A Personal Organizer | Helena Alkhas

Professional Organizing Glenview, IL | Become a Professional Organizer

You are here > Home » Entrepreneur Life » Become a PRO Organizer » Page 2

Become a PRO Organizer

Setting the Stage for Success: How to Instill Confidence & Trust in Your Clients

By
Filed Under: Become a PRO Organizer, Marketing for Professional Organizers

Creating Trust and Building Lasting Relationships

In order for someone to open their home or office to you, you first have to gain their trust. Trust is built in a number of ways but often starts with how a business portrays itself. Below we’ll walk through how to ensure your business is presented in a professional, approachable way.

Setting the Stage for Success: How to instill confidence & trust in your clients even when you're new.

#1. Be customer-centric

You are providing a valuable service to others. Therefore, you need to enjoy working with people and be willing to put their needs first in most things.

You have heard the old saying, “The customer is always right.” The truth is that they are NOT always right, but they always THINK they are right. As your business grows, you will inevitably work with some demanding clients. Pre-qualifying clients to ensure you are a good fit is the first step to avoiding trouble. Having a written contract documenting what the client wants and what you will be providing for the amount you’ve agreed upon will eliminate confusion.

You can be sympathetic to your customer’s hardship. You can be empathetic by considering how you would feel in their shoes. But neither of those are reasons to allow someone to take advantage of you. It’s okay to say no. To stand up for what you believe and to hold clients accountable when they fail to do their part.

#2. Write your phone scripts

Answering the phone can eat up a lot of your time. Offering one-on-one consultations can as well. Write a script and leave spaces so you can fill in the blanks as you ask questions. This is especially useful during initial contact to help you pre-qualify your customers to ensure you are a right fit for one another.

#3. Be clear about your rates

The truth is, you will not be a good fit for every person who contacts you. They may need services that you don’t provide. They may not have the budget to meet your rates. That’s perfectly okay. Don’t feel bad or lower your prices just to make a quick buck. Your time is valuable. If you’re offering impeccable services, you deserve to be paid for it. Be clear about your rates from the onset and only work with those who can afford it.

#4. Go with your gut

If you get a bad feeling about the client or the sense that they are going to be more trouble than they are worth, don’t be afraid to turn them down. You are a professional with a career. You don’t have time to deal with nonsense.

Have a cell phone for work only

Have a work cell phone with a professional voicemail message. State what you would like to know from them besides name and telephone. This can help you pre-qualify clients more efficiently. If you only return calls during certain hours, state that in your voicemail message as well. This keeps the client from waiting around for a return call.

#5. Make sure your contract is clear and stand in court

This cannot be stressed enough. Do not start any job without a signed contract that is clear and concise.

Ensure it covers the scope of the project, the client’s expectations, your expectations, your rate card and any other essential terms, such as who is responsible for buying supplies, if you charge differently for phone conversations versus in person and so forth.

Consider asking for a 50% deposit before getting started.

#6. Hold an assessment session in person before signing the contract

Always meet in person to see the scope of the project before signing the contract. A client might say they need “a few things organized,” but in reality, they could be a hoarder that can barely get from one room to the next.

#7. Dress for success

Other than during your initial contact meeting, your attire should be professional, but not expensive or require dry cleaning; Things can potentially get messy once you dig into the actual work.

#8. Bring your bag of tricks

Every professional organizer has their tips, tricks, and tools of the trade. Keep everything in a wheeled briefcase or easy to carry container, so you have everything at hand when needed.

#9. Track everything

Create a folder on your computer and in your file cabinet for each project. This way, you can keep track of all correspondence, receipts and more. These files are for your eyes only so make a note of any concerns you have or observations you see.

#10. Be a (very!) good listener

The best consultants listen carefully to their clients’ needs and concerns. They not only hear the words but can read between the lines to understand precisely what the client needs. They ask lots of questions to ensure they understand the scope of the request.

#11. Create a timetable

Create a timetable for each project, documenting what you will do during each visit. Note anything the client must do before your appointment for you to be able to dig right in and get your share of things done.

