We were lucky to catch up with Tracy Bowers recently and have shared our conversation below.

Tracy, appreciate you joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

In 2014, I started my organizing company, Organize Simply, in California, occasionally taking on projects in Utah. I lived most of life in California and we raised our 5 children there. In 2018, I organized for an Instagram influencer in Utah. After she posted about me, my services gained popularity, leading to more clients there. I found myself going back and forth between California and Utah. The jobs in Utah were larger, with bigger families and storage spaces, requiring a bigger team. Around that time, my husband had an opportunity to take early retirement. We decided to take a risk: he would help with the business, and we’d move our lives to Utah to focus on organizing there. It was a big leap into the unknown, but it turned out to be a wonderful decision

Tracy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’ve always loved to organize, even as a child helping my mom who has ADHD. As a teenager, I organized for neighbors, and as a young mom, I did it for friends while cleaning their homes. In 2014, I discovered the National Association for Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO), and realized organizing could be a business. I joined NAPO, took their classes, and attended conferences. After learning from other organizers and gaining confidence, I began taking on my own projects and that’s when Organize Simply began.

I have a natural gift for organizing, something that comes instinctively to me. When I see a room full of clutter, I get excited and immediately start sorting it in my head. I ensure that everyone I hire shares this innate talent. Our business stands out because we focus on aesthetics and attention to detail.

People who follow me on Instagram often say we stand out among other organizers. We carefully select products that fit the home’s aesthetics, ensuring a consistent and harmonious flow throughout. We always use products that are not only beautiful but also incredibly functional, making it easier for our clients to maintain the systems we put in place.

Organize Simply is a professional organizing company specializing in home organization. Our services include:
* Packing for Moves: We help clients pack in an orderly manner to ensure a smooth transition.
* Unpacking & Setup: After a move, we unpack and create organized systems tailored to each home.
* Space Organization: Whether it’s a pantry, closet, or garage, we implement better systems to maximize efficiency and functionality.
* Decluttering Assistance: We guide clients through the decluttering process to create a more organized and stress-free space.

I’m incredibly proud of what I’ve accomplished—especially considering I never went to college. School was always tough for me because of my dyslexia; reading and math were a struggle. If you had told me back then that I’d start my own business and that it would be this successful, I would’ve laughed so hard. But through hard work and perseverance, I built something I’m truly proud of. Honestly, it still blows my mind sometimes! No matter what, I never give up—even when things get tough—and I’m always thinking of new ways to grow and move forward.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I hate debt—it honestly scares me. If I use a credit card, I don’t wait until the end of the month to pay it off. The second there’s money in my account, I pay it. So when I started my business, I knew I didn’t want to borrow a single penny.

All I really needed to get started was my business license and QuickBooks. My dream was to have a warehouse full of organizing products, but I knew I had to build up to that slowly. So every time I organized for a client, instead of returning the extra products we didn’t use, I kept what I could afford that week. At first, I stored everything in my house, then my garage.

After we moved to Utah, I continued building up my inventory, eventually storing it in our basement. When we sold our home, we used part of the proceeds to build a 25’ x 48’ warehouse in our yard. We did have to take out a small business loan to finish it, but we gradually filled over 50 shelves with organizing products, without owing a penny for any of it.

Now, having all the main products we use in stock makes projects so much easier. It’s truly a dream come true, and because we built it gradually, it required very little upfront investment.

Let’s move on to buying businesses – can you talk to us about your experience with business acquisitions?

Before I started Organize Simply, my husband and I bought a small franchise that I could run while my five kids were in school. It was a sports and fitness program for kindergarten and preschool-aged kids. At the time, I thought it would be a great fit, but it ended up being WAAY more work than I ever anticipated. Every day, I dreaded it—not because it wasn’t a great program, but because it wasn’t what I loved.

That said, buying the franchise was one of the best learning experiences I could’ve asked for. Since it was a franchise, I had people guiding me on how to run a business. Looking back, I don’t think I would have had the confidence to start my dream business if I hadn’t gone through that first. It was a stepping stone—one that showed me what I didn’t want to do but also gave me the skills I needed to build something I truly love.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://organizesimply.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/organizewithtracy/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/organizewithtracy/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracy-bowers-b6b58435/
• Youtube: https://bit.ly/4hN7Us6

Image Credits

Team photo was taken by Lorena Rosser
The rest of the photos I just took with my phone with permission to use them for my business