Outgoing Board: A Job Well Done

By John Trosko
OrganizingLA
and NAPO-LA President

May 14 marked the last day of the current term of the NAPO-LA Board of Directors. It has been my honor to serve as your President this past year.

A sincere thank you to the following members of the 2007-08 NAPO-LA Board. Their tireless efforts have contributed to the Los Angeles chapter being at the forefront of the organizing industry.

• Chris McKenry, Immediate Past-President
• Jodie Watson, Vice-President
• Josef Csongei, Treasurer
• Claire Flannery, Secretary
• Toni Scharff, Director of Administration
• Susan Culligan, Director of Communications and Technology
• Chantale Bordonaro, Director of Membership
• Dolores Kaytes, Director of Professional Development

Claire Flannery, Simplify Professional Organizing, has resigned as Editor of The Los Angeles Organizer.

Editor for more than three years, Claire has done a fantastic job building NAPO-LA's electronic newsletter into one admired by our entire industry. Barry Izsak, former President of NAPO National, praised the Los Angeles chapter's newsletter as "one of the most comprehensive, well-organized and informative chapter newsletters."

NAPO-LA thanks Claire for her outstanding work incorporating new features, adding more color and photos, and making the newsletter better than it ever was before.

Welcome to Jennifer Birner, Editor, and Beth Zeigler, Assistant Editor, who along with current Publisher Fay Wolf, will take The Los Angeles Organizer to the next level!

Reno or Bust!

By Beth Zeigler
Bneato

John Ascuaga's Nugget. I left Reno never learning how to pronounce the hotel name but I learned a lot that I can tell you about.

I didn't know what to expect. Honestly. All I knew is that I had to go. That was the mantra of my NAPO-LA President, John Trosko. Anytime I saw someone from my chapter in the months leading up to April, I was asked "Are you going? Do you have a roommate? And did I mention, are you going?" All of my non-organizing friends were like, "You're going to Reno?!!"

All joking aside, I was skeptical of Reno and the Nugget, but I always had faith that this was going to be an investment in my business - and I was not let down. Outlined below, I've included advice, things that blew me away and things I've incorporated into my own business since Conference.

Advice from past attendees:

• Sit by people you don't know at meal times to connect with other organizers
• Listen, listen, listen
• Divide up classes among roommates and compare notes afterward
• Always double-down when the dealer has six or lower showing and I have a total of 10 or 11
• Talk to the session presenters afterwards - they are excited and more than happy to share information (that is how they learned)
• Utilize the message board for special meetings and to re-connect

• Standolyn Robertson's Introduction of Peter Walsh
• Peter Walsh
• Blogger's meeting (thank you, John)
• NAPO-in-the-Schools meeting (thank you, Deborah)
• The Program Book (not only did I get the presentations of the sessions I attended - but I also have all the other sessions as well)
• Learning from my amazing roommates (thank you, Fay and Abbey - see our fun photo below)

1. The Art of the Preassessment: Phone Assessment and Intake Form
2. Navigating the Legal Landmines of an Organizing Business
3. Getting the Job Done: Effectively Managing Projects

• Currently in the process of applying for a business loan in order to grow my business. At Conference, I was drawn to other organizers who are growing their businesses in the direction of having teams and/or partners. The bigger the better is where I'm headed.
• Hiring consultants (paying experts to help me out so I don't spend hours of my time trying to figure it out for myself). Huge lesson here because I'm a huge fan of DIY (do it yourself).
• Connecting with organizers in my area to accomplish "big pictures" ideas. My conference roommates and I are starting local organizing workshops.

Spring Fling

by Ann Gambrell
Creative-Time Plus
and Golden Circle Liaison

The Los Angeles area Golden Circle members met in early April at the home of Barbara Ricketts, with Glorya Schklair serving as co-hostess.

Included in the array of topics was the upcoming NAPO conference in Reno. Everyone was looking forward to attending the Golden Circle breakfast and the private Golden Circle Q&A session with TV star, Peter Walsh.

