Many times when we get started in a new business endeavor, we focus on the fun stuff – the logo, the color scheme, the name. It’s just naturally what we think of as the first steps, the face of the company. Think of these “fun” parts of the business like painting the walls of a house, or the walls themselves. Your brand makes up the way you’d represent your business, similar to how you’d decorate a room to represent your home. But, just like a home, you wouldn’t start putting up walls and decorating before the foundation is even in place. It’s the same when you start a Professional Organizing business, you’ll need to ensure you have the foundation in place, before you start decorating (branding). If you haven’t already signed up for the free training, where I go through this more in-depth, you can sign up for that here. If you’d prefer to read and digest, as opposed to watching a video, then I’ll recap below.
Define your Why
With any business, there are going to be hard days. At some point, you’re going to want to quit. Your why, will help you stick with and and manage through any tough times ahead. When you seek to define your why behind starting your organizing business, I suggest you ask yourself why you want to start this business, and then continue asking why until you can’t go further.
For example:
I want to start my own organizing business so I have more flexibility in my schedule.
Why?
So I can spend more time with my kids.
Why?
Because family is important, and I want to prioritize them.
Why?
……..
So in this example, they Why would be, to have the opportunity to prioritize family time. You’ll want to write this down. Put it on a post-it, put it somewhere visible, keep it front of mind. Once you have your why, you’ll also be able to build your business around that. You’ll want to keep your business practices and plans centered around your why. If part of your why is to have more time to spend with your family, then obviously you’ll want to set your business hours around that.
So in this example, they Why would be, to have the opportunity to prioritize family time. You’ll want to write this down. Put it on a post-it, put it somewhere visible, keep it front of mind. Once you have your why, you’ll also be able to build your business around that. You’ll want to keep your business practices and plans centered around your why. If part of your why is to have more time to spend with your family, then obviously you’ll want to set your business hours around that.
What
So this step can be a bit tricky. Many organizers skip it altogether. But I promise, if you invest the time upfront to narrow in on a niche, then your business will be better for it, and you’ll likely be more fulfilled. To do this, you’ll want to take a deep dive into what you’re passionate about. List it all out. Nothing is off limits. You’ll then use that list to identify opportunities for potential niche ideas. For example, if you used to teach and loved it, consider focusing on organizing schools, homeschools, and virtual learning spaces.
I also strongly suggest that you complete a competitive analysis, so that you don’t pick the same niche as twenty other organizers in the area. By looking at what the competition is doing, you can also possibly identify a gap in service, and if it aligns with something you’re passionate about, then yay!
For example, if you take a look at the competition and see that none of them focus on a specific niche, and you live in a college town, maybe focus on organizing for college students.
I know, having a niche sounds counterproductive. You want to work with everyone, doing everything. But keep in mind, when you focus on everyone, you’re also competing with everyone (other organizers). By focusing on a niche, you’re able to establish yourself as the authority in that field, and speak directly to your ideal clients.
Who
Once you narrow down your niche, and what you plan to do, you’ll be able to define your who – your ideal client. The example above was for a former teacher to niche down to educational settings such as schools and homeschools; so in that case teachers and homeschool parents would be her who. When you consider your ideal client, you want to get as detailed as possible. Where do they live? What level of income do they have? When are they on social media/have free time? And most importantly, what problem do they have that will be solved by your services. This will help you immensely as you market to your ideal client. You’ll be able to guide them through the transformation that will come with your services, by speaking to their problem before, and after.
For example:
“I’m Sam, owner and operator of Recess Organized. I work with busy parents and teachers to help them overcome the chaos and overwhelm. I take cluttered classrooms and turn them into peaceful spaces, ideal for learning and growth.”
The Foundation Workbook
If you’re thinking that this is a lot, you’re not wrong. Your foundation has to be solid in order to be strong. If you’d like to take a deeper dive into creating your foundation, be sure to check out the Foundations workbook. This workbook takes you step by step through defining your why, completing a competitive analysis, detailing your ideal client in depth, and even identifying potential partnerships. You can download this free workbook by clicking here.
Once you have your solid foundation in place, be sure to head on over to start building an awesome and authentic brand.
As always, if you have any questions head over to the private Facebook group, and don’t be shy.