Everyone can use a good strategy to reorganize their home, home office, or a business office to make the area more efficient and convenient, remove unwanted or unnecessary items, create new room for current items or products, and just overall make the area look good. Learning how to start an organizing business is one way to begin or change careers and help others “trim down” the clutter and create well-organized storage spaces. Whether choosing part-time or fulltime employment, professional organizing is an up-and-coming business.
Getting Certified
Some people may not know this, but there is a way to add to your expertise and knowledge base of organizing techniques by taking a short professional organization course online Once completed and passed, you’ll receive a certificate stating you are a Certified Organizer. The courses are generally short and not overly expensive and being certified, “ups” your standing among local competitors.
Keep in mind, pay rates vary by area, but, the more qualifications you bring with you, the more room you have to negotiate your hourly or set rate.
What Steps to Take to Start a Professional Organizing Business
Anytime someone has a good idea or wants to use their talents to start their own business, there are a few things you have to do before setting foot inside someone’s home, office, or business. Consider the following steps to help get your organizing business started and heading in the right direction.
On the business side:
- Write a business plan.
- Have the funding in place to start business operations.
- Create a contract for customers.
- Have invoices with your company name embossed so clients have a professional copy of the completed project.
- Determine the type of business (sole proprietorship, LLC, DBA, Inc.) for registration with the state purposes.
- Have any permits necessary for operating the business.
- Talk to an insurance agent about liability insurance.
- Use the services of an accountant to keep invoices, payments, and bills in order.
- Research or directly contact your state and/or county office about the requirements for a business license.
- Contact the IRS for a Federal Tax ID number or an EIN if you plan to have employees. Which ID used is dependent on whether you are working solo or have employees.
- Keep your business and personal profits and expenses separate. Set up a merchant/business account at your bank. Get a business debit or credit card.
On the administrative side:
- Do research on the newest trends in the professional organizing industry. This keeps your company on the cutting edge of new trends, techniques, and products to ensure a top-level of quality and efficiency for areas being organized.
- Create an eye-appealing and catchy/memorable name for your business. Use online sources to ensure the name is not already in use.
- Have a website. Whether you set it up yourself, such as via WordPress, or purchase a domain name, you’ll want your business accessible by customers utilizing the world-wide web.
- Having your website rank high in web searches, regardless of which search engine potential customers are using, is critical. A clever and professional name that grabs a person’s attention and lets them know exactly what your company is about is important. Keep this in mind for marketing and advertising agendas, too.
- If you plan to work out of your home office or rent an office, hire someone to answer the phones, track/post invoices, contact leads, send out emails, greet customers (office setting), take care of ordering supplies, etc.
Determine the Services the Business Will Provide
Develop a list of services your business will offer. What does the organization of areas include? This can include packing and disposing of items, taking items to a local charitable location or drop-off collection spot, or selling items that are in good condition, but the client no longer wants or needs.
You may be providing items such as bags for things being thrown away or donated. New plastic containers for storage if the client does not have enough, replacing old and worn-out storage containers, and supplying hangers for items that can be hung versus stacked in a container. The needs depend on the areas being organized.
Depending on what the client wants, you may need shelving to expand the organized storage area. Labels are a necessity so the client can clearly read what each container is storing. The client may also want shelves labeled to help keep things in order, such as shelves in kitchen cabinets.
You can include any cleaning services of the area to be organized, such as vacuuming, dusting, wiping down shelves, clearing dusty container bins, etc.
Marketing and Advertising
Both are essential to the promotion, support, and success of your business. Use your website to promote business, offer deals, provide coupons, post reviews from customers, etc. to highlight the quality of your services.
Advertise using online services that target social media platforms, post ads on other websites, such as Facebook, Instagram, Google, LinkedIn, and Bing, promote affiliate links, etc.
Set Up Pricing
Research other professional organizers in your area to get an idea of what the going rate is for the services provided. You can set the pricing at an hourly rate for clients in need of minimal sorting, moving, and dispensing of items. You also have the option of offering package deals for more in-depth projects.
Be prepared to discuss what services the client is requesting and have the pricing laid out. If you are not technology savvy, hire the services of a printing company that can create and print a brochure with your services and prices. The company can also generate business cards to go along with the brochure.
Both marketing and advertising are integral parts of keeping your business as a viable choice for customers. There are plenty of companies online that provide experienced people to take care of business in the background, allowing you the time needed to guide your business to success.
How to start an organizing business is straightforward and it is possible to have it operating in a short time. Once permits and licenses are in place, insurance active, and all the other bits and pieces in place, it’s time to put your organizing talents in motion and let your organizing skills work for you.
