I recently interviewed the wonderful founders of Golden Coil, a line of individualized planners. I really think you are going to enjoy this interview!

Trisha Zemp and Michelle Zemp, Founders, Golden Coil Planners

Educational Background:
Trisha Zemp: BFA Photography
Michelle Zemp: BA Dance

Trisha and Michelle are the wonderful founders of Golden Coil, a line of individualized planners and planning products designed to help simplify the planning process. I recently interviewed them to find out more about how they built the Golden Coil, and I really think you are going to enjoy this interview!

What have you learned about planning out the year for success?

We firmly believe that if we don’t set goals and write them down, the chances of them coming to fruition are slim. Our advice to anyone wanting a successful year is to make small incremental goals that will lead you to your ultimate goal – write them down, and check them off your list once you crush them!

How do you make time for the things you love in your plan?

One of our goals with Golden Coil is to never let it take precedence over what really matters in our lives. For us, that is our families. Doing this takes a lot of organization, persistence, and grace. We have learned to prioritize our to-do’s so that we can get the most crucial tasks done first. We then separate our list into what tasks are urgent and which are important. Sometimes this means letting go of the want-to-do’s in our business so that we can have more time for what we love. To us, it has always been worth it.

What do you do when you have a great plan but then it gets stressful to actually make it happen?

Because business can be extremely stressful at times, we are so grateful to work as a team! As sisters, we have the years in our relationship to recognize when one of us is totally stressed out or overwhelmed. Regardless of what is going on, both of us are quick to find an opportunity to take work off of the other’s person’s plate. There is so much give and take that happens between us, and it helps keep us strong and on the trajectory to meet our goals. We can’t imagine building this business without each other!

How do you stick to your goals throughout the year?

For us, we write our goals down, set deadlines, and follow up each week on the upcoming milestones for those goals. If you really want to accomplish something, keep at it! There will always be setbacks, but you can press forward if you are persistent!

You have a lot of great options for personalized pages in your Golden Coil Planners. What are some things to include in your planner that we may not have thought about before?

Our Year at a Glance (3) is one of our newest and most flexible pages! It has a box for every day of the year so you can see your entire year at once. We have seen this page used to keep track of menstrual/ovulation cycles, family birthdays, photoshoot dates, vacations, and school holidays. Really, the possibilities for this page are endless!

What have you learned about staying flexible when it comes to planning?

Without flexibility, it is so easy to become discouraged! In business, things hardly ever go the way you imagine they will. Being able to quickly switch directions, look at the situation from another angle, or find an alternate solution will keep you moving forward. We have had so many setbacks in our business- especially when we were in the prototyping phase. If we were not willing to be flexible our company would definitely not be where it is today.

Tell us about why you created Golden Coil and why having a purpose-driven life is so important to you?

We created Golden Coil out of pure necessity. Each year we would shop for the perfect planner to balance our goals and responsibilities but with each new purchase, some portion of our planners would fall short. We knew that the only way to create planners that reflected an individual’s personal style, originality, and organizational needs would be to facilitate the creation of customizable planners. When we customize our own planners, each of us becomes more mindful of our tasks and responsibilities because they are laid out in a way that works the way we do. We can be more productive, present, and purposeful. We believe that living our lives in this way helps us become more genuine and uplifting individuals.

What advice would you give to your 20-year-old self?

Start! Sometimes we can get caught up in having the perfect plan and end point before we start something. When in reality, plans/ideas/goals transform over time. Starting means taking risks and putting yourself out there, but just think about where you could be in a year if you start today!