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Leslie Josel, an ADHD-academic and parenting coach, is an award-winning entrepreneur having founded Order Out of Chaos: a virtual company whose mission is to help parents guide their students to success in learning and in life.
She is also the creator of the award-winning Academic Planner: A Tool for TimeManagement®, a planner that helps students develop time management skills. Leslie makes sure that when a customer is buying a planner, they are becoming a part of a supportive community, not just buying a one-time product. She is also the award-winning author of 3 books including the recently published, “How to Do it Now Because it’s Not Going Away: An Expert Guide to Getting Stuff Done.” A respected resource on ADHD and Executive Functioning, Leslie writes the weekly “Dear ADHD Family Coach®” column for ADDitude Magazine, the premiere magazine for adults and children with ADHD.
She speaks to audiences all over the world helping them utilize their resources to best navigate the task-driven world in which they live. Last year, Leslie’s line of student organizing products – a collaboration with Samsill Corp – was released. And for the last four years, Leslie has been named by Global Gurus as one of the top 20 Time Management experts in the world!
How did Leslie know that she wanted to start a business?
Leslie didn't start out knowing she wanted a business of her own until her 4 year old son was diagnosed with ADHD. She found effective and unique ways to untangle his world and other people started asking if she would help do the same for their children!
Leslie quit her job in human resources and started organizing other people's homes so children with ADHD could succeed. She then started working one-on-one with kids in-person and virtually.
What are the next steps for business development?
Growing your business can feel overwhelming, especially if you are in a competitive market. Leslie has successfully grown her business and shares some of her tips with all of us:
Grow your social media! The best way to gain engagement on your website is to tailor what you share on social media to things that bring your followers back to your website and into your mailing list.
When you see a problem or a need in your community, rather than sending people elsewhere, bring other experts into your business so you can continue to maintain and grow.
Be in constant communication with your community (no matter the size). Poll them about their preferences and make changes to your business that supports your clients/customers.
Own your mistakes and learn from them!
Sean McCormick 0:01 Today on the Earn More Tutoring podcast, Leslie Josel and I talk about how she built an international brand with over 75,000 email subscribers, how Leslie became a weekly columnist for attitude magazine, and how she sells planners in the hundreds of thousands each year. Leslie Josel 0:17 So if you're not like going back to the people that are drinking your Kool Aid and loving on you, I feel like that is a big, big, big mistake, you are missing a golden opportunity, not only for them to feel part of your story and part of what you're doing, but also in minimizing a lot of risk. Sean McCormick 0:39 So this podcast Earn More Tutoring is all about people who have found ways to take their teaching skills to the next level, share their knowledge and earn more through their educating abilities. Welcome, Leslie. Leslie Josel 0:51 I'm so happy to be here. I love your I love what your podcast is about. I think it's a great match. So thanks for having me. Sean McCormick 0:58 Of course. So I wanted to start just by asking you to share about your different ventures because I feel like while your focus is ADHD and helping people be more organized, you wear different hats. And I'd love for you to share, you know, kind of actually refine my definition of what your focus is, and also share about the different ventures that you have going and the different hats you're wearing. Leslie Josel 1:19 Sure. So actually, we don't wear the ADHD hat solely and I had made when I started my business, I made a very conscious choice that we would focus our business what we call all able learners. So it's mainstream, and those that you know, that might not be could be diverse learners and not diverse learners. Because we I really feel that what we put out, particularly in order out of chaos, you know, it's good for everybody, right? There's something you know, that whatever we're teaching, is global in its in its nature, and its nuances. Like you know, every student out there can learn about time management, procrastination, study skills, we all need that no matter if we have ADHD or not. So that's my feeling. It's a universal learning, meaning when you're tapping into a small segment, you realize that what you're doing is really global in its nature. So I started my business a long time ago, I started it 17 years ago, when there weren't podcasts and conferences and tell assignments, we were just talking about that before we came on. And I think I knew right away instinctively that there was a massive need for what I was doing in my own personal life. I don't want to spend the whole time talking about my story. But my son, who was 23, now, when he was five was diagnosed with ADHD. And I really had to figure out ways to untangle his world at home and at school. And I soon learned that that education in that knowledge was really needed. But I kind of knew that it needed to go further than like a one on one. I'm not saying we didn't do the one on one work, but that there was a need for to shout it from the rooftops. So 17 years later, we are a global company. We are a virtual company. We have over 75,000 parents, students and teachers who come to order out of chaos for various products, programs, workshops, webinars, coaching. And what we've tried to build is different things that speak to different, like what you might need. So if you only need a little bit of a refresher, maybe a webinars for you. But if you need products, we have that for you. But if you need one on one coaching, we have that for you, because we found that not everybody shows up at the table needing the same type of education and support. Sean McCormick 3:46 Wow. And just that number 75,000 jumps out to me because you have to have a high level of organization to provide services and tools to that many people. And I love the the origin story with your son. I think that resonates with me. And I'm sure it resonates with so many people out there that it always stems from something really personal. You know, for me getting into coaching and organization was I was in college, and I didn't use a planner and I missed an appointment with my teacher. And he said, Sean, if you if you don't show up to appointments, people aren't going to take you seriously. And it really hit me at that moment because I was trying so hard. But I needed something else I need to ask my wife about and she said, You need a planner, you need to put like I missed some I feel like I'm a smart guy, but I can't hold everything in my brain at that moment. Yeah, I realized I have to plan things out. I have to have external systems to organize my days. So Leslie, I want to know more about I know you said you don't want to go too deep in your story. But I want to know more about how did you get to that point where you started to turn you know, your career or your your creative energy towards creating this I know you're her son was the impetus to support him...
Check out the full interview below!
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