#12. Ask for photo permission

Before and after photos of your efforts are ideal for your portfolio, but never assume they are okay to take. Be sure to get written permission to use pictures and the names of clients if you want to use them as referrals.

10 Ways to Market Your New Local Business

By
Filed Under: Become a PRO Organizer, Marketing for Professional Organizers

 

Once you decide to start your local business, you will need to market yourself in order to get paying clients. This can be tough to do because your passion is organizing, not marketing. It can also be tough to get paying clients without a proven track record and portfolio.

However, there are a couple of ways around these challenges. The first is to keep in mind how much your services can really help people. The second is to build your reputation by doing tasks for friends, family, neighbors, and even small local businesses. This will help you establish a body of work experience, create a portfolio of before and after pictures, as well as get references. Once you have the photos and testimonials, it is time to start marketing in earnest.

This will help you establish a body of work experience, create a portfolio of before and after pictures, as well as get references. Once you have the photos and testimonials, it is time to start marketing in earnest.

Let’s take a brief look at ten ways you can market your local organizing business.

Have a website or blog

This should be the hub of all your marketing activities. Drive all your traffic to your site and portfolio through your social media activity.

Choose a good URL (preferably your business name). The blog or site should be full of interesting content to help people understand what you do and why it is so useful to them.

Articles, hints, tips, how-to videos, and other types of content will help to drive traffic to your site and attract potential clients.

Incorporate search engine optimization (SEO)

SEO “is the practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through organic search engine results”.

This is done by incorporating keywords related to your business in your website, your copy and blog posts. If you are working with local clients, also add your city and the areas where you will offer your services to your keyword list.

To make this a part of your publishing routine, I suggest you install and use the Yoast SEO plugin.

Take part in face-to-face networking

As much as I like meeting people, I’m an introvert and networking meets have never been a personal strength of mine, however, the reality is people do business with people they like. Help people get to know, like, and trust you. Interact with them whenever possible. Join your local Chamber of Commerce. Attend networking events, where your ideal clients will be present. Tell your family, friends, and others that you are accepting new clients.

My recurring moves due to my husband’s work have taught me to communicate to everyone what I do. From the real estate agent and my new hair stylist to the moms at the PTA, I’ll let them know, in gentle ways, that I am a professional organizer. This has always landed me local clients and other than a thank you card with a gift card for Starbucks, I haven’t spent a penny for it.

Give free public talks

The local Chamber of Commerce, libraries, bookstores, community colleges and other places, are always looking for interesting people, who are willing to give free public talks. Almost everyone needs help with some aspect of organizing, so you are sure to be in high demand. These speaking events often attract local media coverage, so be prepared.

Write your own book

Writing a book instantly gives you author status, which garners a higher degree of visibility and prestige. It also gives you a new stream of income. Produce an interesting book full of information and solutions that your client base wants, needs, and is searching for. Publish it on Amazon Kindle and you will be an instant author that people will be happy to invite to speak at their event.

Encourage word-of-mouth marketing

Happy clients are one of your best sources for new clients. When clients refer friends and associates to you, the prospects often trust you more readily because someone they trust has a connection with you. Encourage word of mouth marketing and referrals by doing a good job and making it easy to refer you.

Make use of email marketing

You’ll hear me say this more than once: I wish I had started to build my list from day one. Having an engaged list is one of the most valuable assets you can build for your local business.

Email marketing is one of the best ways to build a relationship with your target audience. Build a list of prospective clients by getting them to sign up for a free newsletter or in exchange for something you can create, such as a free checklist or guide.

You can also keep previous clients informed about new services, products, and events of interest and when it’s time for them to hire your type of service, you’ll be fresh on their mind.

Have an active social media presence

There are many social networks but start with a Facebook business page and group. Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, and Tumblr may also be great places to find your target audience. Once you find the top social media networks where your potential clients interact, focus on those sites.

For example, my Facebook page was essential to the growth of my organizing business, while a Facebook group was crucial to the ongoing success of my online training program.

