Idea of the Week: Professional Organizer Home Business (Part III)

Filed in archive marketing on May 24, 2007

Consider yourself as the sole proprietor of your business, for which you shall wear a lot of hats and juggle different tasks. Of course, you can always bring in a partner or have some tasks outsourced if you so choose. Because your professional organizer venture is a home business, you'll need a business license. Check with the Small business development center in your locality for more information.

You'll usually start with just your name on a calling card, although you might want your own business name later. For that, you'll have to have your business registered and your business name and logo (if you have one) should be copyrighted.

Promoting your professional organizer home business
At first you'll have to market your services to people you know. You'll be an unknown face and an unfamiliar name, but that's to be expected. Have your own business card ready at all times and make sure it indicates what you do. Prepare flyers you can distribute or give free lectures to your community. Get the word out about what you do so people are aware.

Expanding your business
When you're just starting out, you could ask for referrals from your first clients - your family and friends - and offer your services to them. You can progress from there later on. Once you've been in business for several months and have a good number of satisfied clients, have a good, solid portfolio you can use to show potential clients of what you have to offer.

Start with just single assignments at a time - a garage, a bedroom, a family room, a home office, then gradually move on to bigger projects. You can also extend your professional organizer service from homes to offices, where you can charge more and gain more experience. Later on you can expand further by offering time management as a special product.

It is advisable that you join reputable clubs and associations, such as the NAPO (www.napo.net) or National Association of Professional Organizers. They are a highly respected group that can give you a nice solid reputation and some credibility.