Why is FlyLady’s biz so successful?
In “FlyLady nags her way to millions,” we look at how clutter-busting guru Marla Cilley built her business empire—and a cult following. Why do you think she is so successful? Post your thoughts here.
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DiggI’m a 28-year-old teacher, not married, no kids, and I use FlyLady’s service. I’ve never bought any of her products, either. But I certainly appreciate the reminders to clean, wipe down the sink, etc. Growing up, I was constantly told that the chores I did weren’t done well enough - not exactly the best training to keep my own space in shape!
No body is forcing anyone to buy anything. If you want the info/help, it’s free for the taking. Deleting testimonials takes less than 5 seconds.
And since when is making money a crime? Maybe it’s a crime when it’s a woman making the money doing ‘woman’s work’???
As a busy single mother my home wasn’t clutter, but the perfectionist in me always felt it needed help. So, online I found flylady, and subscribed. However, it didn’t take me long to figure out I was waisting my precious time deleting her unwanted emails, causing more unwanted clutter. I ventured into one or two of her testimony’s she sent out and was disgusted about a lady who’s child was sick, all over the bathroom. The lady writes how she cleaned up the mess in the “fifteen minute” intervals subscribed by Mrs. Cilley. She didn’t finish cleaning up the mess till the next day she wrote. My thoughts, “HOW DISGUSTING AND UHEALTHY!” Yet, Ms. Cilley was “so proud” of her! When I wrote Ms. Cilley she ignored my email, just deleted it as she does with those that do not agree with her.
It sickens me that people feel the need to follow this woman, giving her their precious money… I too thought I’d try her feather dusters that she and her crew absolutely swear by… they do NOT work! I swear I have MORE dust after than before starting with them!
Whats more, she has capitilized on someone else’s idea!
I am a proud FLYbaby working on her doctorate. “FLY” stands for Finally Loving Yourself, something else the author forgot to mention. Marla Cilley, when she first started took out a mortgage on her home to start FlyLady.net (another overlooked fact in the reporter’s article). Her goal has always been to help one person find the peace in their home like she has(and there are even -gasp- men! who learn and use her system). She knows from life experiences that it can be hard so she offers “tools” to make it easier. I’m grateful for this article but sad for the readers who have no compassion or kindness and judge others so quickly as being brainless losers with a sheep mentality and too much money to spend because we are learning how to make our lives easier and more enjoyable by getting our work done more efficiently using routines taught by Marla Cilley. FlyLady says good can come out of evil and just by writing this definitely skewed and negative article perhaps someone who needs help will still find FlyLady.net and a guide to surviving and enjoying a CHAOtic world. Her show is on BlogTalkRadio now where another viscious money grubbing tyrant by the name of Alan Levy has cruelly designed this FREE online radio station to allow people to interact with others like themselves for self-improvement and to interact with others unlike themselves in attempt to understand one another with kindness and tolerance. The naysayers in previous posts won’t like him either. As for my fellow FLYers, much love, way to go and keep up the great work! :)
I subscribed to Flylady several years ago. I cannot remember where I first heard of her. She does offer good advice and the “reminders” and daily missions, etc helped me through a rough time in life when I was working through post-partum clinical depression and was so overwhelmed that I didn’t know where to start. I really needed someone to say: GO GET DRESSED! NOW, MAKE YOUR BED; WHAT’S FOR DINNER? etc. Unless you have gone through it, you will NOT understand this. But I noticed that the testimonials became more and more about her products… and that is all it started to be. I remember when “Body Clutter” came out, she said “just delete if you aren’t interested.” Well, I did and there was not much left. Then the dusters… that was always on there… someone saying how great they were. My DH (dear hubby) bought me a set for Christmas with the book. I did NOT get a free FLYLADY CLING as all the testimonials stated I would! That was the first disappointment, and NO they did NOT send one even when I nicely asked for one. Then the dusters did NOT work the way everyone said. I washed it as directed on the website. It worked better the next time I used it and I was happy again. But then I had to wash it everytime I wanted it to work like a “dust magnet”. Otherwise my $60 purchase simply “pushed the dust into piles” as she reminds us over and over that all other dusters do. And then… the feathers started falling out!! I emailed her several times asking and finally begging and pleading for something to be done. NOT ONE RESPONSE!! NOTHING!! NO EMAIL, NO PHONE CALL, NO SNAIL MAIL, NOTHING!! I know she gets tons of mail but she SWEARS they read it all! SO SOMEONE HAD TO HAVE SEEN ALL MINE! I felt so cheated and ripped. We have a local Flygroup and I eventually UNsubcribed from FLYLADY… I don’t need a days worth of sales pitches any more… and just keep in daily contact with these internet “friends” They help me more that she did at the end of my time with her. Many of them still subscribe and say it is the same thing. OLD ESSAYS rehashing the same stuff, and SELL SELL SELL the products. She does offer free advice, but when I read in this article how much she is selling!!!!! I am FUMING!!! We just lost a job and DH bought me those things because they were supposed to be so awesome and surely she would STAND BY HER PRODUCTS if they were that great! I felt so bad for him, too because he did that for me and lost all that money!!! I went back to my $2 a box swiffer clothes!! And funny thing is… I have tried GIVING the dusters away… no one wants them!! I think she needs to take her money and invest in some customer support and LOWER HER PRICES!! I would rather pay $5 - 10 a month to subscribe than to have all the emails about the products I can’t afford and do not work!!
I’ve been a fly babie for a few years now. She is successful because she cares and her intentions were unselfish.. She spent a lot of time sharing and teaching and it has never cost me a penny to her.. She has never asked us for money..
I have difficulty understanding the extremes that people seem to go towards on this issue.
I have mixed feelings about Marla Cilley and that’s the way it’s going to stay.
