How to Start a Home Organizing Business and Find Your First Clients

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By Jacob Maslow

As a professional organizer, you can help homes and businesses turn clutter into efficient spaces by organizing a small closet or helping them design well-organized storage spaces.

Your role as a home organizer often requires convincing clients to throw junk away by processing their attachment to them. You must also help coach them to remain organized. Understanding client needs is crucial to help design perfect home and business organizing systems.

Who is a Home Organizing Business Perfect For?

Home organizing is a competitive business, and you must get creative to differentiate yourself from others. It is not the ideal business if you have no inclination to organize things yourself or if you hate the idea of going into others’ homes. Some tasks are unglamorous, and predicting a time frame for completing jobs is often tricky, so you must consider whether charging by the hour or per task is better.

The benefits of starting a home organizer business include low startup overheads. If organizing comes naturally to you, it’s an ideal business. Creating a portfolio for your marketing and website is easy by taking small jobs among your friends, family, and acquaintances. You can also go online to learn more about the business and to find organizing ideas.

As a home organizer, you will most likely use subcontractors for larger tasks involving handiwork like constructing shelving and painting out rooms. Therefore, you don’t need any special qualifications or licensing as a professional organizer. However, you could join the Association for Professional Organizers for accreditation and benefit from the organization’s courses and perks.

Finally, becoming the owner of a home organizing business allows you several ways to expand the services you offer and create other income streams. These include contracts to maintain a household or office neat with a retainer paid for your services, creating an e-book, course, or blogging.

2023 Home Organizing Trends

Starting a home organizing business can be a lucrative opportunity, especially given the recent trends in home organizing. According to Better Homes & Gardens, one of the top storage and organizing trends for 2022 is “Entertaining-Ready Organization,” which focuses on organizing common spaces such as living rooms and dining rooms for hosting guests. This trend presents an opportunity for entrepreneurs to offer services that help clients declutter and organize their homes in a way conducive to entertaining.

Another trend to watch, according to Clutterbgone, is the desire for peace and tranquility in the home. This trend is driven by the abundance of home offices and the challenges brought on by the pandemic. Entrepreneurs can capitalize on this trend by offering organizing services to help clients create a calm, stress-free home environment.

To start a successful home organizing business, creating a detailed business plan that outlines the services you will offer, your pricing, and your financial goals is important. Developing a marketing plan and promotional materials and creating a system for getting testimonials and referrals are also crucial. Business Insider suggests that entrepreneurs consider doing organization seminars or training to attract new clients.

Finally, Forbes emphasizes the importance of getting organized as an entrepreneur. By mapping out your week and organizing all aspects of your life, you can increase your chances for success. As a home-organizing entrepreneur, practicing what you preach and demonstrating your organizational skills to potential clients is essential.

SWOT Analysis of a Home Organizing Business

A SWOT analysis is a valuable tool to break down your business’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. To launch a successful home organizing business, you need to understand these key areas:

Strengths: Your attention to detail, creative skills for organizing solutions, organizational systems design knowledge, and ability to work with people are all essential attributes for this type of business. You should also have strong communication skills that help you present your services in the best possible light. Additionally, having contacts in the construction industry could be beneficial since some jobs may require minor renovation or rearranging of existing space.

Weaknesses: It’s essential to be aware of any gaps in skills or experience needed for a job to offer the best service to clients. Additionally, you must be able to manage time effectively since most organizing jobs require a fair bit of work in a limited amount of time.

Opportunities: There is an ever-growing need for home organizers, and the market size is likely to grow as people look for professional help with their cluttered homes. Additionally, by joining local and national industry bodies, you can access exclusive events and resources that may benefit your business.

Threats: It’s essential not to overlook external factors such as economic downturns or technological changes that could impact business operations. Also, competition from other home organizers in your area could affect demand, so you must know what they offer and how they market their services.

Overall, the SWOT analysis will help you identify what factors must be considered to create a successful home-organizing business.

How to Start a Home Organizing Business

The process of starting a home organizing business is straightforward.

Plan Your Home Organizing Business

Every successful business starts with a clear plan you can follow throughout its lifespan. Outline the organization services you plan to offer, your pricing, and your startup costs. Remember that businesses that specialize can become more profitable. Consider other services you can provide to make your business more profitable.

Besides the startup costs, consider the running costs. These include a website, liability insurance, renting out a space to store equipment, software for organizing client schedules, a vehicle, marketing, etc. Next, consider your target market and how you plan to reach them with advertising and marketing.

