NAPO-LA and 1-800-Got-Junk? Open the Door

After a call from 1-800-Got-Junk, volunteers from NAPO-LA spent a day in Stanton last week helping a challenged Rebecca, who suffers not only from obsessive compulsive disorder but also from some difficult hoarding issues.

When our team arrived, the front door could barely open enough to squeeze into the living room. The clutter was six feet high throughout the apartment.

Concerned that others were being wasteful, Rebecca had “saved” items from the trash for years to give to those in need. Over time, the apartment all but disappeared under a pile of rubble. When Rebecca's 80-year-old mother had an emergency, she almost did not make it out!

“I have to get this place emptied so mother can come home,” said Rebcca. Though she and I discussed the process, it was still a very trying experience for her. With five professional organizers, four junk haulers, two television stations and one major newspaper on site it is no wonder Rebecca was stressed - but everyone involved went above and beyond standards of professionalism to complete the day’s work.

I want to thank Susan Culligan, Lori Gersh, Deborah Kawashima, and Joanna Sletten for joining me in not only helping Rebecca but also for making our NAPO-LA chapter shine in the media spotlight. Also, thank you to Ann Gambrell for donating a scholarship for Rebecca to Ann's Clutter Support Group.

Read the Orange County Register Story

Time to Renew Your Annual Dues

NAPO-LA Membership Renewals

All NAPO-LA memberships renew annually in September. If you haven’t done so already, please take a moment right now to renew your membership. (NOTE: A $25 Late Fee will apply after September 30.)

Your membership is an investment in the growth of your business. Your chapter brings referrals to you through the referral program on our website and also offers opportunities to develop professionally through the many programs offered throughout the year.

Interaction with vendors and affiliates of our industry is another benefit of membership, as well as many opportunities to network with other organizers.

The regular membership dues structure for the 2006-07 year is:
$100 "Level 1" Membership Option - Yearly dues and Website Listing in the "Find an Organizer" section (new enhanced listing is available at no additional charge). Does not include member chapter meeting fees of $10 for each meeting.
$150 "Level 2" Membership Option - Yearly dues to include all chapter meeting fees and Website Listing in the "Find an Organizer" section (new enhanced listing is available at no additional charge). Only available at time of renewal.
$25 – Late Fee (applied after September 30)

The Associate member dues structure for the 2006-07 year is:
$150 - Branch Associate Member - operates as a local branch or regional office of a Corporate Associate Member.
$250 - Local Associate Member - a locally-based, self-operating retailer, supplier, designer, or independent sales representative engaged primarily in the manufacture, distribution, and/or sales of organizational equipment, supplies, or organizing industry related services.
$25 - Late Fee (applied after September 30)

Thank you for supporting the founding chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers. Together our success is assured.

By Dolores Kaytes, Highly-Organized
and NAPO-LA Director of Professional Development

Upcoming Meetings

NAPO-LA will provide another learning experience to help you develop and grow your business. Panel members Marcy Melton, Diana Ryan and Beverly Clower will share what they have learned from their years of experience and what they would change or do differently. After brief remarks from the panel, Donna McMillan, the facilitator, will ask the audience to write questions on note cards that will be collected and passed in for the Q & A portion of the program.

In place of our regular monthly meeting format, we will have the 2nd annual Professional Resource and Networking Expo. Get inspired with fresh resources, potential new alliances, educational opportunities and more networking time with your colleagues. Tables are available to puchase and we are actively searching for vendors. Applications for vendors can be found on our website NAPOLA.ORG

Knowledge is Power! There are businesses that provide products or services that can increase your value to your clients. Become the “go-to” person your clients can rely on to fulfill their needs. Also, these businesses could be referring your company to their clients. That’s what a strategic alliance is all about!

Don’t waste your time and money on ineffective marketing strategies. Learn from a veteran professional organizer who has been in this industry for 22 years. Use your new found skills right away at the NAPO-LA Professional Resource and Networking Expo, which immediately follows this training session. Develop your first strategic alliance now and do not miss this opportunity to gain crucial business-building skills.

