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Interview With . . . Sandy Wright WrightEdge Solutions Germantown, TN 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 Sandy Wright. My company is 'WriteEdge Solutions' and I am located in Germantown, TN. I have been in business since 1991. 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. 4. Why did you become a professional organizer? To offer solutions and support to people who want to change their lives from cluttered chaos to unstressed serenity. 5. What type of organizing do you specialize in (home, office, etc.)? Home, Office, Commercial, Coaching (ADD and Compulsive Disorder). 6. Do you sell products, services, or seminars? Please describe. I am a speaker and a presenter of seminars. I recommend and buy products for my clients as a part of my services. 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? Yes, it's wrightedgesolutions.com 10. Is travel a big part of your business? Just a bit. 11. Who is your primary target audience? The Chronically Disorganized is my primary target. 12. Describe your typical workday. During a first session which is 2 hours, I interview the client as to the organizing goals, barriers and others who may share the space. I tour the area to understand the living style and get a feeling for what might or might not work. During that session a plan is developed and at least one element is begun. Subsequent followup is discussed and scheduled if appropriate. Followup sessions are usually 1-2 hour work sessions with my providing a session log with 'homework' to be done by the client and/or suggested products. 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? Yes. The amount of money earned is determined by the amount of time, education and marketing that you invest in your work. 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)? Newspaper artlicles written about me or the profession, television, promotions, publicity, paid workshops and referrals. 15. Which one marketing technique have you found works the best for you? Please describe. Referrals by far is the best marketing tool for me. I ask my clients (1) How did you hear about me? (2) What made you select me? After the job or session, I ask if they would mind writing a letter of recommendation. 16. Describe a successful, creative marketing technique that you use, or that you've used in the past. I ordered a nail file vinyl case which had 'File Cabinet' imprinted on it. I advertised prior to the meeting to stop by and receive a free 'Filing Cabinet'. The anticipation for a real filing cabinet intrigued the attendees and became an 'ice breaker' for our conversation. 17. Do you feel that networking plays a big role in growing your business? Absolutely! 18. What do you do to generate referrals? I Ask for them. I contact businesses which serve same or similar markets and offer to co-op in trade shows or meetings. I also donate 1 hour of sevice at the end of a seminar or speaking engagement. 19. What do you find to be the most exciting part of your business? The joy in the face of a client who has found an organizing process or system that he or she can manage and stick with on a long term basis. 20. What do you find to be the most frustrating part of your business? The 'back sliding' of a client. 21. Describe your greatest success in this field. Each client has been able to take at least one hint, tip, product, system and use it to get better organized. That is my goal--to have every client be successful in at least one area of the organizing process. 22. As a professional organizer, do you have a funny story to share? In helping a client de-clutter his office, I found several large checks that he had never deposited! Not too funny, but sad. 23. As an organizer, what professional organizing information or tools are you always on the lookout for? Everything...because not everyone learns or works in the same way. I look for 'user-friendly' tools that may have more than one way in which is may be used. 24. Looking ahead, what do you see as your greatest challenge? Overcoming the negative impact of inexperienced or uneducated organizers using traditional organizing methods with CD clients who respond better to non- traditional methods. 25. What is your best tip for people interested in becoming professional organizers? Know that it's your passion. Take baby steps. First offer to organize a friend or a relative, then attend a local NAPO chapter meeting and ask questions of the professional organizer. Ask to shadow a PO on a job and observe. 
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