Today we're excited to announce Kelly Hayden is launching NEAT Austin! This city is where we hold our annual summit, and we're so excited we now have another reason to visit. We asked Kelly a few questions so you could get to know her and see how she fits right in to the NEAT family!
NM :: Tell us why you wanted to run NEAT in Austin
KH :: After getting to know NEAT, I knew it needed to be in Austin and I was the perfect person for the job. I love all things organizing and I was born and raised here. Austin is a fun, fast-growing city that I can't get enough of!
NM :: We love it too! What do you believe makes Austin unique?
KH :: Austin is the live music capital of the world! There is always something fun going on. You can make it a small town or a big city, depending on what mood you are in!
NM:: Sounds like a party! What did you do before you ran NEAT?
KH:: I have worked for Dell in sales for the past 10 years.
NM:: Working for yourself will be a bit of a change, what do you think is going to be your favorite part of running NEAT in Austin?
KH:: I've always admired local business. I'm so excited to connect with people in my community. Austin is a very family-oriented city and we are excited to contribute more to our community.
NM :: Sounds like a great community! What are your favorite places to shop in the area?
KH :: The Domain is a newer outdoor shopping destination – all the stores and great restaurants are within walking distance. Nordstrom is near and dear to my heart since I helped open the store right out of college when they came to Austin. I also can't say no to a good bargain, so Home Goods, Marshalls and Nordstrom Rack are my go-to places!
NM :: Always solid choices. What are your favorite places to eat in Austin?
KH :: This is a tough one. There is a new restaurant popping up everytime I turn around. We love Maudies for Tex-Mex. It's been a Friday night family tradition for the past 15 years.
NM :: So you'll be organizing many spaces for clients moving forward, but what's YOUR most organized space?
KH :: My office closet. For a long time, my office closet was a catch all for items I was saving, gifts, actual office items, kids memories, etc. I had enough of looking into the mess, so we sorted, purged and organized! There is now a bin for everything. If it didn't fit, it needed to find a forever home or be sold/donated. It's a long-term goal of mine to stop hanging on to the "just in case" items.
NM :: Beautifully organized! So tell us, do you have an unorganized space in your home?
KH :: My husband's closet, I can't have it all. I've learned to let this one go. He will kill me for showing this!
NM :: Yikes! Well, at least your closet is separate! What can people expect when they hire you to organize your home?
KH :: I'm a hard worker that is fun to be around! We will get the space perfect for them to they can live a more efficient life.
NM :: That's great! What is your favorite product to use to organize things?
KH :: I really like bright and white. Any consistent method we can use to organize so the client can add on and create the same vision throughout the home is good. Lately, I've been all about acrylic everything!
NM :: We know you can orgaznize, but do you have any hidden talents that we should know about?
KH :: I really love to sit back and study a space. It's like a puzzle to me, and can turn into an obsession until it's right. I also love repurposing things that have a great story behind them. My Grandmother wore the same beaded jacket to a lot of our family weddings. After she passed away, I made coin purses out of the jacket for all the girls in our family. I love that we all have something special to keep close to our hearts!
NM :: What a sweet way to remember your Grandmother!
NM :: Okay, one more question: what blogs do you think we NEED to follow now and why?
KH :: NEAT Method, but I guess that isn't too fair since I'm not a part of the company, but man it's good! Another good Instagram for a daily funny is @elarroyo_atx. There is a sign out front that they change daily.
NM :: Thanks for the plug, Kelly! 😉
We're so excited to add Austin to our list of NEAT cities and Kelly to our list of NEAT girls! The live music capial may soon also be the most organized. Get ready Texas!
xx,
the NEAT girls