Make yourself present on the platforms that make sense to your business and let people know about you, your local business and your services.

Offer an affiliate program

Set up an affiliate program through Clickbank or JVZoo to sell your book, digital product and/or course and pay them a commission for their referral. Amazon also offers an “associates program” which people can use to recommend your book.

Team up with joint venture partners

If you know anyone with similar services, set up a mutual referral program, a package deal for new clients, or consider hosting an event together. When you partner with others, you are doubling your reach without a lot of extra effort.

Marketing is one of the most vital parts of owning a business. It’s not something most small business owners enjoy but it can literally be the difference between success and failure.

You can have the best product or service but without spreading the word about it, nobody will know. So from today on, embrace marketing as the essential tool to get your business out to the world.

 

10 ways to market your new local business.

 

10 ways to market your new local business.

Building Your Support System for a Balanced Home & Business

By
Filed Under: Become a PRO Organizer, Marketing for Professional Organizers

Creating your support system for your business. One of the hardest things about starting a new career and maintaining a healthy work-life balance is to recognize from the start that things are going to change, and not always for the better. When you plan ahead for these changes, you can minimize the impact they can have.

One of the hardest things about starting a new career and maintaining a healthy work-life balance is to recognize from the start that things are going to change, and not always for the better. When you plan ahead for these changes, you can minimize the impact they can have.

Set a Timetable

Most new business owners underestimate the time it will take to work with clients and run a small business successfully.

Time wasters and time eaters can devour your day. Watch out for email, phone calls, time on social media, and so on. If you are working from home, also watch out for distractions like household chores, the TV and so on.

 

 

At the same time, it is important to schedule some “me time” to keep things in balanced.

If you love gardening, painting or have a hobby, try to keep some time every week to do what you love.

 

 

30 minutes per day for exercise, even if it’s broken into 3 10-minute intervals will make a huge difference in your productivity. So will setting regular meal times to keep your energy level up and to establish a happy family time on your day.

 

 

The bottom line is, you can’t take care of your business and family if you don’t take care of yourself.

For the most part, your timetable will depend on your family commitments. If you have small children at home, for example, your working day may not be a typical 9 to 5. If your children are school-age, you will have more free time throughout the day, but may need to stop work when they get home.

Preparing to work with reality vs ideal circumstances will set you up for success.

Be Sure You Have the Right Support

Support from spouse, family, friends and even neighbors, with whom you can swap playdates and/or childcare, will all help your days run smoothly.

Communicating your plans and needs clearly will help you have the run when you need it.

For example, if your spouse knows ahead of time that there’s a lecture you want to attend, he can plan to be home earlier that day and care for the children.

If you both work from home, it’s important to establish a schedule that allows both of you to work and be productive without interruptions. If everyone is on the same page you’ll avoid stress in your relationship and the work will get done.

 

 

Having a planned schedule will give you the opportunity to plan for help, be it grandma or a hired nanny.

When the boys were young, my best working hours were after I put them to sleep around 7 PM, giving me a good chunk of hours to get the work done without constant requests. and once my husband graduated and had more reasonable working hours, we established “free nights” for myself when I could work while he cared for the night routine.

Plan Your Home Office

 

 

One of the first things to decide is where you will be working.

A small home office, separated from the rest of the home is best. This allows you to keep your business-related items in one place and gives you a quiet area to work from.

If a separate space is not available, you can dedicate a quiet corner of a room for your business. Consider using a folding screen to give you some privacy.

 

 

Plan Ahead to Stay Safe

You need to protect yourself legally and physically as a professional organizer. Having procedures in place, contracts, and insurance will help with this. Register your business as an LLC (Limited Liability Company) to protect yourself and all that is most important to you.

Don’t take just any client. Colleagues with more experience will say that when we’re starting anyone with a pulse and checkbook is a potential client and how that leads to building a business you’re not happy with.

