It was both an interest in and a knack for organizing that
inspired Lisa Zaslow to forgo the daily grind of an office job to
start her professional organizing business. Officially founding
Gotham
Organizers in 2000, this New York City dweller had a background
in HR and consulting. While on vacation at a friend's home in
1999, she went looking for a napkin in one of the cabinets.
"It was just a mess, with candles, Christmas ornaments, Easter
things, soup tureens . . . and I rooted around and finally found a
napkin. I looked around and said, I have to organize this,"
recalls Zaslow, 40. "As I was [organizing a cabinet] on this
beautiful, sunny day, a hundred yards from the beach, I realized
maybe this was the work that I was meant to do."
The more Zaslow learned about organizing, the more she liked it.
She got in touch with her local NAPO chapter to learn more about
the business side of it and started organizing for friends and
family free of charge just to grow her skills. "I knew I liked
organizing when it was my agenda, but I really wasn't sure if I
would like it when it was [for] somebody else," she notes.
This is an important distinction to make in the startup phase of
any organization business. According to Izsak, "There's a
big difference between organizing for yourself and your family, and
organizing for everyone else. Many people are not [conscious of
that]." Because professional organizing is such a customized
business, it's important for entrepreneurs to really find that
right solution for each customer. Though Izsak notes that the
proliferation of home makeover shows has certainly raised the
profile of professional organizers, "They [also] perpetuate
the notion that organizers come in, clean up, and [that] everything
is OK." On the contrary, he says, professional organizers must
work closely with clients to help them achieve their own ways of
organizing.
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Though it's not as personal as a therapy session, Izsak has
observed the sentimentality that people often have about their
things. "We're dealing with hoarders," he says.
"They have psychological issues that are impairing their
ability to make a decision." That explains all the boxes in
the corner--people hang onto things because they can't decide
what to keep and what to let go of. A professional organizer needs
a keen eye for detail and a good ear for listening to his or her
client's specific needs.
Zaslow's HR skills certainly helped her tune into her
clients' needs. "There's often a lot of shame [about
being disorganized]," she says. "But once they let you
into their home, they're really grateful to talk about it to
someone who's not judgmental." A unique challenge of this
business is getting people who are perpetually disorganized to keep
appointments with her, so Zaslow confirms and reconfirms with
clients before each meeting.
She was doing HR consulting and organizing on the side until
2002, when she decided to go full time with the organizing. Her
profile grew rapidly after an appearance on HGTV's Mission:
Organization. After hearing in her local NAPO meeting that
producers were looking for organizers, she submitted a few
proposals. She was chosen, and the half-hour show profiled how she
organized the home of one of her clients--a young, single guy in
the city. After that, Zaslow positioned herself as the go-to
organization expert for local media and has gained massive exposure
that way.
Zaslow, like many professional organizers, charges by the hour--
although the amount varies per job. Izsak agrees that fees vary
widely, depending on an organizer's level of experience as well
as the nature of the job, although he points out that many charge
between $50 and $200 per hour.
Even with her company growing and 2004 sales projected to hit
$100,000, Zaslow still finds time to teach professional organizing
to other aspiring entrepreneurs at an adult-education organization,
The Learning Annex, in her area. It's her passion, after all.
"[There's] an immediate sense of results," she says.
"It's a dramatic change both visually and in your
life."
Getting Your Ducks in a Row
The organization industry is full of opportunities, according to
Barry Izsak, National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO)
board president. But he cautions that even though organization is
on everybody's lips, it takes more than just a keen interest in
it to become a successful entrepreneur. You'll have to perfect
both your business and your organizing prowess to become a
professional organizer. He notes that one way to train for the
industry and learn about its ins and outs is to work for a larger
professional organizing firm.
Residential organizing continues to be a hot area, says Izsak,
but organizers can specialize in myriad organization areas like
collections/memorabilia, photographs, garages and moves/
relocations. You might even specialize in targeted groups like
seniors or students. You can also contract out your services to be
the on-call organizer for local offices.
Like any business, do your research to find out how much people
are charging in your area for similar organization services, and
check out your local NAPO or International Association of Professional
Organizers (IAPO) chapter. And if you do decide to start part
time on evenings and weekends, realize that means you won't be
able to target the office market. Izsak suggests trying to phase
into working weekdays (like adding Mondays and Fridays to your
schedule) until you can go full time. Just don't neglect
staying organized yourself-especially when your schedule gets busy.
Calculate the amount of time you'll spend with clients, and
factor in travel time. Set aside enough hours to accomplish your
own back-office tasks, like phone calls and bookkeeping, so you can
be both an instructor and an example to your clients.
Originally published in the September 2004 issue of Entrepreneur Magazine
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