Professional Organizer Business Online

Overview Of Business Model
Organization comes naturally to few and not at all to the rest of us. Today’s average homes and offices are in dire need of order. Our time is precious, and it too needs to be planned out. If you are a gifted organizer and enjoy helping others enjoy ordered existence, this is the operation for you.

A professional organizer can provide ideas, information, structure, solutions, and systems that could increase productivity, reduce stress, and lead to more control over time, space, and activities. The Internet is an ideal place to market and communicate with clients in this business.

The revenue is made from charging your clients for professional consulting services. You may charge by the hour and gauge the hourly rate by specifying the value of your advice. For example, helping to organize someone’s closet is not as valuable as coaching a client to operate a desktop organizer software program. Rates for specific services should be reflected in your hourly billing.
You may alternatively elect to charge on a contract fee basis where you set the price for the project.

Skills Needed
To operate the professional organizer business, you must of course be very organized in your own life. This form of consulting involves a lot of specifics and troubleshooting. You will need creative and practical solutions to complicated issues in order to provide quality advice to your clients, who will always seem to be in a chaotic state. You will need basic Web publishing skills and computer skills to update your Web site, communicate with clients, and teach them how to integrate the computer into their lives to save time and create order.

Cost To Start This Business
Since you are providing a service that has no inventory, your initial costs will be minimal. The cost to start this type of business will include a computer, appropriate software, and a printer as well as the costs involved with developing and hosting your Web site. Start-up costs range from $2,000 to $5,000. This type of business can be run out of your home, which eliminates the overhead costs of setting up an office for your professional organizing business.

Number Of Employees Needed To Start
One highly organized person can run this business part-time in the beginning stages. This is a perfect idea for someone working from home.

International Potential
This business does not have strong international potential due to the nature of the service provided. Common tasks include on-site consulting. This will require your business to be located near your clients, so this business has a more local or regional appeal.

Important Business Issues To Be Addressed
Your services are often needed only once by a client. After you have organized their life, your job is done. Not so fast! Try to operate your business in such a way that you continue relationships with your clients and create repeat business. For example, establish a pro-organizer “report card” and have them fill it out each month after your consultation is over to see the effectiveness of your strategy. Stay in touch with clients to get referrals and recommendations. Make sure to get paid up front for your services, and carefully research the pricing of other professional organizers so you remain competitive and aware of what is expected within your industry. In this business, your time equals money, so plan out the time you spend on each job and make sure you spend more time on the higher-priced services.

Online Marketing Techniques

• Participate in online chats, message boards, and Web rings that target individuals who are seeking more organization in their lives. This will draw an audience and increase the traffic to your Web site.
• Establish a reciprocal linking program with Web sites frequented by your target market. Some suggestions are online organizational software sites, organizing tips sites, and so on.
• Become a solid part of the online community in your regional area by putting links to your site in the professional directories.
• Design your site to be search engine friendly. Consider participating in pay-per-click sponsored listings programs with the popular search engines.
• Participating in mail lists and discussion groups related to organizational methods and techniques with a cleverly designed signature file would be a great way to generate awareness for your services.

Additional Income
Extra income in the professional organizing business can come from various special services that you can provide to clients with certain needs. You will be helping people organize their lives. This means that they will look to you for assistance in many daily tasks—finding a dog walker, for example. Your willingness, resources, and capabilities in helping them solve a variety of life’s glitches will strengthen your value and increase the amount of time you dedicate and, therefore, your income.