 

 

Draw up a questionnaire, talk to them by phone. This ensures both parties are clear about the scope of the work, expectations, and payments. If at any time you don’t feel 100% comfortable with the work, talk to the client. Your gut instinct is oftentimes right so don’t dismiss it without careful consideration. If necessary, back out of the contract or get someone to assist you with the work so are safe at all times.

Remember It Is Not Just a Business, It’s a Career.

Study as much as you about professional organizing before going into business. If you want to be board certified, the Board of Certification for Professional Organizers offers a certification program. Join the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), take their courses, attend your local chapter meetings, and more.

Build an Impressive Portfolio

Post all your successes online.

Tackle small projects first for friends, family, and neighbors. Take before and after shots to prove you can help people transform their lives for the better. Select your best images and create a photo album you can bring with you for assessments with prospective clients.

Just like a home, building a successful business starts with a solid foundation. Take the time to build a solid support structure and your business will run more smoothly from the start.

Creating a support system for a balanced work and business life.

Calculating Your Professional Organizer Rates With Confidence

By
Filed Under: Become a PRO Organizer, Marketing for Professional Organizers

How Much Should I Charge as a Professional Organizer?

One of the most challenging questions to answer when we’re starting out is: How much should I charge as a professional organizer? How do I calculate my professional organizing rates? How do I make a budget? How do I create price packages?

First, there is no magic formula to calculate our fees. Depending on your education or area of professional expertise you may never have been taught to calculate prices for a product or service.

Let’s take a look at other aspects that will impact your ability to calculate your price.

Calculating your pro organizer fees with confidence.
When starting out we often don’t know how to calculate our professional organizer rates. On this post, I share 2 ways to calculate your organizing fees.

1. What value do you bring?

We may lack understanding of the value we provide, and that will impact our ability to set our prices.

We may know our skills are valuable, but we don’t know how to communicate it.

For example, organized kitchens are both practical and optimise household work. Managing well-organized fridges and pantries generates savings in both time and money.

Well-planned menus reduce spending on your clients’ groceries. They can also provide for healthier, home-made meals, and allows them to have dinner with family. All these improvements have a positive impact on their mental, emotional and physical health.

But, in our inexperience, we often have a difficult time communicating all these benefits when selling our services.

As new organizers with limited organizing experience, we haven’t had the chance to internalize the results we provide and create a vocabulary that will make the sale.

2. What about my business expenses?

Another aspect that influences our ability to calculate our fees is related to the cost we incur creating and operating our company.

As a “newbie” we come into this industry without any idea of how much is needed to start and develop our business.

So, how much do I charge as a personal organizer?

A commonly used exercise by business coaches is to use a formula based on “how much you want to earn” and then work it backward.

I think this is OK for your first year in business but to stay on solid ground, you should move to a more detailed way of calculating your fees as a professional organizer after your first year of operation.

Below are two ways to get to your number.

3. Professional Organizer Rate – Exercise 1

The simplest way to calculate your price is to do it having the end number in mind.

This form of calculating your fees is the most frequently used method by business coaches, and it can be quite useful when we are in the starting phase of our organizing business. We still don’t have a clear picture of our expenses.

So, let’s do a calculation. You should add an estimate for expenses and taxes.

Step 1: Determine how much you want to earn per year.

Let’s say you want to make $ 60,000 / year.

Step 2: Determine how many weeks a year you want / can work.

Let’s say you want to take four weeks of vacation per year and will work 48 weeks a year.

Step 3: Divide the total $ by the number of weeks.

Let’s divide the $ 45,000 by 48, which is the number of weeks you want or can work, and you get $ 937 / week.

Step 4: Determine how many hours a week you want / can work.

To get an income R $ 937 / week, working:

  • 10 hours a week you would have to charge $ 94.00 for an hour
  • 20 hours a week you would have to charge $ 47.00 for an hour
  • 30 hours a week you would have to charge $ 31.00 for an hour
  • 40 hours a week you would have to charge $ 23.00 for an hour

Knowing these numbers also helps you understand how many clients you need to enroll per month.