For more information, contact Donna McMillan
Email: donna@organizer4me.com
Phone: 310-391-7392

NAPO-LA would like to thank Tom Spiglanin, Ph.D., of Designs4Learning.net for sharing his knowledge and expertise about internet marketing strategies at our July chapter meeting. Dr. Spiglanin simplified the terminology and gave us tools that encouraged many to venture into cyberspace in order to grow our businesses. We also thank him for being so generous with his time and for staying on to continue answering questions after the meeting ended.

Professional Resources & Networking Expo

This popular event is returning from its debut last year. The entire October meeting will be dedicated to networking with peers and seeing exciting products that will enhance your work with clients. Hors d'oeuvres will be served and a no-host bar will be available.

A new feature will be a special workshop sponsored by the MET committee. Donna McMillan will lead this educational program sharing the skills needed to build your business though networking and building alliance partners. The workshop will be an additional cost to the Expo.

If you have a product or book you would like to promote, this is an excellent opportunity. A discounted table rate is available to NAPO-LA members. Do you have a great resource that other members would be interested in? If so, we would appreciate your letting us know.

Registration form and information can be found at NAPOLA.ORG

18th Annual
SF Regional
Conference
Saturday,
October 28

The San Francisco chapter of NAPO will hold its 18th Annual Regional Conference - "Transforming Lives" – on Saturday, October 28, from 8 am to 6:30 pm in Newark, California, at the Newark/Fremont Hilton Hotel.

Organizing transforms lives, creating simplicity, order, clarity, and balance. The effects of this process ripple out from organizer to client to the entire community. This Regional Conference is designed for organizers who want to enhance their professionalism, be more effective with clients, and learn new techniques. Join in for this journey of transformation.

Begin the day with dynamic keynote speaker Ric Giardina, author of Become a Life Balance Master. Ric is president of The Spirit Employed Company, which provides principles and techniques to individuals to help them create and maintain life balance and develop a personal style of gentle self-discipline that will naturally increase productivity and enhance a sense of fulfillment.

The day will also consist of 18 educational workshops filled with subjects such as: marketing techniques, expanding your business, personal and professional development, and technology, to name just a few. Breakfast, lunch and a networking reception are included.

For more information, contact
Doreen Kleindienst, Chair
NAPO-SF Regional Conference
Email: dkorganizing@sbcglobal.net
Phone: 510-538-4782

Volunteers Run NAPO-LA

By Susan Eleftherakis, Spatial Clarity
and NAPO-LA Director of Administration

Would it surprise you to know that NAPO-LA is run entirely by the volunteer efforts of its’ members? Volunteers are not only the heart and soul of NAPO-LA but also the dynamic force that moves it forward.

The NAPO-LA Chapter Volunteer Call List currently lists 61 volunteer positions (with some individuals holding more than one), including five website-related (webmaster/assistant webmaster) roles that were recently added. There are numerous volunteer needs that are not on this list, such as making phone calls, assisting with the planning of both GO Month and the Organizing Awards, creating flyers and other graphics or text work, writing for the newsletter, and providing support for various fundraising and marketing efforts, to name just a few. Spreading the work out among all of our members ensures that no one gets burned out.

Our success depends on our members pitching in, and the good news is that getting involved has many benefits. Volunteer participation brings the opportunity to network, as well as to know and be known by other members. It also brings a feeling of belonging and the satisfaction of contributing to the success of such a dynamic organization.

The most immediate volunteer need is for six webmaster/assistant webmaster positions, a registration assistant (for monthly chapter meetings) and a visitor coordinator. Help is also needed with upcoming events including GO Month and the Organizing Awards, both to take place in early 2007.

To volunteer, contact
Abbey Keusch. Volunteer Coordinator
Email: abbeykeusch@napola.org

Are You Ready for an Emergency?

By Deborah Kawashima
creativeOrganizer
and NAPO-LA Director of Marketing

National Preparedness Month is a nationwide effort sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security during the month of September 2006 to encourage Americans to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies.

NAPO has joined a coalition of more than 670 national, regional, state and local organizations to promote National Preparedness Month in order to provide Americans with information about preparing themselves, their families and their communities for emergencies, including natural disasters and potential terrorist threats.

This year's goals are to increase public awareness about the importance of family emergency preparedness and to urge individuals to make themselves and their loved ones better prepared.

