Simplify Your Military Move

[00:00:00] Christine: Hello. Hello. I am excited to share today’s episode with you because it packs a double punch if you are getting ready for a PCS (permanent change of station). If you are already thinking about your next p c s or you’re just trying to find a way to better organize all the things you have, this episode is for you. And for my military spouse, entrepreneurs, if you are trying to build a business, this episode is for you. If you are curious how all of these things fit together, then let’s dive in and find out.

[00:03:59] Alright, today I am talking with the CEO of STACHD, Michelle Ruesch. Their motto is, move it, store it, find it. Now, there are two interesting things to note about this particular episode. Number one. Almost every episode I do, I only record the audio component of our conversation, but because Michelle wanted to demonstrate what their company offers, we actually recorded a video of this conversation.

[00:04:31] So if you want to go see the video, you can head over and watch that full length episode, either on our YouTube channel or on. I will have all of that information linked in the show notes below. So just click on that and you can watch the video of today’s episode. The second thing that is important to note is that we recorded this episode a couple of months ago and they were formally known as packing props.

[00:05:01] They have since then rebranded and are now known as the company S T A C H D, so, If you are confused at all in this episode, it is because we refer to our company as packing props, and they have since rebranded. All right, so what I wanted to do with this episode is really give Michelle a chance to talk about building this business and how the idea for this business was sparked by a military move.

Starting a Business with a Purpose

[00:05:36] So sometimes we get so focused on. How do I start a business? What should I do? What can I do to earn money? And I really wanted to shift that perspective for you today and talk about, let’s not just start a business, let’s solve a problem. And so we talk about what Stachd does and what kind of problem they’re actually helping to solve for military families and in the process we’re going to learn how the company works, what’s available, and why it might be a great thing for you to use for your next move, especially if you are doing a DITY move or a PPM now personally procured move, or you are wanting to be more organized with your stuff?

[00:06:29] Because that was the first thing on my mind as I was listening to Michelle talk, is that we have all of this stuff that we often store in our garage or in a basement. Or in my case, in the hot water closet. But sometimes it’s hard to know what that stuff that gets stored away, what’s actually in those boxes and those crates.

[00:06:53] And so this is an easy way for us to be able to track what’s inside and to have those labels that make it easy to keep track of things and look them up. So, I hope that you get a lot of value out of this conversation. Here’s my conversation with Michelle Ruesch. Michelle, welcome to the Milspouse Mastermind Show.

[00:07:19] Michelle: Thank you so much. It’s such a pleasure to be with you today.

[00:07:22] Christine: I am excited for our conversation for. Two reasons. One, I love taking our community behind the scenes of what it takes to really build a business. Because I love helping military spouses make money from home and I love businesses that really support our military community.

[00:07:45] So would you just start out and kind of tell us a little bit about what you do? And then we’ll get into how packing props came to be.

[00:07:57] Michelle: Sure. So a background about what I do, hi. You know, I’ve had a few different businesses over the years. We specialize in printing. We’ve done a lot of printing technology and you know, packing props just kind of came about as a need.

[00:08:14] My daughter and her husband, they’re in the military. They’re stationed in England right now. And it, you know, the PCSing situation that, you know, after multiple times of them moving and having to pack and move and her and I just put our heads together and, you know, we thought there has, there’s gotta be a better, a better way to do this, to ease the stress.

[00:08:40] And just make the whole process easier on the military families and you know, a lot of times on the spouses themselves that are, that are carrying the brunt and the majority of the load in that process.

[00:08:53] Christine: So what was the biggest pain point that your daughter was experiencing? Like, what was it that really was this thing that like, I wish there was a solution to this problem.

Making Military Moves Easier

[00:09:08] Michelle: It was trying to organize all of their goods, all of their contents. You know, they had had multiple moves within the states, which were challenging, but this move going overseas was especially challenging because, Some of their belongings were going with them. Some were go not going at all. Some were going sooner, some were going later.

[00:09:28] And so trying to organize, it’s kind of like you’re packing up your life and you know, so everything’s not going with you and, and some of it’s coming later. And so to try and actually inventory all of that and organize all of that just was. Such a daunting task. And you know, there’s a lot of products out there to try and help color coordinate and make it easier and inventory it.

