The Speak Organized Podcast

✨ Want personalized help growing your professional organizing business? Take the free quiz and get your personalized path inside The Organizer Growth app: https://studio.com/melanie-summers 

Nine professional organizers rented an Airbnb in Joshua Tree and started sharing EVERYTHING. Client processes. Employee handbooks. CRM tricks. The things that were working, and the things we were still figuring out.

I expected to come home with business ideas. I didn't realize how much I needed the people.

In this episode of the Speak Organized podcast, I'm taking you inside our organizer retreat, including the conversations that made us pull out our laptops, the mistakes we'd avoid next time, and why we needed one more day.

If you're building a professional organizing business and wish you had other organizers you could talk openly with, this one's for you.

We're talking about:
• What made this small group work for introverts and extroverts
• Walking through nine organizers' client journeys, from inquiry to follow-up
• Sharing systems, resources, and the little things that make running a business easier
• Why trust and a similar stage of business mattered
• Planning your own retreat, including Wi-Fi, shared expenses, and implementation time
• Finding your people without waiting for an invitation

Plus, a little karaoke. Okay, a lot of karaoke. 😂

Tell me in the comments: What would you ask if you had nine professional organizers sitting around the table with you?

RESOURCES FOR PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZERS

Join my Facebook group:
https://facebook.com/groups/ispeakorganizedpnw 

Get ongoing education and support inside the Organizer In Demand membership:
https://melaniesummerscoaching.com/empowered-organizer 

Work with me through 1:1 coaching:
https://ispeakorganized.com/coaching 

Subscribe to I Speak Organized for more conversations about building an organizing business that pays well and fits your life. Listening to the podcast? If you loved this episode, leave a rave five-star review. It helps more organizers find us!

✨ Want personalized help growing your professional organizing business? Take the free quiz and get your personalized path inside The Organizer Growth app: https://studio.com/melanie-summers 

Why do clients pay thousands of dollars for professional organizing? They are not simply paying for bins, labels, or decanted cereal.

They are paying for the decisions, planning, physical work, project management, and follow-through required to create a home that genuinely functions better.

In this episode, I’m sharing real numbers and anonymized project examples from my professional organizing company, including:

What a multi-thousand-dollar organizing project actually includes

The honest math behind a $2,500 project

Why adding organizers shortens the timeline without reducing the labor

The difference between revenue, profit, and take-home pay

Why hourly pricing and packages can both work

What clients are really buying when they hire an organizer

If you are building a professional organizing business, this is the honest conversation about pricing, value, and profitability that more organizers need to hear.

FREE 30-Day Professional Organizer Startup Guide:
https://ispeakorganized.activehosted.com/f/87 

Join Organizer In Demand:
https://melaniesummerscoaching.com/empowered-organizer 

Use code YTPRO8 for $8 off your first month.

What do you think clients are really paying for when they hire a professional organizer? Tell me in the comments. Bonus points if your answer is funnier than “a clinically expensive bowl of Cheerios.”

SOURCES

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, American Time Use Survey:
https://www.bls.gov/charts/american-time-use/activity-by-hldh.htm 

UCLA Center on Everyday Lives of Families:
https://newsroom.ucla.edu/magazine/center-everyday-lives-families-suburban-america 

Company figures and project examples come from I Speak Organized year-to-date records and anonymized client engagements.

#ProfessionalOrganizer #ProfessionalOrganizingBusiness #OrganizingBusiness

✨ Want personalized help growing your professional organizing business? Take the free quiz and get your personalized path inside The Organizer Growth app: https://studio.com/melanie-summers 

 

Run your organizing business more efficiently with Jobber:
https://go.getjobber.com/ISpeakOrganized 

What should a professional organizer do when a senior client needs help—but does not feel ready to let go, downsize, or make a major change?

In this episode of the I Speak Organized Podcast, I’m joined by aging and change coach Tami Calais for an important conversation about supporting senior clients and their families through emotionally complicated transitions.

We talk about why resistance is not necessarily stubbornness, how aging can affect a person’s sense of autonomy and identity, and what organizers can do to build trust without pressuring clients into decisions they are not ready to make.

Tami shares practical insight into motivational interviewing, the stages of change, family dynamics, and how to help clients discover solutions rather than trying to “fix” the situation for them.

In this conversation, we cover:

• Why senior clients may resist downsizing or accepting help
• How to acknowledge a client’s feelings without reinforcing avoidance
• The difference between helping and forcing
• How adult children can unintentionally increase resistance
• Ways to preserve a senior client’s autonomy and dignity
• How professional organizers can create a safer emotional environment
• Why empathy and trust must come before decluttering
• What to do when the family and the client want different things
• How motivational interviewing can support better decisions
• The role professional organizers can play during aging-related transitions

One of my favorite reminders from this conversation is that it is not our job to fix people’s problems. Our role is to help clients find the solutions within themselves.

Whether you primarily work with seniors, help families prepare for moves, or occasionally encounter clients who are resistant to change, this episode will help you approach those situations with more confidence, empathy, and professionalism.

🌿 Learn more about Tami Calais and Calais Senior Consult:
https://agingandchangecoach.com/ 

Resources for Professional Organizers

📋 Download my free Professional Organizer Progress Report Guide:
https://ispeakorganized.com/report 

🎓 Get ongoing business training and support inside Organizer in Demand:
https://melaniesummerscoaching.com/empowered-organizer 

Use code YTPRO8 when joining.

