Meet Monica Ricci of Catalyst Organizing in Smyrna

Today we’d like to introduce you to Monica Ricci.

Monica, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
In 1996, I was five years out of a divorce, living in the suburbs of Philadelphia and feeling stagnant and sick to death of long cold winters. I sold my tiny vending business, donated most of my possessions and moved to Atlanta. Being new in town, I jumped into the hospitality business for its flexible hours and to earn some income while I figured out what was next for me. About 18 months later, my then boyfriend (now husband) and I were brainstorming about what business I should start and in which direction to go.

On a yellow legal pad, I made two lists. Down the left side of the paper, I listed my natural God-given talents. Down the right side of the paper I listed my skills.

I thought about the things that came naturally to me, and that I enjoyed, to see if it might spark an idea about a new business. I had always been pretty unattached to physical things, and in every work role I had ever taken on, I always looked for ways to streamline, make the job easier and improve the entire process. I was detail-oriented, quite analytical and a natural problem-solver.

In hindsight, it should have been obvious that the organizing and productivity industry was calling my name. But at that time, the industry was barely an industry with a name, let alone a huge presence across the country. Instead of thinking, “I’ll be a Professional Organizer” my brain spit out, “I wonder if people would pay me to help them get rid of their stuff?” I really thought it was ridiculous, but it wouldn’t go away.

I didn’t know where to begin because I thought I had invented a new business! I’d love to say that I crafted a business plan, set up an LLC, got a business license, and met with the big brains at the Atlanta SCORE to create a detailed marketing plan and investigate options for funding my new adventure.

I’d love to say that, but I can’t.

Instead, I just started doing my own market research by asking people, “Would you let someone come to your home and organize your kitchen cabinets?” To my utter shock, everyone said “YES PLEASE!”

Fueled with the knowledge that people actually do need organizing services, my very first client was some friends who lived in Charlotte, North Carolina at the time. I drove four hours, organized their kitchen cabinets, and came home ready to roll. After that, I organized the kitchen of co-worker at the restaurant where I worked at the time. With two successful projects under my belt, I placed an ad in the newsletter of a nearby high-end subdivision in Roswell and got my first “official” client — which means she wasn’t someone I knew.

That was summer of 1998 and for the next four years, I waited tables at night and took organizing clients during the day. I discovered the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO.net) and jumped in with both feet. I also joined a networking group called Powercore, where I learned a ton about building business relationships and through that group, I met many people in the business community that I still know today.

I was a member of Powercore for five years, and through that experience, I realized that the concepts we use in residential organizing can be applied to the business world. Sure, the environment is different and the things you’re working with are different, but the philosophies, problem-solving, situation analysis and processes improvement steps are the same. That’s when I started working with small business owners to help them streamline and improve their personal productivity and their business processes.

Around the same time, I discovered that I loved public speaking, so I began taking what I knew about organizing and productivity and packaging it up into short talks that I’d do for free to pretty much anyone who would have me. Kiwanis? Sure! Rotary? Heck yeah! Mothers of Preschoolers? Bring it!

I used public speaking as a marketing tool for my business and the more speaking I did, the more I wanted to do and the more confident I became. Pretty soon I was being paid to speak, which remains one of my income streams today. Then HGTV called me about doing some episodes of their show, MISSION: Organization. The same year, I was approached by a publisher to write a book, which I did (Organize Your Office in No Time). I began writing a blog about home and office organization, PR firms and corporations hired me to represent their products and services on television and things were humming right along.

I was designing and organizing closets, doing office and home organizing and at the same time, adding new service offerings spurred by client needs. Services such as move-in and unpacking, digital photo organizing, and teaching clients how to better use their technology devices were now listed on my website. I was still speaking, writing and serving clients by myself. Burned out and stretched thin, I knew I could no longer rely on just myself. I needed a team, and now I have a great one.

It’s 2017 and I’m coming up on 19 years in business. Of course, our industry is 19 years older and more evolved as well. In 2007, we rolled out an industry certification called Certified Professional Organizer® and today I, along with nearly 400 other people hold that designation. Today, the bulk of my work is paid writing, speaking, training and media, along with home and office consulting with clients. However, when I consult with my clients to put a project plan together, instead of doing the organizing myself, I create the strategy and then my team executes the plan. This team approach makes it possible for us to impact more people in a positive way.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
As any business owner will tell you, sometimes things are smooth and other times difficult. In the beginning, just getting people to understand what I did was a challenge.

When I said I was a “Professional Organizer” people often thought I planned parties and events, or that I was some sort of labor union person. Our industry was very young twenty years ago so the term “Professional Organizer” wasn’t even in the vernacular.

Being self-employed can also be a challenge in that you’re always 100% responsible for your income. There’s no paycheck. No paid vacations, no paid benefits and no sick days. However, I wouldn’t trade the autonomy of self-employment for any of those things. I will take the “cons” of self-employment any day of the week, because to me, having complete freedom to run my business the way I see fit is worth more than any job benefit.

Another challenging time was when I lost my mom to cancer in 2004, right at the same time I was beginning to work with HGTV. I spent the entire year immersing myself in doing television and taking clients while grieving the loss of my mother. Looking back on it now, that whole year was something of a blur.

In 2008 the economic downturn hit our industry hard and the next few years were pretty lean ones. I was fortunate in that I was married, so I wasn’t the sole income earner. However many of my colleagues left our profession during those years to go back to work at regular jobs because the economy just wasn’t sustaining their businesses then.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Catalyst Organizing, LLC – what should we know?
In a nutshell, we help people live better lives that are simpler, less cluttered, more clear, and ultimately happier and more productive. Whether it’s closet design, organizing a kitchen, streamlining a business process, or if I’m on stage doing a keynote about learning to say NO, everything we do is in the service of someone’s happiness and quality of life. We help create clarity by identifying and removing roadblocks so people can live their best, most authentic life and build businesses that make a difference.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My husband has always been a great supporter of mine, even in the beginning when I had no clue what I was doing. All my NAPO colleagues over the years have been a source of support for me, especially Judith Kolberg who is a local Atlanta organizer and author, and many others around the country with whom I have a special bond. Technology allows the entire community of NAPO members to interact on a daily basis and we call on each other frequently for advice and ideas. Our industry has a tremendous culture of collaboration and support, which has helped me learn, grow and step out of my comfort zone.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.CatalystOrganizing.com
• Phone: 770-569-2642
• Email: monica@catalystorganizing.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/MonicaRicciSpeaker
• Twitter: @MonicaRicci
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/catalyst-organizing-mableton
• Other: www.MonicaRicci.net

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