Professional Organizer Certification Program

Included Courses

16 Business Courses with comprehensive handouts that cover getting your business started, working with organizing clients, marketing, managing your money and building a team. You'll learn everything you need to know to start, run and grow a successful organizing business.

Getting Started

Business 101: 10 Steps to Set up your Organizing Business

Learn the critical 10 Steps to Set up your Organizing Business so you can get your organizing business set up and running properly and avoid costly mistakes down the road. We’ll help you choose your business name, register your business, get your office up and running, get insured and market yourself. You’ll walk away with a list of must-do items to get your business started!

The 10 Steps to Set up your Organizing Business includes:

• Finding your niche
• Choosing on a name
• Claiming your website
• Registering your business
• Choosing the right business entity
• Getting insured
• Office and systems set up

Business 201: Systems for Success

Business 201 will teach you the administrative side of running a professional organizing business and show you how to set up systems for success. Learn how to set up your space, manage your time and create systems that will help you run your business effectively and efficiently so you can go out and do what you love… organize!

Here’s what we’ll cover in Business 201: Systems for Success:

• Finding and setting up your office space
• Calendar and planning system options
• Contact resource management systems
• Filing and paper management systems
• Bookkeeping
• Streamlining client communication
• Setting up your schedule

Clients 101: Working with Clients

So you know you love to organize and you know you want to help people, but going into clients’ homes and offices, getting the job done, and leaving them 100% satisfied is no small task, especially when you’re starting out. In this course, we’ll teach you how to work with organizing clients in a way that meets and exceeds their expectations so they’ll be a client for life and refer you to everyone they know! From intakes to consultations to what to wear, we’ve covered all the bases so you can put your best foot forward and know how to work with organizing clients in the best way possible.

Here’s what we’ll cover in Clients 101: Working with Clients:

• Consultations
• Scheduling
• Being prepared and presentable
• Getting the job done
• Handling client confidentiality
• Organizing etiquette
• Handling challenging situations

Marketing 101: Brand Yourself for Success

There is a lot of competition out there! How do you make yourself stand out among the other organizers? In today’s world, you need to brand yourself for success with a unique and consistent image. We’ll help you ask the right questions and consider all the options you’ll need to decide on a name and a brand. We’ll also teach you how to build and market your brand to ensure that everyone knows your name.

Here’s what we’ll cover in Marketing 101: Brand Yourself for Success

• Branding basics and benefits
• Identifying your “Why”
• Creating your image
• Choosing a name
• Building your brand
• Marketing your brand

Money 101: Setting your Professional Organizing Fees

Setting your professional organizing service fees is a difficult part of getting started in the industry. You don’t want to price yourself too high and scare away potential customers. At the same time, you don’t want to price yourself too low and end up feeling underpaid! In this on-demand e-Course we’ll help you determine your fees and gain the confidence you need to set the rate you deserve.

Here’s what we’ll cover in Money 101: Setting your Professional Organizing Fees

• Determining value
• Hourly vs. project-based fees
• Cost factors
• Determining your fees
• Formula for setting your fees
• Selling!
• Offering discounts and incentives

Working with Clients

Clients 201: Estimating Time and Writing Proposals

Landing larger organizing projects and/or business clients can help you grow your organizing business significantly. But these clients often require written time estimates and proposals. In this on-demand e-Course, you will learn that estimating time and writing proposals is easier than you think. You will learn how to perform consultations, accurately estimate time and create client-winning proposals.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• Performing effective in-person consultations
• Asking the right questions
• Estimating time
• Hidden time factors
• Other costs to include
• Writing effective proposals
• Following up
• Closing the deal

Clients 301: Organizing Project Management

Large, multi-step organizing projects require serious organization. We’ll teach you organizing project management, so you’ll know how to develop a plan, coordinate, schedule and supervise organizers and outside vendors, and stay on time and on budget. By being able to take on and manage large organizing projects, you have an opportunity to expand your client list and earn more money!

