Organize or bust!

A customer called today wondering where to start in her quest to be organized. Her goal was to get started this weekend and she was not coming out of the house until something was started. She felt overwhelmed with "stuff" that was slowly creeping into her personal living space. My suggestion is to start with a personal organizer. They can make sense of the "stuff" and give you the permission to get rid of items that you don't use or donate it to a charity. Once the "stuff" is sorted through that is where the custom closet companies come in and decide how to best utilize the space with built in systems. That is when it gets really fun because you can add all kinds of accessories that make your life easier.

There are some great professional organizers that are linked to the custom closet companies. All About Closets - chicago (mydreamclosets.com) has some links that can get your started on your quest to simplify and organize your home.

Take A Walk Through Your Closet

I was exposed to a new world today called Second Life. As I flew around the different islands, I was able to redesign a kitchen and customize it to my liking and then I walked through it to see what the newly designed kitchen and appliances would look like. We have a similar program at All About Closets-Chicago that allows the customer to get a 3-D version of what their closet will look like when it is completed. At that point, the designer is able to print it out or download it for the customer so that they can show friends, family and anticipate their new purchase. It does not have the capacity to "walk or fly" into the closet but that would be really impressive to a client to be able to walk around or even start filling their virtual closet with clothes, shoes, etc.

Market to make it!

As an owner of a small business, I can speak first hand about the importance of marketing. It is essential to the success or failure of a business. The best concepts in the world don't sell if no one is aware or them or do not know how to get them. Where do you start to even put together the concepts? We have discussed it many times.......ask, ask, ask everyone their opinion. Elicit responses on your product from friends, family, coworkers but don't stop with just those people. We surround ourselves with people who are like us, so it is possible they see the same view points as you. I would highly recommend going to networking events, joining chambers and organizations and doing your own informal discussions with strangers. You need to find your target market and talk to them! Find out their needs, wants, desires and then start to build your whole marketing campaign around this research. Once you have ideas, thought, outlines and plans on paper, hire a professional (unless you are one). Following my own advice, I will pose the question to you. What would you search for on line if you were looking for a custom closet or your dream closet? Where would you start? What do you want to see when you get there?

Once you get those suggestions, consider looking into Google Adwords. It is a great marketing tool that will assist with your web page traffic.

Where do I start

People often ask me where to start when they need their life organized? The easiest way is to pick a room and get started! The initial first step is the hardest, but once you get going you will see what progress you will make quickly. First, you need to assess the situation. What are you dealing with? Do you need to discard some items or move items to different rooms that are more functional. For example, put the staple in the office not the kitchen. Do you need help? Is it time to call in your friends who owe you a favor or your family to support you through this cleansing?

Are you crazy?

I love organizing! It makes me happy in every way. After a long hard day there is nothing better than opening up your closet to neatly organized clothes, shoes, accessories that are all color coordinated and easy to see. My closet is my place of escape. Between the kids, the phone, my husband and the pets where else do you go to get away?