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Interview With . . . Phyllis Paster It's About Time Wellesley, MA 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 Phyllis Paster. My company name is It's About Time. I'm located in Wellesley Massachusetts and I've been in business for two years. 2. Is this your primary business, or a part-time business? It's About Time is my primary business. 3. Are you a member of NAPO? (Please indicate if you're an officer.) I am a member of New England Professional Organizers which is a chapter of NAPO. I am also a member of NAPO. 4. Why did you become a professional organizer? I was born to be an organizer! In my previous career as a health care administrator I worked with my staff, colleagues and physicians to organize space, design forms and streamline operations to work smarter and more efficiently with the overall goal of increasing customer and patient satisfaction. So when I decided to leave health care and pursue my own direction, becoming a professional organizer was the natural route for me. 5. What type of organizing do you specialize in (home, office, etc.)? I specialize in organizing homes, home offices, small businesses, physician offices and medical groups. Special organizing services I offer include paper and file management and compiling memorabilia as well as form and brochure design. 6. Do you sell products, services, or seminars? Please describe. No, but I have presented at various networking meetings. As an example, the topic of one of my talks was 'Time to Organize for Business and for Fun.' I still receive feedback on my talk and how attendees have used some of the ideas that I presented to tackle some of their organizing challenges. 7. Have you written a book(s)? If so, what is the title(s)? I have not written a book yet. But imagine a mystery series about a professional organizer aka sleuth who not only finds and categorizes the clues to solve the crime or murder but also leaves the crime scene well organized!!! The CSO [crime scene organizer] books soon to be made into a television series. 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 send out quarterly mailings to my clients, prospects, referral sources and professional colleagues with seasonal organizing tips and bon mots. I also hand out magnets and bookmarks with my business logo--my watercolor of three dories. 9. Do you have a web site? If so, what is the address? No. 10. Is travel a big part of your business? Most of my business travel is to surrounding towns and cities up to approximately 25 miles away. I certainly will travel further as needed. I do not charge clients for travel time regardless of the distance. If it is too far for me to travel on a regular basis I refer the client to one of my fellow professional organizers in New England Professional Organizers. 11. Who is your primary target audience? My primary target is homes, home offices and small businesses as well as physician offices and medical groups. 12. Describe your typical workday. I schedule a mimimum of two to three hours with a client. As soon as I arrive back in my office I update all my business records including mileage and expenses, billing records and revenue received, and update each client log with includes the hours, materials purchased, billings and revenues. I also complete any follow-up necesary from the client appointment or work on marketing. 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? The revenue stream can vary from month to month as you are developing the client base and growing a word of mouth business. It takes patience and perserverance. It is wise to have a back up plan and a financial cushion as part of your business plan. 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 number of marketing tools including: * direct mailings and holiday cards * advertisement in local telephone book * feature articles in local newspapers * leaflets with tearoff business contact information and information leaflets in area businesses 15. Which one marketing technique have you found works the best for you? Please describe. At present my best source of referrals has been through client referrals and networking. I was recommended to one new client by three different clients. It was very gratifying to me! 16. Describe a successful, creative marketing technique that you use, or that you've used in the past. I have offered promotions to new clients. At the time of the consultation the client receives a gift certificate for one free hour of organizing time. The client can use the free time or give the gift of organizing to a friend or family member. 17. Do you feel that networking plays a big role in growing your business? Absolutely - every person I meet is a source of support and inspiration, an information source, a client or a referral source. I love meeting new contacts and get energized by talking about my business. It also gives me a chance to talk about my passion for watercolor painting. Having my own organizing business and the time for painting is wonderful. 18. What do you do to generate referrals? As noted above many of my referrals come from my clients. In addition, I network with business leaders to develop a network of referral sources. As an example, I have contacted an elder care services agency to provide organizing services to elders such as helping them manage their bills, mail, important papers and treasured memorabilia. 19. What do you find to be the most exciting part of your business? I love meeting new contacts and clients. I especially like learning about my clients' organizing needs and goals and how we can work together to achieve their goals. It is very gratifying to me when clients tell me that they are less stressed as a result of my organizing assistance and that they can find their papers and belongings easily. 20. What do you find to be the most frustrating part of your business? I think that the most frustrating part of my business is waiting for the telephone call or email from prospective clients. 21. Describe your greatest success in this field. I feel that each time a client's organizing goals are met it is not only a success for the client but for me. And I certainly feel that it is a success when a current client refers me to another client, for my relationship with each client is based on trust. 22. As a professional organizer, do you have a funny story to share? There are so many funny stories! Here's one. When I went to meet with one new client for the initial consultation the house was perfectly organized--nothing was out of place. Then she told me to prepare myself for she was going to show me her secret. She hoped that I would not run screaming from her house. Slowly she lead me to the closets in the house and carefully opened them. Each closet was crammed and jam packed--stuff spilled out of each closet as the door was opened. Luckily nothing flew out at us. Little by little we tackled each closet and discovered incredible treasures and long lost momentoes, lean cuisine meals, money and family memorabilia just to mention a few articles. Now the closets are so well organized the client showcases them to friends and family! 23. As an organizer, what professional organizing information or tools are you always on the lookout for? I am always looking for easy to use tools and tips for clients. As an example, I provide my clients with guidelines for preserving important documents which includes a check off list so they know which documents are stored on site and which are in the safe deposit box. 24. Looking ahead, what do you see as your greatest challenge? My greatest challenge is continually building my contact and client base and approaching marketing my business with enthusiasm and a fresh eye. 25. What is your best tip for people interested in becoming professional organizers? So you want to become a professianal organizer? My best tip is to identify the local professional organizing association to meet and talk with other professional organizers in order to learn as much as you can to see if you want to work as a professional organizer and/or start your own organizing business. If your local professional organizing association has a question and answer session on becoming a professional organizer, definitely go--it is not only a terrific way to learn lots of information but you will start to meet others who are starting off in the business. And search out information on the web. Starting your own professional organizing business is taking a risk, but the rewards are worth it!! 
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