How to Choose The Right Type of Professional Organizer For You
Many people don’t even know that professional organizing is “a thing” - and yet, there are tens of thousands of us, working in more ways than you could imagine! Some organizers work as a side hustle, and others do it full time. Some organizers ride solo, and others build large companies. Some organizers work with families, others specialize in estate sales. There truly is an organizational fit for every person who needs help reclaiming their space!
Something else you may not know about the professional organizing industry: just because you meet and hire the business owner does not mean that said business owner will be in your home working on the project - or even that the organizers on your project will be employees who have been trained and supervised by that person! It is extremely common in the industry for professional organizers to hire other organizers on a contract basis for jobs they can’t handle on their own.
When you hire LMW Edits, you always get me and my bag of tricks - no alterations or substitutions!
There are upsides to this, for sure. This strategy ensures there are enough people on your job to get your project done quickly. It brings the overall price down because the going hourly rate for independent contractors is well south of the value of the business owner’s time. It’s also a professional development mechanism - it’s very common for organizers just starting out to do different contract gigs to learn the trade. I did it myself, and still do for organizers I really like working with when they come up short and need a hand!
There are also downsides. As a contractor, I have shown up to a gig for an organizer I have never met in person and been directed into a room and told to start sorting. The only filter applied was a phone conversation and a contract I signed with the organizer’s company. What’s more, on a multi-day job, the team might have been different every day! So just when the client starts getting comfortable with me, I’m done for the day and an entirely different person might show up the next morning.
The downsides are why I will never hire independent contractors. I would sooner refer you, a potential client, to a larger organizing company I know and trust, than I would take on the burden of sending unknown, untrained people into your home and hoping that it all turns out well. My service is built on a strong personal relationship between me and my client, which allows me to create organizational systems and setups that are specifically tailored for them.
That said, my style of service is certainly not for everyone! Many people prefer handing off the job to an efficient team and marveling at the end results. So, if you’re contemplating hiring a professional organizer, consider the following.
An larger organizing company or service might be right for you if:
Your first priority is a gorgeous “after” photo that looks like it’s out of a magazine.
Your space is a large and/or tightly cluttered home.
Your desired aesthetic is the exact aesthetic featured in the organizing company’s photos.
Your main concern is pricing.
My kind of individual organizing consulting might be right for you if:
Your first priority is a system that works and lasts.
Your space is a smaller home/apartment, or a discrete project area within a larger home.
Your desired aesthetic is custom tailored to you, your needs, and your existing home style.
Your main concern is security and trust.
If you think my style of organizing might be a good fit for you, let’s talk! You can schedule your free in-home organizing consultation here.
LMW
In a sea of professional organizers, all of them creating ever more digital content from blogs and YouTube videos to Instagram stories and TikTok videos, how do you figure out who to trust?