Today we’d like to introduce you to Carrie Peeples.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am an Atlanta area native; I was born in Decatur and grew up in Gainesville. Although I got my degree from the University of Georgia in Drawing and Painting, I had a career in software training, development, and sales for 15 years. My sweet spot was making complicated processes easier for people and teaching them how to use these systems.
Organizing was something I always loved doing for friends and family but it wasn’t until the company I was working for was bought in 2012 did I decide to pursue it full time. I was creating virtual organization systems for people in the corporate world so creating physical organization systems in peoples’ homes wasn’t a huge difference. Now I get to add my artistic eye to the process and create a personalized system that’s not only functional but also beautiful.
Has it been a smooth road?
I think anyone that leaves the relative safety of a steady job to pursue their own business dream struggles with the uncertainty of their future. As a solo-preneur you wear every hat, including IT, sales, HR, marketing, janitor, and actually doing the work. It’s very easy to get distracted with the business of running a business and yet you still need to do the work. There is no 5:00 quitting time. There is no bi-weekly paycheck coming in unless you’ve done the work. You don’t get to blame anyone else if things go wrong but you do get all of the credit when things go well.
There are no set steps to take for success and it’s not guaranteed. You’re making it up along the way. You strategize and plan and work towards goals but it’s really done blindly. You just have to keep trying new ways to grow your business and see what works. Tenacity is essential.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Neatsmart story. Tell us more about the business.
Neatsmart is a professional organizing company that specializes in creating beautifully organized homes for people who are too busy to do it themselves. My mission is for my clients to feel like they are calm, stress-free, and happy in their homes again.
We all have so much more “stuff” to deal with today than we did even 20 years ago. We now have larger homes, more clothes, papers, work, friends, events, and media to consume and it’s very overwhelming. Throw in a marriage and kids and people feel like they are drowning in their own homes.
I come in a create a system for them to manage anything in their home that is overwhelming to them be it the pantry, kitchen, home office, closet, or even mail and other paperwork. I give people permission to let go of what isn’t serving them and help them find someone who needs those resources. I can design a solution that is customized to their needs and budget that is easy for them to maintain going forward. I give them the mental tools as well as help keep themselves organized and uncluttered. It’s a system that works in their home that is visually pleasing and of highly functional: practical & beautiful!
What I love best is when I can see clients’ faces become brighter and their shoulders lifted because they see the order in their homes. It’s like they just had the biggest burden taken away from them and they are happy again. I love being a part of that process for them and helping them love being home.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
What surprised me about the Professional Organizing industry when I entered it 6 years ago was how many specialties exist. There are people that specialize in downsizing empty nesters, financial paperwork, optimizing kids’ study areas, business organizing, time management, etc.
I predict there will be a greater need for organizers to assist with the aging population and downsizing plus more digital organizing. We all have cameras on our phones and take pictures without a second thought. How do you organize those images?
Also, our digital footprint is growing so there will be a need to have a plan in place for what happens to your social media accounts, online banking, and shopping accounts when we pass on. There is a whole movement towards getting ready for death, hence the book “Swedish Death Cleaning.” Again, we have so much more stuff, both physical and virtual, to manage that we need help to manage it all.
Pricing:
- I have packages of hours based on the size and scope of a project ranging from a DIY plan ($175) to 20 hours of onsite organizing for $1300 for 1 person. Custom project solutions are also available.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://neatsmart.com
- Email: carrie@neatsmart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neatsmart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neatsmartcmp/
Image Credit:
Tara Carter Photography http://taracarterphotography.com; Marie McCleskey http://mariemccleskey.com
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