This simple exercise helps you estimate how much you should charge based on how much you’d like to earn.

However, once your business starts rolling, you’ll have costs associated with it making it very important that you keep a spreadsheet including all operating expenses. After a 12-month period, you’ll have a clear picture of how much you spend to run your business.

I recommend that once you commit to your professional organizing business, you invest and use an accounting tool like Fresh or Quickbooks.

4. Professional Organizer Rate – Exercise 2

Calculating your price with data.

After running your business for some time, you’ll know what your costs are, and you can use this calculation to set your professional organizing rates:

1. Create a spreadsheet and enter all the expenses you incur to run your business. See a list of suggestions below.

2. In a second column to the right, enter how much you paid for each service. Add up all these costs, creating a monthly total.

3. Divide this total by the number of days worked – if you work 25 days a month, divide this monthly total by 25.

4. The result (the monthly total divided by the number of working days) is the cost of a day’s work. This value is the minimum you need to “charge” to cover your expenses and any amount above that number is your profit.

An important benefit of knowing this number is that it serves as a baseline when establishing your fees for other services you may offer which require different levels of effort and/or engagement on your part.

To help you create your spreadsheet, below are common expenses in a Professional Organizer Business. You can also download a handy spreadsheet to help you get started now!

Professional Organizing Business – Common Expenses:

  • Taxes – will depend on the legal structure that you use for your business.
  • Business License – check your city’s website.
  • Accountant
  • Legal advice
  • Financial expenses
    • Bank charges
    • Fees on sales online
    • Credit card processing fees
  • Insurance for property (equipment) and business (required here in the US)
  • Professional associations (NAPO, ICD, ANPOP)
  • Training – includes books, classes, lectures, workshops, courses.
  • Coaching
  • Annual Conference
  • Auto
  • Taxes
  • Gas
  • Car Maintenance
  • Parking
  • Tolls
  • Fines
  • Office – if you separate your office from your home.
    • Energy
    • Phone – dedicated line for your business.
    • Internet
    • Software – purchase, and upgrades.
  • Marketing
    • materials
    • pictures
    • graphic design
    • social media management platforms
      • two options: pay someone or “do it yourself,” as I did.
    • Website
      • Two possibilities: pay someone or “do it yourself,” as I did.
      • Maintenance – unless you are willing to research and learn how to install and monitor the security and integrity of your site, it’s worth paying someone.
      • hosting
      • domain
  • Stationery / Office supplies
    • used in projects with clients
    • used by you

I hope this information will help you understand and calculate your professional organizing rates. Being a successful organizer means having well-managed finances.

 

When starting out we often don't know how to calculate our professional organizer rates. On this post, I share 2 ways to calculate your organizing fees.

 

Planning Your (Successful!) Professional Organizing Business

By
Filed Under: Become a PRO Organizer, Marketing for Professional Organizers

Growing Your Organizing Business in Phases

As the great marketer Napoleon Hill once said, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Planning your new professional organizing business will be a very important step for your success.

Let’s take a look at some of the things you’ll need to consider when planning to make your organizing passion into a business.

Planning Your New Professional Organizer Business
Planning Your New Professional Organizer Business

 

Disclosure: This site contains affiliate links of products and services I have purchased and used for my business. If you decide to use one of the products or services listed on this site I’ll receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

1. Your Available Time

How much time can you devote to your new business?

If you’re currently working full-time or if you’re the main caregiver to your children, you must consider how much time you’ll have available to dedicate to the development of your organizing business, to attend classes, events, meet and network, and of course to organize clients.

Each of us will do this differently but here is how I did it.

When I started my business back in 2010, my children were just starting first grade and kindergarten. That gave me the school hours and the evenings, after they were in bed, to work and learn. I made myself available to work with clients, initially as a sub-contractor, in the morning and I’d work at night on listening to ICD, NAPO, and business development classes. This routine would easily add up to 8 hours of work a day and I followed it for many years, and I am glad I did it.