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• Types of organizing projects
• Planning for a project
• Budgeting
• Coordinating
• Scheduling
• Communication
• Supervising
• Finalizing

Clients 401: Working with Hoarders

As a professional organizer, you may already be working with hoarders – even if it is not your specialty. 2-5% of Americans fall under the category of hoarders, so there is a large group of people out there who need your help. Working with hoarders can be a very challenging task for a professional organizer. If you are ready for the challenge, this course will provide you with everything you need to know to work successfully with hoarders and manage hoarding projects.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• What is hoarding?
• Why work with hoarders
• How to find hoarding clients
• Performing a consultation at a hoarder’s home
• Using The Clutter-Hoarding Scale
• Types of hoarding projects
• Handling hoarding clients and situations
• Maintenance
• Determining if a hoarder is the right type of client for you

Marketing

Marketing 201: Seven Strategies for Marketing Success

As a business owner, you should always be on the hunt for new customers and seeking methods to bring them to your door. If you are not consistently looking for opportunities to build your customer base, your business could fall off of its growth track. While there are many ways to reach your organizing prospects, we focus on seven strategies for success that you can use to help kickstart a marketing program for your business.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• Finding organizing clients
• Building your contact list
• Direct marketing
• Networking
• Media
• Showcase strategies for professional organizers
• Strategic alliances for professional organizers
• Advertising
• Social media

Marketing 301: Mastering Social Media

For professional organizers, social media is integral in a marketing plan. Mastering social media can be a key factor in the success of your organizing business. We’ll cover each major social media platform, show you how to effectively use social media and efficiently boost your organizing business, and increase your customer base.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• Benefits of social media for organizing businesses
• How to use social media effectively as an organizer
• Specifics on LinkedIn, Yelp, Facebook, Blogs, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest and YouTube
• Tips and tricks to get the most out of each platform
• Managing your social media time
• Streamlining your social media processes

Marketing 401: Public Relations and Media

Public relations and media exposure allows professional organizers to gain recognition and establish themselves as experts in the organizing industry. It also offers a chance to stand out against the ever-increasing competition as new organizers join the industry in droves. A good public relations campaign is imperative to your company’s success. Implementing a successful public relations strategy is a very complicated process. In this on-demand e-Course we’ll teach you the plan and process and give you all the information you need to run a great public relations and media campaign.

Managing your Money

Money 201: Setting up and Using QuickBooks

QuickBooks is an essential tool that helps you track your expenses and finances. It is especially important for professional organizers as business owners to have this skill. We’ll walk you step by step through the process of setting up and using QuickBooks specifically for your organizing business. Not only can you use this skill for your own organizing business, you can also help your organizing clients set up their QuickBooks, too.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• Accounting terminology
• Setting up your QuickBooks
• QuickBooks functions
• Entering customer and vendor information
• Payables
• Receivables
• Reconciliation
• Reports

Money 301: Creating Alternative Income Streams

There are only so many hours in a day, so as an organizer you can be limited in the income you can earn doing only hands-on organizing. The solution is developing alternative income streams! We’ll provide you with some great alternatives to hands-on organizing and tell you how to market them to bring in additional income and skyrocket your organizing business.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• Benefits of alternative income
• Top five alternative income options for professional organizers: workshops, referrals, writing, products, and coaching
• All the details you need to pursue each option
• Marketing your alternative income streams

Money 401: Exit Strategies

As professional organizers, we love to plan. But, have you thought of any exit strategies for your organizing business? You may dream of selling to the highest bidder, or retiring and handing over your business to your family. Even if you are years away from retirement, you need to have a plan in place now. This on-demand e-Course will walk you through the planning, development and successful execution of the four major exit strategy options for professional organizers. We’ll show you how to set your organizing business up for the future no matter how far off it may be.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• What is an exit strategy?
• Planning your exit
• Choosing an exit strategy
• Details on the four major exit strategy options: closing, transferring, selling, and acquisition
• Steps to successfully execute each of these exit strategies

Building a Team