How to Become a Professional Organizer or Virtual Organizer

The author of this page is Carmen Coker, and she is the owner of Clutterbugs and the founder of the International Association of Virtual Organizers (IAVO).

When Carmen started her journey to becoming a Virtual Organizer in 2007, it wasn't a case of her "choosing" Virtual Organizing but rather a case of Virtual Organizing "choosing" her.

With a husband in the U.S. military, relocation to a new part of the globe every 1 - 3 years is a fact of life. And so is losing all her local organizing clients whom she worked so hard to earn!

Needless to say, Virtual Organizing has become the perfect vehicle for Carmen, because she can now easily take her projects, her clients, and her business wherever she's stationed in the world.

Today, Carmen has a thriving online presence, offering Virtual Organizing services such as information products, teleclasses, and working one-on-one with clients via the phone and web.

In addition to virtual work with clients, she has authored...

• The Clutterbugs' Guide series


• 101 Days to a More Organized You


• The Clutterbugs' Planner


• Cheap Organizers: Recycle, Reuse, and Repurpose Your Way to an Organized Home

...with more in the works. Her expertise has been exhibited through several national and local media outlets, including Real Simple magazine and Better Homes and Gardens' Scrapbooks, etc magazine.

Carmen is currently working virtually from Cambridge, United Kingdom, helping clients create and maintain organizing systems that support their desired lifestyle and work style.

The "7 Secrets to Virtual Organizing Success" will have a huge impact on your business growth. They are must-knows for anyone starting out as a newbie entrepreneur.

The 7 Secrets are rooted in basic business concepts but are very applicable to any professional organizing or virtual organizing endeavor. Whether you've been in business for 2 months or 2 decades, you will take away something valuable from this resource.

To claim your copy, go here: http://www.virtualorganizersconnect.com/ -- be sure to look left when you get to this page!

What is a niche? TheFreeDictionary.com defines a niche as "a special area of demand for a product or service." And a special area of expertise is exactly what you need!

You should look at your likes and dislikes, experience, and market supply and demand to decide if you're going to...

- Be a residential organizer, a business organizer, or both?

- Work with professional industries like legal or medical?

- Support special populations like ADD/ADHD or seniors?

- And more...

A word of caution here:

It's very typical for newbie business owners to try to be everything to everyone. They want to be very general about their focus, their market, and their marketing -- because they don't want to leave anyone out-of-the-picture.

Truth be told, being a generalist hurts your chances of success. The more specified your focus, the more likely it is that you will attract clients who are a great fit for you and what you do.

That's why "Narrowing Down Your Niche" should be they 1st major decision for anyone wondering how to become a professional organizer or virtual organizer.

Even if you've got some past work-related experience with organizing (like filing, event planning, or creating checklists) and even if you have loved organizing since the day you were born, it's still a smart idea to research the professional organizing industry and get training on how to transfer organizing skills to another person or group.

There are lots of resources available to you through the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) as well as the International Association of Virtual Organizers (IAVO). NAPO hosts courses on topics such as fundamental organizing principles and starting out as a residential or business organizer. IAVO hosts courses on how to have a successful online organizing business or how to "do" virtual organizing. (More on NAPO and IAVO later though.)

And if you know your niche (from Step #1), then it will be much easier for you to determine the type of training you need to invest in your professional growth.

Core training will make a solid foundation for your growing business. That's why "Invest in Training" should be the 2nd major decision for anyone wondering how to become a professional organizer or virtual organizer.

Ah, yes! The fun part -- picking a name. You can either include...

- Some part of the word "organize" (i.e. Organized Places)

- Your personal name (i.e. Amy's Space Rx)

- An organizing cliche or catch phrase of some sort (Clutterholics 'R' Us)

There is one unfortunate part to this whole process -- when you think you've found a great business name, only to find out the name and its URL have already been snagged.

Here's what you can do to navigate the problem very quickly or perhaps avoid this problem altogether. Make a list of 10 - 20 company names that you can live with...and don't get emotionally attached to any of them. Then, to make sure you are not infringing on another organizer's name choice, do a quick internet search of all your ideas as well as a "marks" search at the US Patent and Trademark Office: http://www.uspto.gov/.

Then, once you've narrowed it down, you should seriously consider hiring an intellectual property attorney to make it official.

Naming a business is a situation that can get you in legal trouble if not done correctly. That's why "Decide Your Company Name" should be the 3rd major decision for anyone wondering how to become a professional organizer or virtual organizer.

You've got your niche. You've got your name. Now, it's time to let Uncle Sam know you're ready to make some money!

It's best to speak with your attorney about what business entity is best for you. (And one that will give you the best tax breaks!)

Wikipedia has a great beginner's guide to business, including the different forms of business ownership and how businesses are organized: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business.

You don't want to spend all your time on legal affairs, but you do want to keep those legal beagles and IRS auditors off your back! That's why "Make Your Company Legal" should be the 4th major decision for anyone wondering how to become a professional organizer or virtual organizer.

Show me the money! Right? :)

First thing: decide if you want to charge by the hour or charge by the project.

For example, you're hired for a closet organizing job. You could say, "This job will take us 10 hours and my fee is $50 and hour, so your estimate is $500." Or you could say something like, "I charge a flat fee per project, and any closet organizing project is $1000."

There are differing opinions as to which option -- by hour or by project -- is best, so you'll have to get a little experience under your belt before deciding what feels right to you.

So what's a typical rate for a professional organizer? It likely falls somewhere between $50 - $300 an hour, depending upon the organizer's...

