We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lindsay McLoughlin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Lindsay , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
When I first started my professional organizing business a decade ago, I thought you could be successful by just being good at what you do. In my case, organizing. I thought if I did a good job, people would refer me, and my business would organically grow. I was lucky in the beginning, my first client was a great connector but her referrals eventually thinned out and I realized I couldn’t rely on referrals alone. When I relaunched my organizing business after maternity leave and the pandemic, I attacked it differently. I invested in new branding, marketing, events and connected with local businesses that aligned with my services. I planted seeds via multiple channels and am currently watching them grow into micro-communities that are currently evolving into a strong base of connectors, not just one. Being successful is showcasing what you do to as many people as you can and building trust within your community, territory and demographic so when someone inquires about the particular service you offer, you are the one referred time and time again. With this, brings more clients and, ultimately, success.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’ve been organizing for a decade but that’s not where my professional journey began. My background is corporate marketing and events and as the years wore on, and the corporate ladder was getting harder and harder to climb, I fantasized about starting my own business, something I was good at, passionate about, but could also financially support myself and my growing family. That’s when I noticed when I hit a wall at work, I would find myself organizing the supplies closet, my desk, a co-worker’s desk. I am not sure when the aha moment was, but I remember coming across NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers) and realized I could organize for a living! I told my network that I started a side hustle – professional organizing! My first client came through a co-worker of mine, and that first client happened to be the world’s greatest connector. Slowly but surely what was a side hustle grew and allowed me to leave my corporate job (in all transparency, my husband’s job provided health insurance so that gave me extra security to take the leap!) and do professional organizing full-time.
As I transitioned to full-time organizer, I joined NAPO, met other organizers, worked for other organizers and vice-versa. My first iteration of the business was based in New York City and was purely organic. I didn’t do much marketing and just waited for referrals to come in. This worked mainly because I supplemented hours by working with other organizers. I then went on maternity leave, COVID hit and things changed. I temporarily moved to the Eastern Long Island for a year during deep pandemic, then my husband lost his NYC job and we decided to stay out east and reassess our next moves. My husband got a new job and I connected with already established organizers to pick up some much-needed hours. I started working for Professional Organizers of The Hamptons and became a partner within a month. After a couple of successful years as a partnership, the original two founders parted ways and graciously left me with the company. I decided to do a brand overhaul and relaunch as Hamptons Organizers. This time, I wasn’t going to wait for business to come organically. I put energy into rebranding, a new website, marketing, partnerships, referral programs, events and networking. Getting Hamptons Organizers’ name out there has paid off tenfold. Worrying about enough hours for myself and my team is no longer an issue as we have been steady to inundated with work for one year straight now.
As Hamptons Organizers, people think of your typical Instagram-ready organizing like sprawling kitchens and walk-in closets, but in reality we do much, much more. Yes, we do standard organizing for all areas of the house, but we also handle move management, seasonal swaps, rental prep, system implementation, downsizing, upsizing, refresh packages – basically anything that deals with stuff. We rarely say no to a job and always find a solution to any organizing dilemma. We work closely (and sometimes not if they prefer) with our clients. We assess needs early on, keep communication open and offer non-judgmental guidance through sometimes very tough situations (death in the family, divorce, hoarding). Our clients tend to harbor a lot of shame when it comes to the level of disorganization in their home, but we have seen it all and no one is as bad as they think they are. Clients have started to refer to me a their ESL (Emotional Support Lindsay) or Therapist of Things. We try our hardest to not only get people’s lives in order but make the process as easy as possible on the client and their families. We want clients to feel comfortable and safe and that’s hard when you open up your space to someone. It might take a short amount of the time, but by the end of the first session, clients are asking us to come back from another round. It’s truly addicting!
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
In the last year, I have really focused on getting Hamptons Organizers in front of as many people as possible to help grow clientele. Like a said previously, when I first started, I thought my skills would sell themselves and my business would grow organically. I just needed referrals from current clients. Now, I realize it is about fostering relationships with local business owners – whether through networking events, partnerships or referral programs to dedicating time and money to marketing avenues that put your brand in front of your target demographic. For example, we just launched 65,000 branded coffee sleeves for a local coffee chain that caters directly to our demographic while supporting a local business. Being in The Hamptons is similar to a small town and the more people you know, the more know you. I have been making connections that have been leading to other connections throughout my community, realizing that if you are a local business, your local community is your best asset when it comes to growing your business. I support my local businesses and they support me. I have conversations with everyone I meet about what we do and what they do and what we can do to potentially work together in some aspect. I always have business cards and collateral on me, ready to hand out when the connection is right. But most importantly, I also promote their business – it’s not a one-way street. So, this on top of client referrals, keeps new clients coming in. My goal is for everyone in The Hamptons to know someone who has used our services and been happy with the results – a household name so to speak.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
The residents of The Hamptons rely heavily on good reputations and proven results when hiring new vendors to solve their dilemma. I’ve learned that you have to start with a strong team whom can represent Hamptons Organizers the way you represent the company as the owner. With a strong team in place, we focus on creating relationships with each and every client by building trust, communicating efficiently, maintaining humor during difficult decision-making moments, offering non-judgmental advice, and ultimately, being a team they can rely on to help them with their organizing needs. I think if you work hard, do great work and take care of your clients above and beyond their needs, they will always come back for more or at least refer you to someone who needs your services. I believe there is a perfect mix of traditional marketing and client relations where you are seen as a source of help versus a vendor trying to just win your business. We are here to help people get their lives in order when they are ready to. We showcase our services and then step back for people to make the decision on their own.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hamptonsorganizers.com
- Instagram: @hamptonsorganizers
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/hamptonsorganizers
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/hamptons-organizers-hampton-bays
- Other: Google maps/reviews: https://maps.app.goo.gl/HtKKAWZDAYzbzNsu6
Image Credits
Linsey Kromer, Linseys Lens