The Sky’s the Limit
Professional organizing hits new heights

BY BARRY IZSAK

Editor’s Note:

Barry Izsak is in his second term as president of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), which is celebrating 20 years serving the industry. The following is an abbreviated version of Mr. Izsak’s address from NAPO’s annual conference.

Twenty years ago,

people were embarrassed and ashamed to admit they needed a professional organizer, let alone to hire one. Today, it’s commonplace and, for some, a status symbol. Professional organizing has become chic!

Two years ago when I took office, I challenged NAPO professional organizers to “blow the roof off the cottage” once and for all. They took me at my word, and, because of those efforts, I am proud to say that we did it.

“Professional organizers” are quickly becoming household words.

It’s a phenomenal time for our industry. We are moving in the right direction, and we are making great progress. We’re in the mainstream now, and the publicity we are generating seems to know no limits.

The tide is changing in this industry. I believe that we will look back at this as a pivotal time in the organizing industry. Soon, people will not be able to imagine life without professional organizers, just as we now can’t imagine life without cell phones, computers and palm pilots. The reason for this development?

Like personal trainers and weight-loss professionals, we teach people who are struggling how they can change a human condition. The work we do will become even more integral to the social and cultural fabric, as society and our lives become increasingly more complex.

The skills we provide are so universally applicable and marketable that we have unlimited employment opportunities. It used to be that a one-person business was the industry model — but no longer. The number of multi-person companies is significantly on the increase. Now you can choose not to run your own business if you prefer to work on the staff of a professional organizing company or within a strategic partnership.

As the industry continues to flourish and awareness continues to heighten, even more avenues and pathways will emerge for professional organizers. The diversity of our profession will continue to fuel our growth as even more organizing specialties are offered.

For many of us, professional organizing was a second or third career. We found ourselves dissatisfied with our jobs. Or we were laid off, we wanted to run our own business, we had been out of the workforce to raise a family and now wanted to return to work part-time or full-time. We read about NAPO somewhere — and the rest is history.

The professional organizer entering the industry today may have left corporate America and a Fortune 500 company to join us. Frequently I receive calls from college students who are working on a business plan for a professional organizing business. They plan to become a professional organizer as a first career when they graduate.

Now that we have become so much more visible as an industry, the bar automatically is raised. We cannot rest on our laurels. There is still much to be done. Unparalleled growth is great, but with it comes new challenges and added responsibility. We have a responsibility to our existing clients, our future clients and our colleagues. And as we move forward, we all share in this responsibility.

NAPO will lead the charge, not only by defining and redefining core competencies, but also by anticipating what will become cutting-edge. As technology becomes ever more integral to our lives, we need to embrace and embody it in the fabric of our business. Client needs have changed, and we need to change with them. In the past, we focused solely on physical files and paper. Many of us still do; however, today it is virtually impossible to help our clients without also organizing their electronic files.

We are at a tipping point. As professional organizers, we have a responsibility to manage and move forward with a keen understanding of the value we bring to the marketplace. It is the responsibility of each and every one of us to present our professional face to the public and the media. Our true value comes from our breadth of experience and our ability to process information for our clients and manage the process of getting them from where they are to where they want to go.

The easy part is to be a professional organizer, a person who comes in and performs a task to organize something — to make it look better and to achieve visible order. You can be pretty successful doing this. But how many of you are organizing professionals?

Here, your focus is on more than a visual result. You look at the ultimate solution you create with your client (whether increased productivity or work-life balance), which is far more significant than the steps you take or the products you use to get there.

At our annual conference, we talked a lot about professionalism and success. I suggest that you will not fully experience either until you view yourself as an organizing professional. There no longer is a roof on this industry. We’ve already blown it off.

There are no limits now, yet we are left with a hefty responsibility — to manage ourselves, manage our businesses and leverage the positive impact we can have on our industry. Only these steps will ensure that NAPO, the organizing industry and each one of us will continue to prosper.

Thank you for entrusting me with the responsibility and the honor of serving a second term as your president and leading NAPO during this most exciting time in our industry.

In addition to serving as NAPO president, Barry Izsak is the owner of Arranging It All, which has been helping corporate and residential clients nationwide get organized since 1996. He has also authored the recently published book,

Organize Your Garage In No Time, designed to provide step-by-step instructions and easy-to-follow to-do lists to organize the garage area, as well as keep it organized. The book includes budgeting tips, product recommendations, the key to having successful garage sales and more. Mr. Izsak may be reached at 512.419.7526, barry@arrangingitall.com; or visit his company’s website at www.arrangingitall.com.