Level Up: Take the next step in your organising business

No matter where you are in your organising business, there is a next step you can take immediately to level up. That’s what this article series is all about.

Let’s start with five basic assumptions.

1. All businesses are different. They grow at different rates.
2. Each business owner is different. They bring their own life experiences, skills and points of view to the business. And they each have different goals for their business.
3. There are things you can control. There is a pattern to business life.
4. There are things out of your control. There is never a straight line to success in business.
5. No matter what happens in your business, or in your life, there are things you can do to “level up” and take the next step.

Now let’s look at the five different stages of an organising business. They are:

1. Startup
2. Part-time
3. Full-time
4. Flying high (expert level)
5. Free as a bird (veteran level)

Over the next few weeks, I’ll look at each stage in turn to see what it looks like and identify three next steps you could take to level up.

Startup

Starting out is fun and exciting. You are gathering information, reading books and watching television shows, finding role models, trying out systems, and probably feeling nervous. People starting out tell me they lack confidence. They lack confidence in their skills, marketing, showing their face online, in business. It’s a natural part of starting anything new. But the good news is that confidence grows.

What can you do to level up in the Startup phase?

1. Start working with “clients”. Even if they are your sister-in-law with a disorganised pantry who is willing to give you some unpaid practice. Every bit of experience is invaluable at this stage.
2. Document everything you do. Figure out what works and what doesn’t. Study how long it takes to sort a wardrobe or filing cabinet. Notice everything and write it down. Future you will thank you for it.
3. Lean into your new identity as an organiser. When someone asks what you do, tell then you’re an organiser or whatever fabulous title you choose, and enjoy the conversations that start from there.

Look out for the next installment in this series, when I look at the next two stages of an organising business, and how to level up.