First, let me say that I LOVE this business! And I truly believe there is huge growth and potential for the industry. There will continue to be a need for compassionate and well-trained professional organizers.
So if you want to share your gift of organization with others, congratulations! There is a growing demand of time-starved, clutter-burdened clients out there who need your help simplifying their overloaded lives.
While there's no simple or standard formula for launching a successful organizing business – I can tell you there are things you want to pay attention to and other things you want to avoid at all costs! Mark Twain said, "No man is completely worthless. He can always serve as a bad example." So let me say, "My bad" right up front and get on with it!
So I've made a list of my 5 mistakes (well, I made a lot more than 5 but these were killer) – and I made some of them more than once - that cost me a boatload in terms of time, money, and wasted energy. Here's what NOT to do:
1. Don't take the time to write up a personal business success plan. Just shoot from the hip and do what feels good. Get up every morning and figure out what you're going to do that day while you're having coffee. Having a plan stifles your creativity. WRONG! While you may not have the need for a formal business plan, you must have a written marketing or "success" plan to help you make vital decisions necessary to grow your business. This is a critical planning tool. It will help you decide the direction of your business, monitor your growth and profitability and identify appropriate resources along the way. It keeps your business on track from the time you launch until you've reached each goal and objective.
2. Don't bother developing your own unique "brand." Just try to be all things to all clients. Don't worry about showing up authentically. No-one will notice. NOPE. You are unique. You have something to say and a purpose to fill that is totally different from everyone else's. Tapping into that unique brilliance will attract the right clients who will intuitively connect with you, making your marketing efforts more focused and effective. It will also help you create an authentic and powerful identity for your business (your business name, logo, tagline, website and other elements that your potential clients will see).
3. Don't specialize. Having your own niche isn't necessary. FALSE! It is exactly the opposite. Your area of specialization will ideally offer you the best fit between your skills and your values. You will be doing the work you enjoy and you will shine because your competency and expertise will be properly showcased. There isn't any aspect of professional organizing that isn't already being marketed by someone. But it's not WHAT you sell – it's to WHOM. Look for your own special market with an identifiable need that you want to fill and target your marketing efforts to that special population. It will simplify your business considerably and save you tons of time and money. I made this mistake over and over again before I finally understood the importance of "narrow and deep" niche-oriented marketing. Remember the saying, "If you market to everyone, you market to no-one."
4. Don't charge what you're worth. Work with difficult clients. NO WAY. Of all the mistakes in the top 5, this is the area I wish I'd dealt with right from the get go. I undercharged for a long, long time for a lot of reasons. I didn't value my skill set or my time enough. I was afraid to lose a sale, so I constantly discounted. I didn't communicate the value of what I did effectively to myself or my clients. And I continued to work with clients who weren't a good fit for me just to have the business. I was resentful and frustrated, which took the joy out of my work. Don't doubt yourself. Focus on the results you deliver, and recognize that others are willing to pay for what you have to give.
5. Do everything yourself. Manage clients, do all the administrative work, bookkeeping, bring home the bacon and fry it up in the pan. BIG MISTAKE. If you want to be a successful "solopreneur" you will have to go through the pain of letting go – and sooner is definitely better than later. I was such a control freak in the early years of my business, I though no-one could do the job the way I would do it – so I did everything and nearly went out of my mind. I also figured I couldn't afford to hire an assistant but when I finally bit the bullet and hired one - wow! Now I don't know what I would do without my virtual assistant. I am addicted to delegating! Building your team will allow you to focus on what gives you the greatest return on investment for your business – and more money, time, and clients
The key to professional success is to show up and serve. It is necessary to show up, because if you are invisible, your clients will not be able to find you. It is necessary to serve, because that is how your value is expressed and received in the world.
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