There’s a definite overlap between the tasks of a professional organizer and a home stager. In fact many home staging businesses also offer professional organizing and vice versa. That’s one of the benefits of being your own boss, you can decide what services you want to offer based on your: interests/talents, client demand and profit potential. Let’s explore each of these.
Professional Organizer Interest and Talent
I believe most people who are drawn to home staging will have a certain talent for organizing as well. Home stagers like everything to be “just so” and everything to have a place so that a room shows well. Professionals from both fields know that less is more.
Like professional organizers, home stagers can happily spend more time creating the perfect towel roll or rearranging the books on a shelf to look nice than the average person ever would. Because we’re perfectionists, many of us have probably been called “obsessive compulsive” at some time or another, especially by the “sloppier” people we know!
Although many of the homes I stage need clutter busting and organizing, I’m not a professional organizer and I don’t want to be one.
I personally have no patience for sitting with a client going through every item and having them decide whether to:
- Donate
- Sell
- Trash
- Put in Storage
I became a home stager so that I could use my creative talents and I don’t find that part creative (though some others would). I would rather say “50% of what’s in this closet has to go” and leave it to a professional organizer to deal with individual items if my client needs that level of help.
When my home staging clients or interior redesign clients need hand-holding through the process of actually getting rid of their stuff, I refer them to a professional organizer. I consider organizers part of the team of people I might refer parts of a project to. Just as I do with painters and handymen.
As a home stager, I’m the project manager and creative director, not the physical labor. I don’t swing a paint brush (though I do choose colors) and I don’t wash towels (though I’ll happily shop for, or arrange them, for a fee)!
On the other hand, if you love the organizing part of a project this can easily be part of the service you’ll be charging your clients for. And if you’re already a professional organizer, like Staging Diva Graduate Beth DeLozier Hayes, you’ll find home staging services enhance your organizing business – in fact it tripled her income after taking my home staging business training!
Professional Organizer versus Home Stager – Client Demand
Home staging is a business with seasonality because we are tied to the real estate market. At times of the year when few people are selling a home, there is lower demand for home staging services. So if home organizing is part of the service you offer as a home stager, you can fill in some of the time between real estate seasons. In the past, I’ve written about how you can also do this with holiday decorating, color consulting and interior redesign.
When you offer more services, you’ll find that one service can “cross sell” another. For example, you’re hired by a client for professional organizing and when you’re there you discover they need help choosing colors for their rooms. Or you do a home staging consultation and your client hires you as a professional organizer for their new home when they move (or perhaps to help organize the move itself).
Home Organizing versus Home Staging – Profit Potential
Professional organizers are typically paid less for their time than a home stager. This is one of the reasons I’d rather be hired as a home stager or interior redesigner. Since as I said I don’t personally enjoy working as an organizer, I’d rather refer that service to someone who enjoys it and earn a referral fee for recommending them. This is something I talk about in more detail in Course 5 of the Staging Diva Home Staging Training Program, called Over 30 More Ways to Make Money in Home Staging.
Creating a Win – Win – Win For Everyone
I believe you’ll be happier and make more money in your own business when you create a win / win situation for everyone involved, whether it’s suppliers or clients.
By referring professional organizing services to others I have a Win – Win – Win for everyone involved:
- Personal Win – I stick to services I enjoy and earn passive income.
- Supplier Win – The professional organizer gets a new paying client they wouldn’t have had without my recommendation.
- Client Win – The client gets organizing help at a lower rate than I would charge and they use my services to do what I do best!
Please share your thoughts on this topic in the comments! Are you a professional organizer or home stager who offers both services? What has your experience been with combining or not combining these?
Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Home Staging and Voice of Possibility Group Inc.
Debra Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program to teach others how to earn a living doing something they love. She has written 5 guides including the Staging Diva Ultimate Design Guide: Home Staging Tips, Tricks and Floor Plans which can be used by both professional organizers and home stagers to improve their design sense.
Wow this just answered my question about whether I should add Professional organizer into my services list. Just in time too as I get ready to hand over my directory listing to you. I really thought it might be something I would like, but looking at it from your perspective it makes more sense to me not to pursue that area of business. Once again your timing is perfect.
That’s fantastic Trish, thanks for commenting. I’m so glad this article helped you out!
The hardest thing about keeping a blog is sitting down to that blank screen and trying to imagine what your readers might want to read about. Then the next hardest thing is hitting that “publish” button and waiting to see if anyone will respond, and whether they’ll like it or not.
Your feedback is most appreciated!
Great post Debra. I do staging, organizing & decorating and often start with a client with one service and I get asked to help more. I do limit the organizing projects that I will do, kitchens & closets. My organizing fee is identical to my staging fee. I refer clients to organinzing specialists and also get many staging referrals in return.
Thanks for sharing your experience with others Pat! Much appreciated.
Great article Debra. As a person starting out. It is always helpful to develop the boundaries for my business. Like you, I enjoy certain aspects to organizing and not others. I love the redesign, color, staging and the challenges of coordinating the moves. I do not like going through every little item deciding what stays and goes- I good after the organizer has helped the client go through their possessions. I do find in some areas once a client has staged, sold and moved onto the next chapter in their lives – I love helping the client reinvent the space.
My available time is limited therefore I would rather concentrate on what I love and do best – and refer the other items to those professionals and get a referral fee. Thanks for your post!! Amy
Amy,
Thanks so much for commenting and sharing your experiences!
I have also wrestled with adding organizing services to my business and have on occasion helped clients with this, but in now happily refer these requests out, stay in touch with the organizer and move back to my staging business.
Thanks for sharing what’s worked for you Deb!
Great article! I like how you broke down the win-win scenarios for everyone involved, including you! 🙂
Thanks Lisette!
I have enjoyed reading your blog about yourself and how you changed your life. I have been in the cleaning business since I was a teenager. My specialty is really organizing anything even the worst of jobs, I love It. I have an eye for style and placement but that is not my strong suit. I am beginning to pull together a team of individuals to reach out to so I can start a staging business In the Tampa Bay Area. (Florida) Your swebsite was a huge help. Thank you Ms. Kelly
Thanks for commenting Ms Kelly! I hope you’ve subscribed to my blog. That way I can send you an invitation next time I offer a free course. There is one set for this Monday. If you’re on my list, you’ll get access to a free pass for it. Hope you can join us.
I’m 100% with you on this one Debra…all the way agree. I don’t clean, I don’t organize, I don’t paint and I don’t renovate or landscape. I have affiliates that master those skills and ask for a kick back once the clients ask me for a referal. Once all the work is complete, then my team comes in and only then. I’m only in the business of cleaning up after myself. As a matter of fact, my contract states “if all recommendations are not in place upon my arrival, the client will have to pay $75/hr per person if we have to clean or organize anythng prior to staging”.
Juliet, thanks for sharing your experience and I love that clause you put in your contracts!
I am in the process of leaving my current job to seek something different – something more my niche. My husband and I have opened up a real estate investing company and our plans are to work together to help sell properties with the help of my organizing/home staging skills. Any suggestions/thoughts?
Vanessa, you’ve come to the right place! I can offer you a complete business formula to follow. As a start, perhaps you’d be interested in my free quiz to see if you have the eye of a home stager. You’ll find it at: https://stagingdiva.com/savvyquiz.html
Thanks Margaret! I was glad I could include a link to you in the story.