We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shannon Hermanson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shannon below.

Alright, Shannon thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Before we talk about all of your success, let’s start with a story of failure. Can you open up about a time when you’ve failed?

This is a story of failure and mistakes. It is a cautionary tale and please use it to inform yourself on what NOT to do.

I’ve been a professional organizer for over six years and started my business on my own. Early on, I was incredibly desperate for clients and I would basically do anything to get them. I had someone call me one summer, very eager to work with a professional organizer in their home. They were anxious to get started right away and were offering 2-3 days a week of work, for an undetermined amount of time. I was THRILLED to have something that seemed to be a stable gig, with plenty of work for me to do!

However, they were also incredibly manipulative and convinced me to work for half my rate (which at the time was $50/hour). My husband warned me not to take less than my rate; and that taking on this client didn’t seem like a good idea…OBVIOUSLY he ended up being 100% correct.

On my first day working with this client, I was driving to their home. I get a call from them. “I need you to stop at the gas station closest to my house and get me a diet Mountain Dew. I figure you’re on my time now and you work for me, so please stop and pick that up.” Keep in mind, at this point I am DESPERATE for work and apparently not thinking straight. I pick up the diet Mountain Dew and go to their home.

This is a good time to mention that I typically do not work with hoarders. I personally feel that since it is a psychological disorder, it would require a degree in psychology to work with them in the way that they need. This client was definitely a hoarder. Their garage was packed, front-to-back and floor-to-ceiling with stuff. Every single space in their home was jam-packed. There were pathways through stuff on the floors to get in and out of rooms. There were several rooms where you could not see the floor.

I started working with this client. On my first day there, I cleared space in a den so that you could sit on a couch, find the guinea pig’s cage, and access the desk/office area. This client “allowed” me to take a 20 minute break for my lunch, which I was required to take outside. They paid me in cash at the end of the day.

The next time I came back, I got another request to pick up diet Mountain Dew at the gas station. That day I started working on the front entry closet; pulling out coats, shoes, hats, gloves, mittens, etc. My client got a call that their kid’s ride to band camp had to bail. Guess who took their kid to band camp? That’s correct, ME. The client paid me in cash at the end of the day.

The next work session started with a gas station stop to pick up diet Mountain Dew. This day I started on the garage. The client had gotten donations from their sibling’s church for a garage sale. Their sibling had terminal cancer and they were raising money to send them on one last trip before they passed. They were going to sell all of these donations in their garage sale and use the funds for the special trip for their sibling.

As we toured the garage, they indicated how they intended to run the garage sale and how they were going to price items. Several nice, larger pieces of storage furniture were NOT going to be in the sale. Why, you might ask? Oh, those were going to go into my client’s home to be used by them.

Some items were not going to be sold in the sale, as the client would be selling them on their own and keeping the profits for themselves. The same items that came as donations from their siblings church to be sold in the garage sale, to send their sibling on one last trip before their inevitable death. I had an icky feeling and for some reason, I ignored it.

The next and last time I went to work for them, I was in the garage again. It was July and very hot and humid. In the middle of the day, my client popped in. They had a task for me! Their kid needed to be picked up from band camp and guess what?! I was the lucky winner of that job.

You may be asking yourself, “how did this saga end?” Great question, I would love to tell you! Though, fair warning, it is a bit sad. My mom got cancer! I told the client that with my mom’s cancer diagnosis, I wanted to spend as much time with her as I could. They took it very well. JUST KIDDING. They took it terribly! They wrote a scathing review on my Google business page, and wrote nasty things on my Facebook business page.

This was a very rough season in my life and I share this story with people to stop them from making the same mistakes that I made. Know your worth and do not compromise on it. Something better will come along and it will all be okay in the end. Know your own boundaries and stick to them. Put them in writing, if you need to! And never, ever, pick up a diet Mountain Dew from the corner gas station unless you want to open Pandora’s box of tasks you do not need to do for someone else!

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 got into professional organizing because I needed something that was flexible that I could do after I had my first baby. I had previously worked in ministry and had burned out of that career. I wanted something I was good at and realized that I had organized at every job I’d ever had.

I offer clients decluttering and organizational services. I work in all sorts of homes and offices, in and around the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. I work in kitchens, closets, bedrooms, kids rooms, offices, basement storage areas, bathrooms, garages, living rooms, dining rooms, and basically any sort of space that needs to be decluttered and organized.

I help clients come up with sustainable organizing solutions that are simple enough for the entire household to follow. We label whenever necessary! I offer product suggestions and even shop for clients when they feel overwhelmed by choices.

I think that my attention to detail and the fact that I ask a lot of questions about every day use of items sets me apart from others. I also ask a lot of questions about my client’s background and create a safe and non-judgmental space for them. I want them to not feel ashamed of their own space and offer a framework of how we’re going to work on it to make it the best use of space for them. I never assume anyone will be living in a pristine space where nothing ever gets messy. Humans do not exist in a vacuum and everyone is entitled to live in a way that works best for them. My job is to just make it as easy as possible to find things and put them back.

The thing I am most proud of is my relationships with my clients. It is not just a transactional experience, it’s is a relationship building experience. I work very hard to build trust and honesty with my clients! I joke around and we have fun! I’m often told that though they were nervous about their first session, my clients are so glad that they made and kept their appointment! I love when I’m told that they go back to the space that was organized and just stand their in the calmness we created! There’s no bigger compliment than that!

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

My best source of new clients for me has been my Google business page! I utilize the ads feature to show my information to potential clients and it’s been working out phenomenally. I get inquiries, phone calls, and people just booking a consultation right from my page. I try to make it as easy and slick as possible for people to connect because that’s what I like about other people’s businesses!

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think I’m pretty personable and enjoy listening to other people tell me the story of their life. Everyone has so many different interesting aspects of their lives and I think the power of a story is a big thing. I also think that people don’t often get a lot of time to tell new people details of where they grew up, what they love to do in their free time, or places they’ve lived before. I get to know my clients on a deeper level and it informs me on how best to work with them. It also creates a bond that makes them feel comfortable and confident in recommending me to their friends and family!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.simplifyandspruce.com
• Instagram: @simplifyandspruce
• Facebook: @simplifyandspruce
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-hermanson-26a97b32/

Image Credits
All images are my own property.