Boost Your Business and Balance
Why Every Small Business needs a Professional Organizer
When you think of Professional Organizers, many times the thoughts immediately flow into pretty storage bins, aesthetically pleasing pantries, and rolled towels in color-coordinated linen closets. You may even think of attics, garages, and basements sorted into Tetris-Master-worthy blocks of totes. But have you ever thought about what a Professional Organizer can do for your small business?
The likelihood is that when you began organizing your business plan, the last person on your list of contacts was your friendly neighborhood Professional Organizer. But that just might be the first person you should contact before you sit down and turn your life-long dreams and passions into a full-time business reality.
The truth is, that Professional Organizers can be so much more than someone who can feng shui your office space. Here are the Top Reasons why your small business should invest in a Professional Organizer as part of your consulting team before, during, and after you get your business off the ground.
Boosting Efficiency
Think of the last time you were at work and had a moment of confusion- does this sound familiar?
Professional Organizers are masters in the art of outlining systems that work. Your home needs to run efficiently and effectively, minimizing the amount of time you struggle to get your everyday tasks done. This applies to your small business as well. Every successful business needs processes, procedures, and operating systems that minimize the amount of time you complete tasks and maximize creativity.
A Professional Organizer can, and will, eliminate these moments of confusion for not just you, but the entirety of your company. With proper scheduling, SOPs, processes, calendar management and other useful tools, you can say goodbye to these plagues of the modern small business immediately and forever.
But, what does this look like? Here is an example of how to implement procedures and systems to eliminate meeting time confusion:
Here is a Rhapsody Room Organization Solution:
Answering these questions and setting the procedure in place, every single time, is simple and straightforward. Successful meetings that run efficiently and smoothly are just a few procedural questions away!
Of course, as is the case with all things in life, there will be times when procedures and expectations will go by the wayside due to unforeseen circumstances. But, don’t let those moments define how you manage your meeting times. Let them simply be a reminder of why you have taken the steps necessary to ensure that these become isolated incidents and not best practices. Be flexible, when the time calls for it, but structure is important. Structure is key.
How can Professional Organizers help me with my Digital Spaces and Improving Workflow?
There are so many ways! But to name a few, let’s take a look at some of the most common issues we see in businesses, all the time! Starting with your worst enemy- your email inbox.
999+. That’s all you can see. Your coworker shared their screen in the video conference, and all you could focus on was an email tab reading: 999+.
Email inboxes were never intended to be storage spaces for assets. Everyone knows that their inbox has important documents in it, but, honestly, how far does this have to go? Once you open the document, where do you store it? What if your company, like mine, requires you to save correspondences between yourself and your clients? There are ways to handle all of this, and keep your inbox clear and ready for the next frantic client. Here are some solutions to email hazards that you can implement on your own, right now!
Pro-organizers have a knack for seeing through the confusion and picking out important details that need to be saved, stored, cataloged for future use, showing receipts, and more. I can’t even count how many times the fact that I had saved correspondences saved my reputation at work. It’s important, but you have to get it out of that inbox! But where does it go?
Email platforms like Microsoft Outlook, and GMail have some hidden gems just waiting to be explored for organizational purposes. Let’s take a look at GMail:
Using the Labels Function is a really simple and effective way to declutter your inbox. These customizable, mini folders can be used in thousands of ways. You could organize them by Client Name, Department, even Priority and the list is endless. I particularly love the Color Code function as it gives me an immediate reference point. When I open an email, I read it thoroughly, download the attachment, decide where it should live in my list of GMail Labels, and hit that Move icon and away she goes, out of my inbox and stored away nicely for future reference.
Emails should be dealt with as they come- open, read, download, file away. But what if you are in the 999+ club and the task is too overwhelming to tackle on your own? Professional Organizers can help you confidentially walk through your inbox, choose categories, and file away. Once you’re out of the 999+ Club, you can rejoin the emailing world with a fresh set of eyes and a new plan. Never to be overthrown by the wrath of an overflowing inbox ever again.
