Organized Assistant » choosing a specialty

Interview with a Certified Family Manager Coach™

Janet — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 12:57:53 +0000

One of the wonderful things about the Professional Organizers Blog Carnival is the opportunity to connect with organizing consultants with a wide range of specialties. Today I've invited Ellen Delap, who is one of our Professional Organizers Blog Carnival Star Bloggers, to tell us about hers. Families are struggling with cohesiveness, communication and organization. It’s about who is making dinner, can the laundry get beyond the living room, and who is doing what when. Enter the Family Manager Coach! I have always had a special connection with my family clients, especially those with ADD. The struggles these families were experiencing could be helped. Certified Family Manager Coaches^TM offer a unique perspective, that of viewing your home like a business, to help families think about their connections and roles in a new way. Training I learned of this certification through the Wall Street Journal and looked into the program. Certified Family Manager Coaches^TM are trained under Kathy Peel, called “America’s Family Manager” by journalists and millions of women. She has authored 21 books which have sold over 2 million copies. Families find coaches through the www.familymanager.com website or through googling “family manager coach”. Over the course of 2 weeks and 6 modules which include several online tests and commenting on forums, I completed the certification in 2009. I have since renewed my certification with further review of modules and by taking an annual test. How it works As a coach, I have the opportunity to offer an online assessment tool for clients to find their strengths and challenges. Some clients like this option and some would prefer the initial assessment in person. Then we meet in one on one sessions, focusing on where they need a boost. Typically, we work together on setting up family routines, such as the family meeting and daily schedules, organizing areas throughout their home, and finding creative ways to share and delegate responsibilities. What clients say At the end of each session, my client has a fresh start and a fresh perspective.

“When I hired Ellen, I needed help with time management and decluttering of my home. With her help, I was able to implement a regular family meeting and created a command central. We also partnered to declutter and organize closets and the home office. Putting her knowledge in practice has helped me better manage my family's schedule and create the order I needed in my home.”

Helping families is a rewarding experience and makes a difference for all of us! I encourage you to look at www.familymanager.com to see if this would be a great addition to your business or if you could benefit from a session with a Family Manager Coach. Certified Professional Organizer and Certified Family Manager Coach Ellen Delap Website: www.professional-organizer.com Twitter: @TexasOrganizer Facebook: EllenDelapProfessionalOrganizer LinkedIn: EllenDelapProfOrganizer

Use the Power of Green to Grow Your Organizing Business

Janet — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 12:53:45 +0000

Based on this month's Professional Organizers Blog Carnival on green organizing, it's clear that many organizing consultants are aware of environmental issues and employ eco-friendly practices with their clients. I recently interviewed "The Eco-Organizer" Candita Clayton, and if you're committed to learning even more about this important subject, I'm sure you'll be interested in what she has to say. Candita, how long have you been a professional organizer, and why did you decide to focus on green organizing? I have been an organizer since 2001. I learned so much in my early years as an organizer through working with young families. Time after time I would find myself in homes with toxic cleaning products, furniture, toys, etc... I was upset and frustrated by this, which led me to write my book Clean Your Home Healthy, Green Cleaning Made Easy (April 2008, Morgan James Publishing). Green living has become my passion and I share my knowledge with anyone who asks. What is your 5 Steps to Green Program? The 5 Steps to Green Program was developed to aid Professional Organizers as well as other service professionals in adding green services to their organizing or service businesses. Presented as a series of Tele-Seminars, the program is a comprehensive approach to educating organizers about healthy living, sustainability and solutions to everyday issues they would find in their clients' homes. I am always looking for ways to use my knowledge to help other organizers improve their income. Is your program suitable for new organizers or established organizers? The program is suitable for both experienced and new organizers and can help any organizer establish a niche in the area of green living. These days, it's more important than ever to establish a niche for your business, so if you're interested in learning more about this unique opportunity, be sure to visit Candita's 5 Steps to Green website. Happy Earth Day!

NAPO-WDC Demonstrated How Much You Can Learn in One Day

Janet — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:18:29 +0000

Through our wonderful guest bloggers, we've had the pleasure of vicariously attending several major professional organizer conferences this year. We don't hear quite so much about the smaller events, so I was quite pleased when Liz Jenkins of a fresh space agreed to tell us about the 11th Annual NAPO-WDC Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference for Professional Organizers held recently.

