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Interview With . . . Lauriann Davies Leave It To Lauri Atlanta, GA by Maria Gracia 1. How long have you been in business? Since 2001. 2. Is this your primary business, or a part-time business? Yes, this is my primary business. 3. Are you a member of NAPO? (Please indicate if you're an officer.) Yes. I was also the past Treasurer of NAPO Georgia. 4. Why did you become a professional organizer? I became a professional organizer to find a meaningful career that fulfilled my passion for helping people to find balance and harmony in their lives by decluttering and reorganizing their personal space. 5. What type of organizing do you specialize in (home, office, etc.)? I specialize in paper clutter and clients with a home office. 6. Do you sell products, services, or seminars? Please describe. I offer virtual assistant services and running errands for those who never have enough hours in a day to tackle their TO DO lists. 7. Have you written a book(s)? If so, what is the title(s)? No. 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? No. 9. Do you have a web site? If so, what is the address? My Web site is www.clutterologist.com 10. Is travel a big part of your business? I once flew to Belgium to organize a family member, but my business is primarily in the Atlanta area. 11. Who is your primary target audience? My target audience has a home office with lots of paper clutter and filing issues. I am able to offer years of administrative advice from my past experience in Corporate America. 12. Describe your typical workday. I often have two clients on a typical workday. I work in 3-hour sessions, usually 12-3pm and 6-9pm. This allows me to service my clients who are at home in the day or those coming home from their 9-5 jobs. 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? While still in Corporate America, I organized on a part-time basis for the first 3 years to build my reputation and clientele. Then I left Corporate America and worked part-time while still organizing part-time. Once I became confident in my increasing work schedule, I was able to organize on a full time basis and am currently making a living comfortably. If you are not a risk taker (like me), I would not suggest jumping into this without a back-up plan. Like most businesses, the first few years are challenging. 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)? My two marketing vehicles have been word-of-mouth referrals and being listed on the NAPO website with a link to my personal website. 15. Which one marketing technique have you found works the best for you? Please describe. Word-of-mouth referrals from happy clients are my most powerful marketing techniques. I find that when my clients are excited about my work, they tell all their friends, who then call me for a consultation as well. 16. Describe a successful, creative marketing technique that you use, or that you've used in the past. I often promote organizing specials such as '3 hrs for the price of 2' ... any money saving promotions are always a huge success with my clients. 17. Do you feel that networking plays a big role in growing your business? Yes, networking with other entreprenuers and business professionals is definitely a big role in getting connected with your ideal client. Supporting each others business is also very important. 18. What do you do to generate referrals? I offer free organizing hours to past clients who refer new clients to me. I also have strategic alliances with other professionals by referring my clients to them and their services. 19. What do you find to be the most exciting part of your business? The most exciting and rewarding part of my business is taking before and after pictures of the client's clutter to show how their progress and hard work has paid off. 20. What do you find to be the most frustrating part of your business? I am often frustrated when a client is not willing to listen and take my advice on decluttering their space. I prefer to wait until the client is ready and willing to make the change without me feeling like I am pulling teeth. 21. Describe your greatest success in this field. My greatest success has been my ability to make friends with potential clients. I am very non-judgemental which makes them comfortable before we start working together. Once they trust me, the decluttering process becomes easy and they know I have their best interest at heart. 22. As a professional organizer, do you have a funny story to share? I make weekly trips to the Goodwill Donation Centers for my clients, and the workers are always amused to see how many bags of donated items come out of my car at one time --like the never ending number of circus clowns who come crawling out of the little tiny car. 23. As an organizer, what professional organizing information or tools are you always on the lookout for? I am always on the lookout for attractive containers for clients to use in their home office for all the little supplies that get scattered across the desks and shelves. 24. Looking ahead, what do you see as your greatest challenge? The great challenge is competing with the shows on TV that make organizing look easy in a 1-hour session. Clients don't realize that TV has a team of 20 assistants in the back doing the work. They often get frustrated when our organizing sessions take much longer than they expected. 25. What is your best tip for people interested in becoming professional organizers? The most important tip for new organizers is to join NAPO and your local city chapter. It offers so much support and guidance by being around other organizers and getting advice from others for the success of your business. 
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