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O.C. working moms, continued ...Published: May, 2010

Gail Gray
Costa Mesa
Owner, A Fresh Start Organizing

Being an entrepreneur is never easy, and being the owner of a business that involves working from home and working in other people’s homes – as well as attending to the needs of two very active children, ages 7 and 11 – requires Gail Gray to be the most organized person around.
   
Perhaps it is no wonder that organization is what Gray does best. As the owner of A Fresh Start Organizing, Gray helps her clients evaluate, prioritize and manage their homes and their lives.
   
“In addition to my daily duties as a business owner and organizer, I write a blog and give workshops,” says Gray. “I am in my third year of business.”
   
Though working from home and being your own boss may seem like a more flexible solution than, say, working as a physician or a police officer, who must travel to their jobs, it’s not always so easy.
   
“There are definitely advantages and disadvantages to running your business from home,” says Gray. “I do have the flexibility to rearrange my schedule to be at many of my kids’ events, but certainly not all.”
   
Gray believes that when you continually sacrifice your own time to be at everything, it can foster a sense of entitlement. Moms need to be firm about setting boundaries with their entire schedule.
   
“When you are an entrepreneur, you never leave your work,” she says. “When I’m not working, I’m constantly thinking about how to grow my work. I’m regularly writing blogs, doing presentations and attending networking and industry events, but you have to pick and choose and decide what is the most judicious use of your time.”
   
This is largely the advice she gives her clients: to be very critical with how they utilize their time.
   
“My greatest joy as a working mother is when my kids tell their friends what their mommy does,” she says. “I can inspire my clients and my kids by running my company.”
   
A professional organizer knows better than anyone that prioritizing is essential.
   
“I try to practice what I preach, but I am passionate about my company, and that takes a little sacrifice on the home front,” says Gray.
   
Her tip for working moms: “Delegate! Teach your family to work together to make the home function. If we try and do it all, no one is happy. Find areas where you can share the workload, and do it. For example, hire teenagers to input contacts into the computer, or swap with friends for errands. Let go of controlling everything; it is freeing!” afreshstartorganizing.net