I signed up for her service and used material from her emails, radio show, etc., to motivate me to improve my home life, and it absolutely worked.
Every so often, I would be a little creeped out by the excessive product placement, sexist/right wing undertones, and of course, being addressed as a “baby”. HOWEVER, I continued to be subscribed because it continued to help me. Plain and simple - I was paying nothing for this service, and it was useful. Should I really expect more than this? Should I expect her to run her business exactly the way I would run mine? For the price I was paying, how could I complain? As long as it continued to be helpful to me, that outweighed any minor irritations.
I find her extremely emotional displays a little jarring and I dislike that I feel she presents that she is not making a great deal of money from her business. Sometimes, t his irritates me enough that I feel a combination of jealousy and righteousness and yes, want to cut down the tall poppy. However, I get the impression she is not overtly lying about her business income, so in terms of deception in business, hers is very very tame. So, I realize that it was the jealousy fuelling the righteousness, a desire to have a successful business myself, envy that in the group I lead they would never allow me to speak so loosely and paint such inaccuracies about my personal gains from the group (They are mostly men and I am a woman, so this set-up means they will constantly challenge me). Then I remember that even though Flylady’s members are mostly female, she is still a female too and that does mean that in general, both females and males will automatically try to reduce her power and authority to lead. I decide that I have a right to feel a little annoyance, but overall feel proud of Marla for soildering on so successfully after so many years.
It’s been a few years, and I am starting to approach graduating from Flylady, though I haven’t completely unenrolled quite yet.
I have never bought any of her products, I find they are overpriced for what they are. However, I am not morally against it, and if I ever decided something she sells would be useful and a great price, I would certainly consider buying it from her. This may be unlikely as I have mentioned I will probably graduate/unenroll in the not-too-distant future. But one things’s for sure, I have a profound (though a little begrudging) respect for the extremely successful, certainly not perfect but certainly not horrid, businesswoman extraordinairre, Marla Cilley.
FlyLady cares. She sincerely encourages everyone to take good care of themselves and their families and to have fun while doing it. The majority of us who subscribe on her website love her because she writes us every day sharing what’s on her mind. I love her early morning musings! If I get behind in reading my email, I may delete most of the reminders and testimonials– but I always read Marla’s musings because she continues to write to all of us like we are all her best friends no matter how large the list grows. Whether we’re religiously using Kelly’s zone reminders and following FlyLady’s reminders throughout the day or not, it doesn’t matter– we all feel loved and encouraged rather than nagged (it may feel a bit like nagging when you first sign up but everytime I saw “You are not behind! I don’t want you to try to catch up; I just want you to jump in where we are. O.K.?” so many times it really helped me to not get overwhelmed). I have used her holiday planners and other downloads from the website to make my own sort of office in a bag, but I still haven’t bought anything from the FlyStore (although I have often dreamed of getting one of the dusters and small wallets). I think that we do all want to see her succeed so that she can continue reaching out to help more people. Website maintenance and the hardware to support it require some continuous funding, so if we can help out by purchasing something that’s been painstakingly chosen or designed for us in mind– we should.
Perennial Flybaby in Hillsboro, Oregon
I have not read the other “Flybabies” comments. Because I think we are all drawn to the same conclusion. Common sense and the way the Fly Lady lays it down. Heck, I only half listened to my mother, now she’s gone and maybe Ms. Cilley has become a lightening rod for all of our moms and possibly dads in heaven to help us get our butts up and in order. As Ms. LaLonde put it she is a life saver, 15 minutes at a time (okay, I liked I read one).
I am a flybaby and have been a subscriber to flylady for 2 years. Her system works beautifully in my life. Her simple down to earth advice is a life saver 15 minutes at a time!
because she is honest, helpful and free. because her readers can identify with her and recieve help from her. because their lives are transformed with helpful advice that cost them nothing. hard to understand in today’s greedy culture, isn’t it?
Well, after reading most of the responses here to date, I have got to thank you Susan for writing this article. I’m one of the many who were somewhat peeved by your cynical tone at first but then you opened the discussion to readers, which means you deliberately set the stage for Marla’s supporters to be ‘interviewed’ in a way and on a scale that you probably would not have been able to do yourself. Well done for that. As for your cynical tone, well I guess that is par for the course with most people today. Not many seem to appreciate that there is actually another way of perceiving the world. Never mind the logical fact that the shop on the corner is selling the same goods and nobody spits on them as opportunistic swindlers, to people with that outlook on life if you are successful you obviously are only in it for the money. (Actually people who think this way are really saying “I want to rip this person off by making them give ME stuff for nothing and/or I wish they would just leave me to sulk and wallow in my disbelief of any kindness in my fellows”.) You know, children and those who want/are willing to learn do so best with repeated instruction WHICH THEY THEN FOLLOW. Marla does not nag because those who want to improve learn from her repeated instructions and we know that she knows what she is talking about because when she tells about her life experiences, for a huge number of us she is speaking about our own personal secrets. So we know that she knows and can be trusted. There is absolutely no pressure to buy; the site is free; and the calendar is bloody good too! I shall be getting another when this one runs out!
she is successful because ‘housewives’ and stay-at-home moms are lonely, overworked, and underappreciated. Whose husband is going to applaud them for cleaning out the fridge, remembering to get the right things at the market and folding the laundry? If you are not trying to run your home and take care of your family, you have no idea the amount of work and planning and trouble shooting that goes into it. This lady does and is making millions applauding women for exactly the things their husbands take for granted.
Posted By Christine, Portland OR : November 8, 2007 2:21 pm
###I think there are many other places one should go to get appritiation, I mean come on, self esteem people! IT IS GOOD! And you should not have a bug making you feel better about yourself, in my opinion!
