Top 5 Things to Consider Before Starting as a Professional Organizer

(Modified from NAPO's website)

There are many ways to enter the field of professional organizing. The majority of Professional Organizers run their own businesses, while others act as independent contractors or are employed by an organizing company. If you choose to run your own company, you will use your organizing skills and also need to draw on business skills. The running of a business is perhaps the most important and, for some, the most daunting. There is more to running a business than being organized.

1. Be prepared to wear many hats as a small-business owner, such as accountant, marketer, bookkeeper, and the like. Don’t be afraid to outsource these jobs—it pays to hire someone to do what you can’t.

* The Professional Organizer mentoring program can provide great ideas and support in this area.

2. Do you prefer to work alone or with others? Many organizers thrive when working in teams. Consider collaborating with another person when you set up shop.

* The Professional Organizer affiliates collaborate and support each others by phone so we are not working in a vacuum.

3. Take stock of your financial needs. Start-ups often spend 80% of the first year’s income on marketing, with the expectation that those percentages will reverse themselves. In order to know whether this career will meet your financial goals, determine what you must make (net) in a year and work backwards from that. For example, if you need to bring home $26,000/year, you need to have $500/week coming in after all expenses and taxes are paid.That figure does not factor in vacation time, sick days, and cancellations.

4. These are some of the most common abilities and qualities that successful professional organizers demonstrate. Do you have what it takes?
Ability to listen and infer what a client means
Ability to customize organizational systems to meet client needs, not yours
Consulting/coaching skills—ability to ask the right questions to encourage the client to come up with the answer
Desire to teach and pass on skills
Ability to visualize spatially
Ability to see the big picture and break goals down into manageable steps
Ability to categorize and plan ahead
Physical and mental endurance
Compassion
Responsibility
Professionalism

*The Professional Organizer training can help develop your skills in several of these areas such as coaching, encouraging the client, teaching, understanding client needs  and professionalism and image.

5. A professional image will be important, because this is how the world sees you and your business. Credibility and professionalism go hand in hand. You’ll want to put the “professional” in Professional Organizer. You represent not only yourself but also the entire industry.

Mentoring & Licensing information:

• Become an Affilate of The Professional Organizer

• FUNdamentals

Basic training text table of contents
• Rates
• Sign me up!

application and how-to

• Top 10 Things to do When Starting a Professional Organizing Business.

You color code your m&m's before eating them.

You catch yourself in straightening up candy at the grocery store check-out line.

You fold and line up your socks and underwear in your drawer.

You label all your shelves, drawers, and boxes.

You love Tupperware.

The staff at The Container Store know you by name.

You find yourself rearranging items on the coffee table at friends homes.