One year ago, on the morning of Sept. 1, 2021, I was about to launch Tom’s Organizing Made Simple (or, simply, TOM’S) for the whole world to see (and, hopefully, hire). The journey that began more than 12 years ago, that took an unexpected 18-month hiatus, was about to take an entirely new, exciting, and terrifying new direction.
Everything was ready to go. The website (www.organizewithtom.com) was in draft mode, all set to be published. The Facebook page was a click away from going live. The email and text blasts to everyone I knew were all written and just needed to be sent out.
A few clicks were all that stood in the way of making TOM’S real to everyone outside of my family. Publish. Send. Return.
One year later, I have come to realize how pushing a few buttons can change someone’s life for the better.
A SECOND CHANCE AT TAKING A CHANCE
The idea to become a professional organizer came to me more than 12 years ago. My wife and I were watching a show on HGTV when a professional organizer helped a couple declutter their disorganized home.
“Wait,” I thought. “Someone can get paid to help people get organized?!?”
I loved to organize. I grew up in a house that was more often than not in a constant state of clutter, so the older I got, the more determined I was to make sure wherever I lived would be well-kept and organized.
The dream of becoming a professional organizer was born thanks to that show (though I don’t remember its name). After the show I Googled “how to become a professional organizer” and came upon the website for NAPO, the National Association for Productivity and Organizing Professionals. The idea began to percolate in my brain as I spent hours reading about what a professional organizer did.
While the dream was enticing, the reality for me was that I had a full-time job with two young daughters at home. I decided to put that dream aside for the time being, but thankfully fate intervened years later.
In the fall of 2019, I left the nonprofit sector after 15 years. I was burned out – fund raising will do that to you – and wanted something new. After talking with my wife, I decided the time was right to pursue my dream of becoming a professional organizer. I found free resources like Lehigh Valley SCORE to help me learn the fundamentals of starting a business. I found my NAPO notes from years ago and went to a local chapter meeting where I met some of the nicest people I had ever met.
This was going to happen, I thought. As things were coming together for the business, I set my official launch date:
March 1, 2020.
Now, you may recall – or then again, you may not want to, and I don’t blame you – that around this time, the coronavirus was spreading here in the Lehigh Valley and everywhere else. I delayed my launch by 2 weeks, to March 15. Three days before the new launch date, my daughter’s Sacrament of Confirmation was cancelled the day before it was to take place. Both of my daughters’ schools closed for 2 weeks.
Facing the likelihood that people would not want me, or anyone for that matter, in their homes during this uncertain time, I decided to wait until the pandemic calmed down to start the business. I certainly didn’t expect that wait to last nearly 18 months, but there I was, an unexpected stay-at-home Dad.
With plenty of time on my hands, I used it to refine the business model for whenever it would be safe to launch – if it ever would be.
“WHAT DO YOU DO?”
I’m a professional organizer. I say it with confidence now. A year ago, however … let’s just say there’s a reason that the phrase, “fake it until you make it,” exists. Wanting to become a full-time professional organizer was the reason why I decided to launch Tom’s Organizing Made Simple, which finally went public on Sept. 1, 2021.
The kudos poured in from people wishing me the best in my new endeavor, with more than a few asking, “What exactly do you do as a professional organizer?” I’d answer by telling them what I had planned to do in my new role, not just to educate them but also to engage them, hopefully, as my first clients.
You see, a best practice when starting a business is to call on your “network” (family, friends, former co-workers, professional peers, etc.) to establish and build a client base. I connected with everyone in my network, and I got lots of verbal support … and exactly zero clients. Here’s a joke I came up with: What’s another name for a startup business owner who has no clients? Unemployed.
New business owners should have patience and lots of it. While the first few months of the business were annoyingly quiet, I spent my time using social media (both Facebook and Instagram) and my website as well as avenues such as LinkedIn and Nextdoor to create awareness of TOM’S. These opportunities provided free marketing opportunities, which was especially great because free fit perfectly into my budget.
LESSONS LEARNED
Success arrived shortly after the New Year began. My first client hired me to help her organize her bedroom and storage facility. The thrill of securing your first client is not as dramatic or as joyous as your children being born, but it’s close. And there is a happy dance involved.
The second client needed help decluttering and staging her home for sale, and the third wanted help organizing various parts of her home. Slowly, more people inquired about the possibility of hiring me for their services.
The business finally felt real.
In the ensuing months, my client base grew as I learned how to market the business better and hone my message for different audiences. My on-the-job training didn’t stop there. I learned the value of offering a free 1-hour needs assessment prior to signing an agreement with a client. The assessment gives me and my potential new client the chance to establish a good rapport and to feel comfortable with each other, since we will work collaboratively on the project from beginning to end.
More than anything, I learned that the actual process of organizing, while important, is secondary to the relationship I have with my clients. In my role, I’m not just an organizer. I’m a coach, counselor, supporter, cheerleader, accountability partner, motivator, and most of all, a listener.
My first year of running Tom’s Organizing Made Simple has been quite the thrill ride. I’ve learned from every experience, both good and bad. My passion for doing what I do continues to grow stronger, as has my passion for helping clients better themselves and realize their organizing goals. As much as I have helped them, they have inspired me and have helped me to be a better person.
It’s the kind of stuff dreams are made of, quite frankly. Don’t wake me up.
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Tom Harper is owner of Tom’s Organizing Made Simple LLC, a Bethlehem-based company dedicated to helping people declutter and organize their space, stuff, time, and/or tasks. Follow TOM’S on Facebook or Instagram.