Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Whitney Rice. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Whitney, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Your ability to build a team is often a key determinant of your success as a business owner and so we’d love to get a conversation going with successful entrepreneurs like yourself around what your recruiting process was like -especially early on. How did you build your team?

For the first 5 years after Simplified Austin began, I was organizing on my own. I saw other professional organizers with teams and never thought that was the route I wanted to go on, mostly because I was enjoying doing the work on my own. I questioned whether or not there were other people out there who were as passionate and detail oriented as I was and worried that I would spend more time managing my team than doing the organizing work that I loved.

Until April of 2025, I was wearing all of the hats of a solopreneur professional organizer: marketing manager, accountant, secretary, sales director, supply wrangler, donation-taker and organizer. I was making it work, but I was getting more organizing inquiries than my schedule would allow. As a business owner, it was painful to have to turn down work that I wanted to do!

Then, the stars aligned when I got an email from someone who had recently moved to Austin and was hoping they could join Simplified Austin to continue their work as a professional organizer. At that point, I felt as though I was drowning in work and this could be the life line that kept me afloat. We scheduled a phone call to learn more about each other and I was instantly relieved. She clearly had the skill set and passion of a professional organizer, so we met for coffee the following week. Owning a business alone can be quite isolating, so there was something therapeutic in meeting with her to talk about Simplified Austin and the upcoming projects I needed a hand on. When she asked how soon I would need her to start, I said, “Would tomorrow be too soon?” and she agreed!

Since then, she has become my Lead Organizer and has taken so much off of my plate. We are able to take on more new projects since we can work twice as fast and I am back to enjoying the joys of being a professional organizer and business owner. So much so, that I have hired two more organizers to help out on large projects.

While I don’t believe I would do anything differently in retrospect, keeping an open mind knowing there are people out there just as passionate and meticulous as I am might have saved me from the overwhelm much sooner.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Whitney Rice and I’m a professional organizer and owner at Simplified Austin. We are a full-service professional organizing company helping busy Austinites by creating functional, sustainable and beautifully organized spaces. We teach our clients how to minimize the clutter and create spaces they love to live in. Our process includes top-to-bottom management of the entire organization process, including the time we spend designing and presenting solutions, shopping for supplies and hauling donations. Our attention to detail and passion for organizing are what sets us apart.

I was an early-childhood teacher in Austin for over 12 years before pivoting to focus on Simplified Austin full-time in 2021. I’ve been able to apply my training as a teacher in my organizing business when working with clients (kids included) to develop sustainable organizing solutions. So many people get frustrated with the lack of organization in their homes and we are here to teach them how to conquer the clutter, once and for all.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

We wouldn’t exist without our amazing clients, so I make sure to express the gratitude we feel. I handwrite a thank you note to mail to each client after we are finished with a project. They put a great amount of trust in Simplified Austin to organize their spaces, which we take to heart with every decision we make.

While our work is designed to last, we know that life can get hectic and maintaining organizing systems can get pushed to the back burner. So, periodically, we will reach out to past clients to see if they are in need of a hand to refresh their previously organized spaces.

Honestly, we let the quality of the experience we offer and the positive impact it has on our clients’ lives speak for itself. If you do it right the first time, clients will always want to come back to you.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Word of mouth has been the main reason Simplified Austin has been so successful in the professional organizing market. We ensure our clients are beyond happy with the results we give them. They recognize how having a professionally organized home or business positively impacts their day-to-day lives and want to shout it from the rooftops!

I believe our caring and understanding approach to organizing makes our clients feel less shame around the clutter they have. They might start out feeling nervous about exposing their messy lives to someone they’ve never met before, but our non-judgmental approach and tried and true results squelch those fears. When we are finished with our work, our clients have been so elated that they want to spread the word.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.simplifiedaustin.com
• Instagram: @simplifiedaustin
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/simplifiedaustin
• Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/whitneyrice423

Image Credits

Headshot by J Renee Photography