[00:09:52] But we just, we felt like we could do a little bit better than that and kind of incorporate that into an app that would kind of bring it all together and bring technology into that organizational process and just make it. That much easier. You know, when you’re having to pack up a portion of your life and things are gonna be in boxes and you get to a new place and you’re like, oh, I need the birth certificates to go register the kids for school.

[00:10:18] Or I need this, I need that. Or especially if it’s packed up for years and then you get back home to the states and you’ve had stuff in storage and there’s things you need to go find. So just to be able to better inventory and categorize your contents, we just, we felt like could Create something that would, you know, obviously not only help them for future moves, but help military families in general.

[00:10:42] Christine: You know, I, I know that when we get back stateside and whatever is in our long-term storage, I, I don’t even know what is in there anymore. So whenever all of that stuff gets delivered to our house, it’s going to be a big surprise.

[00:10:58] Michelle: Yeah. And you’re kind of tempted, you’re like that, saying of like, you know, if you’ve done without it for, you know, however long do I really need it anyway, so it’s like probably a little tempting to just be like, Do we just have the donation truck just show up and actually just haul it all off and not even lay our eyes on it.

[00:11:13] Because once we do, it’s like, it’s kinda like when you try and, and minimize and downsize or kind of declutter, so to speak, and you’re like, I wanna declutter and get rid of this. But then you’re like, oh, but I, oh, I might need that. You know? So yeah, I can, I understand what you’re saying. Definitely.

Starting a Business That Solves a Problem For Military Families

[00:11:29] Christine: So talk about that process of understanding that, hey, this is hard, this is challenging, this is overwhelming. It causes a lot of stress. And, and there are some solutions, but what was it that was like, Hey, we can do this differently and we can do this better. What was kind of that aha moment for you?

[00:11:50] Michelle: It was, you know of all of my kids, I’ve been self employed for many, many years, and of all of my kids, my daughter that’s in the military is probably the most like me, business minded wise.

[00:12:01] And so we collaborate on a lot of stuff. We work together on a lot of stuff. And so it was just, talking with her and feeling her pain and we’re just talking through everything that she’s trying to. To accomplish and, and tackle to prepare for the move and just in us talking about it and just, you know, it was just kind of like this aha moment of like being able to better inventory and keep track of what’s in what box and just, it was just kind of like an aha.

[00:12:33] Like we could bring technology, we could, bring this into the century and kind of add technology to that process. And so just taking what others, you know, there are people out there that are trying to do it with duct tape and just use color coded, you know, different colored duct tape and you’re trying to just write on the boxes and in your mind at the time, As you’re packing the box or you’re watching the movers packet, you’re like, I’m gonna remember what’s in that box, you know, and how quickly we forget.

[00:13:01] It could be, you know, I’ve done short moves where in a couple days you’re at the, you’re at your new house and you’re like, you knew for sure you were gonna remember what was inside that box or where that specific item was packed. It can be as short as a few days later. It’s just there is so much going on, you know, in a move in general.

[00:13:20] But at, at it being a military move where, you know, most of the times it, it, it’s not in the same community. You know, your, your kids are moving schools, you’re moving, you know, new friends, you’re moving away from family. There’s just so much that goes on that brings added Stress and chaos. And so being able to minimize what we could in that, you know, moving an organizational area of, of everything that’s going on in that, in that, you know, p c s we felt like would just be a, a huge benefit to to military families.

[00:13:56] Christine: Yeah, I know last summer when we moved, it was four months from when our stuff got packed up to when we actually received the stuff. And fortunately for us, the school we were coming from required uniforms. The school we were going to required uniforms and I was like, I don’t know where the kids. Uniforms are.

[00:14:17] Fortunately we had uniforms in the suitcases because we still had to have those for school. At least a, a few of them. Yeah, after we’d packed everything up, but I, I totally understand how, you know, when it’s been a while since you’ve seen any of your boxes, you’re like, I don’t know where anything is.

[00:14:39] So talk to me about after you have this idea, what were some of the first steps you took to get started?