I am very aware not every one is a middle aged house frau on , or in need of anti- depressants, or new housecleaning items.
That would be a statistical impossability. But I believe the writer was stating a average, nothing wrong with that! But that said, I agree if she did see a open end in the market selling to those who have to scrape and save their “mad Money” for months, to buy her products, it is really quite ingenoius when you come to look at it, it makes the woman who buy into it feel better, and she gets a thriving business!!100 years ago this would have not happened!
I’m a professional woman and a scientist, working at a major university– I am currently running a national collaborative grant with leaders in my field, in a federally funded project ($500,000+).
I hit the door at the end of the day, and thank god– there’s the meal for my family that’s ready to go, because when I opened my morning email, one note said: “toss in a load of wash” which I did in 2 minutes while my tea was brewing, and another said “what’s for dinner tonight?” and I pulled the frozen stuff out of the freezer and dashed off a couple notes about what needed to be picked up on the way home. Then it was off to my full-time job at the University.
I can run a national project because these gals are thinking *for* me, about something I’m not that interested in (housekeeping, cooking). I need my house running great, so I can excel in my professional field. And I sure don’t want to make a list about it–and why should I? These generous people are helping me out for free!
I’ve never bought a thing from their shop, and I don’t really do more than the basics, and ya, sure, I roll my eyes at the gushy language, because I’m an analytical type of person, so that’s not my personal style– but scientists do engage in systems-thinking, and do identify problems (the damn house) and then DO experiment and try anything that might actually solve a problem, and, boy, this works for me.
Here’s the great part– all the ‘cognitive space’ that used to track all the details of daily life is now available for bigger and better things, because a little auto-email pings me a reminder. No worry I’ll forget it. No writing down, no nothing. Just select-all and delete.
Better yet, now my weekends are free of chores, paperwork, and laundry and available for backpacking, kayaking, skiing, and trips with friends. That’s a pretty big pay-off for enduring a little purple prose.
I am not a middle aged, stay at home mom who is under appreciated by my husband. I am a 31 year old married mother of two children, ages 1.5 and 2.5, and I am also a lawyer with a successful practice. Thank you Fly Lady. Your daily suggestions have brought me peace of mind. This evening I will go home to a clean house, planned meal and relax knowing on this 9th day of November, I am ready for Christmas. It is hard for me to be cynical. As I have told my two assistants, who are now also Fly babies, “you can make fun but it works.” That is why Flylady is so successful.
she is successful because ‘housewives’ and stay-at-home moms are lonely, overworked, and underappreciated. Whose husband is going to applaud them for cleaning out the fridge, remembering to get the right things at the market and folding the laundry? If you are not trying to run your home and take care of your family, you have no idea the amount of work and planning and trouble shooting that goes into it. This lady does and is making millions applauding women for exactly the things their husbands take for granted.
Joining her email service - free. Viewing all the articles on her website - free, with no need to even sign up. Reading her book - local library, people, so, also free. The only materials which cost in any way are those housekeeping tools which are comparable in price to the higher end department stores.
So why does this reporter have such a beef with the Flylady? The tone of this article was ridiculously cynical and unnecessarily nasty. Having been an email member of the Flylady group for over three years, I can assure you that Flylady has actively helped more people, with less thought of herself, than this reporter is ever likely to.
And if she and her company are making a profit - how does that make them different from any successful small-to-medium sized business? They are selling actual goods, and as such, are not defrauding anyone. What was the real purpose in writing this article?
Weird, nasty article. Really quite poor reporting.
That was the most bitter article I’ve ever read about the Flylady. I’m a single, late 20’s business owner, a far cry from the middle-aged, dotty homemakers mocked by this article, and I have found the Flylady to be extremely helpful.
Clearly Ms. Hauser does not understand the system. Perhaps she herself is so organized as to not need helpful reminders about how to structure one’s day, but not everyone is so blessed. The FlyLady works particularly for people who do not have an innate sense of order and don’t know what to do next sometimes. Marla Cilley shared her system for over-coming the fact that she was easily side-tracked, to the benefit of countless people. The reminders coming through out the day are obviously most pertinent to people at home who may have gotten side-tracked by their computer, but even for people like me who check their email after a long busy day, the reminder to do my bedtime routine, laying out my clothes for the next day and checking my calendar is helpful.
As a business owner, I readily accept Cilley’s explanation for the business side of her service. She sends out reminders and advice for free to over 400,000 members and fields countless emails. That means that THOUSANDS of people find her encouragement helpful. That also means that in order to keep up with all those people, Cilley needed help. Everyone has to get paid. Everyone has to eat. I don’t begrudge her selling useful tools at fair prices that support her teachings of cleanliness and order. Yes, some of them are kitschy and tacky. So, I don’t buy them! Frankly, I find her advertising less offensive than most anything else that I encounter on the internet and it’s REALLY easy to delete.
One thing I noticed in this article was the lack of interviews from members. Perhaps it’s because we Flybabies are such a cultish, brain-washed lot that Ms. Hauser felt conducting interviews would be a waste of time. There may be a better reason for such unbalanced journalism that I am missing.
Ms Hauser,
I found your August 16 article, “How FlyLady nags her way to millions,” to be a highly irresponsible and incomplete piece of journalism. Firstly, FlyLady does *not* nag. The messages are supposed to be gentle reminders to help us, the disorganized of the world, keep on track. Anyone who perceives the reminders as nagging is overlaying a voice that is not Marla Cilly’s-probably that of a mother who *did* nag.
Secondly, you failed to mention the fact that the e-mail list is completely free and Mrs Cilly has sworn to never charge anyone for her reminders and advice. The sale of FlyLady merchandise pays for the list service, ensuring that it remains free to everyone with Internet/e-mail access, no matter where they are.