Families are encouraged to obtain an emergency supply kit, make a family emergency plan and be informed about the different threats that may affect them.

For more information about this program, click here: www.ready.gov/america/npm/index.htm

To download a list of recommended emergency supplies, click here: www.ready.gov

We need your tips! Family emergency tips from NAPO- LA members are being posted on the NAPO-LA website through the end of September.

Please submit your family emergency tips to
Deborah Kawashima
Email: deborah@creativeorganizer.com

Get Charmed by Chris!

Our NAPO-LA President once was all chicken. Before moving to Los Angeles, Chris McKenry was Vice President in charge of marketing and production at his family's Tennessee poultry processing business. In January of 2000, he sold his interest in the 103-year-old firm and moved to California.

Arriving in Los Angeles, he discovered NAPO and learned that the organization had its roots in the local area. Deciding to pursue a career in the organizing field, Chris knew the first step to success was to join NAPO and get involved.

For six years, Chris's business, Get It Together LA!, has grown to include organizing for home and office, custom closet and garage design services, and relocation management. From clearing clutter to designing storage systems, Chris is often called a "miracle worker" by clients.

"I enjoy teaching clients to realize their own potential by getting them to understand how their habits affect their environments," said Chris.

Featured in news articles and on television, this is one organizer who enjoys marketing almost as much as organizing. He is sought after as a speaker, with presentations given on organizing topics, networking, and also on behalf of our chapter. Get It Together LA! sends monthly O-Tips to over 1,000 contacts, most of whom Chis met while networking at various functions.

Chris is currently the President of NAPO-LA and serves on the Board of Directors of the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Recipient of the 2005 Leading Edge Award, Chris was also honored in 2003 with the President's Award during Small Business Week by the West Hollywood Chamber. He is also the founding President of the West Hollywood Chapter of BNI.

Your questions on organizing, marketing, and networking will be answered with a southern accent and a grin.

NOTE: The Silent Auction is a regular fundraiser for our NAPO-LA chapter and is held at most chapter meetings. During the meeting, the Silent Auction Volunteer will be announced and a clipboard will be circulated. Bidding takes place by simply entering your bid on the sign-up sheet as it circulates the room. The "winner" is announced at the end of the meeting and is entitled to a one-hour session with the Silent Auction Volunteer either in person or on the phone.

Laura Johnson, Redesigner with Flair

By Susan Culligan
Got to Get Organized
and NAPO-LA Director of Communications and Technology

“You get what you give,” says Laura, explaining why she finds herself volunteering for whatever group she joins. So when an announcement was made asking for help with the NAPO-LA newsletter, Laura took on the challenging job of publisher, producing the last issue under difficult circumstances and proving that if she’s going to do a job, she’s going to do it well.

Laura majored in interior design in college, and, after 31 years of marriage, took interior redesign training in 2001, becoming an IRIS Certified Interior Redesigner. Her business, Let Me Rearrange You, specializes in interior redesign, home staging and color consultation. Laura’s tag line says it all: Transforming your home from blah to ‘ahh’ using existing furnishings.

While attending an Interior Redesign Industry Specialists (IRIS) conference in 2004, Laura heard about NAPO and immediately became a national member. A few months after joining the LA chapter, she got involved in the LA Organizing Awards project and had a great time working with other NAPO members. That's when she became hooked on volunteering for our chapter!

Though Laura’s passion is interior redesign and home staging, she is interested in learning more about other organizing specialties -- maybe some less physical ones! As our newsletter publisher, she can’t help but think of ways to add flair to the publication (after all, she’s a redesigner). Laura is a real pro, as well as a delightful person.

Congratulations, Laura!

Golden Circle Column

By Kevin Hall
Clutter No More, Inc.
and a Golden Circle Member

Two veteran organizers, Carolyn Strauss and Diana Ryan, wrote a series of “NAPO Dramas.” These vignettes highlight potential ethical difficulties.

Here is a sample:

As NAPO members, we have pledged "to exercise judgment, self-restraint and conscience in (our) conduct in order to establish and maintain public confidence in the integrity of NAPO. We will keep confidential all client information, both business and personal, including that which may be revealed by other organizers." In this spirit, the characters in this vignette are a fictitious mosaic of client types encountered by professional organizers.