Remember that this initial period of building a new business can be quite intense. But it is not only very rewarding; it will create a strong base for your business to grow. When your clients start filling up your calendar, you’ll already have what you need in place.

My best tip: use this time to get the groundwork done.

 

2. Know Thyself

When we’re just starting out, we may feel that anyone with a pulse and checkbook can be our clients and while you may be eager to fill up your calendar, start making money and want to try different types of organizing projects and clients, with time you’ll find you may not love all of them.

Truth is that most people associate professional organizing with closets, garages, and pantries, but the fact is that this industry has evolved into an extensive list of possibilities and a quick search on NAPO‘s web site will show you the many specialties it now offers. From students to digital, seniors to people with disabilities, there is a specialty that’s just for you.

 

Planning For a Successful Professional Organizing Business.
Professional organizing goes beyond residential clutter.

 

Choosing a professional organizing niche
From residential to digital, from seniors to people with disabilities, there is a specialty that’s just for you.

 

For you to find your sweet spot, that thing that gets you out of bed excited for a new project, I recommend that you understand and fully embrace who you are, know your strengths and how you perform your best.

Consider what services you can offer and who you’d like to work with. Do you like working alone or with a team? What age group would you like to spend time with? Do you have a professional or academic expertise you’d like to integrate with your new business? These are just initial questions to get you thinking about the direction you may want to go. For example, if you love transforming people’s homes into a super-organized space, spending time rolling up your sleeves and getting in the thick of it while surrounded by families, pets and more, great. On the flip side, if you prefer working in a professional setting, you may want to focus your efforts on organizing small businesses or corporate sized offices.

My best tip: Focus on who you are, what you like and don’t compromise on what it’s important for you. You and your future clients will be glad you stayed true to yourself.

 

[clickToTweet tweet=”What to do when starting your Professional Organizing Business? Follow me!” quote=”What to do when starting your Professional Organizing Business.” theme=”style3″]

 

3. Consider Location

Like with who you’ll like to work with, this will evolve as your business grows but in any case, if you have limited hours and if your location permits, I suggest you stick to a number of zip codes you’ll be willing to drive to.

If you live in a smaller city, you may have to be open to driving to nearby towns to be able to expand your business, but if you live in a large city where traffic can become a major time-hog, stick to nearby areas and save time, gas and your sanity.

I started out accepting clients far from my home but as I realized how much time I was spending in traffic, I started narrowing it down to no more than a 20 min drive and would stretch that only for larger projects or longer working blocks of time.

Best tip: List the cities/neighborhoods you’ll be willing to serve and list them on your website, at the bottom of every service page.

 

Starting your professional organizing business Areas of Service. Starting your professional organizing business. List the areas you'll serve clients.
List the areas you’ll serve clients.

 

4. Consider Your Business Branding

An exciting part of starting your organizing business will be the developing of your branding, however, this can also become a distraction and with all honesty, if you’re just testing the waters to see if professional organizing is for you, don’t invest on this early on. As you commit to it and the business idea matures, then you can invest resources on what’s needed.

Selecting a Business Name

When choosing a business name, pick one that clearly communicates what you do. Have fun with it using a tool like bustaname.com. Once you pick some contenders, be sure to search online with your Secretary of State to verify if the name is available. Also, search on social media platforms to see if the name is being used by another business. Think of the ideal URL for your business. Skip on abbreviations that only make sense to you; keep it short, sweet, and clear.

As I said, you can always start working with your own name, and as your business grows and you understand what you want to offer, then you can decide on your business name.

Selecting the Elements of Your Business Brand

Start paying close attention to what you like in terms of colors, typography (fonts), images and the language used in the communication of your favorite websites, magazines, stores, coffee shops etc. Ask yourself “what do I like about them?”. Create a Pinterest board with the elements you’d like to consider or even build a vision board where you can add printouts of magazines you like.

Research and read about branding to educate yourself on what’s important to keep in mind. A fellow B-Schooler and branding expert whose work I love and always recommend is Sarah Hart. You can take her branding quiz as a first step in figuring out what you want your branding to communicate.