Thirdly, Mrs Cilly’s “customers” (Flybabies) purchase FlyLady merchandise because it has a proven track record of quality and of being the best tool for the job. Mrs Cilly is very careful about the merchandise that she chooses to include in the FlyShop. She and her staff test all prospective merchandise extensively prior to including it in the FlyShop. Inferior products are not approved just to make a few more sales. Flybabies trust Mrs Cilly because she has proven herself trustworthy.
Finally, I take issue with your characterizing FlyBabies as “almost exclusively female middle-aged homemakers.” Many may fall in that category, but the vast majority of FlyBabies who I have met in my home city are in their late 20s to late 30s (hardly “middle-aged”) and work outside the home. We do have middle-aged homemakers, but we also have college students, young stay-at-home moms, and retirees. We are not “slobs.” We are simply people who were not born knowing how to keep a home organized. Those who instinctively know how to do this cannot explain it to those who do not. Mrs Cilly understands us because she is one of us, so she knows how to explain organization in a way that we can understand and has developed a system that we can follow, and she does it all because she cares and wants to help. She has also shown us that we are not alone and has provided us with a community of support. That is why we love her.
May you have peace in your home like so many FlyBabies have found, thanks to Marla Cilly.
Hey, if you want to get treated like you’re five years old and be called a “baby” then I can see why this works for you. I’m sure the Fly Lady is thrilled that you’ve made her a multimillionaire, but don’t fool yourselves: you’re getting nagged.
She is great women! She is wonderfull, and her approach toward home, work, oneself is smarter than anything I’ve ever had opportunity to read or hear. Simple, but effective system that is for free! Generous, fair, loving.
You can buy her products if you want - why not? I find her work worth and I can not see any reason why not buy something - if for nothing else - than to support this great lady and her work.
Even in Croatia, Europe, she has her great reputation and she is helping me and many other young women in our struggle with our home duties.
shame on you, author of the text - text in not objective, not well-meaning, it is rude, not polite - and besides all that - it compleatly misses the point of flylady.net.
BTW - shouldn’t author talk to some members of flylady before jumping to conclusions?
I guess flylady works her job well - which the author of text doesn’t.
But, I wouldn’t like to be rude towards author; everyone can make a mistake. I just don’t understand what in flylady caused such a negative feelings.
As you can see by posts left here, Flylady subscribers include some highly educated professional people. It’s insulting to imply that we are middle-aged housewives with low IQs. I am a successful business owner, college educated, with a background in journalism. And, like others, wanted to create a home that was clean, uncluttered, and was a pleasant place to be. I wanted to organize my home life. I bought the book Home Comforts by Cheryl Mendelson several years ago. I’m sure she made lots of money from that book, but no one complained about that. I spent more on that book than I have ever given Flylady, and Flylady has helped me a heck of a lot more.
Those of you criticizing Flylady: Is your house a mess? Are you embarrassed to have people over? Are you embarrassed for your kids to have people over? Does your family have to go to the dryer to find socks to wear? Do you eat out too much because you weren’t organized enough to get a meal on the table at dinnertime? Can you come home and feel like you at a nice bed and breakfast? Are you freaking out on December 20th because you haven’t started Christmas shopping yet? Do you have to run to the store a few times a week because you forgot something? Is your house cluttered? Do you lose bills or important papers because you have piles of papers laying around? Is your bed made? Do you have to “crisis clean” every time you have company? Is hosting a holiday meal at your house a big stressor because you not only have to prepare the meal, but “crisis clean” your house? Do you forget important days, like birthdays, because you are unorganized?
I joined Flylady’s list when it was only about nine months old and far fewer subscribers than it has now. I have never been asked for money, and in fact, when I joined there was no “fly shop” where you can order items. That came much later. Flylady began this to HELP people. She didn’t do it for the money. But if she can make some money in the process, more power to her! She has helped countless people get their homes and lives organized. In the 7 years I have been a part of the flylady community, I have probably spent less than $30. I think I have bought of couple of her calendars. So I really resent comments like J in Iowa’s above about people with “too much disposable income” spending money on things like this. The truth is, many of Flylady’s followers would be unable to be a part of it if it depended on them having to PAY for it. Flylady is a good person with a good heart who wanted to help others and figured out a way to do it. Sounds like people would like it better if they heard it was something she dreamed up as a money making venture. But the truth is, it’s not. It’s about helping people, and if in doing that she is able to make a little - or a lot - of money, then more power to her.
Other people in the world would call what Flylady does ‘Advertising’. And the people she ‘advertises’ to have all signed up to the ‘advertising’.
I’m sure companies like Coke and McDonalds don’t call all there advertising ‘nagging’.
Good on her for doing so well in business. Why is it that we all want to cut the tall poppy down? The majority of her information is free.
Good luck to her and all the flybabies. This article was rude.
Shame on CNN and Susan Hauser!
I am shocked and dismayed by the ignorance and insensitivity of the author of this article. Had she taken the time to thoroughly research her subject matter, Ms. Hauser would have learned that “nagging” is the complete opposite of what Flylady does. She gives gentle reminders and encouragement
to those who struggle with domestic duties and organizational skills.
Flylady has helped millions of women and men transform their homes, lives, families and relationships for the better without charging one red cent for any of her advice. Her “nagging emails” are no different than sticky note messages we write for ourselves or alarms we set to remind us of day to day tasks and appointments. If Flylady were truly a “nagging golddigger” as Susan Hauser suggests, she would have felt threatened by this article and afraid it would affect the sale of her products and sue for slander. Instead, although saddened by the tone of the article, Flylady chose to focus on the positive rather than the
negative, which she shared in an email with her flybabies. Did Ms. Hauser even test the feather duster out for herself or try one of Leanne’s recipes, some of which. by the way, are offered as free trials? If she had, she would have discovered that flybabies have actually saved money and ate healthier with the Saving Dinner Plan. She also would have probably ordered a fly duster or two for herself because they are quality products that work great and are fun to use.