(1) Experience and skill-level,

(2) Reputation and popularity,

(3) Client base is business, residential, affluent, or middle income

(4) Location
(Note: Location is only an issue with local organizing not with virtual organizing.)

Making sure you don't price yourself out of your market or devalue your services are important choices that ultimately affect your business and its livelihood. That's why "Create Your Rate Plans and/or Packages" should be the 5th major decision for anyone wondering how to become a professional organizer or virtual organizer.

The International Association of Virtual Organizers (IAVO) is hosting a complimentary teleseminar to celebrate Virtual Organizing and how it's quickly becoming one of the easiest, most popular ways that professional organizers can take their businesses to the next level.

We'd like to share with you...

• The #1 myth about Virtual Organizing -- and how you can avoid falling into its trap


• Why Virtual Organizing is arising trend that's here to stay - and why you want to jump on the bandwagon


• 3 easy, inexpensive ways that Virtual Organizing can increase your public profile and profits


• How the International Association of Virtual Organizers can help you start, run, and grow a successful online organizing business

Please RSVP to claim your complimentary ticket here: http://www.virtualorganizersconnect.com/celebration/

Many organizers start their company out of their home, and if you are one of these individuals...then protect your privacy!

You can do this by making your personal contact details separate from your business details. In other words, don't use your home address for your business address, your home phone for your business phone, and your personal email for your business email.

There are options to rent PO Boxes at a very nominal monthly rate from US Postal Service branches, UPS Stores, or Mail Boxes Etc locations -- just to name a few.

And, finally, once you pick out your domain name (website URL) then you can create a special email account from that. For example, yourname@clutterkillers.com. And something like this is often seen as "more professional" than something like yourname@gmail.com.

Additionally, you can check with your local phone services for business rates and plans, as well as look into VOIP options (Voice Over Internet Protocol, or talking over the internet -- think Skype or something similar).

Protecting your personal privacy and projecting a professional image are equally a big deal. That's why "Finalize Your Company Contact Details" should be the 7th major decision for anyone wondering how to become a professional organizer or virtual organizer.

These days, a website is a must-have part of any business. (This is especially true for virtual organizers.) Why? Let's just say you'll be leaving a lot of potential money on the table that could have otherwise been in your pocket!

Your website doesn't have to be fancy or haves lots of bells and whistles. Heck, it could be a single page! But anyway you build your website, it should authentically reflect you as well as look professional.

One thing that holds back many new business owners is trying to make their website perfect. (Imagine that?! Organizers trying to get things just-so.) Don't worry about getting everything perfect...worry about getting your message out in a genuine way. After all, that's the most important thing.

A blog or a traditional website can raise your online profile and profits. That's why "Get Your Website Up and Running" should be the 8th major decision for anyone wondering how to become a professional organizer or virtual organizer.

The person sitting next to you on the plane. The person standing in front of you in line. The person cutting your hair. Any one of these individuals may need or want a professional organizer's help.

So think about this: everyone you meet is a potential client, and you need to be prepared.

That's where your business card comes into play. Keep a few in your wallet, and you'll always be prepared when someone -- anyone -- needs your contact details.

You never know who you might meet while out and about. That's why "Have Your Business Cards Professionally Printed" should be the 9th major decision for anyone wondering how to become a professional organizer or virtual organizer.

Before we have it, it's something all business owners dream about. And after we have it, it's something all business owners never forget!

Your first, real, living, breathing client.

And what's even better? Your first, real, living, breathing client...who loves the transformation you've helped them to make and who is singing your praises all around town.

Now, before you get to the point of having paying customers, you may want to do a few complimentary jobs to get a little experience under your belt and get some testimonials about your awesomeness. (You know it's true!)

Before you take on your first client, you want to make sure you have all your ducks in a row, so that potential customers see that you have a serious business. That's why "Get Your First Client" should be the 10th and final major decision for anyone wondering how to become a professional organizer or virtual organizer.

Free Offer #1

The "7 Secrets to Virtual Organizing Success" will have a huge impact on your business growth. They are must-knows for anyone starting out as a newbie entrepreneur.

The 7 Secrets are rooted in basic business concepts but are very applicable to any professional organizing or virtual organizing endeavor. Whether you've been in business for 2 months or 2 decades, you will take away something valuable from this resource.

To claim your copy, go here: http://www.virtualorganizersconnect.com/ -- be sure to look left when you get to this page!

Free Offer #2

The International Association of Virtual Organizers (IAVO) is hosting a complimentary teleseminar to celebrate Virtual Organizing and how it's quickly becoming one of the easiest, most popular ways that professional organizers can take their businesses to the next level.

We'd like to share with you...

• The #1 myth about Virtual Organizing -- and how you can avoid falling into its trap


• Why Virtual Organizing is arising trend that's here to stay - and why you want to jump on the bandwagon


• 3 easy, inexpensive ways that Virtual Organizing can increase your public profile and profits


• How the International Association of Virtual Organizers can help you start, run, and grow a successful online organizing business

Please RSVP to claim your complimentary ticket here: http://www.virtualorganizersconnect.com/celebration/

Thanks for stopping by and reading all these nuggets. If you're able to take away at least 1 thing from this page, then I've accomplished my goal...which is to help you get closer to your dream of starting, running, and growing your organizing business. I'd love to hear your story!

Become my friend on Facebook.

Follow me on Twitter.

Join my network on LinkedIn.

To your success,


Carmen Coker
Professional Organizer and IAVO Founder