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

Erin, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

When we help our clients declutter and organize their homes, we haul their donated items away at no additional cost. But rather than dropping them off at Goodwill or Salvation Army (no shade, but we can do better), we donate the items to local organizations that do good in our local (Austin, TX) community. Examples include ReStore (Habitat for Humanity), Austin Creative Reuse (landfill-diverting craft thrift store), organizations supporting refugees in our local area, local women + children’s shelter, organizations supporting the unhoused, local libraries, and more. This takes extra time and sorting for us, but it is worth it. Our clients have an easier time letting go because they know their stuff gets a second life where it will make a difference.

Many professional organizers don’t haul client items at all (which means the clutter likely remains in a pile or spends weeks or months in the back of client’s car), or, if they do haul stuff, it goes to the big box thrift stores whose CEOs earn 100s of times more than their hourly employees, some of whom don’t even earn minimum wage.

People often assume that it is wasteful to let go of stuff that is still perfectly good. To this I respond with two points: 1) if the item wasn’t needed, the waste already occurred at the time of purchase or acquisition, and 2) if the item was needed and already served its purpose, then it wasn’t wasted. Keeping an item tucked away long past its point of usefulness is wasteful.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I founded Organized for Good in 2016 after leaving a corporate job that made me feel dead inside. I wanted to make a difference, and I wanted that difference to be visible and tangible. All my life I had used decluttering and organizing as a therapeutic tool to feel more calm and at ease in my space, and I realized there were lots of people who didn’t have the time or skills to do that for themselves.

Right around that time, Marie Kondo’s book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up was on all the bestsellers lists, and reading it felt like an affirmation that I had found my calling. I flew to New York to train with her, and I was among the very first class of consultants to be certified in the KonMari Method® of tidying up. I loved how she focused not just on organization methods but on letting go of excess as a prerequisite to tidying up, and the idea that joy should be a top consideration when choosing what to keep.

For the last seven years I have been helping my clients in person to clear clutter and create calm, and I’ve trained a small team of professional organizers to do the same so I can help even more people. I’ve also created an online support group with instructional videos and resources to help people all over the world let go of what is holding them back from living their best lives.

People just want to be happy, and unfortunately our culture of consumption leads us to believe our happiness lies in our next big purchase. The result is huge homes packed full of stuff, loads of stress, and more unhappiness. When clients choose to work with me, they are taking the first step toward unburdening themselves and creating more physical and mental space. I have witnessed many times over the freedom that comes with letting go without guilt, and I’ve gained greater clarity about what truly does bring us joy: our relationships, the natural world, practicing our creative power, and helping others.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Like many businesses, my service-based business was heavily affected by Covid-19, given that we work in client homes. When our services were haulted by the pandemic, I turned online and created a support group for people who wanted to take the opportunity to declutter and organize their home where they were now forced to spend much more time. I was amazed by the response. Going through your physical stuff forces you to face your emotional and psychological stuff too, and I was honored to hold space for participants to vulnerably share their experience with others in the group. I also got to see some pretty amazing transformations from this guided DIY decluttering approach!

Once the world started opening back up and people were very eager to get in-person help in their homes again, I decided I wanted to keep the online group portion of my business as an additional revenue stream and fulfilling area of my work. This allows me to extend my reach beyond our local area.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I’ve suffered my share of imposter syndrome, and I’m still recovering from it. The pressure to be perfect hits hard when you’re a professional organizer. When I meet new people and they learn what I do, their first comment is some variation of “I bet your home is perfectly organized!” While it is generally tidy, I live in a small space with my husband, our toddler, and dog.

I think people imagine an all beige and white interior with nothing on surfaces and perfectly fluffed pillows. That’s not my reality, and I’m okay with that. I can’t control others expectations, and I can choose not to project their expectation onto myself and my family. At the end of the day, we are content in our home. We have everything we need, and we know where everything is (most of the time). It doesn’t have to fit someone else’s version of perfect.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.organizedforgoodatx.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/organizedforgoodatx/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/organizedforgoodatx
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-mursch-4a246048/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeozRfwKUEyIwofVGT2GhxQ

Image Credits
Amanda Hoffman Art