We welcomed Claire Flannery to our midst and announced Cindy Kamm and Tamara Zook as new GC members also. It is always a special occasion to have new members join the group. Claire was so excited to "finally become a Golden Circle member" and quickly volunteered to write the GC column for the chapter newsletter. Topic: Her perspective of the Reno conference from the eyes of a new GC member.

Golden Circle members are compiling a Resource Directory of services to use with and recommend to clients. Toni Scharff will head up this project and will collect resources from members via email at toni_scharff@ earthlink.net. This is another method of uniting our members to bring the latest information to clients.

The 2008 chapter Golden Circle panel was discussed and several eagerly volunteered to participate and share their knowledge and experiences at an upcoming chapter meeting program. Date to be determined.

Mark your calendars for the next Golden Circle meeting on Saturday, July 19, hosted by Beverly Clower and Donna McMillan.

For more information on Golden Circle, contact Ann Gambrell
Email: goldencircle@napola.org

Task Force Formed to Review Results

By Chantale Bordonaro
Simplicity Source
and NAPO-LA Director of Membership

The NAPO-LA membership survey has concluded and the anonymous results are currently being reviewed. The bi-annual survey is a continuing effort to ensure that chapter meetings, events, educational opportunities and community participation will closely reflect the majority of chapter interests while broadening our agenda and enlisting greater membership involvement.

• 55% of membership responded to the survey
• Toni Scharff of Simplicity Project in Santa Monica was the lucky winner of the Dymo LabelWriter Duo. Her name was randomly drawn at the April chapter meeting from a pool of all survey respondents.
• The majority of respondents overwhelmingly agreed that they personally feel welcome at the meetings. They also appreciate that our NAPO-LA activities are on an excellent track, which contributes to their successful organizing businesses.

Karma Quickies

By Sara Getzkin,
Hands On! Organizing Services

Did you know...?

Impress your clients, family and friends with these green facts.

• In California, it is now ILLEGAL to throw away old household batteries and fluorescent light bulbs. These items, known as Universal Waste, include electronic toys, anything containing Mercury (thermometers, thermostats), TVs and computers, telephones and cell phones, and any product containing electronic parts.
  
  
• An estimated 600-800 million personal computers are sitting unused in the U.S. and that's a lot of clutter! Dell, Apple, and Hewlett-Packard run their own recycling programs, which allow customers to send outdated equipment back. Check your manufacturer's website for further details.
  
  
• Office Depot offers Tech Recycling. Buy a tech-recycling box at any Office Depot (cost is minimal), fill it with monitors, CPUs, printers, etc., and return it UNSEALED to any Office Depot. They do the rest. Go to www. officedepot.com/techrecycling for full details.
  
  
• IKEA has many recycling programs. Next time you shop, bring in your used light bulbs and batteries! Recycling bins are located in the "Returns & Exchanges" area near the exit.
  
  
• Many Whole Foods Markets have recycling bins for cell phones and ink jet cartridges and always have recycling bins for glass and plastic in their dining areas.
  
  
• 20% of the electricity consumed in the U.S. is for lighting. Replace just one regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb and 150 pounds of carbon dioxide is kept out of our air each year - plus they use 75% less energy and last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs.
  
  
• You can't donate sneakers with holes in them but you can recycle them with Nike's Reuse-a-Shoe program. Nike turns old athletic shoes into new sport surfaces (basketball courts, football fields). So far, Nike has recycled over 20 million pairs of shoes, and you can donate any brand. To learn more, go to www.let meplay.com/reuseashoe.
  
  
• Energy Star appliances can lower your electric bill and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. With an Energy Star Washing Machine, you could save about 7,000 gallons of water per year! Go to www.energystar.gov for more info.
  
  
• Replace your old washing machine with a new, high-efficiency model and you may be eligible to receive a $250 rebate from the LA-DWP. These models can save 20-30 gallons of water per load. Go to www.ladwp.com/ washer before you purchase a new machine. If LA-DWP does not provide your service, check with who does for any rebates available in your area.
  
  
• LCD (liquid crystal display) televisions consume up to one-third less energy than a comparably sized CRT (cathode ray tube) television.
  
  
• When it comes to recycling plastic in residential Big Blue Bins, items with the numbers 1 - 7 are acceptable. This includes grocery bags, clean Styrofoam, dry cleaning bags and plastic hangers.
  
