Behind The Scenes At STARTplanner

 This is where the magic happens!! STARTplanner headquarters is currently based out of Kristy's garage in good 'ol Cumming, GA. The dream was literally built from Kristy and Jenny dreaming across the country. Remember she is based in Portland, Oregon! While writing this post, because we are growing and changing rapidly, the office is currently still located at Kristy's house. We also have a pickup location in Vickery Village and a local warehouse where most of our planners are securely kept. 

If you have been with us from the beginning our first shipment of planners use to be held in this one building but we have since outgrown that space, hence the need for a warehouse.

We like to say we are organized here at STARTplanner but we can not always promise the office and garage is always this organized! Oh, because friends, it is not! :) 

Kristy and Kara's desks...of course our desks are always this neat and tidy (wink, wink). And a little seating area for when any of you come to visit us:)

Before Kara joined the team this past June, Kristy would tape a piece of paper onto the chair across from her desk that said, "Jenny", and would carry on many conversations with "Jenny" about the business. For those who don't know Jenny lives in Portland, OR, but Kristy is trying to convince her to move here. ;)

This is the prepping station! 

   

This is Sarah's desk on the right and the one on the left is typically a free for all. 

 Here is the kitchenette. 

Our metal dry erase Goal Crushin' board to keep track of our monthly goals. Want one just like it? Grab the free template here. STARTplanner is all about organization so we love finding ways to keep our "bling" neatly organized.

Custom shelving in our upstairs closet helps us keep our inventory organized so that we can be most efficient while we prep and ship orders. Katie Gerst, with California Closets, has been amazing at making sure we are maximizing our space! And then we add fun tags to keep track of everything! 

Every planner is sealed with our custom pink "Caution" tape...you'll be able to spot this package from a mile away!

This is behind the scenes at our office. Here are some questions that Kristy frequesntly gets asked on social media, along with her responses: 

Will you eventually outgrow the space?

I mean maybe! It is such a hard question to ask. There would be some benefits to moving all operations, productions and storage to one location but for now I love being able to work from "home", being here for my kids if they do need anything and also being able to do what I love! 

Why don't you use an order fulfillment company? 

We could. Honestly, it would make my job a lot easier but I would have to give up a lot of control and I am not ready to do that. Plus, no one is going to love on the planners and pay attention to detail like we do. We literally put our hearts and souls into getting these planners out to everyone and making sure they are perfect. Something else might make sense in the future but for now this is what works. 

Did you build out this space for STARTplanner? 

Before STARTplanner I was a wedding photographer and this is where I ran that company from. We built it out a couple of years ago and it has been the perfect space to adapt and grow as we grow. 

How big is your team? 

Of course there is me, Kristy, based here, Jenny in Portland, Kara, here, who is running customer service. Sarah, who handles Public Relations, Stephen is running SEO, Noah handles all of our social media & marketing, and then Abby, Paige, Melanie and various others who help with packaging and shipping. And of course my husband who always has a Delegate notepad. 

I am trying not to focus too much on the far future because, honestly, I don't know the answers to them. I am just excited about where we currently are and all the possibilities that we have in the future to change peoples lives with a tool that makes you more productive!

from
https://startplanner.com/blogs/news/behind-the-scenes-at-startplanner