|
Interview With . . . Lea Schneider Organize & More Jackson, TN by Maria Gracia 1. What is the name of your company? Where are you located? How long have you been in business? I am Lea Schneider of Organize & More. I am located in Jackson, TN and I have been in business for two years. 2. Is this your primary business, or a part-time business? This is my primary business. 3. Are you a member of NAPO? (Please indicate if you're an officer.) Yes, I am a member of NAPO. 4. Why did you become a professional organizer? Professional organization makes use of my wide variety of professional experiences and my personal abilities. Most important, it allows me to own my own business and set and reach goals that are important to me. 5. What type of organizing do you specialize in (home, office, etc.)? I find that my specialty is neither home nor office but rather the combination of the two. I see many people struggling to organize piles of papers or the physical space of a home office or a home-based business. So often, part of the home’s problem is that the office work is encroaching on the living space. My specialty is making the office functional and the home livable. 6. Do you sell products, services, or seminars? Please describe. Organize & More provides both organizational consulting and hands-on organizing for both residential and business clients. Presentations on organization are given to groups. These encompass a wide variety of organizational issues including titles such as . . . I Don't Have Time to Get Organized Dancing to the What’s For Dinner Blues When Your Can Do Can't Keep Up With Your Want To You Know You Are Disorganized If A Closet Full of Clothes and Nothing to Wear Kids Can Organize! Parents Too! Work’s Organized But Home? That’s A Different Story Quieting the Clatter of Clutter Organize & More sponsored and orchestrated Keep It Simple Sister, a day long workshop, that brought women together to organize their homes, their lives and their hearts. The proceeds from this special day benefited local domestic violence shelters. 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? My newsletter, and seasonal tips of the month, are available to be viewed free of charge on my web site. 9. Do you have a web site? If so, what is the address? Yes, it's www.organize-and-more.com 10. Is travel a big part of your business? While I occasionally travel, my primary focus is local organizing. 11. Who is your primary target audience? As I started my business, I was once asked if there were that many 'messy people' in my town. I do not have a business for messy people. I have a business for busy people. That is my target. I am amazed at the wonderful talented people for whom I have organized. My primary target audience is professionals who are involved in other business ventures outside of their primary position. They travel, write books, and spend time serving on boards or in volunteer positions or in church work. 12. Describe your typical workday. My typical workday is, well, anything but typical. That is what is so great about this profession. No two days are ever alike. My days flex to the needs of my clients and their deadlines. In the last two weeks, my jobs have included facilitating a move for a family, helping set up a home office, maintaining another home office, a kitchen organization, blueprint storage for an engineering firm, medical books for a clinic and a couple of closets missing their floors. For every billable hour spent organizing, another amount of time is spent working to achieve those hours. The time is spent marketing, networking, accounting, reading industry materials and preparing materials and plans for clients. On the side, I write home or food related feature stories for a daily newspaper. One very important part of every day is my volunteer position as a moderator for the professional organizer forum at Get Organized Now!™ The wonderful give and take with organizers all over the country brings a wealth of ideas. 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? Can you make 'enough' money? The key word in this question is 'enough?' That is a variable from person to person. I have most certainly made enough money to fulfill my personal and business goals. I am watching my sales figures grow and see a great potential. Can everyone make 'enough' money? That depends on your regions’ market, your potential clients’ demographics, how much competition you have and how well you market yourself. I do think that if you are motivated to continually market yourself, you can make a good wage. It is very important to begin by writing a business plan and forcing yourself to put numbers on paper before making a decision. 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 used a variety of marketing ventures to reach my market. I have not used direct mail blanketing an area but I have sent many personal letters and notes with my brochure. My newsletter mailing list continues to grow. I have a web site, have appeared on radio, TV and in print, have offered free workshops and have entered into joint ventures with other professionals. 15. Which one marketing technique have you found works the best for you? Please describe. My primary marketing effort is placed in public speaking to groups or in workshops. It is not just the speaking that achieves results but the marketing of the event that achieves results as well. I get calls from people that say they heard I was going to talk or they saw in the paper I was going to talk. They may not come to the talk but the event gets their attention. These kinds of mentions that appear free in community calendars would be out of my budget if I had to purchase them. They are very valuable. For example, one community event brought a lot of interest. I was on TV a couple weeks before the event in an interview about it. The ABC station filmed the event that day for the news. I was interviewed on three radio stations which replayed the interview at sister stations for a total of 8 stations featuring my interview. The same event brought print articles in three publications. Sure the actual event was important but the real measure of its worth was the publicity it brought to my company. 16. Describe a successful, creative marketing technique that you use, or that you've used in the past. Organizing is extremely personal. It requires a high level of trust for someone to let you into their home to handle their belongings. The more you can relate to them in a personal way, the more chance you have to get that job. I carry a notebook with me. Should I run into someone that might need my services, or know of someone else who does, or just have a conversation with someone (such as at a ball field or doctor’s office) I jot down their name. Sometimes, unless they ask about organizing, I don't even bring it up. But, later, I use that encounter to write to them. I tell them how much I enjoyed visiting with them and that I wanted to tell them a little about my business in case they need me or know someone that needs me. I then add a few paragraphs about what I can do for them and include my brochure. I have had very good response to my personal notes. 17. Do you feel that networking plays a big role in growing your business? Almost every customer is someone who knew someone who knew me. That makes networking vital. I will admit networking is hard work but it is high on my priority list. At least once a day, someone says 'Oh my gosh, I need you' or 'My mother needs you.' It might be boss or husband or sister but somebody always needs me, I am told. All of those contacts are potential clients. All of those contacts come about when you network. 18. What do you do to generate referrals? I work hard to have satisfied clients. I follow up to make sure that their organizational needs are met. Happy customers generate more happy customers. I do give out more than one brochure and encourage the recipient to pass it along to someone else. 19. What do you find to be the most exciting part of your business? This has to be the most unusual job I have ever had. On payday, I get paid AND I get hugged. Imagine making people so happy with the maintainable changes to their environment that they must hug you. That is very exciting. 20. What do you find to be the most frustrating part of your business? It is so difficult when you know that your skills could help someone have less-stress and be able to enjoy their home and office more but they are too embarrassed. It is frustrating to try and convince someone they do not need to be embarrassed, that you have seen it all and that you are there to help. 21. Describe your greatest success in this field. I have reclaimed rooms, found gift certificates, found money and recovered seemingly lost collectibles but the best measure of success is when someone tells you what a change you have made in their life. 22. As a professional organizer, do you have a funny story to share? The fun part about being a professional organizer is that you get to see what everyone collects. I think that each person has their own treasurers. One person loves all things sheep, another has tons of angels, still another has all kinds of antique train memorabilia and still another has Victorian jewelry. One collects frogs, another has old magazines. After sorting and moving many collections, I bet you want to know what I collect. Not a darn thing! 23. As an organizer, what professional organizing information or tools are you always on the lookout for? I am always on the lookout for concrete tips or steps for projects that I can use as an educational tool. I like to teach people how to maintain their environment. In addition, I use this material in my public speaking. 24. Looking ahead, what do you see as your greatest challenge? My greatest challenge will be to stay fresh and continually challenge myself to work constantly at marketing. 25. What is your best tip for people interested in becoming professional organizers? Read every item on the Get Organized Now web site and ask tons of questions. Join NAPO. Take classes. Read everything you can find. Most off all, remember that organizing is not about stuff. Organizing is about people. If you love to work one-on-one with people and help people you are on the right track. If you want to be a professional organizer because you like to sort stuff and make things tidy, then this job is not for you. Organizing is all about people. 
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.
|