We were lucky to catch up with Amina Grady recently and have shared our conversation below.

Amina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s something crazy on unexpected that’s happened to you or your business

Sometimes I go into homes that are quite orderly and sometimes I go into homes that are covered wall to wall and floor to ceiling. One client’s home I went to was masked in layers and layers of stacked clothes. When I walked in I could not see the floor anywhere. The foyer, bedroom, living room, kitchen, and bathroom were all covered with piles of miscellaneous items. The first step was gathering all of the clothes–we ended up getting 300lbs of clothes laundered. There were at least 200 pairs of socks alone. After the clothes were washed, the client felt comfortable sifting through everything and started to throw lots of items in the “donate” or “trash” pile. I ended up seeing this client on a regular basis, and they were a delight. I saw all kinds of memorabilia that they were grappling with getting rid of, but they ultimately were able to downsize much more than they expected. My favorite item they showed me was Superman’s belt from ‘Superman The Movie,’ signed by Christopher Reeves. I don’t always get stories about the various sentimental objects in people’s homes, but in this case it was a regular occurrence and I loved learning about the backstory of their favorite signed pieces. I am fascinated by how every person’s home gives insight into who they are. I love hearing stories about people’s favorite book, art piece, chair, glass, or object in their homes.

Amina, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I started home organizing because I am also an executive functioning coach, which revolves around helping people organize their academic and professional lives. The more I coached people in executive functioning skills the more I realized how much people’s physical environments can impact their mental state. I became interested in home organizing and started working for a local home organizing business. More recently, I started my own business, Carried Away, and through my business, I declutter people’s homes, reorganize cherished possessions, remove and donate unwanted items, and source storage containers and other home goods and furniture when appropriate.

I always knew that I loved organizing for family and friends, and as someone with ADHD I have found that organizing a physical environment can drastically improve my ability to complete tasks and be productive in my day-to-day life. I have seen my work benefit people in many ways. I think what sets me apart from other people is that I have a lot of experience working with people with anxiety, depression, ADHD, and ASD. Oftentimes, I have seen neurodivergent people have the most difficulty sustaining an organized living space. So, I have found my knowledge as an EF coach to greatly inform my home organizing skills even though most of my clients are not neurodivergent. I am also very empathetic, so when I help someone organize I am willing to listen and understand the significance and weight of the items people surround themselves with.

I feel most proud when I’m able to problem-solve a space for a client. Especially in New York, people of all backgrounds have very small spaces to work with and small places to live in, and I enjoy finding ways to maximize every square foot of an apartment. I enjoy relieving the stress people have from holding onto things and being able to offer solutions for items they feel the need to hold onto.

As well as a home organizer, I am also a move manager and help with estates. Move managing means I help people by planning and organizing moves. I am the correspondent between the client and other vendors when renovations and moves happen. I help ensure that all items move safely and end up in the right place. Estate organizing is similar to home organizing and move management, but it more often involves coordinating appraisers, communicating with consignment businesses, and paper documenting to make sure that every item is accounted for.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source of new clients has been word of mouth. I am lucky enough to work with so many wonderful people that I can rely a lot on people referring my business to their families, friends, and colleagues. I use Thumbtack, which is a great resource for connecting to new clients. I also have a website, www.carriedawayorganizing.com, where people can read more about Carried Away. I offer free phone consultations to potential clients so I can better understand what they are looking for and give them an accurate quote.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Yes! I love books, podcasts, Youtube videos, and tv shows. In terms of building a business, I love the podcasts “How I Built This” and “The Tim Ferriss Show.” They are always full of motivating talkbacks that encourage me to think differently and inspire me to try new approaches to life and business-building. Some of my favorite books on home organizing are the Marie Kondo books, Home Edit books, “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning,” and “The Interior Design Handbook.” I find that understanding interior design can be just as informative as home organizing because it looks at organizing from a different perspective, but still pays a lot of attention to aesthetics and focuses on smart spacial arranging.

Growing up, creating a business always felt so out of reach. It never felt very attainable, especially since I come from a family that mostly works full-time 9-5 jobs. However, I have always been one to thrive on the unexpected and unknown. I get a thrill from creating, designing, and managing my own business. Forming relationships with clients and building my business gives me purpose and seeing people lighten up when their spaces are transformed motivates me to grow my business even more.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.carriedawayorganizing.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/carriedawayorganizing
• Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/company/carried-away-home-organizing

Image Credits
Amina Theis & Dylan Gantz