I love the NAPO National Conference. The multiple days of speakers and events, seeing everyone you only know from their web pages or books, the wealth of knowledge. But it can get overwhelming and by the end, exhausting. That’s why regional conferences can be so much fun! You’re in, you’re out, and you’ve got lots of takeaways. Recently, the NAPO DC Chapter hosted a one day conference and I was lucky enough to be able to attend. Worked out well for me since I have family in the area so, in true organizer fashion, I multi-tasked by visiting family AND attended the conference. The conference hosts, the DC Chapter, did a terrific job. Great speakers, very well run, and a lovely location. Even a “tweet up” at lunch where I hung out with @candita, @dallisonlee, @thescramble and more (I’m @afreshspace if you want to track me down on twitter!). Kudos to Deb Lee for really using social media to promote the event, and making everyone feel welcome. Here’s some of the highlights: Krista Green was terrific as the opening speaker. It was what I needed to hear at the time, and she gave me some great information that jump started my business all over again. She talked about methodology and analyzing what we do as organizers – clarifying those systems we use that show a level of mastery we need in our profession. My favorite quote was, “When you are that good at what you do, you will not have to sell yourself.” She also helped me solidify my thoughts on finding clients. The more I organize, the more I find that there are particular clients I work with better than others. Krista recommends narrowing your field with a set of criteria to find the right clients for you. Many scary thoughts but right on target. Julie Hall, of The Boomer Burden, spoke about dealing with estates. I have a lot of clients that inherit a lot of, well, stuff, that they don’t know what to do with. This is a hugely growing market, and I’m seeing it a lot in my neck of the woods. When I think about niche marketing and ways to grow my business, this is an area I am focusing on. Her book, The Boomer Burden, outlines the plan of attack for these clients and I’m currently incorporating this into my organizing repertoire. Delightful Candita Clayton focused on her niche market of Green Organizing. Her focus is helping clients make healthier and more sustainable choices for themselves, their families, the businesses and the planet. I’m still working on how to incorporate this more fully but she gave a ton of great resources for the audience such as thedailygreen.com and treehugger.com. Especially interesting was CosmeticsDataBase.com and the Household Products Database – who knew what was in things we use daily? She also encouraged organizers to partner with green businesses in their areas – hadn’t thought about doing this but “green” is the color to be these days. My favorite of the day was Lauren Halagarda, of The Organization Connection. Her presentation was about using Outlook. Now, I use Outlook and thought I had it under control pretty well so I didn’t go into it with a lot of expectations. Lauren showed me things that I had no idea about – and probably shaved 30 minutes off each of my work days with her tips. She redefined the inbox as “a temporary location for storing incoming mail.” Then everything has a category to which it goes (task, calendar, etc.). One pointer that was a “duh” moment for me was unsubscribing to e-newsletters and e-flyers that you no longer read or want. Hello! I did about 10 of them that night and don’t miss a one. Highly recommend her – she really knows her stuff. And then there was Julie Morgenstern. The woman whose book, Organizing From The Inside Out, is the reason I am a professional organizer. I loved hearing her talk. It was mostly a ramble through time about her life and how she got where she was. Loved it. The best part about this conference is that not only did I feel welcomed and part of the group, I came away with way more information that I can use in my daily business than I thought I would. Don’t you love it when your expectations are surpassed? That’s what I try to do with each and every client, as we all should.

Would You Like to Work with Hoarders?

Janet — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:18:05 +0000

There's lots of buzz right now about A&E's new documentary series about real people whose compulsive hoarding is leading to serious problems in their everyday lives. If you didn't catch the premiere on Monday night, be sure to visit the Hoarders website to see what you missed.

I found it heartbreaking to witness the challenges faced by the compulsive hoarders on the show, and by their families. At the same time, I admire them, not only for taking the huge step of making positive changes in their lives, but for exposing themselves to the world in order to educate others. I also have a great deal of admiration and respect for the professional organizers who work with these individuals. You may never encounter a situation like those shown on Hoarders, but if you offer residential organizing, there's a chance that you will. I predict that it's even more likely now, because the show will help reduce the stigma associated with chronic disorganization, empowering viewers facing similar issues to take action. You can prepare yourself by downloading a free copy of the Clutter Hoarding Scale developed by the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (NSGCD). The Clutter Hoarding Scale is an assessment that may be used during your initial consultation to determine the degree of household clutter and hoarding, and the level of support needed. In many cases, the client will need to work with a professional organizer with specialized training in chronic disorganization. If you are interested in this specialty, you should become a member of NSGCD. Before joining, you must first be a member of NAPO or POC, or provide documentation showing that you've been in business as a professional organizer for at least one year. NSGCD offers weekly teleclasses to help their members work towards various levels of certification. In addition, NSGCD also holds an annual conference for organizers and other professionals who work with chronic disorganization clients. This year's conference will take place from October 1 to 3 in Los Angeles, California. Registration fees go up after August 31, so if you're thinking of attending, you should register as soon as possible. If you're not sure whether chronic disorganization is your thing, you may wish to explore the subject further before investing in membership or the conference. In this case, you'll be pleased to know that NSGCD also offers a number of inexpensive publications which you may find of value.

Do I Need a Specialty?

Janet — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 15:14:29 +0000

Professional organizing services are needed by clients in many areas, including residential, home-based businesses, and corporate offices. There's absolutely nothing wrong with serving clients in all of these areas, provided that you have the necessary skills to do so. In fact, in certain regions, you may find it necessary to offer a broad range of services in order to maintain a steady income.

On the other hand, new organizing products and techniques are being introduced all the time, and it can be quite challenging to stay on top of important developments throughout the organizing industry. For this reason, it can be beneficial to focus on one area. Not only does it require less time and effort, but it allows you to become an expert on your chosen subject. Many organizers choose to specialize in home organizing services, but even within that realm, countless specializations are possible. Garages, children and families, and seniors are only three examples. Office organizers can specialize in medical offices, legal offices, non-profit associations, or any other niche. Specializing in an industry where you have previous work experience can really give you an edge. Becoming known as "the organizer who..." can do wonders for your business! The other advantage of being a specialist is that you can charge a higher hourly rate for your services. If this makes you uncomfortable, it shouldn't! Consider that with your expertise, you can probably complete the organizing job more quickly and efficiently than an organizer with no experience with that type of project. Does it make sense that you should earn less? No way! To choose your specialty, ask yourself these questions:

What type of organizing project do I enjoy the most? What type of clients do I like working with? What am I really good at?

Of course, you'll also need to consider the marketplace in your area, and whether there is a demand for the services you've selected, but I'm a firm believer in Marsha Sinetar's philosophy, Do What You Love, The Money Will Follow. If you need help exploring your options, Maria Gracia's Ultimate Guide for Professional Organizers is a great resource that covers this and many other great ideas for starting and growing your business.