|
Interview With . . . Jenifer Fox-Gerrits Life Management Strategies Cincinnati, OH 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 Jennifer Fox-Gerrits of Life Management Strategies. I live in Cincinnati, OH and have been in business for 10 months. 2. Is this your primary business, or a part-time business? I used to teach special education full-time, but this is my primary business now. 3. Are you a member of NAPO? (Please indicate if you're an officer.) I plan on joining and hope to start a local chapter. 4. Why did you become a professional organizer? I have always been a very organized person. I even remember organizing my Barbie Doll's house as a child. As I got older, I found myself involved in many organization projects for different people and groups. Then one day my husband suggested that I could become a Professional Organizer. I did some research, took the time to look at all of the projects I had done in the past and decided that this would be a great career choice for me. 5. What type of organizing do you specialize in (home, office, etc.)? I do organization projects of all types for both individuals and businesses. My specialty area is actually working with people who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). I not only help them organize their time, space and activities, but I also provide coaching services to help them learn more about their strengths and develop strategies to manage their weaknesses. 6. Do you sell products, services, or seminars? Please describe. I do not sell any products at this time, but plan on developing some items as my business grows. I also have been doing conference presentations for the past six years and am available for public speaking engagements. 7. Have you written a book(s)? If so, what is the title(s)? I am in the process of writing a book entitled Nourishing The Old Souls. It is intended for people with ADHD and it focuses on how to manage a healthy diet. It has chapters on how to organize a kitchen and pantry, how to manage a menu and grocery list, meal preparation tips and much more. 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? I plan on creating a newsletter in the future. At this time, my intent is to offer it in print to my customers. I haven't decided if I will also post it on my web site, but it will be free of charge. 9. Do you have a web site? If so, what is the address? Yes, it's www.lifestrat.net My web site includes organizational information as well as information related to ADHD. 10. Is travel a big part of your business? Travel takes on two different roles for me. First, I travel to see my clients. I not only meet with people in their homes for organizational projects, but I also meet with them in various public locations to provide coaching services. Second, I travel to different cities and states to present at professional conferences. For example, I am giving a presentation entitled Educational Common Sense at the 38th Annual University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Special Education Conference in February. 11. Who is your primary target audience? My primary target audience could be described as individuals with ADHD or a general tendency to need help developing strategies to manage their life more effectively. That is how I came up with the name for my business; Life Management Strategies. 12. Describe your typical workday. I usually spend my morning in the office doing research, developing marketing tools, answering e-mail and so on. My client meetings usually begin around 10AM and end around 2PM. Then I move on to making phone calls and doing paperwork. In the evening, after my family is fed, I return to my office to work on my book, write articles or develop conference presentations. 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 think the amount of money you make is directly related not only to the quality of the services you provide but also to the confidence you have in yourself and the amount of time you spend promoting what you do. 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)? I have only used coupons and brochures at this point. Most of my business has come from word of mouth and direct contact with prospective clients. I have also found the local Chamber of Commerce to be a helpful resource for marketing. 15. Which one marketing technique have you found works the best for you? Please describe. Direct contact is definitely the best for me. Just by telling people what I do, I am usually able to generate two or three leads. 16. Describe a successful, creative marketing technique that you use, or that you've used in the past. As a new business, I have not had the opportunity to do much marketing yet but my marketing plan is full of creative ideas I have gotten from doing research at the library. 17. Do you feel that networking plays a big role in growing your business? Networking in the key to building my business. Everywhere I go, I see it as an opportunity to generate interest in my services. 18. What do you do to generate referrals? I currently have a relationship with several medical offices. I have provided them with my brochures and they hand them out to their patients with ADHD. I also encourage my clients to provide referrals by offering them incentives. 19. What do you find to be the most exciting part of your business? I enjoy seeing my clients being successful and proud of themselves. That is what I enjoyed most about teaching, too. 20. What do you find to be the most frustrating part of your business? Actually, I don't find anything about the business itself frustrating. What is frustrating to me is the response I get when I tell people I work from home. Even my son doesn't see it as a real job. I wish there was a way to change the public's perception on this issue. 21. Describe your greatest success in this field. I had the opportunity to organize a Play Therapy Room for a Counseling Center in Wisconsin. I think I consider this my greatest success because not only was I able to use my educational background to make the room developmentally appropriate, but when I was done I knew the room would be used to help children. 22. As a professional organizer, do you have a funny story to share? I guess the funniest thing to me was when my neighbor, also a client, was taking care of our cats for a week. One of the cats was missing and the neighbor looked everywhere. She later told me that she thought the cat might have been in my son's room but it was such an organizational disaster that she wasn't able to find the cat. I guess that just goes to show that even a professional can't help a fifteen year old boy! 23. As an organizer, what professional organizing information or tools are you always on the lookout for? Anything that I can pass on to my clients. I really stress individualization in my services and I like to have a lot of different tools and techniques to offer to my clients. 24. Looking ahead, what do you see as your greatest challenge? I know I will have a hard time turning down clients, but I know there will be times when I will have to. 25. What is your best tip for people interested in becoming professional organizers? If you want it bad enough, you can make it happen. Do your research and use all of the resources that are available to you. 
Click Here for Contact InformationCopyright 1998 - 2008 Effective Business Systems Get Organized Now!™ 611 Arlington Way Watertown, WI 53094 |
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZERS NEWSLETTER We respect your privacy. Your e-mail address will never be shared with or sold to anyone.
|