We were lucky to catch up with Sarah Giller Nelson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Sarah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of our favorite things to hear about is stories around the nicest thing someone has done for someone else – what’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?
About 15 years ago I was a new mom with a very fussy baby. Early one evening, I had to make a Whole Foods run with the baby in tow. I slowly made my way through the parking lot, one hand holding the infant carrier and the other holding empty food wrappers and other bits of trash that I collected from the floor of my car. I tossed the garbage into the trash can at the entrance to the store and walked in.
An hour later, with a full cart of groceries, I walked up to my car but could not locate my keys. I realized pretty quickly that I had probably had my keys in my hands when I tossed the wrappers in the trash. I turned the cart around, and rushed back to Customer Service, who promptly told me that the trash is compacted every 30 minutes. My car key was gone.
My husband was traveling for work so could not bring me the spare key I had at home.
My son, tired and hungry and expecting to be put to bed soon, was on the brink of a meltdown.
Exhausted from the lack of sleep I had absolutely no idea what to do next.
Then, one of the women working the Customer Service Desk ***handed me her car keys*** and told me to leave my car in the parking lot, take her car to my house to get the spare key. She even had a car seat because she had a baby the same age. It was the most amazing thing anyone has ever done for me! A complete stranger just let me take her car when I was in need. She will always be my angel.
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
As a professional organizer, I help overwhelmed people find time, clarity, a sense of accomplishment, and a place to put their keys. Since founding Less is More Organizing Services in 2010, I have shown thousands of people how less clutter, stress, and discord will lead to more time, balance, and happiness. My approach is deeply informed by my previous career as a museum curator, In fact, I have a BA in Art History from Brown University and a Master’s Degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I currently serve as the Vice-Chair of the Design Review Board of the City of Miami Beach.
My organizing expertise has led to TV, radio, and press interviews in local and national publications. I love to give talks about getting organized. Most recently, I was featured in Martha Stewart Living and Real Simple magazines, and named one of Miami’s top “closet concierges” by Modern Luxury Miami and Ocean Drive Magazine.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Longevity and great customer service has been key in building our reputation within the community.
When I founded Less is More Organizing Services in 2010 even I barely knew what a professional organizer was. This was before Marie Kondo wrote a NYT Bestseller and before The Home Edit made rainbow bookshelves and refrigerators a must-have home accessory. I developed my methodologies independently, based on years of experience working with home owners, renters, parents, retirees, and young professionals. I have organized homes and apartments of every size, cars, calendars, small businesses, and was even asked by a precocious 8 year old if I could organize her Barbie Dream Home. You become very good at what you do with that much experience under your belt.
It takes a lot more than having a passion for organizing to run a successful professional organizing business. Our clients keep coming back because they know that no matter how overwhelmed they are, my team and I will give them exactly what they crave – beauty, order, calm, and the time to enjoy it all.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
2020-21!!!! February 2020 Less is More was poised to have its best year yet. I had a fantastic team in place and the calendar was booked weeks in advance. A month later — nothing. Appointments were cancelled. No new client inquiries. My entire team was homeschooling their children. And even if someone wanted an organizing appointment, I did not feel comfortable going into their home. I was watching as a business I had spent over a decade building suddenly came grinding to a halt.
In order to survive we pivoted, and got very good at multi-tasking. While overseeing home learning for two middle schoolers, I learned how to offer virtual organizing services, and wrote a lot of blogs and newsletters. The one other employee who was still working for me dove into managing our social media while trying to teach her kindergartener. The plan was to keep our brand visibility as high as possible so that when things went back to “normal” Less is More would be at the top of the searches. We also needed something to focus on to keep ourselves sane.
This past summer proved just how resilient we could be. In late 2021, as the country opened up, home service industries experienced unprecedented demand. As we had worked towards, we were in the perfect position to take advantage of it. Whereas November 2020 I was doubtful I would have a company to go back to, by November 2021 I saw record sales of our services. What a crazy time this has been!
Contact Info:
- Website: lessismoreorganizers.com
- Instagram: @lessismoreorganizers
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LessIsMoreOrganizers/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/less-is-more-organizing-services-miami-beach-4?osq=less+is+more
Image Credits
All images copyright Less is More