My latest interview is with Jill Annis of Simply Organized, who offers residential downsizing and organizing services in the Madison, Wisconsin area as well as nationwide virtually. Her specialties are household papers, kitchens, and closets. She’s been a member of NAPO since 2004.

Jill has kindly agreed to answer some questions for us today.

Jill, how did you come up with your business name, Simply Organized?

Brainstorming with friends. My philosophy is all about keeping it simple. Perfection isn’t what we’re striving for in the home.

How do you approach a new organizing project?

I ask my client questions to find out what’s working and not working. Each project is customized to the client’s needs and lifestyle.

How has your business changed since you first started out?

I now love organizing papers, which wasn’t the case 15 years ago. I’ve learned I can’t help everyone and I help people find a good match if I’m not the professional for them.

If I were starting my business today, I don’t think I would do anything differently.

What other services or products do you offer?

I’m a publisher/author on Amazon, and a speaker in the Madison, WI area on the topic of organizing your home and your papers.

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve discovered about running an organizing business?

That I can do things I never thought I was capable of. Speaking to groups, going on live TV, and writing a weekly newspaper column.

At what moment did you consider yourself successful?

At about the 5-year mark, things started clicking, but I define success by whether my clients are happy after our session.

What is the biggest challenge you currently face in your business?

Getting the word out and assuring potential clients that working together will be a positive experience and worth every penny.

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

Volunteering to help those affected by poverty, enjoying time with family and friends, fitness, and nutrition.

What else should we know about you?

I have a kind, calm personality which my clients appreciate, and I like to laugh.

Jill, thank you very much for telling us about your organizing business!

Now that you’ve learned a bit about Jill, I’d like to tell you about the website redesign project I completed for her recently.

Background

Although there were many things Jill liked about her existing site, she didn’t feel that the colors or fonts represented her well, much of the information was outdated, and there were ongoing technical issues with her WordPress theme. More importantly, the site wasn’t responsive and was slow to load, making it less desirable to users and hurting her search engine ranking.

After supplying Jill with website maintenance services for the last few years, she said she chose me to create her new site because she loves working with me. When I asked why, she described me as “organized, approachable, pleasant and skilled.”

Approach

The goal of the project was to increase email subscribers, digital book sales, and of course, organizing clients, while supplying Jill’s target audience with the information they need before deciding to work with her.

Once she decided which parts of her existing site should remain and which could be eliminated, I created new page layouts that would best showcase her content.

She selected new brand colors which I used, along with the new logo created by my graphic designer, to develop the design for her new site.

Results

Jill now has a website that she’s happy to show off, that clearly demonstrates what she has to offer to middle-aged women and others who are overwhelmed by clutter and have messy homes. Check it out!

She’s had many new subscribers in the month or so since her new site was launched, positioning her well to be recognized as the organizing expert that she is.

Read about my Web Design Process.