I think CNN and Susan Hauser owe Marla Cilley and all the Flybabies of the world an apology for their putdowns and inaccurately portraying Flylady and her website as a moneygrubbing way to feed on desperate housewives. CNN should print a retraction article detailing the life-changing transformations she has helped women make not only in their homes, but in themselves as well. Susan Hauser failed to mention the most important aspect of the Flylady system: that “Flying” means “Finally Loving Yourself.” I hope someday Ms. Hauser can learn to “FLY” and use the articles she gets paid for writing to bless others and help women feel empowered just as Marla Cilley, aka the beloved, Flylady, does every day for free.
I’m not sure why people have to be so negative when they find someone like FlyLady who is so successful with what they do best. She has be a God-send
to those 400,000 ladies (and gentlemen), young, middle aged, and old, and she has never asked for more than that we be true to loving who we are so we
can better take care of and love our famililies. And I believe if you asked any one of those FlyBabies, she would tell you that we do not consider ourselves “customers”, we are members of a world wide family of sister who help each other be the best we can be. I am sad that this column felt it was
necessary to cut up a person’s positive influence by calling her a “nag”. That is just not right! Marla is not a guru, she is a loving mother, sister,
friend….and these FlyBabies love her for her words of encouragement and confidence in what we can do. If she is a nag, then it stand for “Nice And
Gentle!” FlyLady, we love you!
It is clear from the title of your article “FlyLady Nags Her Way to Millions” that you must have given FlyLady’s website only a cursory glance.
Nagging implies a repeated request; FlyLady sends one reminder for each project, and then she moves on, just like she expects her FlyBabies to.
You also suggested that FlyLady markets her own line of cleaning tools as the only way to organize, hawking her branded feather dusters and timers
right and left; that is far from the truth. Her daily notes may occasionally include testimonials from happy customers of those products, but her focus
is — and this is clear to anyone who has been with her for more than a day or two — getting the extraneous clutter out of lives. Her service is free,
her mission commendable, and your article didn’t do her justice.
I hope you will revisit FlyLady’s site and give it a more thorough reading.
Thank you.
Interesting. If it were a man who had come up with this idea, and built this website, I seriously doubt that his friendly reminders and advice would be framed as “nagging”. However, it seems that the author of this piece, and in fact many members of the business community, still cannot stomach the idea of a strong, independent, business-savvy female. It’s clearly much easier for the author to reframe Cilley’s accomplishments as the behavior we would associate with a whiny housewife - that is a concept that sits much more comfortably in the minds of the male-dominated business world. It’s sad to see how far we have yet to go before women truly have equality in the workplace.
Funny, I’ve subscribed to flylady for over 4 years. I’ve never bought a thing. So does that make me a lemming, or a “looser”?
I CAN tell you my house has a lot less junk, and on days where I look around and all I can see is a mess, I just commit myself to 15 minutes. I do whatever I can for 15 minutes and “magically” my house is presentable again. It’s so freeing to look around and only see things I love, and not be depressed by stuff and junk.
I also agree that if Marla (aka Flylady) charged a fee for her services and called herself an “orinizational therapist” or “life coach”, she would be reveared as a savvy business woman. But because she offers her services for free, she’s dumped on. Too bad.
What the author of the article missed is that the products Ms Cilley sells are high quality. I haven’t bought all of her products but those that I have purchased have been outstanding. The feather duster that she sells is the only feather duster that I have ever owned that didn’t fall apart. I can’t tell you how many timers I have bought over the years the either didn’t work or didn’t work long. Ms Cilley’s timer is built to last and is kid proof. The calendar is wonderful for a family because there is actually room to write things down.
Ms Cilley has been a wonderful help to many people for free. The products she sells are high quality.
As another one of those “Flybabies,” I am defensive about “FlyLady.” She has helped so many people by helping us all keep focused. Unlike the writer of this article, she isn’t negative and says, “No whining allowed!” Most of her Flybabies know they are easily distracted and discouraged, so we need her to keep us focused on what we need to do with our time, and to look at our life and work in a positive way.
She knows we get frustrated and angry at ourselves from time to time, and tells us not to worry and to just “jump in where we are.” No guilt here; forget it and keep on going.
We take what we learn into all parts of our lives, which makes our hearts lighter and gives us the peace she has promised.
LOVE LIVE FLYLADY!
I haven’t bought one thing from “FlyLady”, and yet I’m still a “FlyBaby”. Why? Because Ms. Cilley’s advice works. Individuals trust the products that come from the FlyLady website because they’ve first tried the words from FlyLady’s mouth. Most members are like me…too much creativity-not enough organizational skills. We flit from project to project and wonder why the house looks so messy. She teaches what should perhaps be common sense but isn’t for most of us. And it works. So people trust her. Get it?
P.s.- I am also a young, sucessful woman. Not a middle-aged homemaker.
As a business owner with a husband and children running a successful first aid company I find this article more of an example of “nagging” than anything that Flylady has ever done. I find her very helpful. She charges ZIP Nada for any of her help that you call nagging. She has come up with items that make our jobs easier and has shared them with us. She should make a profit on selling a product. She GIVES away herself ALL of the time. I think she is a wonderful example of what being a good person helping others can accomplish. What I find totally disgusting is that [FSB] has published such a biased article that clearly lacks facts and is so negative and that they PAID someone for such a piece of trash. Maybe they can do another write up with Marla personally to make it up to her. She clearly helps millions of women AND men, and our children try to get organization and more peace out of their lives. She is the one that deserves to be interviewed so more people can learn that by helping other people that you benefit as well. More people should pay attention to that kind of message. Our country could benefit from having more of those kinds of people running it.