Getting the Business Off The Ground

[00:14:47] Michelle: So first was just kind of planning out what the app would look like, kind of what what it would do, the, the information that it would be able to. To hold. And then just kind of sketching it out.

[00:15:02] You know, I’ve, since I’ve been in business for myself for a number of years, we have a technology team or a programming team already, and so I reached out and approached them and of course my daughter’s in the middle of the move while all of this is going on, because that was kind of the. You know, the spark that started the, the whole endeavor.

[00:15:21] And so we’re talking, we’re communicating. She’s, you know, my number one as far as input, I’m kind of like the boots on the ground day to day. And she’s a little bit removed being so far overseas right now. So we just continued to talk and kind of plan what it would look like, what she felt was most important as far as how it would function, what information it would entail and hold.

[00:15:46] And, and it’s, it’s a living, breathing thing. It’s continued to change, you know, as, as we have families use it and You know, they say to us, you know, if it could do this, you know, we started it with it just being a single user. App, app. And then, you know, we’ve had families since that have said, you know, sometimes there’s more than one of us packing at a time, so if we could have multiple users, so then we, you know, we added that feature to it.

[00:16:12] So we’re constantly changing and improving it based on, on our users and what will better make their life easier in, in this whole process. So, you know, we just kind of started to plan it out and Our programmers got to work and, you know, came up with an initial beta version of it. We did testing, we modified a little bit.

[00:16:33] We kind of just went back and forth with that process till, you know, we we kind of tweaked it enough to where we could release it and, and let people start using it.

[00:16:43] Christine: Well, I think it’s so important that you’re getting user feedback and, and you’re taking into consideration what people actually need, what they want, what’s going to be most helpful.

[00:16:58] Because sometimes when we build. Whatever it is that we are creating and we think it’s gotta be perfect before I can release it. I’ve gotta get all these features and sometimes you just have to kind of put something out there and keep iterating on it. So talk about some of the challenges you’ve faced as you’ve built this.

Overcoming Challenges in Business

[00:17:21] Michelle: You know, I, I could not agree with you more. It is so true. I’ve owned a few different businesses over the years and. You know, you never, your final product. I, I mean, I, products are always living and breathing and changing, but what you think your first idea, what you come up with, I don’t think is even ever what really you first get to market things.

[00:17:41] Just, you know, they, they change your first concept and they change. And so, you know, we had our first, our first idea and our first thoughts, for example, were, here’s some samples and. You know, so it’s like, okay, we’ll have five closets, five bedrooms, and we’ll, they’ll all come pre-printed like this with the names.

[00:17:58] We’ve got a list of 30 names. Hey, we’ve got it covered. And then how quickly we realized, you know, from customer feedback that somebody will have a unique room in their house. They’ll have something that different, no matter how much you try and cover the bases of everything, there’s still, everybody’s situation is a little bit unique and so, I added a couple different options to where you can order them, just blank, the different colors blank like this, and you can fill them in at the bottom.

[00:18:31] Or we actually custom preprint them for you. So like this says Halloween swim. If you’re organizing some of your contents, we, you know, Tyler’s room, you can actually order them all custom. Printed as well. So we offered the three different options. You know, it just, we quickly realized that cookie cutter was not, you know, a one size fit all.

[00:18:55] And so we’ve continued to make those changes. You know, we obviously are partial to the app and we feel like it just brings a whole new level of organization. But there are some people there, there’s just, there’s a whole spectrum of. Org people and where they are on the level of organizing, you know, you’ve got your ultra O C D organizers and all the way to the other side of the spectrum.

[00:19:19] And so we also offer them without the QR codes. You know, if you are you’re like, I really wanna color code, I really wanna organize, but I, I’m just not gonna, I’m not gonna use the app. I, my oldest daughter just moved there. They’re remodeling their house, so they were moving out and so she’s like, mom, I just had to tell you.

[00:19:36] I’m gonna be honest. I’m just, I’m not gonna use the app. And I’m like, it’s so easy. In fact, I went over, once I showed her, she was like, oh my gosh, I can do this. But at the get go, she just, it felt daunting. It felt overwhelming to her. And I said, look, if you don’t want to, we also offer ’em without the QR code.