Once you are sure you want to invest in this business and take it seriously, then have the logo designed professionally. To have an idea of what’s available in this area search sites like 99designs.com.

Best tip: invest on your branding once you’ve decided professional organizing is for you.

 

5. Choose a Business Structure

Decide on the type of legal organization you want for your business.

The most commonly used business structures by professional organizers are the sole proprietorship and Limited Liability Company (LLC.) but there are others and you should consult with a CPA or a small business lawyer to understand each of them and what you should do next, like applying for a Tax ID or Employee Identification Number (EIN). You can learn more about the EIN here.

You will find more detailed information about each of the business structures options here and on your State’s Secretary of State website. You can also use an online service like legalzoom.com which I have used before and have always been happy with their services and support.

Best tip: invest on a consultation with a CPA or a small business lawyer. 

 

6. Set-Up Your Business Bank Account

Once you have decided and established your business entity you may set up a business bank account. Research your options to avoid fees and minimum balances. Also, consider placing some start-up money in the account to get your business off the ground, but otherwise, always keep your personal finances separate from your business ones.

You won’t have large expenses initially, even more so if you’re testing the waters but as you decide to make professional organizing a real business, you’ll need money to invest in the basics, which we’ll cover later.

Best tip: invest in an accounting tool like Freshbooks or Quickbooks online.

 

7. Set-Up Your Workspace

No matter how small, try to create a workspace where you can answer calls from prospect clients, take classes and sit down to write and create your business-related materials. As your work with clients expands, so will the admin needs. Having a space to open the computer and get things done will be a great way to ground and dedicate yourself to your business growth.

Best tip: Start small with an IKEA desk and drawer unit in a quiet corner of your house.

 

8. Balance Your Time

This will fall under the time management category, but as you see your business grow, you’ll have to find the perfect balance between working with clients, marketing your business regularly, taking care of administrative tasks such as replying emails or accounting and your professional development.

Planning allows you to recognize and workout any kinks in your system before facing them. This gives you more time later to focus on tasks that help you grow your business.

Best tip: to avoid burnout you need to understand that you’re in this for the long-term and commit to what needs to make your business succeed and makes you happy.

And there you have it! I hope this list and tips will help you get your professional organizing business started.

I know it may seem like a lot, but remember that you are starting a business and not a hobby and that you can always pace yourself after all this is your business!

Tips and Resources to Start as a Professional Organizer

By
Filed Under: Become a PRO Organizer, Marketing for Professional Organizers

Starting Your Professional Organizing Business

When I first started in the organizing industry I was so happy to find plenty of information on the web however, it was all over the place. If you are just starting or if your business is young and you’re looking forward to giving it a boost, consider these resources to become a Professional Organizer.

Starting Your Professional Organizing Business

Before you take off and go work with a client you must create your business. Make sure you educate yourself well on the various options of IRS  you have to make the best choice according to your plans and current personal situation. State legislation varies widely and you should discuss with a CPA what your options are. Another source of information is www.SBA.gov.

State legislation varies widely and you should discuss with a CPA what your options are. Another source of information is www.SBA.gov.

IRS – You will find all the information you need to educate yourself on business structures and their requirements on the IRS website. I love this site exactly because I can find anything here when it comes to my business. Go to the link or when on their main page, click on “business”. Then, look for the bar on your left where you’ll find all you need to start your professional organizing business.

Selecting your Company’s Name

To register your business you’ll need to have a name for your future company. This is no small task and I see it just as picking the name of a child. You should love the name, it should be clear about the service you provide and hopefully, it will be unique. You must research – at least in your State, to make sure it is available, that there isn’t another company under the same name, and if you prefer to make a national search to make sure that if one day your company goes national, you can do it without concerns.

A good way to brainstorm on a name is to focus on the type of service you want to provide, the niche you want to serve and the main words that would describe who you are, what you want your clients to experience, the results you want to bring and how you want to be remembered. All this can be a source of inspiration when choosing a name. Also, consider how your name will go along with your personal image.

