Professional Organizer

Most organizers specialize in at least one of five areas: space planning (organizing office arrangement of furniture, traffic, lighting, noise, and leisure space); time management (setting goals, developing action plans, scheduling, and delegating tasks); paper management (organizing the steady ?ow of information materials by setting up filing and retrieval systems, sometimes with the aid of a computer); clutter control (finding the proper and efficient placement for things to keep clutter to a minimum); closet/storage design (organizing closet and storage space). Choose one or two and market your services accordingly. This business would thrive in highly urban areas with busy professionals who want their home life to run as smoothly as the office. And it’s much more fun to organize other people’s lives than to run our own!


You’ll spend at least $500 or so on business cards for networking, but that’s almost negligible considering that you’ll be charging $25 to $45 per hour for your expertise.


Look into the National Association of Professional Organizers for more information. Hook up with an organization that conducts seminars, and off er your services as an instructor. This can supplement the income of your consulting service rather nicely.

Approx. cost of start-up: $500 to $1,000


Approx. potential earnings: $25,000 to $45,000


Typical fees: $25 to $40 per hour


Where to promote: Write articles for your local newspapers on time management and/or organizing space; WelcomeWagon. com; direct mail coupons; conduct seminars through local community continuing education; network; a Web site with some free tips


Qualifications: You must be a highly organized person by nature, with drive for efficiency; knowledge of systems, furniture, products, supplies and accessories are a must


Things needed: Pager or cell phone, computer


Required staff: No


Hidden costs: Mileage, cell phone bills