Last week I wrote about the Quick Question survey results which showed that 74% of professional organisers who responded would prefer more clients than a day off. I closed that article by asking, “Why not have both?”
Given that we each have only 24 hours in a day, is it even possible to have both more clients and a day off? Well, I’m going to say yes, it is possible. There are business models centred on that very principle.
Servicing one-to-one is the common business model for professional organisers, especially starting out. I can see why that’s popular. Most organisers love to help people, and there’s nothing more satisfying than helping someone face to face, in their home or business, and watching them achieve their goals.
The only problem with that business model is that there’s a limit to how many one-to-one clients you can work with. Successful organisers know that wonderful feeling when the calendar is full of client bookings. They know the joy of saying to a new prospective client, “I’m booked up now, but I can fit you in next month”. They know the freedom of being selective about which clients to work with. However, they also know the feeling of overwhelm when you just can’t find more hours in the day to service all the clients asking for help. And that translates to a limit on the income they can earn from that business model.
Now don’t misunderstand me. There’s nothing at all wrong with having a successful organising business working one-to-one with ideal clients.
However, servicing one-to-many is an effective way to get more clients and have a day off. Here are just 3 ways to make that happen. Of course there are many more.
- Employ staff
- Run group workshops
- Sell products online
Most people when they go into business for themselves, look forward to the flexibility. The ability to set their own hours is seen as a desirable benefit. But all too often, the dream and the reality do not align.
Is it possible to structure your business around having that “perfect” life balance where there are enough clients to satisfy your income goals, and take the occasional, or regular, guilt-free day off to feed your soul? I say it is.
