Our Profession
The professional organizing industry has grown steadily in recent years as Americans and others all over the world attempt to gain better control of their lives. Facing more and more demands with less and less free time, consumers are struggling to manage their days and conquer the clutter and chaos building up in their lives. Increasingly, they are turning to professional organizers for help.
With this growing consumer demand, there are more business opportunities for professional organizers than ever before. For anyone without well-developed professional skills, however, succeeding in the organizing industry can seem just as daunting as those organizational challenges consumers face. NAPO prides itself on helping members acquire the organizational and business knowledge they need to succeed.
What Professional Organizers Do
Professional organizers use tested principles and expertise to enhance the lives of clients. By designing custom organizing systems and teaching organizing skills, they help individuals and businesses take control of their surroundings, their time, their paper piles, their lives!
An organizer’s services can range from designing an efficient closet to organizing a cross-country move. For homeowners, he or she might offer room-by-room space planning and reorganization, estate organization, improved management of paperwork and computer files, systems for managing personal finances and other records, and/or coaching in time-management and goal-setting.
In business settings, an organizing pro can increase productivity and profitability with improvements in paper-filing and storage, electronic organizing, work-flow systems, employee time-management, space design, and more.
Some professional organizers work with specific populations, such as those with Attention Deficit Disorder, the chronically disorganized, children, seniors or students.
You can find a complete list of organizing services in the Professional Organizer Directory.
Who Are Professional Organizers?
Professional organizers come from a variety of backgrounds and professions. Some have previous corporate experience, some are young professionals who made a career change and some are individuals who have chosen professional organizing as their first career. There are professional organizers who work solely in the residential arena, and those who focus on helping businesses. While experiences and business models may vary, there are some abilities and qualities common to all successful professional organizers:
- Ability to ask the right questions to understand what a client wants and needs
- Ability to listen and infer what a client means
- Ability to customize organizational systems to meet client needs
- Ability to teach and transfer basic organizing skills
- Ability to visualize spatially and see the big picture
- Ability to break goals down into manageable steps
- Ability to categorize and plan ahead
- Ability to use technology to support organizing efforts
- Physical and mental endurance
- Compassion
- Responsibility
- Professionalism
How Can You Get into the Organizing Business?
There are many ways to enter the field of professional organizing. Many NAPO members operate their own businesses, while others act as independent contractors or are employed by an organizing company. Those who run their own companies require business skills in addition to organizing skills. For many professional organizers, running a business is the most challenging part of the job; it is important for you to weigh this decision carefully. A small-business owner wears many hats, as s(he) often serves as marketer, accountant, bookkeeper and more.
The good news is that opportunity abounds in this industry and you can make the choice that is comfortable for you. Should you choose to operate your own business, there are courses as part of the NAPO professional organizer curriculum geared toward helping you succeed.
Those considering a future as a professional organizer must take stock of their financial needs. Start-ups often spend 80 percent of the first year’s income on marketing. It is helpful to have financial resources such as credit lines and savings to draw from as you get started.
In order to know whether this career will meet your financial goals, determine what you must make (net) in a year and work backward from that. For example, if you need to bring home $26,000 a year, you need to have $500 a week coming in after all expenses and taxes are paid. Keep in mind, that figure does not factor in vacation time, sick days, and cancellations.
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