Storing Digital Assets is essential in this modern age of business. These assets could be things like logos, documents, SOPs, creative designs, branded items, etc. But, they could also be things you have created for clients! Having a procedure for storage during and after the assets are needed is important
Digital assets for your own business need to be forever stored. Assets for clients need to be stored while that client is working with you. As a leadership team, you need to discuss and set in place the procedures for storing these assets after a client has moved along. The average length of storage time is usually 30 Days for former clients. As for other digital assets, like tax documents and other legal matters, check with your state’s policy on how long these assets need to be kept for compliance. This includes receipts!
Now that you’ve decided how long you should keep your assets stored, now you must decide where you want to store them. And How? This step is the most important because how you store your digital assets can make or break your workflow. Let’s take a closer look-
Statistics show that corporate workers spend, on average, 1.8 hours a day (9.3 hours a week) looking for, and gathering, important information and materials needed to complete their tasks. (McKinsey, 2024)
Implementing information management systems, and improving document organization is the best way to combat this issue, and stop wasting your company and colleagues time
Small Businesses have so many options for digital asset storage and workflow platforms. Software like ClickUp, Asana, and DropBox are running wild through the business world, and they are all wonderful! However, these platforms for project management and asset storage only work when there is 100% buy-in from your entire team, and are set up from the beginning- correctly.
If your business is paying monthly or annually for a digital system that no one uses, or you’re working in it under the ‘promise’ that it will streamline your day-to-day operations, then what is the use? If your business has an office space, glance around the workstations of your employees or coworkers. Are there piles of notebooks, folders, binders, loose paper, sticky notes, etc still laying around? When you email your coworker, to find a document, are you doing this because you can’t find it yourself? How long does it take for your colleague to locate the document?
Professional Organizers who specialize in small business organization have a unique viewpoint when it comes to setting up and organizing digital assets. We have a deep understanding of how platforms, such as ClickUp, need to be set up to maximize day-to-day productivity, increase accountability, and how to encourage that all important buy-in to new systems for reluctant colleagues who might be stuck in the old ways, and need a little boost to get their digital ball rolling.
These systems can automate repetitive tasks, reduce bottlenecks, and even make it possible for your team members to take mental health days more regularly with less stress on the company.
Speaking of Stress ...
My last topic is probably the most important one: How can a Professional Organizer help me and my colleagues reduce stress? Before I go further, take a moment to reflect on why you are so stressed with work.
Everyone knows that work is stressful. It’s not good for you, it’s not good for your business, and it’s certainly not good for the people who love you the most. Work is important, but your health is more important.
As I was scrolling through LinkedIn one morning, I ran across a video of some very important people doing very important things- and being too ill to do them! These high-ranking officials, military superiors, politicians, and CEOs were fainting and falling, unable to walk on their own, left and right! It was shocking to read further that an undeniable truth was “Your job will be filled before your funeral is over.”
What has this world come to?
As disgusting as it may be that, yes, you’re 100% replaceable, it’s something we need to keep in mind. If you’re a business owner, wearing many hats is probably the name of your game, and taking a day off means, essentially, 2-4 positions are left unfilled. When I was working as a teacher, taking a day off, or dare I say, multiple days off, was more of a hassle than just getting up and going into work. Sometimes being away from work is more stressful than showing up! But with proper processes, procedures, and automated platforms, your mental health days could be better enjoyed knowing that the building most likely won’t catch fire while you enjoy a round of golf.
Professional organizers can help you put these processes into place so that tasks can be covered and completed without causing a tsunami of confusion barrelling through your office.
A clear and organized system helps you and your colleagues regain control of the day. These simplicities help you and your team focus on growth. When you’re not spending 9.3 hours a week searching for important information, you can spend 9.3 hours of your week focusing on creative new ways to make a bigger impact in your profession.
Are you ready to put these issues in your distant past? Are you ready to balance your work and life and start making a real change for yourself and your business? The truth is, this is only the beginning of what hiring a Professional Organizer can do for you and your team. The best part about working with a Professional Organizer is that each solution is tailored to your specific needs. No two clients are the same, and no two businesses are the same. What works for some, might not work for others, and Professional Organizers, like Rhapsody Room Organization understand that. Give us a call today and schedule your consultation.
Take the first steps to starting 2025 with a fresh set of eyes and a clear and balanced mind.
Contact Rhapsody Room
Schedule an appointment, request pricing, or simply ask us a question. Rhapsody Room Organization’s mission is to make your home a cleaner, safer, and organized environment for you and your family!