  
• Whole Foods Market has eliminated plastic grocery bags in all stores and estimates that 100 million plastic bags will be kept off our planet. This can prevent over 136 pounds of CO2 emissions per year, which is equal to permanently removing 13,451 cars from the road. It can take 1,000 years for a plastic bag to breakdown in a landfill.

NOTE: "Organized Karma" is an occasional series by our recycling guru, Sara Getzkin.

Couldn't wait to get to Reno and my first national Conference as a bona fide Golden Circle member. I was most excited about learning the secret Golden Circle handshake and only slightly disappointed to learn that there wasn't one!

Checking in, I mentioned to the hotel clerk how happy I was to be in Reno. Then she burst my bubble by saying that I was actually in Sparks, Nevada! "Don't worry," she said, leaning forward confidentially, "people say that when you're in Reno you're so close to Hell you can see Sparks!"

And then there was a teeny tiny glitch at NAPO Registration - instead of a yellow "Golden Circle" ribbon to attach to my badge, the ribbon read "Gold Circle." Such a simple faux pas but for my first Conference as Golden Circle, were they trying to tell me something?

Reno was my third national Conference. I thought there might be an advantage to being Golden Circle at Conference, but except for a GC-only networking breakfast and a special GC Q&A with Peter Walsh, things were pretty much status quo. I do have to admit that when talking to other organizers at Conference my yellow ribbon made me feel proud and confirmed to me that as a five-year NAPO veteran, I have a lot to share.

At Conference, I agonized over some of the break-out sessions because I couldn't be in two places at one time. I stopped at every single product booth in the Expo Hall to check out all the new stuff. I just HAD to have one of those clear shoe boxes from Neat Containers to take back home and show clients. And like lots of us, I did have some trouble fitting all my acquired goodies into my suitcase for the return trip. Truth be told I brought home TWO shoe boxes - different sizes - and there they sit in my garage looking at me every day and waiting to find out their fate. Client, trash bin, other?

So what did I learn in Reno? I learned that I am prouder than ever of our trend-setting Los Angeles chapter. When NAPO President Standolyn Robertson teared up as she was presenting the "President's Award," I was sitting there wondering who she could possibly be talking about. And to find out it was NAPO-LA, what a "WOWie" moment for me, for us, for our chapter.

Yes, I also learned that free coffee in the hospitality suite is better than not-free coffee in the long Starbucks line. I learned that the talent show was a complete hoot, that Tom Nevermann has a thing for Ann Gambrell's hair, that the Friday night Greek-dinner-turned-Japanese is quite a production. I learned that it is never too late to learn something new, try something new, do something new.

I also learned that I am really, truly grateful for finding this profession five years ago and for finding NAPO and NAPO-LA. And I like the fact that our chapter is setting the bar ever higher for other chapters to follow. Seeing Jodie Watson, John Trosko and Chris McKenry all share in the "Shining Star" award was the icing on the cake. And being able to wear a "Gold Circle" ribbon at conference was, for me, the cherry on top!

NOTE: This column is an on-going series of articles by Golden Circle members. It is just one of the many ways veteran members give back to NAPO-LA.

For more information on Golden Circle, contact Ann Gambrell
Email: goldencircle@napola.org

Q& A with Abbey Keusch, a Volunteer Here to Stay

What is your business name?
abbey claire organizing

When did you start your business?
2006

Where do you do business?
Hollywood/Los Angeles

How did you get into organizing as a profession?
I was always organized and often helped friends and family. Then I discovered NAPO and everything changed. I decided to quit my teaching job and start my own organizing business, which I'm taking full-time in September.

How did you come to join NAPO and/or NAPO-LA?
I went to a NAPO-LA chapter meeting, talked to some organizers, bought some books on becoming an organizer, and subsequently joined both NAPO and NAPO-LA.

What has been your experience volunteering in NAPO-LA and what do you see as the benefits of volunteering?
The benefits have been many - to work with people who are so dedicated to NAPO, to their businesses, and to seeing their colleagues succeed. All this has inspired me to become more involved and to stay involved. I love being part of the NAPO-LA family. I have learned a lot - not only about organizing but also about myself, that I can be a successful business owner!