At the end of Episode #1, fledgling organizer, Sunny, had held a "Messiest Desk" contest resulting in an article in her local newspaper. Connie read the article in the paper, and, convinced by the "before" and "after" photos of the winner's desk, called Sunny. She describes packing for a move and readying the house for an open house. Sunny went to assess the situation and to give an estimate. She's not experienced enough to get information over the phone, and jumped at the chance to go there with little knowledge of the situation.

As Connie leads Sunny into the study, Sunny notices a bundle of banker's boxes in the hall. There's an ample sprinkling of Rubbermaid and Avery products amidst the clutter in the study. Connie asks Sunny if she includes organizing products in her price. Suddenly it dawns on Sunny that she's on the scent of another organizer. She wonders if she should say something about it.

When Connie goes to the kitchen to let the dog in, Sunny reaches for the Lillian Vernon catalog on the coffee table, and, to her amazement, under the catalog is a document indicating that Connie's house is in foreclosure. Sunny wonders if she even wants this job. Will she get paid?

Connie returns and volunteers that she had another organizer in last week, "but she talked too much and really wasn't worth the rate she charged. She didn't come across as being particularly 'professional' either. I expected that she'd at least have brought some boxes with her on the first day... ."

Organize with Color!

By Barb Schmit
Associate Member, Esselte

How often have you had to sift through piles of paper to find what you were looking for? We’ve all done this not only with clients but with ourselves as well.

If you find yourself in this predicament, there are a multitude of products to help you out of it.

One of my favorite tools, which I tell my filing customers to use, is color. There are three main reasons to use colored files:

Michelle Quintana's Six Strategies to Profitability

By Deborah Kawashima
creativeOrganizer
and NAPO-LA Director of Marketing

Michelle Quintana started her organizing business, The Simple Organizer, in San Francisco in 1998. She moved to Los Angeles in 2004 and now resides in Long Beach. A member of NSGCD, Michelle often works with chronically-disorganized clients, but also works with real-estate agents to declutter homes before selling.

“When I started my organizing business, it was to be self-employed and to run my own business,” explains Quintana. “Being in business is about making money. How much money are you making? That’s the bottom line.”

Michelle shares Six Strategies to build a profitable organizing business.

1. Create a Business Plan. Define where you’re going so that you can make a plan to get there. Ask yourself: What kind of business do I want? Part-time? Full-time? How much money do I need to make every month? “Back yourself out of the parking lot and figure it out,” suggests Michelle. Ask yourself how much you need to make every day, week and month to earn the income you want? Where are you going to be ten years from now? When do you want to retire? “My goal is to retire within ten years,” explains Quintana. “In order to do that, I need to look at what I am doing right now. Every month I ask myself how I can gross another $1000 a month? What do I need to do to achieve that?”

2. Focus on the clients you want! “Turn clients away that are not a good match,” suggests Michelle. “Don’t take on a client if it’s not a good fit. It’s not fair to the client or to you.”

3. Specialize. Decide what you love to organize and focus on that. “If you love organizing closets, then become the expert closet organizer, making your website the place to go for closets,” suggests Michelle. Specializing makes it easier for people to not only think of you but also to refer you.

4. Have current clients make a commitment to you. On your first appointment, get your clients to state their commitment to getting completely organized. At the end of the first session, set up the second appointment. Explain that just doing one room isn’t going to help them with their problem. “Remember the 80/20 rule,” reminds Quintana. “80% of your business comes from 20% of your clients.”

5. Give yourself a 20% raise! “This radically changed my income level, now in the six figure range, with 20 - 25 hours a week billable time,” declared Quintana. “Raise your rate and stick to it!”

6. Have a Cancellation Policy. Your clients need to respect your time. “Bill for the time reserved,” insists Quintana. “Put your policy in red ink, have them sign it, and then enforce it!”

Being proactive is about being in control of your business. “Changes are not made without fear,” insists Quintana. “You need to get out of your comfort zone and go for it!"

NOTE: This article is one in an on-going series of interviews with Golden Circle members. It is just one of the many ways veteran members give back to NAPO- LA.