Finally, decide on your business structure. Most business owners today prefer to form a limited liability company (LLC) because of its liability protection. However, if you don’t want the added expense for your small business, you can start as a sole proprietorship and change it to an LLC later. Other business structures you can choose are partnerships and corporations.

 

Choose a Business Name and Register Your Business

While working on your business plan, you should choose a business name (sample names below). If you prefer to register your business as a sole proprietorship, you must register under your name, but you can choose to also register a “doing business as” name.

Whether you use a business name generator or brainstorm, check the name you decide to use against state and trademark records to ensure it’s available. In addition, it’s a good idea to ensure your chosen business name has an available domain name. Purchase it immediately.

You are now ready to register your business with your Secretary of State. Registration requirements and fees vary between states and according to your business structure, but the Small Business Association and state website provide all the relevant information.

Signing with Vendors

When setting up a home-organizing business, it’s essential to establish relationships with reliable vendors who can supply quality products at competitive prices. There are several aspects to consider when signing with vendors, such as price, quality of goods, and delivery timeframes.

The first step is to research potential vendors and determine which offers the best prices for the products you require. It’s also important to ask current customers about their experiences with particular vendors. Establishing relationships with local businesses can be beneficial in terms of pricing and customer service standards.

Once a list of suitable vendors has been identified, contact them directly or via email to request quotes on the items required for your business. Ensure that any contracts you enter into clearly outline the expected delivery timescales and necessary payment arrangements. You should also read through all contracts carefully before signing them to ensure that both parties agree upon all details.

Finally, keep records of all transactions with vendors to ensure that payments are made promptly and you receive the products you ordered. Regularly check in with vendors to ensure your orders are processed efficiently, and any issues are addressed quickly.

How to Find Your First Organizing Business Clients

Now that you’ve registered your home organization business, you must find clients to help you earn a living. Here’s how to make your business known to others and create a demand for your services.

Networking – Social media and the internet will play a role in your marketing, but there‘s nothing like face-to-face networking for your home organization business. Your community is the greatest way to let others know about what you do, so go out there and make your work known by telling as many people as possible. Emphasize your services and the value you offer. Networking is about building trust, something essential for your business so people can open their homes and businesses to you.

Give free advice- Find opportunities within your community to give people free advice while making them aware of your services. You’ll be surprised how many people have not even thought they could hire someone to assist them with the chaos within their homes or businesses. Your potential audiences could be seniors with a lifetime of accumulated clutter, empty nesters, and business owners.

Appear in online searches – Make sure you place your business on online business directories and Google Maps & Search. Your business will appear in the results when a potential client searches for a professional organizer. Use keywords that are relevant to what your audiences search for.

Referrals, reviews, and testimonials – It’s obvious that if you want any of the following, you must provide excellent organizational services. Referrals from current customers can boost your business, so take advantage of them. Offer an incentive like a discount or a gift certificate for every referral. Additionally, build referrals from other companies in your niche and professional organizations. Place your business on referral sites because they already have excellent SEO to ensure more visibility. Also, don’t forget to create space on your website for testimonials from satisfied clients and reviews.

Advertising – Flyers and local newspapers provide a low-cost way to advertise your business locally. Also, get signage for your car to give your business extra visibility as you move around.

Online marketing – Create a presence on at least two social media platforms and post regularly. Encourage shares and comments by posting images, videos, and content your audience enjoys. Creating a blog can also raise awareness of your business.

What we like and dislike about this business

What we like about this business is its opportunity for people to make a living by helping others organize their homes and businesses. It allows individuals to use their skills and knowledge to help others while earning a good income. In addition, several low-cost marketing options can be used to make the business more visible in its local community.

What we don’t like about this business is that finding the right clients who need help organizing their homes or businesses can be challenging. Additionally, there may not always be a demand for these services in certain areas, and it can take some time to build up your client base. Finally, even though social media and online marketing provide low-cost options for getting the word out about your business, you still have to invest considerable time and effort to ensure those methods are successful.

Final Take

Starting a home organizing business can allow you to become an entrepreneur and do something you already enjoy. In addition, the requirements and startup costs are minimal, making this an accessible way to join the business world.

What is the best way to find new clients?

The best way to find new clients is through networking, giving free advice, appearing in online searches, referrals, reviews, advertising, and marketing.