What are your main organizing interests, areas of organizing?
My main interest is residential organizing, and I recently joined the NSGCD and have started working with CD clients.

Anything else you'd like us to know about you?
Hmmm...I'm a Taurus and I LOVE chocolate.

Note: Have you volunteered yet to help out NAPO-LA in some way? Then you, too, could be voted "Volunteer of the Month" or even "Volunteer of the Year." And when you are, it will be your turn to share your story, so that all of us in NAPO-LA will get to know you just a little bit better.

To find out about volunteer opportunities, contact Abbey Keusch
Email: volunteer@napola.org

Set up a "To Shred" file or area to allow clients to tuck shredding away for a more convenient time, which will allow them to process their mail with fewer distractions.

Great Gift for Clients

Return-address stickers are a welcome gift for clients after a move to a new home. Go a step further by choosing special designs for each child. Neiman Marcus Catalog has attractive stampers, too, in designer colors.

About the TIPS Program:
NAPO-LA's TIPS Program is managed by the chapter's Golden Circle members. Ann Gambrell is the chair and invites all chapter members to submit their organizing tips via email or on index cards that will be available at the monthly chapter meetings for deposit into the "Organizing Tips" box.

TIPS are requested in two categories:

When submitting TIPS, you are invited (optional) to include your name, business name and contact information. This will serve to promote you when the client/public TIPS are posted on the NAPO-LA website's home page.

Email your TIPS to: goldencircle@napola.org

NAPO in the Schools had a great showing at Conference in Reno!

Fellow NAPO members were spotted from all over the U.S., even one member from Canada, wearing a NAPO in the Schools ribbon on their badges.

There are currently 250 Trained Providers (and counting) for the elementary program. Interest has also been shown from the NAPO international communities in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa.

At the Committee meeting, members shared experiences and gave feedback about the program thus far. Task force members Monica Gerda and Jamie Dastou from NAPO-GA introduced the newly developed Middle School Program which is expected to be launched this fall. Lynn Owen from NAPO-CO talked about the production of kits for elementary materials, which will soon be available for purchase by chapters and members.

Congratulations to the following NAPO-LA members who took the training in March and are now NAPO in the Schools Trained Providers for elementary schools: Wendy Cross, Pasadena, CA; and Jodie Watson, Sherman Oaks, CA. (Each grade level requires its own training, when available.)

Training is required of all NAPO members wanting to become NAPO in the Schools Trained Providers and is available to you as a benefit of your NAPO membership. Sign-up for the national training calls is posted on the NAPO in the Schools web pages, located in the "Members Only" section of the NAPO website. The last scheduled elementary training call for this school year was on April 29. Going forward, we hope to make the elementary training calls available as a download MP3 on-line. An announcement will be made when this option is available.

NOTE: NAPO in the Schools is a community outreach program. It brings professional organizers into the classroom for an interactive presentation with students. We hope that by planting these organizing-can-be-fun seeds in student minds, they will realize being organized really does make a difference.

For more information, contact Deborah Kawashima
Email: deborah@creativeorganizer.com
Phone: (323) 656-9665

Robin Davi of Simply Arranged was the guest speaker at the March meeting of the Hearing Loss Association of Los Angeles. Robin's subject was organizing and spring cleaning, a timely topic for the group which was gearing up for their annual garage sale fundraiser. "Speaking to an audience of hearing impaired individuals was amazing," said Robin. "All of the spoken words were translated onto a large screen so everyone could read and understand the speaker."

Donna McMillan of McMillan and Company Professional Organizing and Karen Simon of PC Tech Associates were the featured contributors in the April issue of The Honolulu Advertiser's "Homescape Magazine" in an article entitled, "Filing Your Life - Essential tips to reorganize and declutter your files". The collaboration of their expertise through Island Organizers [www.islandor ganizers.com] spotlights their professional organizing and computer consulting services. Both Donna and Karen are Past Presidents of NAPO-LA and Karen is the current President of Hawaii Association of Professional Organizers Inc (HAPO, Inc).

