We were lucky to catch up with Sandi D’Arezzo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sandi, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

Something that I do different than many other organizers in the industry is that I have employees. I’m in a group with hundreds of other organizers online and the majority of them with teams use subcontractors instead of employees.

It definitely costs me more to have employees (about 20% more due to things like employee taxes and payroll software), but to me it is so worth it.

With employees I have a dedicated team that I can depend on and that are committed to Hello Simplified and our clients. Most of my organizers have been with the company for multiple years and are very happy. Since they are employees I am able to train them and we have an extensive employee handbook. We wear team shirts, have team meetings, and do team outings.

Lines can often be blurred between who should be a subcontractor vs employee in businesses, but I knew I wanted my organizers to be thoroughly trained and feel like they’re a part of a team. Since they’re employees, they’re also protected under our workman’s comp, liability insurance, and bonding. This helps our clients feel more confident and comfortable with a business in their home.

Our organizers are also compensated for any and all time spent working, such as emailing clients, team calls, and product planning. Many organizers who have subcontractors only pay them for time spent with clients. These subcontractors are often fleeting, or only work jobs for the company here and there. Hello Simplified organizers are working with clients consistently and are therefore able to connect more with clients and take on more responsibility within the business. We love our team and working together to help clients.

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

Hello Simplified is a team of professional organizers serving the Raleigh, NC and Portsmouth, NH areas. We offer home organizing and decluttering for all spaces in the home, as well as packing and unpacking for moves/relocations. I started the business back in 2017 in Portsmouth, NH. I had decluttered my whole home and loved it so much (and how it decreased my stress) that I wanted to help others get organized too. With my background in teaching and my love of learning the business-side of things, I was able to start the business and leave my full-time music teaching job within a year. Then my husband and I moved to the Raleigh, NC area in 2019 and I started my second location.
I’m most proud of the team of talented organizers I’ve built and that I’ve been able to have two babies while managing both locations. It’s been a dream to run the business and watch it grow while also having the flexibility to be home with my kids a lot.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I had to pivot in my business and career when my husband and I decided to move to North Carolina. I was teaching elementary school music at the time while doing my organizing business in New Hampshire as a side hustle. We wanted to move part-way through the following school year, so I decided (with my husband’s encouragement) to not teach the following school year and just focus on my organizing business. That was a huge leap for me and almost like an identity crisis to leave teaching, but it was the best decision I could have made! I was able to focus on organizing and build a team in NH that could continue working for me even after I moved. If I hadn’t built a team I would have just shut down the NH business when I moved to NC. But my NH business is very successful now and about half of my revenue.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I have a monthly look book/newsletter that is sent out to clients who are subscribed. This keeps us top of mind and provides clients with helpful tips and information. I also send out periodic check-ins with clients to touch base and see if they’d like any maintenance sessions or have a new space they’d like help with.

The biggest way we foster brand loyalty is by providing excellent service. Our organizers grow close with clients due to the amount of time and delicate nature of the work done together. Clients trust us in their homes and often want us to keep coming back for more spaces or for continuing maintenance. We have many cherished clients who we’ve worked with for years.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hello-simplified.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellosimplified/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hellosimplifiedorganizing/
• Other: Organizing guide= https://www.hello-simplified.com/organizing-guide.html