I am not a slob and am not middle aged, as the author of the article seems to think everyone who finds help in Fly Lady is. I discovered the Fly Lady system when I had my first baby and became a stay-at-home mom. I wish I had found her earlier. Previously, I had a succesful career and two masters degrees. All that didn’t help me learn how to live in a more peaceful and organized way. It took Fly Lady to help me do that. She teaches a life philosophy that will help you in every aspect of your life - not just housework. I love reading the emails and testimonials. They are inspiring - not nagging.
The author of this article is clearly biased and I feel sad that he/she cannot understand that sometimes people like Marla Cilley succeed through an honest desire to help people. Not everything should be viewed through cynical eyes.
I am really surprised..well perhaps I shouldn’t be seeing how human nature is..at all the negative comments. Starting with the writer of this article.
With a degree and having raised three children, and having my own business, it is an insult to me that you people would insult someone that helps people out for free. If Flylady was a organizational coach charging a fortune per hour then you would probably not say a negative word!
You do not have to buy any product from her. You do not have to pay to subscribe to her website. You do not even have to read the email/emails if you don’t wish to. That is what the delete button is for.
As for nagging, I did not realize you could NAG someone with a delete button!
As for being a member of a cult;
cult (n.) A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader.
cult (n.) A system or community of religious worship and ritual.
cult (n.) The formal means of expressing religious reverence; religious ceremony and ritual.
Sorry…not a religion! Just a lady that has a huge talent for helping people!
As for making $4million a year. Humm with 24 employees, stock, buildings,taxes
and ect…not way. Her BUSINESS makes that much. Not Marla!
And with the help she give to thousands of people she deserves it!
Just a little steam let of by one of the “lemmings” that CAN spell!
The the most important thing she has to offer is not the cleaning and decluttering, but mental decluttering help she gives. She helps us to clear our negative thinking that can and do hinder us from doing what we need to do. Sometimes in the process she touches something we have been hiding in the back closet in our mind. Slowly we realize it for what it is, and are able reconcile, forgive, or just be able to let go of it.
She helps us to see that what looks like it would take us a long time really doesn’t. Large projects don’t have to be completed in a day or weekend. We don’t have to listen to the negative critics around us that say you have to do it a certain way, and it has to be perfect. Many times you are your own worst critic.
When depressed, sick, just not feeling well, worn out, tired, hate to clean, stressed, just don’t have enough time in the day, and etc. 15 minutes is due able. Timed 15 minutes for those who naturally tend to be slow, some how gives extra boost of energy.
For those of you who say buying from her is bunk. Her products are well made, fit the need, and are worth the money. I cam to realize this after buying a similar cheaper item, and then end up pitching it.
Lots of people need a little nagging and pushing in their lives. Having someone to remind coaching them on everyday tasks is helpful. Why do they go to Maria Cilley for this? In my opinion, most people would rather be nagged by some anonymous voice over the Internet than by someone that they actually know and have a relationship with. Lets face it. Having a friend, mother or sister telling you to get off your franny and do the dishes is not was most of us enjoy. It creates conflicts and hard feelings. However, getting an email once a day from someone that you don’t really know telling the same thing is no big deal… It’s nothing personnal. And if you don’t want to hear it, then you just don’t log on.
As to why people buy Flylady products… Why not? If you’re going to buy a kitchen timer or a calendar anyway, why not order it through the web site that you visit every week? Maybe some people also feel like “encouraging” their FlyLady since her coaching services are free. And for some people, it has become a cult. Let’s be honnest. Various people follow her advices different ways. While most people take her advices for what they are (a good system to keep your house clean and not get overwhelmed), others follow her like a religion.
We baby boomers have been raised by depression-era parents that hoard, save and guilt us into keeping everything ! Then the little voice in our heads “If you can’t do it well, don’t do it at all !” — Well, guess what? I don’t have time to do it very well, so you can imagine what happens — Getting permission to do things a little at a time and doing something rather than nothing has helped me tremendously. And honestly- you men were never taught to feel guilty if the kitchen wasn’t clean enough to eat off the floor — give me a break. You don’t have to spend a dime on any of Flylady’s stuff if you choose not to. Oprah’s made millions making people feel good about themselves too and giving life advice. Oh and by the way, you don’t have to subscribe to the e-mail reminders either if you don’t want to.
I do not like the tone that the writer of this article took. I am a sucessful 29 year old doctor, and I have found the kind words of Flylady to be authentic. I truly believe that Marla did not begin this process to make money. But if she does, I’m happy for her. The products she provides are REQUESTED by her subscribers, and they are very reasonable. If the writer had actually read anything Marla and her team had written, it would be obvious that they were very much mistaken about the entire Flylady subject.
I am not a “fly baby”, but if you do not buy cleaning products or calendars, you must have a maid and no life.
FlyLady seems to have mind control powers like The Borg on Star Trek. Cool!
As a senior executive I most certainly am not a loser, a lemming or a slob. I’m just one of many women who work long hours and struggle to keep their home as organised as their work life.
Ever had to dash to the local shop because you’ve run out of milk, or ordered in a takeaway because you didn’t get time to do the grocery shopping? Or missed a credit card payment because the statement was in a pile of paper on your dining table?
FlyLady is providing a life coach service which is, in the main, free of charge. She’s made her money by providing products that tap into her target market - whether that’s calendars or meal plans. Her business has grown through word of mouth and PR - why is that any less impressive than a company who spends millions on advertising?
