December was an exciting month for us at Me In Order. We always love helping our neighbors in South Florida find peace through order. This month we had the opportunity to also help individuals who were interested in launching their own organizing firm. For those that we spoke with this means taking something that they already love doing, are talented in, and are passionate about, and turning that into a real and viable business. The organizing industry is growing and we welcome those who are interested in this unique field. On December 12th we joined a panel of 8 experts in the organizing field. The event was hosted by NAPO South Florida and was entitled “Professional Organizing 101: Secrets of Successful Professional Organizers”. We encountered many new faces that were enthusiastic about learning more about how to become a professional in the organizing field. As the panel discussion began we each started with a little bit about ourselves and then moved on to answering several pre-planned questions that the host had created to get the discussion going. Some of the questions included:
- What do you know now that you wish you had known when you started your business?
- What is the one best piece of advice you have been given that has positively impacted your business?
- What is your best source for finding clients and is it free or a paid service?
- Describe one change to your business model as a result of an actual experience or sticky situation with a client.
- How has your involvement with NAPO or NAPO South Florida positively impacted the success of your business?
It was a great experience to not only serve those who wanted to learn more about our industry but also to hear the answers that were given by the other professionals. We found that the answers varied with the experience of the Professional Organizers as their tenure in the business ranged from 1 year to 11 years.
The attendees where then invited to ask their own questions of the panel. We were thrilled to hear the range of questions that were asked. We were asked about logistics, licensing, marketing, and even how long it takes to get your first client.
Many of the attendees learned that there are many facets of the organizing industry ranging from residential organizing, business organizing, time management, downsizing and project management. Finding your niche as well as your perfect client is often the most difficult part. We recommend that once you find your niche and perfect client that you contact an organizer in that area of expertise. Most of them are willing to share their stories and help you with your business.
If you are interested in learning more about the organizing industry comment below and one of our team members will be glad to help.