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Interview With . . . Andrea Croley Professionally Organized by Andrea Eastern North Carolina by Maria Gracia 1. What is the name of your company? Where are you located? How long have you been in business? My name is Andrea Croley and my company is Professionally Organized by Andrea. I'm located in eastern North Carolina. I've officially been in business since late 2003. But like many PO's, I've been organizing as long as I can remember. 2. Is this your primary business, or a part-time business? Currently this is a part-time business, but I hope to go full-time by early 2005. 3. Are you a member of NAPO? (Please indicate if you're an officer.) By the time this is published, I will be. Becoming a member is on my February list of things-to-do for my business. 4. Why did you become a professional organizer? Although I've always been an organized person and enjoyed helping others get organized, the idea of becoming a PO didn't dawn on me until last year. I recently completed a master's degree program. While in school, I worked 2 jobs along with a full-time course load and thesis research. As a returning, adult student, I had a different perspective on school, work, and family/home life then I did as a young undergraduate. I suddenly started to see and truly understand the benefits of being organized. The frustration and stress I felt by coming home to a disorganized home was overwhelming, so I quickly applied my skills to 'clean house' and the stress was gone. I realized that there are many others suffering from stress, frustration, embarrassment, and even depression, all of which may be alleviated with organization. So, I decided to get to work, helping people realize the benefits of organization. I love every minute of it. 5. What type of organizing do you specialize in (home, office, etc.)? I specialize in residential and home office (small business) organizing. I have done some small, corporate office work, but I definitely consider residential organizing to be my speciality. 6. Do you sell products, services, or seminars? Please describe. As part of my 'community service' program, I offer presentations free of charge to church groups, non-profit groups, and other local groups. Currently I do not sell products but plan to by 2005. I hope to put out a catalog in late 2005. The services I sell are organizing analysis and sessions. I will organize residential or corporate spaces. 7. Have you written a book(s)? If so, what is the title(s)? No, but that is one of my goals to achieve in the next 3-5 yrs. 8. Do you publish a newsletter? If so, is it a print newsletter, or an e-zine? Is it free, or is there a charge? My first newsletter was published in March 2005. It is free of charge and available via e-mail. Paper copies will be available for current clients only. 9. Do you have a web site? If so, what is the address? Yes! I'm always looking to make improvements so if you have any suggestions, please let me know. My Web site is http://members.cox.net/professionallyorganized 10. Is travel a big part of your business? Currently, it isn't. I am offering my services to all of eastern North Carolina; however, my focus for clients is currently in my town. 11. Who is your primary target audience? Women aged 18 and over. Although I am happy to work with others, this seems to be the group with the most interest in my work, thus they are my target group. 12. Describe your typical workday. HA! That's funny...I don't think I have a 'typical' workday. Things change so much from day to day as I truly try to work around client schedules. But, here are two examples: Monday: Up at 4:30am, out the door by 5:30am. Commute until 6:30am, work until 4:30pm. Commute home until 5:30pm, during which time I return voice mails left on my business phone during the day. Once home, I spend time working on forms, letters, and responding to e-mails. Friday: 7am-11am - Needs analysis (new client) and organization session; 11am-1pm - shop for client needed products and grab a bite to eat; 1pm-5pm - organization session; 5-7pm - paperwork, filing, thank you letter, client follow-up, etc. 13. Every person interested in entering the professional organizing field is wondering, "Can I make enough money doing this?" What is your outlook on this question? I guess it depends on what 'enough' is. Although my husband has a full-time job, it's in law enforcement, which doesn't pay millions per year by any means. So, I bring in about as much as he does at my full-time job. So, for me, 'enough' means that I will make at least what I'm making at my current job, plus a little more for health and life insurance, etc. But, for others 'enough' might only mean $10000 per year to supplement a husband's income or to provide some additional spending money. It's all relative. I believe as long as your expectations are reasonable (you're not expecting to become an overnight millionaire), then yes, you can make 'enough.' 14. Which of the following marketing vehicles have you used to help you grow your business (direct mail, newspaper advertising, free workshops, radio, television, web site, e-zine, telemarketing, yellow pages, joint ventures with other professionals, publicity, other--please describe)? Direct mail, newspaper articles, website, networking, and free seminars. 15. Which one marketing technique have you found works the best for you? Please describe. Networking is the best route by far. 16. Describe a successful, creative marketing technique that you use, or that you've used in the past. Free presentations. I really enjoy doing these and I usually get a few clients too. I love to talk, so that's no problem and I love computers, so using PowerPoint or other programs to design a presentation is fun for me. I usually give free handouts of the class with a tri-fold brochure and business card too. I also put 2-3 $20 gift certificates under chairs so that there will be some prizes. Occasionally I do some type of raffle as well. 17. Do you feel that networking plays a big role in growing your business? Yes...networking is one of the main ways to generate business leads. 18. What do you do to generate referrals? Go above and beyond. I try to offer free stuff, if I have it. I do things like write off a little time, offer discounts, and leave business cards when I'm done a job. I also mention to clients that referrals are one of my number 1 ways to building my business, so I ask if they have anyone they think I should contact. 19. What do you find to be the most exciting part of your business? Seeing the look on a persons face when we finish a project. I try to always have before and after pics so they can remember just what the space used to look like. 20. What do you find to be the most frustrating part of your business? Trying new marketing avenues and not generating any new leads. 21. Describe your greatest success in this field. My greatest success is every project I've completed. They've all been very positive experiences. 22. As a professional organizer, do you have a funny story to share? I was working with a client for free when I was just starting out. She was 8 months pregnant and wanted to get her office organized for her co-workers before she left on maternity leave. I'd already stopped by once to take pictures and measurements, etc. We finally had our first session and after 4 hours, wrapped things up for the day. During our time, she had repeatedly told me about how her Braxton-Hicks contractions were getting worse and worse throughout her pregnancy. I could see on several occasions that she was in a bit of pain, but she wanted to continue. We finished up with plans to continue the next week. The next day, I checked my e-mail to find a 'He's here' e-mail telling us birth weight, height, time, and name of her brand new, healthy baby boy! She delivered only 15 hours after we finished up...ends up they weren't Braxton-Hicks contractions at all...they were the real thing! (I talked to her the next day and she assured me I didn't send her into early labor with all my organizing demands.) 23. As an organizer, what professional organizing information or tools are you always on the lookout for? Oh my gosh...everything. I try to keep a log of different products and the best prices I find them for. We only have a few stores in town that sell organizing products, so my eyes are always open. I keep a notebook of pictures, prices, and stores to help spark ideas and uses for products. 24. Looking ahead, what do you see as your greatest challenge? Generating more clients. I want to have a successful business and to do so, I must have good client numbers. 25. What is your best tip for people interested in becoming professional organizers? Research. There's so much information out there, especially on the GON discussion forum. Read as much as possible before getting started. Don't go in blind, know what you're getting in to. Also, do as much as possible for free. No, I don't mean give your services away for free. I mean find as many free marketing avenues as possible. So far, I haven't paid for a single marketing attempt I've made! 
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