How much does it cost to start a home organizing business?

The registration requirements may include fees depending on your state and business structure. However, these are usually low-cost compared to other businesses. Additionally, you will need to purchase insurance and the equipment needed for your business operations.

Are there any legal requirements I should be aware of?

Register with your Secretary of State for a business license and tax ID number. Depending on your state, you may also need to register with the Department of Revenue to get sales and use tax collection permits. Additionally, you should consider getting general liability insurance for your business.

What tips do you have for those starting a home organization business?

Start by creating a solid plan that includes legal requirements and financial plans. Research other businesses in the same industry for ideas or inspiration. Set up an online presence to attract potential customers, network as much as possible at local events, invest in quality equipment and materials, create attractive flyers and brochures, give free advice (if needed), build referral networks with other professionals in the same niche, manage customer records effectively, stay organized and up to date on all the services you offer, and keep learning about the industry.

Finally, when starting a home organizing business, document your progress. This will be useful when you need to make adjustments or pursue additional certifications to expand your services. It will also provide evidence of how far your business has come if potential clients are interested in hiring you.

Social Media Marketing

Social media can be an effective and low-cost marketing tool for home-organizing businesses. Before launching a social media campaign, it’s essential to have a comprehensive plan outlining goals and objectives, key performance indicators (KPIs), target audience, content strategy, budget, timeline, and more.

Here is a sample 30-day social media plan for promoting a home organizing business:

Day 1: Announce your new business on all channels. Share news about services offered, special rates or upcoming events.

Day 2 – 7: Introduce yourself and your team members by posting photos and short bios. Use storytelling techniques to capture the attention of the audience.

Day 8 – 14: Post-before-and-after photos of projects and transformations. Share success stories of clients to create trust with potential customers.

Day 15 – 21: Run contests or giveaways related to home organizing. Ask followers to share creative tips and tricks they have learned while de-cluttering their homes.

Day 22 – 28: Use hashtags like ‘homeorganizing’, ‘de-clutter’, and ‘neatfreak’ to reach a broader audience on social media. Promote special discounts or offers for new customers during this period as well.

Day 29: Post an inspiring quote about the importance of staying organized and how it can help improve one’s quality of life.

Day 30: End the campaign with a thank you message. Invite followers to provide feedback on services and create an online referral program to get more customers.

By using this plan as a foundation and combining it with other marketing tactics (such as referrals, reviews, advertising, etc.), businesses can reach potential clients in their local area and beyond in an effective manner. Investing in social media marketing will not only help expand your customer base, but it can also help build trust, improve communication with existing customers, boost website traffic, and increase sales for the business.

Sample Social media posts:

• “Organizing your home can be daunting, but it’s worth it. Follow us to learn some helpful tips and tricks!

• “A clean and organized home is more than just good looks – it sets the tone for a relaxed and stress-free lifestyle.

• “Ready to take on a de-cluttering project? Let us show you how to do it right!

• “Start 202* off with a bang by organizing your home. We’ve got all the tools you need to get started!”

Sample Business Names for Your Organizing Business

1. Neat-N-Order Solutions: A professionalized organizing business that offers a variety of solutions for all types of spaces and budgets.

2. ClutterCure: An organizing service helping individuals quickly and effectively manage their clutter.

3. Get Organized Pros: Professional organizers are committed to creating an organized space, regardless of the size or complexity of the project.

4. EZSort: A full-service organization business that excels at making organizing simple and easy to understand for clients.

5. Space Wise: A creative organization dedicated to finding efficient solutions for all kinds of homes and workplaces.

6. HomePerfectionists LLC.: An experienced team of home organizing experts who can tackle any project with precision and efficiency.

7. Organize-it: An affordable, reliable business that provides personalized organizational solutions for many clients.

8. Home Harmony Helpers: Specializing in creating harmony in your space by providing custom organization services tailored to each client’s needs and preferences.

9. Closet Commanders: A professional organizing company transforming cluttered closets into neat, organized spaces.

10. Clean Slate Solutions: Offering various creative solutions to help individuals manage their messes and create a clutter-free environment.

11. Clever Organization: Offering services from closet and garage organizing to office organization.

12. Neat-freaks Unite!: An organizing business that takes pride in helping clients maximize their space and live an organized life.

13. Create Order: Helping clients turn chaos into order by providing efficient, professional organization services.

14. Perfect Placement Pros: Providing a full range of professional organization services so individuals can have the peace of mind they deserve in their homes or office.

