, money, resources, whatever, if you want it, I promise you can make it happen. You really can do it. You have to be committed. You have to be tenacious, but I promise if you put in the work, you will be rewarded.

Roxanne Merket: Mm, pep talked! Thank you so much. This has been just an absolute treat for me. I know my listeners will enjoy it as well. We definitely need more of you. So tell us, where can we find you online?

Jessica Maldonado: Sure absolutely. Uh, LinkedIn I’m under Jessica Carroll still on Instagram. I have. Organista home is the home organizing platform. I have Facebook, um, same thing. And so Instagram, Facebook. So I have organista home. I have soar women’s symposium. And then I have Jessica Varian Carroll author page. So there’s a few different tangents.

There’s enough of that. And I have, you know, um, websites, but who does websites anymore? We just closed the social media platform. And, uh, yeah. So that’s all good. And I would love if any of your listeners have any questions? Message me just let me know. I’d love to answer any questions. Um, by all means there’s a lot of tips in the book.

If you know, I think I have a contact in the back of the book, but you know, I’d love to my cousin. Passion is really helping others and serving. And so if there’s anything I can do, if you need a quick pep talk, you need me to my, I love stationary. I love writing cards. So I will write a card to you, whatever you want to have a, like I bought a hundred of, you got this girl cards, I’ll ship that right out to you.

And you know, by all means, use me. I would love to be a service to you or anybody else, but, you know, for sure.

Roxanne Merket: Awesome. What a generous offer my goodness. And we’ll make sure that we include all of the links in the show notes. Jessica, thank you for the gift of your time today for sharing your story with us. I just I’m inspired. And, and I, I think that this idea of you actually do have any business doing the things that you’re doing.

So thank you for sharing that with us.

Jessica Maldonado: Thank you so much, Roxanne, it’s been a real pleasure and I wish you good luck on your journey. That’s quite a journey that you’re taking and the new chapter and a jump on that purge sooner than later

Roxanne Merket: you going to happen? It’s going, I’m going to go down. We’re hanging up the call and we’re going to go do that right now. So. Awesome. Thanks so much, Jessica.

Jessica Maldonado: Oh, thank you so much.

 

Roxanne Merket: Thanks for listening to Reimagining Hustle with Roxanne Merket. If you like the show and want more, check out ReimaginingHustle.com

and please leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. We’ll be back next week with another episode. See you soon.