Registering your Professional Organizing Business

You can take two routes here: DIY or hire someone to do it for you. If you can navigate the web, you can do it yourself. First, Google “how to register LLC/DBA etc. in the name of your State/County”, then follow the link to get the instructions. In MD for example, you’ll find the information on the site of the MD Department of Assessment and Taxation. In CA, to register a DBA you need to file with the County Clerk, so as you can see, it will vary from State to State. The same with San Diego for a DBA.

If however, you prefer to outsource this service, I had a positive experience with Legalzoom.com and would use them again. Please, educate yourself and make the choice that best fits your personal situation.

Register Your Domain, Build Your Website

Find the perfect domain name for your professional organizing business.
Find the perfect domain name for your professional organizing business.

I absolutely love this part! Once you register your domain you should look for a reliable hosting company to host your website and your future blog. While you don’t need an elaborate website, you will want a simple one with a landing page explaining your services, who you are and how to contact you.

Read how to take care of this part and start a blog here.

Bookkeeping

A very important part of your business will be to keep all records of income and expenses up to date. Make it a habit to log all this information as it happens or at least weekly. You’ll find yourself overwhelmed if you don’t. If you’re not a fan of papers, have no inclination to keep records or aren’t sure on how to do it correctly, this is one expense that is all worth the money invested. You can find great bookkeepers in your area through colleagues or if you need an online source to find one, you can use bookkeeping.net.

Virtual Assistant

A Virtual Assistant can take work that will consume your precious time with your clients from your hands, and bring professional results for a rate that is all worth it if you are feeling like you are always running against the wind. Again, asking for referrals is a great option.

Business Plan

Before you start working, getting really busy and never having time again to work on a plan, give yourself the gift of time to write yours. It’s a very important tool and you’ll be happy you did it because not having your business plan is like navigating out on the ocean without a GPS!

You’ll invest your money in the wrong channels, you won’t focus on your target because you don’t have one, you will lose your time and energy.

You should have a good understanding of who you will work for, how is your market, who are your competitors, what language to use on your communication, what are your strengths and weakness, what are your tools and on and on, but you can only know this if you have a plan.

  • SBA.gov – excellent and free source of information and advice.

National Professional Associations

NAPO – The National Association of Professional Organizers congregates about 4,200 professional organizers and offers training and information for both, Professional Organizers and the public.

ICD – ICD’s mission is to benefit people affected by chronic disorganization and they offer an amazing schedule of weekly teleclasses which will prepare you further to work with your clients and deeper your understanding on their needs and challenges. I highly recommend becoming a subscriber and signing up for the teleclasses.

BCPO – BCPO® – Certification is a voluntary, industry-led effort that benefits the members of the organizing profession, as well as the public. It is a recognition of professionals who have met specific minimum standards, and proven through examination and client interaction that they possess the body of knowledge and experience required for certification.

 

You don’t need to be certified or have 1500 hours of work to start organizing clients. If you hear or read that anywhere, that’s an incorrect statement.

 

Professional Organizer Coach/Mentor

Consider hiring a business coach to guide you through the process of building an expanding your organizing business.

– You’ll benefit from their experience, learn the ins and outs of the trade as well as build a lasting relationship based on trust and mutual respect.

– You’ll feel accountable and will generate more results knowing someone you admire and aspire is waiting for you to “report back” with your accomplishments.

– You’ll be able to review your plans, but most importantly, start with a solid base.

There are many colleagues coaching Professional Organizers today, so take your time, do your research, talk with colleagues, and schedule an individual session to find your fit.

I have coached with Geralin Thomas since my early days and every call has given me the answers I needed to move forward. Later I took training specific to the organizing industry, like The Coach Approach, as well as courses and certificates in areas like online business and digital marketing. Being a well-rounded entrepreneur has been very important for my professional development and business success.

Developing Your Coaching Skills as a Professional Organizer

 

Recommended Reading for Professional Organizers

Books I read or that I have heard great things about!

One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler