Exploring Life & Business with Jennie & Rufus Johnson of My Personal Estate Sale

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennie & Rufus Johnson.

Hi Jennie & Rufus, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
Rufus and I got the idea for our business after I attended an estate sale in August 2014 that was literally in our backyard. Initially, I went to the sale and brought my husband, Rufus, the second time I attended the sale. We both had been recently laid off from our jobs and were searching for new employment opportunities. We spent over six months attending other estate sales in the KC Metropolitan area and spending a lot of time online learning about the industry as a whole nationwide.

Approximately 110 million Baby Boomers and 45 million of their parents are in need of some sort of estate sale services. These families are overwhelmed, geographically remote, and do not have time to work and deal with family matters. They are looking for professional assistance to deal with their estates and this type of service will be needed for decades to come. So, we recognized the need for a new type of professional, responsible, and reliable estate sales company that you can trust.

Jennie Johnson – Chief Executive Officer.

Over the past 20 years, Jennie has worked as a licensed health care professional providing personal care for those in need of medical attention. Her vast experience includes working in the Family Practice, Pediatric, and Specialty Clinics with an emphasis in, but not limited to Dermatology, Procedures, Urology, Rheumatology, Endocrinology, Neurology, Pulmonology, Oncology, Hematology, Orthopedics, Podiatry, and OB/GYN.

With the aging population, Jennie saw a tremendous need to apply her skills in another direction and formed My Personal Estate Sale LLC. She is dedicated to providing personal care while managing the estates of others in need.

Rufus Johnson Jr – President.

Rufus is an award-winning sales and marketing leader that has tremendous amounts of business acumen. Over the past 30 years, he has served in a leadership capacity for various fortune 50 companies and other business models. Rufus’ professional expertise and span of control have afforded him the opportunity of managing tens of millions of dollars of company budgets, assets, and people.

Rufus graduated Cum Laude from Park University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing Management and conducted his graduate studies at Webster University. He brings a wealth of knowledge, leadership, and success to our team.

To date, we have conducted thousands of in-home consultations and over 300 estate sale events. Also, we work with many Brokers and Realtors as trusted, subject matter experts and professional resources for their clients. We do it all from luxury, large, medium, and/or small estate sales, and the My Personal Estate Sale LLC team is genuinely here to help the general public.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As in any business, market penetration, brand awareness, and business growth bring their own inherent challenges. Although we did a great amount of research before launching our business, nothing beats learning through “real-time” operations. Below are the top 5 challenges we have learned since starting this business:

1. Initial market entry barriers, penetration, gaining clients, competition, brand awareness, and consumer product demand.
2. Not every estate sale consultation turns into a sale. On average, one of every ten consultations turns into an estate sale.
3. Learning what inventory should be included in an estate sale. There should be a broad range of items for sale
4. Balancing Operations and Profitability. Planning staffing demands around sales performance and labor targets
5. Covid-19

We’ve been impressed with My Personal Estate Sale LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Our Mission.

The mission of the My Personal Estate Sale LLC Team is to enhance the overall client & customer experience by providing professional, compassionate and caring estate sale services to our clients while maximizing the return on their personal property efficiently and effectively with superior service and fair market value pricing.

Our Values.

As a professional estate sales and asset liquidation company, My Personal Estate Sale LLC values: To operate with honesty, fairness, and sound ethical business practices. To operate with the highest degree of integrity, professionalism, and respect for our clients and customers. To show empathy, sincerity, compassion, and care.

Our Vision.

The vision of My Personal Estate Sale LLC is to set the standard of excellence within the estate sales industry by operating with the highest degree of professionalism, service, and personal care for our clients while enhancing the overall shopping experiences of our customers.

Our slogan: “We take personal care of your estate.”

My Personal Estate Sale LLC Offers Best-In-Class Professional Estate Sale Services: We provide you with a full range of estate sale liquidation services resulting from the following life events:
* Loss of a Family Member
* Downsizing, Rightsizing & Remodeling
* Moving & Relocation
* Dissolution of Marriage/Partnership or Debt
* Foreclosure & Liquidation

In-Home Estate Sale Services: During your estate sale, our standard processes include the following services:
– Planning & Organizing
– Staffing, Sorting & Staging
– Researching & Pricing
– Marketing & Advertising
– Merchandising & Estate Sale Operations
– Post-Estate Sale Wrap-up
– Post Estate Sale Reporting
– Traffic Control & Parking
– Moving & Loading Assistance
– ​Charitable Donation Scheduling & Staging

Optional Services:- After your sale, we can assist you with the following optional services:
* Complete Estate Clean-Outs
* Partial Estate Clean-Outs
​* Trash Removal & Hazmat Disposal
​* Bungii Delivery Available for all KC Sales

What was you like growing up?
I was your average country girl growing up in East Independence, Missouri.

Living on 10 acres gave way to learning about hard work and the rewards thereof. Much of my time was spent outdoors gardening, horseback riding, milking cows, mowing, and riding dirt bikes. Having the opportunity to be a member of the local 4-H club I was able to learn many life skills.

I played piano and spent much time with my beloved Irish Setter Penny Angie. Nursing became a passion of mine in 5th grade when we had a field trip tour at the Research Medical Center and School of Nursing. I began working at 15 years old and bought my own cars.

As a member of the Susquehanna Baptist Church, I was involved in many youth activities as well as church camp every summer. Later in life, I followed my passion to become a nurse. I was blessed with loving parents including a second father.

My husband, Rufus grew up in Washington, D.C., and moved to Kansas City as part of a corporate move.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://www.mypersonalestatesale.com/home.html
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mpesrufjen/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mypersonalestatesalellc
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/mypestatetesale?lang=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8pWeFOUIYy-1aOe5VHJTzw
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/my-personal-estate-sale-llc-kansas-city