“The Kit in KitLife stands for Keeping it Together.”

KitLife started thanks to their Hallmark product: a women’s life planner. However, the company has evolved to include all types of other products that help women keep everything together. Their goal is to create whole life planners for women.

KitLife has been in business for five years, and the company has developed their platform and their customer base through education, support, and motivation.

“We saw that there was this component of support, motivation, and education and inspiration that if we could build that up in our tribe as well, it would help them have greater success with using our product.”

As Jessica developed KitLife with her team, they saw that not only did women need these planners, but they needed support around how to plan out their lives. They also saw how nurturing their client base this way leads to more effective use of their planners and better customer retention.

“Having tools that inspire and motivate you help have more success in arenas that don’t come as natural to you as other areas do.”

“Do more, be more, give more” is the mantra at KitLife.

KitLife is a local-based business right here in Orlando, even though they sell the majority of their merchandise online. Their planners are made in the USA.

1) KitLife started because Jessica saw a need that wasn’t addressed by other planners.

Jessica has always been a planner girl. She’s tried everything that has existed but felt like she was using 4-5 planning tools at once and didn’t think any of them did everything she wanted. She had her work planner, a fitness journal, a nutrition log, a gratitude journal.

All these organizational tools were just too much, and Jessica wanted to combine the best of each planner to get what she wanted. So she took a regular piece of copy paper and drew out boxes of things she wanted on one page.

She then took it to her friend Liz who was a graphic designer and asked her to mock it up for her. After Liz mocked up the page, she told Jessica that she wanted to try the planner too because she liked the concept. Their other partner Jenny was onboard with all of this too.

They took the mock-up to an office supplies store and asked for 3 copies for themselves. When they returned to pick up the completed planners, the employee asked them why they were only printing out 3 planners, because every woman in the back of the store wanted one for herself.

“We were really just servicing a need we had.” Jessica, Liz, and Jenny knew they were on to something. So the first year, they printed 50 planners just to see what they could sell.

KitLife planners have so many components, even more than just task management. The planners include:

• Health
• Inspiration
• Creative
• Goal setting
• Gratitude

All of these aspects were pieces Jessica and the KitLife team wanted to put together to create a more vibrant life. And it seemed to resonate with a lot of other people as well.

“It’s about bringing your whole self together in a planner.”

2) The KitLife team tries to solve problems around their core values.

They have been really lucky that they have been able to grow without any huge, insurmountable hurdles over the five years of their growth. However, one issue they face year after year is how do they keep their planners manufactured completely in America.

Making the planners in the USA is really important to KitLife, but many planners are made in China and not manufactured in the USA. So every year they have to evaluate their price points to see if they can continue making the planners domestically. It truly is a challenge for a manufacturing and product-based business that has to compete with its competitors.

They also discuss the balance of working in their community, offering a lot of customer support, feedback, and value content. They know it’s important to give out all the free offerings and community they’re building, but it can feel hard to strike the balance of free stuff and asking customers to buy their products because they need it in order to stay in business.

They concentrate on how their customers are showing up and interacting with them.

“We have to just work with the spirit of abundance and know that it’s the right thing to do, and all will be well.” So far, that idea has served KitLife very well.

3) They’ve grown and expanded their business by listening to their customers.

“Our success comes from the successes of our clients.”

Jessica loves the feedback from the community. Every time someone shares with Jessica how the planner, the KitLife community, or their educational courses helped her, Jessica feels very happy. She loves the feeling of helping others work through something they’re struggling with through her company.

It’s amazing how much of an effect a life planner can have on someone’s life.

KitLife has built out a platform that includes a very active social media community through Instagram and Facebook. Plus, they added free educational components to their website available to the community through their website.

This aspect of their business really developed because the KitLife team listened to their customers and wanted to help solve problems that hit at their customer’s pain points.

They were able to assess the pain points of being organized and having a paper planner, but they understand it’s difficult to sustain the commitment all year long.

“Just having the planner doesn’t make your life go smoothly,” Jessica said. But if they can create a community that encourages customers to take the time to plan and develop of habit of planning, and it helps them succeed, then KitLife is nurturing their community in effective ways while also maintaining loyal customers.

When we can create a community of accountability with each other, it helps everyone succeed.

Jessica also loves how the community shows each other new, fun and creative ways to stay organized. Once the planners are in the hands of their customers, the planners become something more and bigger than Jessica could have imagined.

Courses include goal setting, time management, head start habits, and goal-getter series. Plus, they speak and educate the community at local events.

“If you feel like there is a pain point that is driving you crazy and you have a solution to that, chances are many people are experiencing the same challenge with the same pain point and your solution can be applicable to them too.”

4) Paper planners are here to stay.

Jessica wants more people to trust their gut. Don’t wait for someone to make something that you know can give to the world.

Even when the idea seems crazy, outdated, or too early, figure out a way to accomplish your vision.

To some people, the idea of a paper planner might feel out of date. Jessica has seen through KitLife and the many benefits a paper planner provides that it isn’t the case, and there is an audience for her product.

Academically, it has been proven that when you write things down, you can remember them more and understand them better.

In addition, Jessica says people who use paper planners as opposed to on-line tools…

• Brings people back to the present
• Sleep better
• Are more creative
• More empathetic
• Better listeners
• Better accountability partners
• Get more done
• Follow through more often

Among women, paper planers and paper stationary is on the rise. Jessica can see it’s something many people are craving right now with the rise of technology. It’s a way to help people get back to basics because people are craving a sense of calm and peace.

Handwritten planning helps people be more thoughtful and get to a meditative space where they can be more reflective about their life.

Plus, planners are a memory-keeping tool, so it’s a good way to look back at your life over time to see what you have been able to do and accomplish over the course of a year.

5) Kindness and Integrity will get you far!

Jessica learned from her aunt long ago that it is important to treat people with kindness and integrity. It was the way she conducted herself her whole life, serving as an example that Jessica has made a part of how she presents herself to the world.

“It’s never inappropriate to behave with integrity and kindness.”

Jessica emphasizes that it doesn’t matter what situation you’re in, whether it’s personal or professional, responding with integrity and kindness will be a good way to respond.

While Jessica isn’t a perfect person, she tries to keep those two values in the forefront. She knows that if she can fulfill those values, things will mostly turn out OK, and Jessica can sleep better at night because she can be confident she is behaving in a way that she can be proud of.

KitLife planners are on sale for 20% on the KitLife website.

Listeners – include “Orlando Lady Boss” in the comments to get free clip cover!

About Jessica Locke

Jessica attended Florida State University, as well as The University of Florida, earning degrees in Merchandising and Nutrition. She’s an entrepreneur who has always enjoyed planning and productivity. Content creation and relationship building is where her KitLife is focused. But there’s always time for online shopping, college football, and a well-made margarita! She married her high school sweetheart and they have one teenage daughter, two pups and suitcases always ready for travel at home.

Links From the Show

Visit the KitLife Website
Follow KitLife on Instagram
“Like” KitLife on Facebook
Follow KitLife on Twitter
Watch KitLife on YouTube
Follow KitLife on Pinterest

The post How to Keep it All Together with Jessica Locke – Episode #51 appeared first on Orlando Lady Boss.