🗂️ Get my Professional Organizer Forms Pack:
https://melaniesummerscoaching.com/po-forms-pack 

💻 Explore my courses and coaching resources:
https://ispeakorganized.com/courses 

💬 Join my free Facebook community for professional organizers:
https://facebook.com/groups/ispeakorganizedpnw 

🏡 Learn more about I Speak Organized:
https://ispeakorganized.com 

What was your biggest takeaway from this conversation? Share it in the comments.

Please like this video, subscribe to the channel, and send this episode to another organizer who works with senior clients or their families.

#ProfessionalOrganizer #SeniorDownsizing #AgingParents #Decluttering #ProfessionalOrganizing

✨ Want personalized help growing your professional organizing business? Take the free quiz and get your personalized path inside The Organizer Growth app: https://studio.com/melanie-summers 

 

Professional organizers: if your client starts wondering why the project feels slower, messier, or more overwhelming than expected, the answer might not be to work harder.

It might be to communicate better.

Try Jobber for your organizing business: https://go.getjobber.com/ISpeakOrganized 

In this episode, I’m sharing why progress reports are one of the most powerful client communication tools you can use as a professional organizer, especially when you’re working on larger organizing projects, move-support projects, estate projects, unpacking projects, or any job where the client is investing hundreds, thousands, or even five figures into the process.

Because here’s the truth: clients often focus on what is left, not what has already been accomplished.

A simple progress report helps your client understand what was completed, what was uncovered, what changed, what still needs attention, and what the next best step should be. It also helps you explain the messy middle without sounding defensive, name the invisible labor your team is doing behind the scenes, and rebuild client confidence before doubt turns into frustration.

I’ll also show how tools like Jobber can support the workflow behind your progress reports by helping you keep client notes, job notes, photos, checklists, scheduling details, team tasks, and follow-up reminders organized in one place.

Links referenced in this video:

Try Jobber: https://go.getjobber.com/ISpeakOrganized 
Download the free Progress Report Guide: https://ispeakorganized.com/report 
Join Organizer in Demand: https://melaniesummerscoaching.com/empowered-organizer 
Join my free Facebook group: https://facebook.com/groups/ispeakorganizedpnw 

If you’re a professional organizer building a more sustainable, professional, and profitable organizing business, this episode will help you think about client communication as part of the service — not an afterthought.

#professionalorganizer #organizingbusiness #homeorganizer #professionalorganizing #jobber #clientcommunication #organizingclients #servicebusiness #organizerindemand #organizingtips #smallbusinessowner #servicebasedbusiness

✨ Want personalized help growing your professional organizing business? Take the free quiz and get your personalized path inside The Organizer Growth app: https://studio.com/melanie-summers

 

Is your professional organizing business feeling slow right now? Before you panic, drop your prices, or start questioning whether this career is even working, take a breath.

A slow season does not mean you’re failing. It usually means it’s time to get strategic.

This episode is sponsored by Jobber, the CRM and business management tool I use to help streamline client inquiries, quotes, scheduling, follow-ups, and backend systems in my organizing business. If you’re tired of doing all the admin work manually, you can try Jobber here:
👉 https://go.getjobber.com/ISpeakOrganized 

In this episode, I’m walking you through what to do when your home organizing business slows down, including how to reconnect with past clients, re-engage warm leads, improve your visibility, strengthen your website and SEO, organize your backend systems, and create content that brings in more aligned clients.

Whether you’re a brand-new professional organizer, trying to grow your client base, or building a profitable organizing business with better systems, this episode will help you stop spiraling and start taking action.

You’ll learn how to:

• Handle a slow season without lowering your prices
• Reconnect with past clients and warm leads
• Create a simple re-engagement campaign
• Improve your visibility through social media, SEO, and Google Business Profile
• Strengthen your website, inquiry process, pricing, and follow-up systems
• Use automation and CRM tools like Jobber to save time
• Build local referral relationships with realtors, movers, therapists, and community partners
• Create demand-building content that helps potential clients see the value of hiring you

If you’re serious about building a successful professional organizing business, this is the episode to save, rewatch, and take action on.

Links Mentioned

Try Jobber:
👉 https://join.getjobber.com/ISpeakOrganized 

Join Organizer in Demand, my affordable coaching membership for professional organizers:
👉 https://melaniesummerscoaching.com/empowered-organizer 

Use code YTPRO8 for $8 off your first month.

Join my free Facebook group for aspiring and growing professional organizers:
👉 https://facebook.com/groups/ISpeakOrganizedPNW 

Explore my coaching, courses, and resources:
👉 https://ISpeakOrganized.com/courses 

Follow along for more organizing business tips:
👉 https://ISpeakOrganized.com 

Shoutout to my amazing video editor Eve Rom:
👉 @everomgraphix

Chapters

00:00 Understanding Slow Seasons in Business
09:11 Strategic Actions During Downtime
19:50 Building Visibility and Engagement
28:37 Nurturing Local Relationships
34:43 Taking Action: Your Homework Assignment

Ready to Build a More Profitable Organizing Business?

If you’re tired of guessing your way through pricing, marketing, client communication, systems, SEO, and growth strategy, come join us inside Organizer in Demand.

This is where I help professional organizers stop piecing together random advice and start building real businesses with strategy, structure, and support.

👉 https://melaniesummerscoaching.com/empowered-organizer 

Use code YTPRO8 for $8 off your first month.