Marla Cilley has built a business by tapping into something deeper than making money. She has given the gift of connectedness to people who get isolated by the clutter in their homes or by their depression or by their overwork or by their perfectionism. The writers who are negative about her work (including the author who took a negative tone) may not have had such issues in their lives. The testimonials included in her e-mails are not only about products; many are powerful stories of real people who struggle, persist and often move forward in their daily lives. The products sold may be helpful for people and obviously helpful for building a business, but I do not believe that they are the reason that Mrs. Cilley has been successful. She is successful because she is a real person who has been willing to be remarkably honest, to make changes in her own life and to offer that possibility to others.
I am not a devoted follower of flylady, but i do follow her basic system from time to time. I live with an “acceptable” level of disorganization, continuosly trying to improve. I was not taught to “clean as you go” as a kid, and it is a very slow process to learn (I’m usually too busy having independent thoughts to stop and clean). I am not stupid or a loser. I am a painter who works regularly in my studio and my work sells. I teach year round, and I have a day job. I am also intelligent and have a wide circle of friends and aquaintances.
A few years ago I was suffering from severe depression. When I was home all I could manage to do was watch tv, surf the internet, or sit in a chair staring at the wall. I came across flylady’s website. Reading through her site and testimonials from the “flybabies” actually sparked in me the belief that I could have control of my life in some small way. I’m not giving her all the credit (it took a lot of hard work on my part and medication to come out of it), but reading those positive messages at a time when i wasn’t letting anything positive into my life helped a lot.
So those of you that think it’s all bunk, I hope this means your life is perfect in and you’ve never needed any help along the way. Maybe you find a better use of your energy and extreme intelligence than being so negative toward thousands of people you don’t even know.
As far as her products (i have never purchased any of them), what’s wrong with giving your money to something you believe in rather than a big box store? Lots of people buy feather dusters and planners and timers, and other tools, that’s pretty much what flylady is selling on her website.
Anyway, thanks Marla & co.
Flybabies, keep up the good work.
The FlyLady System “works” for those of us who easily get side tracked and need reminders. We are not losers. We are very creative people. The only thing this FlyBaby with a Master’s degree is losing is clutter, chaos and pounds. I get everything for free - encouragement, free control journal pages, free body clutter investigator for tracking food and exercise and the peace that comes with having a life that is not out of control. I can choose to buy some of her tools such as her calendar, timer, dusters and pens but you can do everything with your own tools also. I can’t think of any better deal around. The cost of peace - PRICELESS!!
And, by the way, she doesn’t give people who make spelling errors a hard time, either. Maybe the person who spelled “losers” incorrectly could use some of Flylady’s tolerance.
I am astonished at the negative attitude and cynicism of this reporter. Marla Cilley’s website and advice are free. She clearly explains the reasons for her daily reminders in her Welcome letter, and offers the option to not receive them. She does not “nag”, she speaks in an encouraging, caring, and loving voice. She provides tips for those that work and those who don’t. There are a lot of people who live in chaos and clutter, which should be obvious by the popularity of organizing books, shows, and companies. There are a lot of people with health and emotional issues that contribute to them living in a state of clutter. How insulting to refer to these people disdainfully as “slobs” as this reporter does…something that Marla Cilley would never do. She provides for free for which others charge hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. She endorses products that she believes in and that excite her. I, along with many others, like actually having a calendar with room to write everything down on, and a feather duster that actually works.
It’s not nagging, it’s loving reminders that help you stay on track without feeling overwhelmed. It’s fun and it WORKS!
Not only am I surprised by the negativity of the article (”nagging”)I am insulted by some of the negative comments. The reason that FlyLady is so successful is because she shares a common ground with hundreds of thousands of people. She was able to take this common start, give friendly advice, and develop a following.
Why is her free service any less viable than the numerous life-coaches or orgainzational leaders? Why is someone a “loser” for wanting to better themselves and their homes?
FlyLady is successful because she loves what she does. I wish we all could find our calling in life like she has.
If Flylady were truly “nagging” those who subscribe to her web-group, it would never have survived, much less become a four million dollar internet based business. Her e-mails are “reminders” and nothing more, not “nagging”. Nagging is defined as
To annoy by constant scolding, complaining, or urging.
To torment persistently, as with anxiety or pain.
v.intr.
To scold, complain, or find fault constantly: nagging at the children.
Marla does none of this. She does not scold, does not find fault and does not complain. What she does do is encourage and accept people for where they are and when they are. And, quite frankly, her products deserve the praise they receive. They are high quality, useful tools.
It’s your loss if you don’t understand the beautiful and gentle way Marla and her Flyfamily have changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of men and women who constantly get “sidetracked” during their daily activities. It is that beauty that drives her business and subscriber loyalty. Not, as the article was written, nagging.
flyladys services are FREE. i have no idea why anyone is getting down on her. people pay for organizers and life coaches and this woman is helping more then a quarter of a million world wide for FREE. her principals have helped me organize my life .THANK YOU MARLA AND STAFF! all the best faith
I first subscribed when I started working at home. I would get too caught up in my work and end up putting in 10-12 hr days. But an email reminder would help break up the long work day and keep my house a little tidier. I praise her for the great work and look forward to seeing her in the headlines again!
FlyLady is popular because her enthusiasm is sincere, not phony - & because her methods work. Her service is free - supported only by people who choose to buy products and books (& they do that because they trust they’ll get their money’s worth & they do).
It is un-’fortunate’ that Susan Hausner described Marla Cilley (AKA FLY LADY) as a “NAG.” Many of of have been subjected to nagging over the years and a note from the Flylady (or her staff) is like being wrapped in a warm cocoon even if it contains a gentle prodding to shine our sinks or tie on our sneakers.
We are glad to have helped her grow her site (that is totally free and not once ounce of pressure to buy!) by purchasing from her flyshop. Her merchandise is first class and very reasonably priced.
