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Interview With . . . Mary Wallace Homemaker's Idea Company Kalispell, Montana 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 Mary Wallace. I am a representative for the Homemaker's Idea Company and I live in Kalispell, Montana. I have been involved in this since April 2002. 2. Is this your primary business, or a part-time business? I do this part time, being a clutter control consultant, and I have to say that this is BY FAR the most enjoyable job I have ever worked at. It is so much fun, I hesitate to call it 'work'! 3. Are you a member of NAPO? (Please indicate if you're an officer.) No, but I would like to know more about NAPO. 4. Why did you become a professional organizer? It was in self-defense! Even though I have been able to help many others get organized, I still consider my house and my life a 'work-in-progress' in regards to clutter control. I became involved with the Homemaker's Idea Company because I wanted the products to help organize my own life! 5. What type of organizing do you specialize in (home, office, etc.)? I offer clutter control help for both the home and the office, the workshop, the garden shed, the corporation, and everything in between. 6. Do you sell products, services, or seminars? Please describe. I sell clutter control and accent products for the Homemaker's Idea Company. The mainstay of their clutter control products are their beautiful wired rattan wicker baskets for organizing and pulling a room together. I also am a firm believer in the 'use what you have' philosophy, so I encourage my customers to find hidden storage items already in their homes and re-assign them to active duty in the clutter control department. The Homemaker's Idea Company operates on the party plan, so I get to give a mini-workshop on clutter control every time a hostess has a show for me. 7. Have you written a book(s)? If so, what is the title(s)? I have not written a book, but I have recently had three consecutive monthly articles on Clutter Control published in the Montana Woman magazine, and have agreed to do an ongoing series of articles for this publication. 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 have not published a newsletter, but each article published in Montana Woman is concurrently published on my website. 9. Do you have a web site? If so, what is the address? Yes, it's www.myhomemakersidea.com/mw9182 10. Is travel a big part of your business? I have enough here locally to keep me busy, but I have travelled within Montana to offer workshops on clutter control. 11. Who is your primary target audience? Most of the customers I have are mothers with children (young and old) who want to get some control of their lives. It is amazing how taking control of one little corner of our universe can inspire and empower us. 12. Describe your typical workday. That is one of the things that I love about this company. They have developed a plan that is fun for me and so easy for my hostesses and guests. I am able to plan my schedule around our busy family life. I typically hold two mini clutter control workshops in a week. This is almost like grown-up show and tell, with a good dose of fun and laughter, and I get paid to do it! 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 have been making a very respectable income for working only about 5-8 hours per week, and I was able to begin making money from the very first clutter control workshop I did! I think there are many families out there who are in the same boat as I have been and who want to simplify their lives. 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 put an announcement in the local paper (free), and I have had a good response from my monthly article in Montana Woman magazine. We have done a few trade shows with mixed success. My website has also had some good response. The best thing is the offer of free workshops for my hostess and her guests. 15. Which one marketing technique have you found works the best for you? Please describe. Word of mouth is my most successful (and cheapest) means of marketing. My customers are excited about the concept and about the products, so they tell their friends. 16. Describe a successful, creative marketing technique that you use, or that you've used in the past. I think the monthly article in Montana Woman is bringing me quite a following. The title of my first article was 'Clutter Control for Real People Who Live in Real Houses', and I think the readers could relate. I once heard the marketing rule of thumb that goes like something like this: 'You have to kiss a frog six times before it turns into a prince.' By the same token, you have to kiss a prospect many times before they become a customer. Statistics show that your customer has to see or hear of your company SIX times before they make the jump to try your product or service. 17. Do you feel that networking plays a big role in growing your business? There are six local reps for the Homemaker's Idea Company, in addition to a national messaging group. We do a great deal of networking, and is plays a HUGE role in growing our businesses. 18. What do you do to generate referrals? Most of my referrals are from guests asking to schedule a mini clutter control workshop in their own homes. 19. What do you find to be the most exciting part of your business? I enjoy it so much when I have described a clutter problem and suggested a solution for it, and then those attending respond with such laughter and enthusiasm. I really know they have caught the clutter control fever when they shout out their own ideas during my presentation (with my encouragement). 20. What do you find to be the most frustrating part of your business? I wish I could do this full-time, in fact, I am working towards doing this full-time. But I have yet to make that huge jump without a safety net, so I work part-time as well. 21. Describe your greatest success in this field. I was thrilled to be published in a local magazine, and I have had such good response to that. 22. As a professional organizer, do you have a funny story to share? My favorite part of my job is getting to commiserate with my cluttering customers. If you get a group of women together of all ages and sizes, and get them talking, they can be pretty darn funny. I have never laughed so much. 23. As an organizer, what professional organizing information or tools are you always on the lookout for? Reasonably priced storage containers that are versatile, moveable, and attractive. The Homemaker's Idea Company products are all that, and they are made to work together, and to pull a 'look' together, according to the customer's likes and lifestyle. I also advocate the 'use what you have' philosophy, encouraging my customers to look inside their own homes before going out to buy organizing products. 24. Looking ahead, what do you see as your greatest challenge? Balancing my many hats on my head until I can do this full time. 25. What is your best tip for people interested in becoming professional organizers? I would encourage them to use anecdotes of their own disorganized lives to make their customers know that practically everyone has some clutter in their lives, and that we can deal with anything if we can just find the humor in it. Other than that, they should read all they can, and then apply some of the tips they find to their own household organizing plan. It doesn't have to cost a lot to get started. I joined the Homemaker's Idea Company for a very small amount (only $99) for my kit. They have an awesome training plan and a wonderful support network. I was ready to get started within a couple of days after my kit arrived. I am sure that a huge part of my measured success so far, has been that I really love the products, and I am sure my enthusiasm is convincing. 
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