Monica Ricci worked for over 20 years in the hospitality industry. Then she decided to go into business for herself. “I wanted it to be something that didn’t feel like work, an extension of something I do naturally, so I chose organizing,” she said. She opened Catalyst Organizing, and is a recurring expert organizer on the HGTV show, MISSION: Organization. “The best part about being a professional organizer is the gratification I get from helping people change their spaces, their attitudes, and their lives,” Ricci said.

Tip: “Read as much as you can before you begin your business to broaden your universe of possibilities for creating solutions for your clients. Your way is not always the right way, and the more solution options you can offer a client the more valuable you are.” 

Maeve Richmond was employed as an event producer when her neighbor asked her to help organize a front hall dresser. “I began to share my philosophies on space planning and ‘stuff’,” Richmond said. “When we were done, my neighbor was so inspired she told me I had to do this professionally.”

Richmond took the advice and opened Get Your House in Order. “I focus on behavioral change. This means after a client is done with me they'll have new skills that they can use to get and stay organized for a lifetime,” she said.

Tip: “Figure out if you want to organize for people or with people. It's two different styles. Doing so will help you to determine what type of client to take on. It's very different work, but it’s both organizing.” When you find your passion, you’ll know what type of organizing to specialize in. 

While working in sales, Amanda LeBlanc lived in a small house in New Orleans with very little storage. “Family and friends would come over and see how I had maximized the space in my home and ask for help in their homes,” she said. “I inherited the organizing gene from my father's side of the family. As a child, whenever I felt anxious or upset I would turn to organizing a room or re-folding clothes in a drawer to calm myself; creating order allowed me to be at peace.” She turned her passion for organizing into a business, The Amandas of Organized Affairs. “I love the relationships that I have with my clients and trying to understand their family dynamic and what it is that got them to their unorganized state,” she said. Now she’s also the spokesperson for freedomRail.

Tip: “Create ‘before and afters’ in your own home and the homes of friends and family. This will allow you to begin a portfolio of your work and to start to understand the dynamic of relationships, habits and systems. Before you put yourself in the situation of getting paid for your expertise, you want to develop some expertise. And if you're willing to put in those hours unpaid in order to gain experience and a good reputation, then you will learn if this industry is right for you.”

A certified back office medical assistant, Monika Kristofferson left the work force to stay home with her children. “I’ve been organized since childhood when I wouldn’t let my mom make my bed because she didn’t do it well enough,” she said. “I feel calmer when I am not surrounded by too much stuff.” Other moms noticed her organizational skills and said they felt motivated by her.

When her youngest daughter started school full time, Kristofferson started two professional organizing businesses, DIY Organization, which helps women balance life through organization, and Efficient Organization, for managing paper and clutter. “I have had clients who have recovered money with me, lost weight or finally went on vacation because they didn’t have the burden of paper or stuff to worry about anymore,” she said.

Tip: “The work that we do is very sensitive for people, so be prepared to allow others to get to know you before they allow you into their space. Teach classes in your community so people can meet you before inviting you into their home and office. Be prepared to get out and network in person to build relationships in your community.” 

After Janice Marie Simon earned a master’s degree in Humanities, she landed a job at MD Anderson Cancer Center's Faculty Development Program, aimed at providing career development for the clinicians and researchers. Several faculty members there mentioned they needed help with time management and organizing. “My director noticed I had natural organizing skills,” Simon said. “I hung out a shingle offering my organizing services at work, and my director and I had no idea that it would explode into essentially a full-time job.” She is now the only in-house Certified Professional Organizer in an academic institution, and also runs an organizational service, The Clutter Princess. “I like talking to people, and communication skills are necessary if you want to figure out what's really going on with your clients,” she said. “A messy office more than likely is not just a messy office, and other issues are at play.”

Tip: “If you want to become an in-house organizer like myself, you need to draft a proposal and talk to the decision-makers. When people are productive, it saves companies money, and you will need to show them the bottom line.”

Geralin Thomas worked in the travel industry coordinating vacations and continuing education seminars. “I ‘retired’ and stayed home after having two boys, born 14 months apart,” she said. With two boys underfoot, she managed to keep her home organized. When she visited other at home moms, she’d help them organize their kitchens, laundry rooms, and pantries. “Their husbands started calling and asking me to help get their garages and home offices organized,” Thomas said.

Once her boys reached third and fourth grade, she decided to launch Metropolitan Organizing to help others streamline their lives. “I’m an excellent secret keeper,” she said. “Besides that, I’m most comfortable using equal parts logic and creativity when solving problems. Both of those are good traits when planning spaces, sorting objects, and categorizing.”

Tip: “Creatively dream up promotions. Think outside the basket! Buddy-up with a like-minded business person in a complementary business (a handyman, an interior designer and so on). Share the expense of business cards, with your information one side, hers on the other. And you each carry those cards and distribute.” 

While in college, Cinda Pfeil worked as a nanny. “I was known as the ‘tidy nanny,’” she said, as she constantly cleaned up after her charges. One of her employers, Jane, hired her to organize other spaces in the home, and was so pleased she referred Pfeil to family and friends. “My clientele grew on its own,” Pfeil said. Upon graduation, she took a job as a visual designer for Neiman Marcus. But after her stint at an interior design firm, Pfeil felt ready to branch out on her own. She launched Style-Infused Living, a boutique interior design house that offers space planing and organization, as well as design and decorating services. “Making pretty things look even prettier, now that's exciting,” she said. “But keeping it real--when I see my client's reaction after a big organization project is revealed, that's priceless.”

Tip: “A big part of organizing is moving out old stuff. Learn to have compassion and patience with each client. Every person is different when it comes to their "stuff". You will be there to help advise them on what to hold onto, what to donate, what to consign and so on. Make a list of your local donation, consignment and salvage centers, as you'll be visiting them often.”

Jennifer Jeanne Patterson is a freelance writer and author of 52 Fights. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and three children. Find her blog at Unplanned Cooking.

Related: 16 Tips for a More Organized Home

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