[00:19:53] We can still personalize them. You could still get ’em blank. You could still get ’em with the names Preprint.

[00:20:00] Make it to where we have something that’s gonna fit anybody’s unique situation and needs and be able to tailor that for their situation. You know, sometimes if you’ve got the movers coming in it, it makes it kind of difficult to use the app and actually, you know, you’ve got so many movers in their packing, so how do you effectively get everything into the app?

[00:20:22] So whatever is going to work for you, we’ve, you know, we’ve tried to make it to where we can tailor something that’s going to help. You know, create a less stressful situation for this moving and packing process.

[00:20:34] Christine: So talk to me about it because I have that, that same question. You know, we had 24 hour’s notice that our movers were coming. And then they are at our house packing things up as I am in the other room, still trying to sort things like, what are we taking with us in the suitcase? What are we, what are we putting on the boat? And how. Have, what is the feedback that you’ve gotten that has been the most helpful? Trying to keep track of what’s going into the boxes when you can’t be all the places at once.

How to Use STACHD Effectively

[00:21:09] Michelle: Yeah, I just heard so many different situations, and so it just really depends on what your moving process is looking like. You know, we can do anything from at least. Just using the labels without the QR codes, you know, just a blank one without the QR code. And at least as the movers have packed, if they leave the boxes in each room that’s packed at, in minimum, you can go and in and color code label them.

[00:21:39] Because what makes it really easy on the other end is we’ve got the door hangers that match up with the colors. So at least. If you can color code your boxes, you’ve got these matching door hangers you can use on the, you know, on the other side when you get to your new home and you know which boxes go into which room.

[00:22:00] If you’ve got information that the movers are giving you or if they’re writing on the boxes of contents and after they’ve left for the day, if you have the opportunity to go in and add those into the, and inventory all. The process is slow enough that you can actually go in. One of the beauties of it is you can add photographs, and so if you can go in and just add a box and at least add a simple photograph of each box before it’s closed I’ve heard that, that that works really well too.

[00:22:32] If you’ve got movers there, you can at least, you know, walk there. It. If they’re packing a box slow enough that you could at least go from room to room, add the box, snap a photo, and then go do the do the next one. So it really you know, is tailored to fit whatever. If you’re doing a, a Diddy move and you’re doing it yourself, you’ve got, you know, more time and more leeway and flexibility to, to inventory or contents.

[00:22:55] You know, one of the other things is we’ve had a couple Families moved recently where they, they have gone overseas and so not, not all of their goods are going with them. So as they were packing up, you know, they had, we had one recently that was three different containers, so container one, two, and three.

[00:23:10] And so we actually created secondary labels. So you’ll have your primary label of which room it goes to, and then. We’ve created second secondary smaller labels that can go on the box as well, that can be categorized for you know, which container it’s going into, or this is staying home to go to long-term storage.

[00:23:29] This is going with us right away. This is coming later on. You know, there’s, there’s different shipping times within the military, so we can really categorize and help create a system that’s going to work for each family situation.

Tracking Your Belongings Made Simple

[00:23:45] Christine: So talk a little bit about the app and especially what some of the unique features on the app are.

[00:23:55] Michelle: So I think probably the easiest thing is to just run you through what it looks like to add a box really quick. So we’ll just say, I’m packing a bathroom box, so you’re just gonna touch this. And then you’re just gonna scan that QR code that’s on the label that you’re working with.

[00:24:12] Okay. So one of the really cool features is the box number right there. So oh one, I’m user oh one, so you always know who packed the box. And then this is the second box I’m packing, so it’s number. Oh oh two. Another really cool feature is you can use your talk to text with it. So you can make it, it can be, you know, really quick, a really quick process to enter things.

[00:24:35] So let’s just say so you’re gonna title your box, so bathroom supplies, and then this is where you’re getting to the room. So this is gonna be the green. We’re working with the green bathroom. So you can go in and you can actually nickname these two. So you could go in and, and nickname and change any of these colors that you want.

