We recently connected with Stephanie Montano and have shared our conversation below.

Stephanie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I’m pretty sure I always knew I would be organizing for my whole life since I was little. But in reality, the idea came to fruition when I was sitting at my 9-5 job, bored out of my mind wondering what I was even doing there.

I was fresh out of college with a degree that I had no use for. At my desk, I sat down and asked myself: “what am I good at?” and I jotted down some of my answer’s. Then I asked myself: “what can make me money?”. I was looking for something unique, different, and out of the box so that I would have a better chance of succeeding within a niche community.

As I looked down on my paper, there it was, in almost flashing red lights: “organizing”! The idea of creating a life for myself by doing something I was naturally good at sounded crazy and I needed to know if it could be made my reality. I hopped on to Google and started to look up “professional organizers near me”. I was amazed by how many popped up and how well their businesses seemed to be going. Right then and there, I decided this is it!

I right away messaged a few organizers that had an established following and presented themselves as professional business women. Some didn’t answer, some brushed off my inquiry, but one made me feel so welcomed to the community and congratulated me for finding my passion.

I knew this would work because organizing doesn’t feel like work to me. It is fun, challenging and I’ve met so many people along the way. I just knew this would stick. From there, my mentor brought me into the world of professional organizing. From social media, the gaining clients, and to the tools I would need – she set me up for success.

Stephanie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Stephanie Montano, I’m 24 years old and within this past year I’ve created my own business as a professional organizer. Prior to this profession, I was in school for behavioral healthcare to become a licensed therapist. I’ve always loved helping people in all walks of life. During the transition of graduating from college and going out into the real world, we were in the peak of COVID-19 and I was stuck at a desk from 8 to 5 doing the opposite of what I thought I’d be doing at this point in my life.

I can recall sitting down at my desk, jotting down everything I was good at – literally everything. Whether it be cooking, drawing, listening, organizing my closet, anything really, I wrote it down. I then went back and looked at what can make me money. I opened up Google and started my research on these topics; then when I typed in “organizing”, almost with flashing red lights the idea came to me. I would start my own business as a professional organizer!

To me being an organizer means that I get to help people with a core piece of their everyday lives. When I walk into someones home, I realize that they’re opening up to a total stranger and I think of how vulnerable this may feel. Not only am I solving their problems within their clutter-filled homes, but I am helping them to notice that asking for help is 100% okay! This sometimes can form a bond that I hold close to my heart and I feel that’s exactly what sets me apart from other organizers.

Along that same line, I’d love for future and potential clients to know that I truly do care about their well being and not just how their homes look. Being a former student within the healthcare field, I know for a fact how much the space you surround yourself with can affect your mind and way of living. When I walk away from a clients home that is now clear and clutter free, I know that I’m giving them the space to now freely think and live within the comforts of their own home. This is what I’m most proud of, it’s the best feeling ever.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One lesson I had to unlearn within the field I’m in was that not everything can be perfect. You would think, as a professional organizer, things should turn out being pretty damn perfect, right? No.

Being a type A person in general, if I make a list of things I need to do, think about how I will get them done, then do it – more times than not, it comes out how I want it to. When I first started with the idea of my business though, I had no idea of where to even start. What would my first list of to-do’s be? How would I execute them? There was simply no direction and that drove me crazy.

I slowly broke down every aspect of what I believe needed to get done and I went from there. Was it perfect? Not in the slightest bit. But I came to the conclusion that just like my clients homes, things had to get messy before they looked “perfect”.

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

Within the world of organizing, we as professionals know that nothing is perfect and things don’t stay the same. With this knowledge, you can apply it to the fact that clients will possibly need your help again. This is why for me it is so important to foster great relationships with your clients from the very beginning. Starting with a welcoming and grateful approach that they’ve found you and commending their bravery is the first step. Being consistent and following through with your commitment to them is the next. By this point, you’ve cultivated a relationship with them based on trust and the fact that you actually care for them and their wellbeing.

This makes keeping in touch so much easier after you’ve completed a job. Reaching out won’t feel weird or uncomfortable. In fact many clients may feel relieved that you do reach out and may even need more work done. It’s a win win for all.

Contact Info:

• Website: serenespacesbysteph.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/serenespacesbysteph/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/serenespacesbysteph