Shredded Karma

By Sara Getzkin
Hands On! Organizing Services

Situation: A client hires you and wants to purge his personal files. Problem: He has NEVER purged a piece of paper in his life!

“Document destruction” or “paper shredding” has become an important part of the professional organizer’s everyday life. Our clients have tons of confidential materials and often seem anxious when we suggest parting with them. While we convince them that every bit of paper will be properly destroyed, protecting their identity, we need to remind them that their papers can be recycled and made into “new” recycled products. Every ton of recycled paper saves 17 trees and a significant amount of energy, water, and air pollution.

Why are clients worried about identity theft? Every year, more than 10 million people in the U.S. will become victims. How do thieves do it? Dumpster diving is one way. Your personal information can easily be found in your garbage. Simple items such as a checkbook or piece of mail may contain all the information a thief needs to steal your identity. Destroying confidential but outdated documents reduces the risk. In addition, businesses (including yours) should have a destruction policy in place to protect its client base.

What if a client has too much to shred in a personal or home-office shredder? Consider a professional shredding service. While big businesses have been doing this for years and often have monthly service contracts, shredding companies haven’t forgotten about us! Save time, effort and sanity for both you and your client – call a shredder in your area and ask the following questions:

Kristine Oller Just Does It!

By Susan Culligan
Got to Get Organized
and NAPO-LA Director of Communications and Technology

Kristine Oller has never been one to sit around wishing she could do something -- she just does it! In 1999 she read an article about a “professional organizer,” thought it fit her perfectly, made up business cards, and started organizing!

Organizing was actually a side job to her acting career. Her first clients were family, friends and people from the Actor’s Network. It took several years, but she made a “crossroads” decision to organize full-time, no longer dividing herself between organizing and acting. She’s found that organizing allows her to fulfill her true potential as well as to be totally self-directed and her own boss!

Kristine joined NAPO-LA in 2002, and true to form extended herself to veterans she met and admired, always determined to give value for whatever help or advice she got. About volunteering, she calls it “networking up,” meaning that it gives you a chance to work side by side with people who are ahead of you in experience or ability. Volunteering forms great bonds of comradeship and loyalty, building the foundation for lasting relationships with fellow organizers.

Kristine talks a lot about the value of referring others with different abilities to fulfill her clients’ needs. She doesn’t hesitate to bring in other organizers who may have a special ability that is not precisely her expertise, thereby showing her clients that she has the resources to meet their needs while building strong relationships with the organizers she works with. She feels there is work enough for all, and referrals only strengthen her success while adding to the accomplishments of her colleagues. She is a true ray of sunshine in our chapter.

Congratulations, Kristine!

One In; One Out

Don't forget... when buying a new item of clothing, retire (give away/sell/throw away) a similar item. Do the same with books.

Magazine Overload?

Check with the local elementary schools, day care centers, retirement homes, hospitals, and doctors' offices to see if they would like your (or your clients') old magazines. Clients are better able to release them if they know they will be well used or will be going to a good cause.

About the TIPS Program:
NAPO-LA has instigated a TIPS Program managed by the chapter's Golden Circle members. Ann Gambrell is the chair and invites all chapter members to submit their organizing tips via email, postal mail or on index cards that will be available at the monthly chapter meetings for deposit into the “Organizing Tips” box.

TIPS are requested in two categories:

• "Tips from Pros" are organzing tips for clients/the public.
• "Tips of the Trade" are tips for organizers to use in their businesses.

When submitting TIPS, you are invited (optional) to include your name, business name and contact information. This will serve to promote you when the client/public TIPS are posted on the NAPO-LA website's home page.

Email your TIPS to gambrellann@aol.com

Golden Circle at the Beach

By Ann Gambrell
Creative-Time Plus
and Golden Circle Liason

The Los Angeles area Golden Circle convened recently at the Manhattan Beach home of Dolores Kaytes. Toni Scharff served as co-hostess. After much conversation and a great lunch, the group enjoyed a NAPO Golden Circle update lead by Ann Gambrell.

Chris McKenry, NAPO-LA chapter President, discussed upcoming chapter events and encouraged members to participate and help promote various NAPO activities.