[00:24:58] And then say you wanted to subcategorize, so then we have the 30 additional colors in there that you could categorize. So say I want to make categories for each one of my kids. So I would say this is bathroom stuff, but this particular box belongs to Brooke, my daughter. So I could nickname say this candy color as Brooke.

[00:25:17] So then I know that this specific. Belongs to her. Say you’re doing your garage. These are sporting sporting, you know supplies. But this belongs to John. This belongs to Susie. So you could go in and subcategorize however you want. So then you can go add your items. You can click add items, and I can say towels.

[00:25:41] And so, Okay. Every time you say, say, or type and it knows it’s a separate item, so you could literally just sit there and say towels and blankets and, and, and, and it’s gonna list them all separately. Then you could also attach a picture. So I’m just gonna add photo and then I’m gonna go to my camera. Take a picture.

[00:26:03] Scissors here. Firm. And then you can add a description. So I’ll say scissors. And then I’m done. So now it shows you you’ve got one picture attached as well as all of your items that you’ve entered in the box. So if I say, done so, I’ve created that box. Now if I go into my boxes, it’ll show you that box number two, I created, I had a previous box in there, oh oh one.

[00:26:31] So that lists all your boxes. You could go up top and sort them by different, by your rooms, by categories. I can go into my rooms and categories and it will show you all 30 of them and tell you how many boxes are in. If I went into this bathroom I just entered, it would now list all of the boxes that are in that room.

[00:26:53] Same thing if you have subcategory. So I assigned one to candy. So it would tell you all the boxes that are in that category. Excuse me. The best thing is find item. So if I went in here and said scissors, It’s gonna pull up and tell me which box that’s in. So for the fine feature, that title, so bathroom supplies, that title, anything I listed.

[00:27:17] So the towels, soap, anything in that list, in that little description I put under the, the picture. Those are the three fields that it’s searching. The other really cool thing is say I have this box sitting there and I’m like, I don’t know what’s in it. I don’t wanna open it and rummage through the entire thing.

[00:27:33] See if. So I can just hit my little scan button, go up and scan this QR code, and it’s gonna bring up and show me that box and show me everything that’s in that box. So those are some of the key features down there. On the lower the bottom is where you can add additional users. So if you had more people packing, you would just go in here and add multiple users.

[00:27:57] So that you had multiple people that could be packing at the same time.

Staying Motivated to Keep Building the Business

[00:28:00] Christine: Well, thank you that, that’s really helpful to kind of walk us through like what is possible and how it can work for different users that that need that. Different features and like some of us are going to be super organized. Some of us are not organized at all. I am curious, as you continue to build this, what, what is it that keeps you motivated? Because we all know that we have good days, we all have bad days. Mm-hmm. But really, what is it that keeps you going on those hard days?

[00:28:33] Michelle: I just, I, it’s that creative, probably the creative and the competitive edge, both in me.

[00:28:39] I just people will ask me all the time, you know, what are your hobbies? And I’m like, work, you know, it just, I mean, I love to scrapbook. I spent years in the, in the craft industry and scrapbooking industry. That’s kind of what got me into printing. But I just, it’s a challenge to me. I just, I love creating, I love business.

[00:29:00] I love making a difference. I love helping people. And so yeah, there are those bad days. Business is hard. Business is not, you know, it’s, it’s, it’s not easy. And, you know, I, that’s what I say to you know, I have really good friends that work with me and we’re having a bad day, and I’m like, if it was easy, everybody would do it.

[00:29:18] You know, it just, It, it’s not for the faint of heart, but it just, it’s very rewarding. And so it’s just, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel and it’s just, it’s always a cha challenge. And I just, it’s, it’s a passion of mine and I, I love it and I love that, you know, my daughter and I are like-minded and although I wish she was closer and got to come into the office every single day she’s in a little bit just different stage of life.

[00:29:45] And so we can kind of compliment each other. And I can, you know, my, my youngest two youngest are twins and they just turned 18. And so it’s a little bit easier for me to do some of the things that she can’t really do right now. She’s got, you know, three little ones on the way, or three little ones at home, and actually another one on the way.

