Another Organized Closet, Again?
Click on the image to open
Click on the image to open
Click on the image to open
Click on the image to open

We’ve heard it all before. The seasons are changing, and it’s time to take inventory of your closet. Sort your clothing, junk the clutter, donate that which has had its’ day. As a professional closet organizer, you hear these words in your sleep. By now, (thankfully) so has the general population. So how does one professional organizer differentiate themselves from another? There is a magic bullet, it’s called creativity. Don’t just organize, stylize.

Yes, I am a mature closet professional and I’ve seen the changes closets have gone through over the years. When I first began in this budding industry some twenty odd years ago, almost everyone I knew or spoke to had a closet about 4 feet wide with that dreaded wooden pole perched at that useless height. That was then. We’ve done a good job putting this industry on the map. In those days, the “ah-ha” customer moment was when that dreaded pole shifted from 68” to 80”. Voila! Double hanging! Today our customers want to be wowed with brilliant finishes, sleek accessories and gadgets of every kind. Closets are selling points of homes, organization is out of the closet. 

One key element to success that is tried and true is creativity. Although there are many elements to success, creativity is key. Without creativity, there is nothing new to manufacture, nothing new to sell. Staying power wanes when the next business opens down the block, attaches themselves to the concept, undercuts price and flattens the market . This is true down the line, from manufacturers, to wholesalers, and the result is the same old closet as the Jones’ closet next door. What separates the better from the best is your creativity. Luckily, when it comes to style, there is little that is taboo, and isn’t that what closets are now all about? It is no longer enough to own an organized closet, that’s expected by a consumer of an incoming professional. Customers are looking to be stylized, even if they don’t know it yet.

Business owners, that’s where your designers come in. They are the creative voice of your business, let them sing your praises. They are one of your company’s precious resources, and their creativity is self renewable. Designers are like sponges, constantly soaking in ideas on and off the clock. Nurture them, arm them with complete product offering, availability and knowledge and let them do what they do best, create beauty and style from controlled chaos.

It always surprises me how many designers I meet that are not truly aware of all the products that are available from suppliers. I think at this point in time, full disclosure is a given. Even a truly gifted designer cannot re-create the wheel. Make a point to fuel designers’ minds with product knowledge and all the facets of each product. They need all these options to really soar. They don’t look at the wheel the way business owners do. That’s why most business owners manage and designers create. To a designer brain, one and one equals three (not a useful concept for a bookkeeper). Designers, do not be shy to create new applications from the products available. Think outside the box, literally! Don’t be afraid to be bold and unique. Remember the days when people said, “You design what for a living”? By the way, in the interest of full disclosure, I have tremendous respect for my bookkeeper!

Have something to say? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.