We’re looking forward to introducing you to Michael Quan. Check out our conversation below.
Michael, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
My community. People witness all the endeavors I pursue in my daily life:professional organizing, engineering, dance, glasswork, and pottery to name a few; At the backbone of all these activities are the individual communities that I have helped contribute to. You may see the before/after photos, products that I’ve worked on making it out into the world, and the finished art products but the most important part is the people that I’ve encountered along the way making the journey fulfilling and rewarding.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi! I’m Michael Quan and I own a Professional Organizing business called Fulfilling Your Future. I help families in San Diego County declutter and organize their spaces so they are no longer overwhelmed with their possessions – letting them focus on the things they actually care about such as family, friends, hobbies. My business started in 2019 after a fire burned down my childhood home making me re-evaluate my relationship with my possessions. I discovered Marie Kondo’s book “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” practiced the method in my own home, and all the concepts just clicked. Shortly after, I found out that you can become certified by Marie Kondo and immediately signed up for the consultant training program. Now, after 6 years of client sessions, 300+ organizing hours logged, and many ups and downs, I’m happy to be still running my business and making a direct impact on the lives of so many. I’m in a really happy steady state right now of being a solo organizer conducting sessions on the weekends for ideal clients.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
As I’ve progressed through life, so have my personal ambitions and goals – there has always been a time and place for all the people that I’ve met on my journey. Some people may be on my life’s train ride for the long term, some may have hopped on and off after a few stops, and some people I’ve just waved at in passing. I have never taken any single friend, relationship, or client for granted ever and cherish all the times I’ve shared with everyone and hope to continue to make a positive impact on all that I encounter. I don’t believe we should ever force ourselves into someone else’s life to restore a bond or create one in the first place – if it happens it’s because we are on the same wavelength and the bond has a great foundation to start with!
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
I remember when I was growing up as a kid there were various friend groups that would form around me. I would always participate in each of the groups but they never really felt right or satisfying. Everyone always just wanted to blend in with each other, but I knew that I always wanted to blend OUT and define my own lifestyle. In high school and university I fully embraced all the clubs and activities I was fascinated with regardless of what others thought. Whether it was starting a metal band, snowboard racing, ultimate frisbee, or building computer robots and demonstrating them in the middle of frat parties, I’ve found the right people always have gravitated towards me as I explored my own world curiosity. My unapologetic uniqueness has always been my power!
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
Nothing to hide here: there is only one version of me and it’s my true self! If you’ve ever met me in person you know that I am one of the most genuine and caring people you’ll come across. I give everyone the space and time of day regardless of background and beliefs. Even my organizing clients have mentioned that they are able to get a great sense of who I am even before we meet in person or have a consultation. What you see is what you get!
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What will you regret not doing?
I would regret ignoring my own instincts on deciding how to run my business – it’s easy to copy other professional organizers’ business models rather than define my own growth goals and success criteria. I will always continue to pivot my business when needed as my life and goals shift. When I first started my organizing business I had all the training in the mechanics of running a client session but I was clueless on how to run a business. I put in the initiative to reach out to a few Marie Kondo certified organizers back then who helped me set up all my fundamentals. I always thought the next logical steps were to keep growing by getting more clients, build out a large team, and eventually work on franchising my brand. As I got into the “ramping up” phase, conducting more sessions a month on top of working a full time engineering job, I experienced burnout. The next logical step was to get an assistant. That helped with the workload but I realized I didn’t want to be a “boss”; being responsible for others than just myself did not spark joy at all. This eventually led to me taking a step back for the sake of personal happiness – not actively trying to get new clients, not running ads/marketing, and no longer compromising my own time. I’ve learned that there is no ideal template for running a business because it’s going to be different for everyone based on our geographical location, educational background, families, and other jobs. I am currently operating at a steady state now and am happier than ever. I get to work with existing ideal clients, only take on new clients that are a great match, and get to explore organization of unique and unconventional spaces.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.fulfillingyourfuture.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fulfillingyourfuture/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-quan-a2a03b7/
