On the Job

After proofreading textbooks for eight years, Roxy Hambleton decided to do something she truly loves for a living. She became a Certified Professional Organizer through the National Association of Professional Organizers. Hambleton started her own company in Fort Myers, Positively Organized, and has been clearing the clutter from businesses and residences for about seven years.

Who are your clients?
I’ve dealt with members of the clergy, real estate brokers, artists, doctors, small business owners, etc. I’ve been very surprised, strangely surprised, at the [clients’] embarrassment because they see [their disorganization] as a flaw in their character. I wear a uniform and I have [my business name] on my car and people say, "Can you not drive that car? Can you not tell a soul?"

How much do you charge?
I charge by half-day or full-day. It’s $500 for a half-day and $1,000 for a full, eight-hour day. They always say, "It’s the best money I ever spent."

What does a client get for $1,000?
A full-day fee includes a one-hour consultation, a self analysis, an eight-hour day [of organizing] and another phone consultation coaching session. We set goals within their comfort zones.

What was your biggest organizing project?
For one company, it was 10 days of just going through papers—papers back to the ’80s. The owners were big on "I might need it someday."

How do you market your business?
I send out targeted mailings. I’m a member of the [Greater Fort Myers] Chamber of Commerce and my name gets around. I always ask them how they heard about me; referrals are my number-one answer.

What is some good advice you can give businesses about organizing?
Your office is considered prime real estate. Within arm’s reach should be only active files that you’re working on that you use on a daily, or at least weekly, basis. Something that you only reference maybe once a year could be further away from you, so you don’t feel cluttered. Taxes from 2004? That should be archival.