Are you an aspiring organizer starting a home organizing business? The start-up phase of any business can be time-consuming, frustrating, and overwhelming. But, with the right strategies in place, building the business of your dreams is possible.
In fact, there’s a ton of online information about prioritizing tasks, staying abreast of industry trends, using SMART goals, and working methodically. However, every successful professional organizer will tell you that you can turn your passion for organizing into a thriving, successful, profitable business with persistence and patience. To help jumpstart your business, here’s my guide, the ABCs of starting a home organizing business.
A – Assess Skills and Interests
Assess your skills and interests before starting a home organizing business. It’s important to think about out if you’re naturally organized or if you learned to become organized. Why do you enjoy helping others? How do you go about solving problems? These are important considerations to make before launching a business. Before doing anything, take the Become a Professional Organizer Quiz to determine if you have what it takes to become a professional organizer.
B – Build a Business Blueprint
Creating a business blueprint is absolutely essential for any new entrepreneur because it outlines your goals, target market, and strategies and helps with financial projections. Your business blueprint should include step-by-step instructions on what to do. Are you still feeling overwhelmed? Keep it simple. Start by implementing these six steps when starting your professional organizing business.
C – Create a Catchy Business Name
Your business name should be memorable and unique. Ideally, it should be short and easy to spell (which mine is not). It should also reflect your brand and what you do. Consider using local knowledge or a play on words (e.g., 9021Organized) to make your business name stand out. Do you want to learn more? Here’s an article on naming your home organizing business.
D – Define Your Niche
What kind of organizing services do you want to offer? Will you specialize in decluttering and downsizing or optimizing tiny spaces? Defining your niche will help market your services to the most appropriate prospects. Here’s more information on finding your niche as a home organizer.
E – Establish an Online Presence
In today’s digital age, having a solid online presence is essential for any business. Build a search-engine-optimized website, create social media profiles, and get your business listed in online directories to increase your visibility. Read my tips on better website design for professional organizers.
F – Find Your Target Market
Who the heck is your target market? Identifying your ideal clients and attracting those same people can be tricky but by sharing your mission and vision statements on your website you might be able to draw in more of the exact people you want to work with. After all, people tend to do business with companies they respect and like.
G – Giving, Gathering, and Generosity
There’s a lovely saying, “The heart that gives, gathers,” and it’s a wonderful reminder to occasionally volunteer your time or talent for something you’re passionate about. Don’t be shy about being generous when lending a helping hand, offering support, or sharing knowledge. It’s one of the best ways to enjoy “all the feels.” However, be cautious and conscientious about doing too much for free because it can hurt your brand.
H – Healthy Habits
Helping clients create healthy habits is one of the effective ways to maintain organization. Assist your clients when they ask for help by evaluating their existing routines and systems and figuring out how to work with their habits. My ultimate reading list for professional organizers has several books that can help you and your clients build healthy habits and routines.
I – Invest in the Right Stuff
One way to stay on brand is to invest in high-quality tools for your toolkit, materials, and supplies like storage containers, labeling tools, and file folders. It improves the aesthetic of your work and ensures that your clients’ belongings are well-protected.
J – Join Associations, Organizations, and Networking Groups
By joining other business owners, you’ll discover even more resources and gain better industry insights. If possible, join a variety of local and national groups that focus on related areas of interest. A group like Toastmasters might be what you need to boost your public speaking skills and meet other business owners too. Learn more about professions related to the organizing industry.
K – Keeping Your Keepers
Be that friend or colleague people want to keep near and dear to them. The saying, “Surround yourself with people who would mention your name in a room full of opportunities,” is a great reminder to become a person who lifts others up – not the one who hijacks clients, contractors, or conversations!
L – Lively Listening
Listening to your clients’ needs and preferences is crucial for providing the most effective organizing solutions. Take the time to understand clients’ goals and preferences, and tailor your service offerings accordingly. The very first step is fine-tuning your client intake process. Make sure you listen more than you talk.