Please consider presenting her again more realistically. You know we really do feel like a big family and it is distressing when our “Momma” isn’t appreciated for her loving self.
Many thanks for your consideration of this request.
Patty Green who is “flying” in
Street, MD.
It is a simple proposition, she is delivering a service that is highly recognized and need it by her audience. This is a key to any business success, if you simply understand your audience and know what their needs are and deliver it, you simply built a bridge to their wallets. So for those of you who are surprised by this lady’s value added (nagging) service, find out what your customers want above and beyond what they are already getting and by delivering that incremental service/product to them and you will immediately jack up your sales.
Why all the negativity? It’s great that fly lady was able to build a successful business from her e-mail list and website. Her advice is free and you can ignore the testimonials about products if you like. I see them as ads that support her passion which is helping people. If subscribers were lemming-like cult members she would be making a lot more than 4 million per year.
Fly lady subscriber
It is successful because most people in this country are idiots - complete morons. They NEED someone to tell them what to do. They almost never, ever have an independent thought in their little pea-brains.
How else can you explain it?
I mean really. A person makes millions telling other to clean up. If they can’t figure that out on their own then they deserve to make her rich.
Duh!
Nag??? Did the author fall into the trap of using this term because it’s a woman dispensing sage advice? I’ve never heard this word used to describe a male time-management or organizational guru, like for example David Allen.
Jeez people, get a life. Not those using the service - those of you who are looking down your nose at it. In case you weren’t aware, life coaching is a a $1.5 billion a year industry (2005). So not only are her clients in good company but it looks to me that using her service FOR FREE is an even smarter way to go. Some people subscribe to daily emails about jokes, or news stories, or porn, or stock tips to help themselves out or give themselves a little boost for the day. I don’t see this service as any different.
Because it works, it is simple and the advice is all free. The idea is to be more comfortable in your own home, to free up time and energy in a relaxing setting. The 15 minute de-clutter process works, for adults and kids. You also begin to re-evaluate items before you purchase them, is it really needed or will it just become clutter. I have read the web-site, check in periodically, but don’t get the emails as I don’t want to clutter up my inbox. I haven’t bought any items, have checked the book out of the Library - so it didn’t become clutter in my home when I was done with it. I have recommended the site to others, all of which found it helpful. If you don’t use it (often) or absolutely love it - get rid of it.
I offer a sincere congratulations on building up the clientel numbers and the way she has done it is to be commended. My name is David M. Croy and I live in Des Moines , Iowa. I am a retired banker with wells fargo and just read the recent article on this fine lady. The story and content was a great article and caught my attention.
It’s depressing to see that there are thousands of lemmings out there who can’t think or act for themselves. I echo J’s sentiment, more power to her, its pathetic what people choose to spend money on. Her FlyBabies are truly babies who never learned to act or think on their own.
It works because “I can do anything for 15 minutes!”. Serously, for the skeptics out there, if you have a messy house and just aren’t naturally neat and tidy, try it. You can get her book at your local library, you can access her website for free. If you sign up for the e-mails, be smart and get the one-a-day; you’ll get all of the e-mails, but it will be one large e-mail instead of several smaller ones. For those who think this is something only for “loosers” (or people who know how to spell), if you are tidy by nature, more power to you. However, some of us aren’t and we can use all the encouragement we can get! Now, I’ve got to go and do the dishes. I can do that in 15 minutes and will feel better because they are done!
Seriously, CA spelled ‘losers’ wrong. I bet many of the 400,000 ‘loosers’ noticed that.
clutter is debiltating. It’s depressing. We ALL live with too much of it. There are many reasons why flylady is successful. She’s real not some shrink with book learnin’. her way WORKS because she teaches baby steps which is the only way to lasting change. And also, and this is important…you never have to catch up, you just jump in where you are no matter where that may be.
Perhaps because she’s telling people something nobody taught them as a child?
Perhaps because she’s filling the void left when you leave home and realize no one is telling you what to do?
Maybe she’s just skimming off all the Martha Stewart junkies that stopped watching when she went to jail?
There’s gotta be at least 400,000 different reasons eh?
Some people have too much time on their hands… to spend it on the computer all day? Then there are others who have more money than they do sense.
Simple. FlyLady’s “FlyBabies” LOVE her and trust her. We trust her because she’s been there, and we love her because she never gives up on herself or us. As the story states but doesn’t elaborate upon, she’s not trying to be some guru commenting down from above; she fights the same fight every day that we do, makes mistakes and apologizes for them, learns from what’s gone before and moves forward. She is completely, unrelentingly, positive and encouraging — but she also expects us to get up off our “frannies” and build better habits every day to improve our lives and our health.
FlyLady is successful because what she offers for free, works. We buy her products because we believe in her integrity, that she would not offer a subpar product or one that wouldn’t truly help us. And because, over time, she becomes part of our lives and our families. Period.
Her story shows that there are atleast 400,000 women out there that can be safely termed “loosers” for lack of a better word. Only idiots buy into junk like this.
Fly Lady is successful because she DOESN’T nag… She reminds us in a loving way to get off our frannys. We all thrive on structure. Routines become the magic wand that gets stuff done!
This is not “Stepford-ism”…lol It’s common sense. If you do it now, it get’s done.
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Who cares if she’s getting rich off her advice, books, etc???
What she is doing WORKS. And she offers it all for free. Yes, there are the tags at the bottom of every email, enticing you to buy buy buy.
Do you have a television? Do you have shows you love to watch? Do you pick up your television in a fit of rage and throw it out the window whenever you see a commercial?
be a grownup. Don’t take the “baby” talk personally. Use her advice if it helps, buy only what you really want to buy, and don’t blame others for making a living, or for YOU choosing to sucumn to the commercials and buy everything.