15. Sort It Out Solutions: Making organizational dreams come true by offering custom packages tailored to each individual’s unique situation and needs.

16. Efficiently Organized: Experts in home and office organization specialize in creating a clutter-free environment.

17. Cluttered to Clean: A professional organizing company helping individuals achieve the organized space they have always dreamed of.

18. Tidy Up Pros: An exceptional organizing business offering services to help clients achieve maximum efficiency in their spaces.

19. Get It Together Now!: Providing personalized organization solutions for any budget or project size, whether big or small.

20. Neatnik Solutions: A thorough and creative organization service that quickly and effectively turns chaos into order.

21. Organize-All: Offering customized solutions for all organizing needs, from home offices to garages.

22. Orderly Organizing: Professional organizers to create an efficient and organized space that meets the unique needs of each client.

23. Sorted Solutions: A reliable organization business that is passionate about tackling any challenge and turning it into an organized masterpiece.

24. Organization Crafters: An innovative organizing business providing custom services to help individuals bring order to their lives in a fun, creative way.

25. Simplify Solutions LLC.: Creating order out of chaos by offering comprehensive organization services tailored to client’s needs and preferences.

26. Organize for Life: Specializing in creating a clutter-free environment and helping individuals find simplicity and organization from the inside out.

27. Declutter Dreams: A professional organizing business offering services to help clients achieve their dreams of an organized space.

28. Clutter Masterminds: An experienced team of home organizing experts providing simple yet effective solutions to make homes more efficient and enjoyable places to live.

29. Closet Pros & More: Providing customized organization solutions so clients can easily find what they need and maximize their space with style.

30. Clutterless Solutions: Making it easy for individuals to clear the clutter and create an organized living or working environment that works for them.

31. Organized Harmony: An experienced team of professional organizers offering various services to help individuals create an orderly and harmonious space.

32. Space Makers: A creative organizing business helping clients turn their mess into beautiful, organized spaces in no time at all.

33. Organize That!: Specializing in home organization solutions tailored to each client’s needs so they can maximize their time and space.

34. Organized Solutions: A reliable organization business that helps individuals clear the clutter, create a plan for the organization, and make it all happen.

35. Organization Unleashed!: A professional organizing company with a mission to help clients unlock their hidden potential and achieve order in their lives.

36. Tidy Up Now!: Offering efficient solutions to sort through every corner of your home or office to find clarity and serenity within organized spaces.

37. Clutter Busters: Working hard to help individuals take control of their chaos by providing creative ways to organize any space quickly and efficiently.

38. Organization Plus: Offering full-service organization solutions to meet any budget or project size, large or small.

39. Order Pros: Expertly providing customized organizational solutions that bring order and efficiency to any space, big or small.

40. Organize Right: A professional organization business helping individuals create the organized space they have always wanted with ease and convenience.

41. Clutter Free Zone: Offering custom services to help individuals turn their cluttered living and working spaces into functional, efficient zones that are a pleasure to be in.

42. Superb Organization Systems: An experienced team offering comprehensive organizing services to create long-term organizational clarity and success for every client.

43. Peaceful Places Organizing Services: Transforming chaotic spaces into tranquil, orderly havens by providing customized solutions tailored to each individual’s needs and preferences.

44. Organization Experts: Professional organizers deliver highly personalized services to help clients achieve the organized life they have always desired.

45. Orderly Oasis: An organization providing stress-free solutions to help individuals turn their cluttered home or workspace into an oasis of calm and order.

46. Organizational Wizards: Dedicated to helping clients bring balance and order to their lives with custom-tailored organizing services at competitive prices.

47. Organize U!: A professional organization offering various services designed to help individuals create and maintain an efficient, clutter-free, enjoyable space.

48. Clutter Shifters: Working hard to make life easier by developing individualized strategies for decluttering and organizing any space, big or small.

49. Organization Heaven: Bringing organization and peace to homes and workplaces through creative solutions that work for individuals and businesses.

50. Space Matters: Offering comprehensive organizational solutions to create functional, aesthetically pleasing spaces that are pleasurable to live in or work in.

51. Serene Spaces: A fully committed organization business offering customized services to help clients transform their living or working areas into serene, orderly havens of tranquility.

52. Orderly Allies: An experienced team providing top-notch organizing services to help individuals create beautiful, efficient spaces for comfortable living or working environments.

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