M – Marketing Your Services
Develop a sound digital marketing strategy to promote your services to prospective clients. This includes online advertising and networking. All your marketing efforts should be on-brand. Download Geralin’s Grand Brand Plan for Professional Organizers and save it in your marketing file for future reference.
N – Network
Networking with other professionals like real estate agents, contractors, junk haulers, and interior designers can help aspiring professional organizers expand their client bases and generate new business leads. Networking with other organizing consultants at a national conference is equally important.
O – Offer Custom Solutions
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all category in the organizing industry. Every client has unique challenges and preferences. Offering custom solutions helps distinguish and differentiate you from your competitors. So, how can you set yourself apart from others? The options are numerous, but perhaps you could offer custom filing solutions or teach clients about the benefits of list making, and how and why to use lists.
P – Provide Exceptional Service
Exceeding client expectations is crucial in building a loyal client base. Respond promptly and professionally to inquiries, communicate clearly to manage client expectations, and always follow through on your promises. Create an email template to simplify the process of asking for reviews or testimonials after completing client projects.
Q – Qualify Clients
Not all prospects are a good fit for your business. That is why creating a process and asking all the right questions during your client intake calls and in-person client assessments is critical. Understand their goals and budgets and manage their expectations. The New Organizers’ Essentials Kit contains everything you need to qualify clients.
R – Review Finances Regularly
Regularly reviewing your income and expenses will help you stay abreast of the overall health of your business. Every business owner should take the time to create a business budget, track expenses, and monitor income. But not everyone knows how to perform these tasks. So, consider hiring a bookkeeper to get you started and provide ongoing assistance. Here are my tips that explain what new professional organizers should expect when hiring a bookkeeper.
S – Speak Up and Speak Often
Public speaking is one of the best ways for prospective clients to get to know you. They see and hear you as you inspire, educate, entertain, and motivate them to change their habits. You can speak on stage, on video, or on podcasts. Everything you need to know about presenting and public speaking is in my Public Speaker’s Essentials Kit.
T – Terminology
Using the appropriate vocabulary and terms of the trade is how you’ll set yourself apart as an educated, caring organizer. When you know better, you do better. Make sure your team members (independent contractors) use the same words on the job that you use because it’s part of your brand.
U – Understand Your Competition
Spend time online looking at other professional organizing consultants in your city offering similar services. When you need help, you could work collaboratively as a 1099 or refer clients to each other.
V – Verification
Verify that your insurance coverage is adequate for the projects you’re doing and the services you’re offering. Are you covered for all the services you have listed on your website? First, determine your insurance needs, then ensure you have the right coverage for your professional organizing business.
W – Work with Integrity and Transparency
It’s okay if you don’t have all the answers. You can always offer to research solutions for clients or simply state that you’re not qualified to answer some of their questions. However, clients depend on us to guide them and explain everything they need to know. Before your client intake call, review these questions and be prepared to answer each one thoroughly to help build trust.
X – X-Ray Vision for Organizing Extra Opportunities
While working on client projects, keep your ears and eyes open for future organizing opportunities. Along with routine maintenance check-ups, it’s wise to note what your client does or doesn’t have. For example, note if there’s an emergency supply of water and food and a “go kit” for the next hurricane, wildfire, earthquake, or snowstorm. If not, perhaps you could offer to help them organize one.
Y – Yearly Check-Ups
New professional organizers love the hands-on, client-facing work (working IN their business), but many neglect working ON their business. Using lists to document processes can help you build, maintain, and grow your business.
Z – Zero-In on Your Business’ Operating Procedures
It’s going to happen. You’ll get busier and busier and think that someday you’ll document everything you’re doing in your business. But time marches on, and you’ll find yourself wishing you had recorded what you do and when and how you do it. Ideally, create a Professional Organizers Operations Manual each time to introduce a new process to your business.
Whew! Starting a successful home organizing business requires hard work and dedication. But with the 26 tips in The ABCs of Starting a Home Organizing Business, you’re more knowledgeable about establishing a successful and rewarding career in the organizing industry. If you have questions about where to start, contact me for a free 15-minute meet-and-greet call.
