Become a Professional Organizer

In the simplest of terms, a professional organizer is a person who gets paid to help turn someone's life from chaos to order. Whether it is the personal life, their professional life, a combination of the two or some other aspect of life, these professionals can help you make sense of it. However, if you are a person who likes to turn chaos into order, then you may be an organizer, and not even realize it. Here's what you need to know in order to become a professional.

• Get experience. First, and foremost, a professional organizer is going to need experience. The easiest way to do this is by becoming an "apprentice" if you will. Getting a job with an established business can help you determine whether you actually want to do this for a living or not, while also getting you some much needed experience. This experience will help teach you the proper way to interact with clients, handle their problems, and the best way to collect money from them. In addition, this will help you finalize what type of organizer you wish to become.
• Know the laws. While there are currently not many laws, regulations, or even restrictions about becoming a professional organizer, it is a good idea to become familiar with those laws in your area. If you are starting your own business, you particularly need to know the local, state, and federal requirements for doing so. Also keep in mind that there are going to be times when a professional organizer will be required to travel out of state , so you may need to know how this will affect your business.
• Get an office. If you are starting your own business as a professional organizer, then you will need office space. At first it might seem like a good idea to work out of the home, but you need to be wary when doing this. Often a client will be hesitant about coming over to your personal residence, so you should look into getting your own office space. In addition, this will also help keep your home protected from strangers always coming over.
• Find products. As a professional organizer, you will be required to use a lot of different products. Basically any type of product that you can think of which can help you organize, you should become familiar with. Test these products out, and see which ones work the best, how they work, and why. Believe it or not, this little touch can actually help you appear more knowledgeable and confident to your client.
• Find clients. Perhaps the biggest challenge to any small business is finding clients. As a professional organizer, your primary source of business will be word of mouth, but it never hurts to advertise a little. If you have already gotten some experience through your "apprenticeship" ask for some testimonials or referrals from past clients. Place an add in the local paper, and even a nice add in your local phone book.