[00:30:03] And so she’s just in a different stage of life. But I, I love the fact that I can, we bounce ideas off each other and it’s just, It’s a way to be able to stay connected and to, to work closely.

Building a Business That Makes a Difference

[00:30:16] Christine: What’s the most rewarding part for you?

[00:30:20] Michelle: Just making a difference. It’s just, it’s, you know, whether you’re, you’re competitive in sports, whether, whatever your competi, your competitive race, car driver, you know, whatever it is, it’s just that sense of, of accomplishment and it’s just, it’s the challenge.

[00:30:38] But at the end of the day, it’s still, it’s just making a difference. You know, whether you’re a a, whether you’re a stay at home mom, whether you’re at work all day, you’re in the professional field. It’s just, it’s, it’s making a difference. It’s just you know, and I, it just, I, I, I feel like now I’m getting like all sentimental, but it’s like, I feel like the older I get, it’s just, I, that’s I think more at the forefront of, of my mind is just being able to.

[00:31:05] To make a difference. Totally off topic, but you know, I’m a dental hygienist. That’s what I went to college for and, and practiced for a number of, number of years, but actually just went with a huge humanitarian group to down to South America and just worked for four or five days in a dental clinic.

[00:31:20] Just being able to help those that, you know, that need it, that don’t have the opportunity to those services. And so I just. It’s fun to get to the point I am in my life where things are winding down with my kids at home and I have the opportunity to, to help others and see where I can help and use my strengths and my knowledge that I’ve gained over the years to to help others.

[00:31:44] So, and a lot of it is to help my kids too. You know, I’ve got older kids with families and challenges. Back to the beginning. That’s kind of how this whole thing came about. How are we going to help my daughter with all these moves?

[00:31:57] Christine: NI think it’s so important because I think what you’re getting at is something that we all want and, and that is to have this sense of meaning and purpose and to feel like what we are doing makes a difference and that looks different as you’ve talked about in each season of our life.

[00:32:15] And so in this season of, you know, parenthood. Having a way to make a difference is going to look different than when you have a lot of time because your kids are leaving home. And yeah. But that doesn’t mean that each of us doesn’t have something that we can do in this season. So I think it’s really important to understand that this is a desire that we all have and it’s okay that it looks different in these different seasons.

[00:32:43] So I appreciate you coming on and kind of sharing your story, your experience, and. How you found a way to address this pain point that so many military spouses, military families have and say, okay, here’s a way that we can help make things better. Here’s a way that we can kind of reduce that stress and make a difference at the same time.

Making Military Moves More Manageable

[00:33:07] Michelle: Yeah, and like I said before, you know that that’s why we created this is to, you know, help. Resolve that pain point or minimize, you know, we’re not going to, we’re not going to make it be like a trip to Disneyland. It’s just, you know, it’s never going to be that. But that’s what we want to do is help, help make it a little bit easier.

[00:33:26] And so we want to be approachable. We want, if they’re our families that, you know, when they’re using our products, if they. If they say, you know, if you did this, it would really, it would help, you know, you guys are the ones in the trenches. You’re doing it every day, and we wanna hear from you. So we, the, like I said, it’s always a living, breathing thing that is ever changing.

[00:33:48] And that’s because of, of the feedback and the input that we get from, you know, from the users, from those families that are, that are going through this day in and day out. And so we welcome that and we look forward to it.

[00:34:02] Christine: Well let everybody know where they can find packing props, how they can connect with you.

[00:34:10] Michelle: Yeah, so packing props.com, that’s the easiest places to go to our website. We’re on Spousely as well. We love Spousely. Just another way to support the military families. So you can always find us there. You can message us through there. You can purchase there, you can go directly to our website. We would love to hear from you.

[00:34:27] Christine: All right, friends, I hope that you walk away from this episode with both a practical understanding of how creating a business comes from, identifying a problem and then creating a solution for that problem that actually meets a need, and also finding a really practical resource to help you simplify and streamline.

[00:34:53] Your next move, whether it be across the base or around the world. I hope you have an amazing week, friends. I will be back with you again next week. Until then, may you live filled, fueled, and full of joy.