Solving Possession Obsession
originally published in the Mile High News in the Golden Transcript October 19, 2006
Sally Allen started off by just trying to help out a friend organize her pantry. Now, 10 years later, she is a professional organizer, who runs her own business out of Golden in addition to traveling to meet clients around the country and doing training seminars. She is a former president of the National Association of Professional Organizers in Colorado.
Who are your clients?
My clients are those who generally are paralyzed by their environment. They've gotten to a point that they're overwhelmed and they keep saying, "I'm going to do this. I'm going to start getting organized." But it's not something they really want to do, because they don't know where to start. They don't know what to do. They don't know how to set up the systems. They may dabble at it, but they don't realize that once you become paralyzed and overwhelmed, that you've got to think of how long it took to get to where you are. And it's not gonna reverse itself in two seconds.
So my target market are people who want a better life … My target market is really relocation, cause that's what we specialize in. … because I've moved 19 times myself, domestic as well as overseas. I find that when you move, it's wise to sort and purge before you move, so you're not paying to pack, load, unload and unpack your clutter and think you're gonna find a better place for it someplace else, cause you generally don't.
So I specialize in relocation and the new thing I'm getting into now is the senior downsizing market — I call it right sizing. It's more positive. Because all of a sudden it's a huge market of people living until (age) 103 who are needing their adult children's assistance, but they generally call for it when the crisis sets in... I'm hoping to reach them years before they have to make that decision of moving out of their home that they've been in for 30 years. You accumulate stuff when you don't move like I do, and they look at it and don't know where to begin, and so I'm focusing on helping them and their adult children start the process...
What kinds of things do people typically need help with?
The one that pops out with me is paper flow because if you're in your home office or your corporate office, paper comes in every single day. And from the minute it touches your space, what do you do with it? And that exists everywhere. It isn't the only thing, but it generally emanates from there, whether you are receiving a package from something you bought or whatever, how do you handle it when it gets to your space? And do you — I like to say — keep the paper flowing until its final destination? Most of our clients don't have a final destination. So you've gotta create systems, and that's what we do. We come in, and we sort, purge and make organized piles out of the disorganized piles, be it paper, be it stuff. And then we refine those piles. And then we create a place for it, and then we set up systems to help them keep the items moving to its final destination.
In what other ways is your market growing? Is ADHD a factor?
I think the business market is growing because people are understanding what we can do for them now. They're getting it. That's why I love what I do, because it's instant gratification. We go in, I have a minimum number of hours I'll work because I know what doesn't work anymore. And when you begin to see it, feel it and understand it, it's great. And when the client gets that, it's great. And I think people are more receptive these days to saying, I'm just not getting this done myself. When I get the phone call, it's generally someone saying, "Oh, I bet I'm gonna be the worst you've ever seen." I know that's the hardest part for them is to make that initial contact. But because they're reading about it, because of all the TV shows that are out there now, and because of our putting ourselves out there — I'm not saying that we flood the market, but we're at least out there. … They are also beginning to recognize ... chronic disorganizers, hoarders. They're beginning to realize there is more going on than just disorganization, and if they can get us in there to organize their environment, then maybe they can seek help to get further than that.
When you have gone to people's homes, do you tailor it to someone's specific issues?
It's all about customizing it to the clients' needs. You know, I can go in and know exactly what I would do. But that might not work for my client. They might not be able to use a day-timer or a planner. OK, then use a spiral-bound book, anything that keeps all of your information in one spot. But whatever works for you. A lot of the clients that we get who feel overwhelmed have yellow pads of paper everywhere. ... And all we really want to do is keep their information in one spot so they can find it. Some people need to see it, and they're threatened by the fact that it goes away inside a drawer. Other people don't want to see it and can understand building a filing system. So we have to work with what works for our clients, so it's very customized. ...
There is a part of NAPO called the NSGCD — the National Study Group for Chronic Disorganization — and that's an alliance with NAPO of organizers who specialize in those who really need above and beyond but are generally the ADD, the OCD, the hoarders. Because you've got to have skills to work appropriately with them so that you don't ruin their lives. I mean you could walk into a hoarder ('s home) as a young organizer and say, "Oh, yes, I can do that," and start pitching. Well, that may be their womb.