Jean Furuya, as chair of the MET committee, led a discussion on the need for volunteers in the chapter. All of members present completed a volunteer form indicating their willingness to help bring the chapter to another level in education and outreach through member volunteer participation.

The Golden Circle Panel, which will be presented at the NAPO-LA chapter meeting in September, was formed. Beverly Clower, Marcy Melton and Diana Ryan willingly offered to participate. Donna McMillan will act as facilitator. The topic to be addressed, “If I knew then what I know now," is one sure to appeal to all members. After each panel member addresses the topic, a Q & A session will follow.

For more information on Golden Circle,
contact Ann Gambrell
Email: gambrellann@aol.com

November 9 Meeting Planned

By Jean Furuya
The Office Jeanie

If you are working consistently on an ongoing basis with chronically disorganized clients, you are invited to participate in an informal support group for members of NAPO-LA.

Our next meeting will be Thursday, November 9, 6-8:30 pm. The topic will be "Behavioral Techniques for our CD/ADD clients."

Please RSVP to Jean Furuya
Email: jean@theofficejeanie.com
Phone: 310-316-1753

More School Visits Planned

By Deborah Kawashima
creativeOrganizer
and Director of Marketing

Our first School Program Teleconference was held in August to discuss plans for the upcoming school year. Combining ideas from the two teleconferences (NAPO-LA group and NAPO-National group), we are implementing a new and improved program for organizing students and for bringing PO’s into the schools for this purpose.

The classroom presentations will now include a hands-on activity for organizing the insides of student’s desks, plus posting of a classroom chart for tracking individual progress on staying organized. A follow-up visit will take place a few months later.

PTA meetings have been added to educate parents about the classroom presentations and to show parents how we are teaching their kids to get organized in the classroom. This will give parents a better understanding of how they can help their kids at home, especially with schoolwork. Parents are given hand-outs with school and homework organizing tips. Included is an incentive coupon to hire a PO for their homes.

We are now scheduling school visits (both public and private) for mid-October through November.

Schools must commit to the full program; i.e., a PTA talk in October (before the presentation), the classroom presentation (GR 1- 5) for mid-October through early November, and a follow-up visit in January. We are encouraging PO’s to volunteer in a school in their area.

To join the NAPO-LA in the Schools Yahoo! Group, click here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/napolainschools/join

To volunteer, contact Deborah Kawashima
Email: deborah@creativeorganizer.com

MET Program Classifieds

Check out the MET Program Classifieds on the NAPO-LA website. They are an excellent opportunity for advertisers to share their knowledge and for others to investigate ways to move their businesses forward. If you would like to grow your business in 2006, check out the MET classifieds for an experienced organizer who can help you get to where you want to go! Click below for details:

Met Classifieds

Start Thinking about
"GO Month"

By Joanna Sletten
The Organized Experience
and NAPO-LA Director of Membership

“Get Organized Month,” also known simply as “GO Month,” was created by NAPO to focus not only on the benefits of getting organized but also on the tools and techniques necessary to achieve that goal.

Every year for the past five years, NAPO-LA has chosen a local charity to spend a day organizing, streamlining and bringing order to its corporate office. In past years, NAPO-LA organizers teamed up at Project Angel Food, Habitat for Humanity, Break the Cycle, and the Los Angeles Free Clinic.

In 2006, NAPO-LA chose the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) as their GO Month project. Twenty or so NAPO-LA members participated, volunteering their time and energy to organize the offices of the NCJW into a more efficient, well-organized workplace in which to better serve their clients.

We organized their supply rooms, charitable stockpiles, offices, basement and call center. The day-long event was an amazing opportunity for me and other new members to give back to the community as well as to meet and network with other NAPO-LA organizers. When we divided up into our small group assignments, it gave me a chance to work on a team with members who had considerable experience, as well as others like me who were embarking on a new career.

At the end of the day, we had a tour of the entire office to see what the other groups had done. The event was a wonderful opportunity to collaborate on organizing challenges and to be exposed to many creative approaches.

I look forward to participating next year and tackling yet another great project! Hope to see you there.

"Get Organized Month" will be held again in January 2007. To volunteer for this event, contact:
Michelle Quintana
Email: michelle@thesimpleorganizer.com