Interview with Professional Organizer Pam Bowers
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Ten years after Pam Bowers of Chaos Pros, LLC wrote her guest post, 30 Ideas for Business Success ~ Elizabeth Hagen), I’m happy to feature her again, in my latest organizer interview.
Pam offers business organization, home organization, virtual organizing, move management, interior decorating, and holiday decorating services. She also speaks on organization topics.
Welcome, Pam! How did you come up with your business name?
We started out with a name which we did not know was already copyrighted. (Be careful of free advice when you’re starting out!) I knew I didn’t want the word “clutter” in my name as it’s in many company names, and chaos just fit better. A client and I were discussing my options and he said, “what about Chaos Professionals?” I said, “ooh shorten it to Pros and I think you got it!” Chaos Pros, LLC it is!
What is your specialty?
My personal specialty has always been offices, home or corporate, but since I started organizing, I’ve developed a second specialty in garage organization.
How do you approach a new organizing project?
We typically follow the old standard way of sorting by category, purging, getting everything into a home/location, and labeling. Our clients are able to participate to the level with which they are comfortable, whether it’s joining us hands on or letting us in the front door as they are leaving for the day.
What professional associations or other organizations do you belong to?
NAPO, NAPO-DFW, and NSA-NTX (National Speakers Association of North Texas).
What’s the most surprising thing you’ve discovered about running an organizing business?
I was not prepared for the physical demands of organization! How many of us have a chiropractor and massage therapist in our list of regular appointments now? Snap crackle pop means a whole different thing for me now than when I was a child! Now it’s knees, back, and hips! Goodness!
What is the biggest challenge you currently face in your business?
Keeping up the momentum of business. Honestly, that is something I have always faced. I’m about to hit my 17th anniversary and I’ve concluded it’s just part of this field. Our amount of business depends on how many prospects say yes. Sometimes we are slammed. Other times we’re twiddling our thumbs. With employees, there’s an added pressure on me as the business owner to keep the workflow running smoothly.
What’s your favorite organizing product? Why?
Oh man… I have so many answers to this question. At my first NAPO conference in Reno, I learned about FreedomFiler at the vendor expo, and I have been setting it up for clients ever since. That one is a big one for solving the challenge of organizing paper. For general organization, you can’t go wrong with handled baskets from The Container Store.
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
I sing all the time, whether I’m working or not. Music is a huge part of my life. I love going on motorcycle rides with my husband (I definitely am a passenger not the driver). We have 4 dogs that keep us busy now that we’re empty nesters. I’m working on trying to get back to painting and drawing.
What else should we know about you?
I’m working on two projects. One is my first book. Second is developing an exit plan. I want to be able to ride off into the sunset knowing that my clients will continue to be taken care of by someone who believes in Chaos Pros’ values.
Would you like to be interviewed for Your Organizing Business?
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So fun seeing Pam here. I was just in TX and loved being the wonderful folks in the NAPO-DFW chapter! Thanks for giving us a peek behind the curtain of Pam’s business. I particularly love learning about everyone’s hobbies and gifts. So much fun. 🙂
I’m always jealous when any of my readers get to meet in person! I’m glad you had that opportunity.
It’s always a joy to learn about our colleagues, and this interview didn’t disappoint. It’s inspiring how Pam has expanded her business and is working on her first book along with an exit strategy.
I agree! It’s interesting to learn where people have been, but possibly even more interesting (at this stage of my career) to see what’s next.
Thanks for sharing! I love learning about other Professional Organizers’ businesses and how they have made them successful! I have to check out FreedomFiler. It may be something my clients may want to use.
It looks amazing, doesn’t it? I think I’d have used it myself if I’d learned about it much earlier. I’m still tempted to try it, but have so much less paper to contend with these days that it probably wouldn’t be worthwhile getting it set up.
It was fun to learn about Pam and how she got started. Thanks for this great interview!
You’re welcome, Diane! I bet people would like to read your story here too! 😉
I love learning about how other organizers got started, their philosophy, their challenges and successes – it’s always so inspiring, and fun to see how different we all are. Great interview!
This feature has turned out to be quite a hit! Thanks for reading, commenting, and being interviewed yourself!
What a great chance to *really* get to know Pam! This series of interviews with our colleagues is really delightful; I love the insight we get into how they started and got to where they are now. And oh, Pam, I feel you about the “snap, crackle, and pop!”
I agree, there are so many stories out there! If you have colleagues who might not know about this opportunity, please let them know.