Clutter Fairies Professional Organizers

WHAT IT IS: Organization services for home and business

OWNER: Julie Drew

ADDRESS: www.clutterfairies.com

IN OPERATION: 2 years

EMPLOYEES: Three full-time, two part-time

WHAT DOES YOUR BUSINESS DO?: We organize anything and everything. Every room inside a home or business - attics, basements, storage rooms, garages. We do an initial assessment, put together a plan of action and put the plan in motion.

HOW DID YOU GET INTO THIS BUSINESS?: I have always been organized. I did jobs for family/friends for a long time without charging. When I realized this is serious business, and how much of a demand there was, I jumped right in.

STRANGEST CLIENT/INCIDENT: What we do is really emotional; we aren't judgmental in the least, so I wouldn't say that we've had any "strange" clients. We've had some strange requests of things to organize (cars, etc.), and we've been asked to organize rooms that have snakes/rodents (as pets!) in them, but most of our clients are truly in need of our help.

WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT THE BUSINESS: First and foremost, it offers flexibility with my family. I love the instant (and sometimes not so "instant") gratification of going into a complete mess and creating order. I love educating my clients on how to maintain that order, and on products that can help them stay organized. I absolutely have passion for what I do.

WHAT YOU DON'T LIKE ABOUT THE BUSINESS: There are some people who can't be helped. Don't get me wrong, we can organize anything or anyone. Unfortunately, some people think they want help, they call us, we come in, and they just aren't ready for change.

They aren't willing to throw anything away, or let go of anything. They just want us to organize what they have and put it back in the space from which it came. I am not just going to "shuffle your belongings." I am going to purge what you have and organize what is left.

Also, there are jobs where we work within the client's budget to do a "portion" of the job, but we leave the job unfinished because of budget constraints ... that is so hard to do, there is no sense of accomplishment to me unless the entire job is complete.

We try to explain to folks, this mess didn't get this way in 20 hours, so we can't undo it in only 20 hours. All we can do is give the knowledge and tools to the client so that they can finish the job themselves, and hope they do it.

WHY YOUR BUSINESS STANDS OUT: Well, obviously, my name. People either laugh at it, or think it is really clever. But when we help them get organized, they don't really think it is funny anymore. Plus, there aren't many professional organizers; locally, we are Augusta's original professional organizing company.

ORGANIZATIONS/EVENTS INVOVLED IN: We are members of the National Association of Professional Organizers, Georgia chapter and national chapter.

BEST BUSINESS ADVICE: Be proactive. Don't sit around and wait for your phone to start ringing ... do something about it.

WHERE YOU SEE YOUR BUSINESS IN FIVE YEARS/10 YEARS: Several crews locally and, hopefully, several franchises in other areas.

MOST IMPORTANT BUSINESS PRINCIPAL: Always maintain your honesty and integrity. People can't take it away from you.

BIGGEST CHALLENGES IN THE BUSINESS: The public truly understanding the concept of all that we do. We aren't a "cleaning service;" we organize your life. What we do is truly life changing - our clients will attest to that.

ROLE MODELS/INSPIRATIONS: My role model is Peter Walsh from the show Clean Sweep. My inspirations are my children, who inspire me to stay organized and clutter free and remind me how important it is to pass those attributes down.

COMPANIES INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING IN THE BEHIND THE BUSINESS FEATURE CAN CALL BUSINESS EDITOR DAMON CLINE AT (706) 823-3486.