In April, our own Director of Membership, Chantale Bordonaro, CPO®, owner of Simplicity Source, had the pleasure of attending the monthly meeting of the Montreal chapter of POC-Professional Organizers in Canada. The topic of the meeting was "Going Green" - about the Montreal city resources for support of recycling.

Attract New Clients Using the Power of Your Words

Are you doing the same old things in marketing and getting the same results? Isn't is time to begin marketing "outside the box"?

Marketing isn't about simply putting some information about your company on your website, brochures, flyers, or direct marketing pieces and expecting terrific results. Marketing yourself effectively is about knowing how to "speak" to your target clients in a way that makes them WANT to pick up the phone and call you -- NOW!

This three-hour workshop will cover the fundamentals of writing compelling copy that will help you approach your marketing materials from your target market's perspective.

We will discuss the psychological triggers of marketing and how to get potential prospects to say "yes" to your services.

We will perform a "marketing copy check-up" -- do your current marketing materials pass? (Bring printouts of your home page or any current marketing materials you're using.)

Here are just some of the proven skills that will transform your marketing copy:

• The 12-letter word that guarantees your success and how it's NOT used to your benefit.


• How and why the power of the written word works, and how even just one word can be the difference between a successful marketing message and one that fails.


• How eight savvy "outside the box" techniques, when applied to your website (with an open mind), will explain why 90% of all service businesses ignore them.


• The four simple proven strategies that can help your business break through the dead zone.


• How to write fabulous subject lines that get your email opened and read EVERY time.


• The ten steps to surefire online marketing success that will help you forget your competition exists!


• How the Magic of False Logic, when explored, will help to explain why you may be losing 75% or more of your potential clients.


• How to reach your potential clients like never before using the BFD formula. What is BFD? Attend this training session to find out.
  Hint: If you're not using BFD in your copy, you might as well go out of business!

BONUS! As a thank-you for signing up for this copywriting interactive, I will email you a free report entitled, "99 Easy Ways to Boost Your Direct Mail Response," written by seven-figure copywriter Dean Riech. These tips will help you with ALL of your copywriting efforts and any direct mail pieces you plan on sending in the future.

So why am I calling this an interactive training session?

I want everyone attending this seminar to bring sample pages from their website and other marketing materials. After learning these copywriting techniques, you will critique each others' "problem pages" and immediately apply what you've learned. Are you up for the challenge?

Michelle Quintana of BulldogCreativeCopywriting.com spent 11 years as a NAPO member and full-time organizer. She has now traded the clutter for the keyboard. Michelle decided to take what she learned building a six-figure organizing business and turn that passion into a full-time career as a professional freelance copywriter.

If you are working consistently and on an ongoing basis with chronically disorganized clients, you are invited to participate in an informal support group.

Our topic of discussion will be on CD clients and email issues. We are also continuing to work on "Resources: How can we help indigent hoarders?"

Please bring resources to share or email to Millie Hinkle at millie@organizedestate.com.

Time will also be spent sharing our individual issues.

The date of this meeting is Tuesday, July 15, from 6 to 8:30 pm. Limited to 12 attendees.

A simple pot luck is planned.

To RSVP or for more information, contact Jean Furuya
Email: jean@theofficejeanie.com
Phone: (310) 316-1753

Are you ready to create a successful organizing business? Do you want to learn how to:

• apply proven business techniques and practices?
• find your niche and the clients who need you?
• avoid the frustration and stress of common mistakes?
• become an expert in this rapidly growing industry?

The Educational Development Committee (formerly the Mentoring, Education and Training Committee) provides a Directory of NAPO-LA organizing consultants available to provide guidance, advice and support to potential, new and existing professional organizers. Contact consultants directly for information and fees. Click on the link below to be connected to the Directory.

Email the Educational Development Committee at education@napola.org with questions.

Gift Certificates Exp. June 1

At the 2008 Los Angeles Organizing Awards, attendees received a gift bag with a $40 gift certificate from 1-800-Flowers. June 1, the expiration date for those certificates, is fast approaching.

To redeem the certificate, simply enter in the code at check out (additional redemption directions are available on the back of the certificate).

NAPO-LA appreciates the support of 1-800-Flowers.