Today we’d like to introduce you to Ciara Lindley.
Ciara, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Not many kids go through childhood saying, “I want to be a home organizer when I grow up”. I was the typical teenage kid with piles of clothes and papers on the floor and a bed that was never made. Needless to say, organized, clean, or neat were not words used to describe me. Although my parents kept my three siblings and me responsible, I never appreciated nor prioritized the much-needed quietness a clutter-free space could bring to my otherwise hectic high school life. Then college hit and I did a 180.
I’m not entirely sure what changed, maybe it was the excitement of shopping for new college room decor with my mom, pride when my roommate and I won our dorm’s “Best Decorated Room” contest, or just a sense of structure and control that came with the unfamiliar lifestyle change as I took on a new role of “adulting”. From then on, throughout each stage of life -including a grad student, coach, waterfront director, and elementary teacher – there was rarely a day where my bed wasn’t made, the dishes weren’t put away, and the counters weren’t cleared.
How did I end up starting my own professional organizing business after pursuing everything else unrelated under the stars? For ten years, I served as a lifeguard, lifeguard manager, and eventually waterfront director during the summer months. Four years ago, I finally got tired of the heat and sunburns and looked for an alternative summer gig after teaching a few years. By that time, my passion for organizing was evident in the way I constantly looked for ideas and products to better organize and beautify every aspect of not just my life, but my friends and family’s as well. I came across a team organizer position open for a highly talented and reputable organizer in the Austin area, so I applied, interviewed, and got the job. The organizer had unfortunately expanded her team too quickly, so I was never actually hired for a single session. I was disappointed, but my husband and family encouraged me to pursue an organizing business on my own (because why not?), so I trusted it was God’s plan and took a leap of faith. And that’s how Sorted Spaces & Design was born!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Ironically, I am not business-minded at all, and yet here I am, with my own business, in a perpetual state of learning on the job. So my biggest (yet still expected) challenges from the beginning were how to start a business and how to build clientele while earning a positive reputation. There’s a lot that goes behind the scenes to attract people to a business such as learning how and where to advertise and market effectively, creating a user-friendly website, researching the legalities behind owning a business and hiring a team, improving the efficiency on running the backend, sourcing quality products, attaining five-star reviews on multiple platforms, and figuring out childcare for my littles. Then there’s working with the clients. Most clients are great, but I have had a few who have been verbally abusive, difficult to collect payment from, non-communicative, have had severe hoarding tendencies, and one unsafe situation where an incident occurred and I needed to file a police report. Fortunately, though, I’m blessed to have my family and friends as my support system to help me overcome any obstacles along the way.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I used to wonder why anybody would pay to have some stranger come into their home and move around all of their personal belongings when they could just Pinterest or Google ideas and do it themselves. And then I thought, well, why do I hire a plumber? Why do I pay a hairstylist to cut my hair? Because, just like any other trade, professional organizers possess a certain skill set and knowledge that may not be another individual’s forte or something they have the time for.
I’m proud of how my business has grown and amazed at how much I continue to learn and improve, both in the home and behind the scenes. The process between organizers may look slightly different, but over the years, I have learned we all bring something unique to the table. For me, I want to be able to advise on or provide what is needed to fulfill the potential of the space, which is why my session packages include all the bells and whistles under one flat rate. In-home assessments, organizing, decluttering, and redesign, product research, shopping and returns, and donation and trash drop-off are some of the main services, but I also offer a variety of home services such as personally installing wall shelving systems, building furniture, hanging decor, labeling, etc. I’ve even been asked to do yard work and install light fixtures! I hope to bring in systems to fit the lifestyle and help the functionality and aesthetics of a client’s space. But that’s only the surface. Ultimately, I strive to build relationships and provide a full-service experience where my goal is for my client to see the simplicity and beauty of organization and how it creates space for mental, physical, and spiritual freedom and freedom from stress and anxiety.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Well, I genuinely like people, and I like making people happy. I enjoy getting the opportunity to learn about a person, interact with them, and share with them, all while doing what I love. People can see my intentions, so having a friendly demeanor, positive attitude, obvious passion, and being upfront and honest from the start helps with first impressions and can quickly earn a person’s trust to continue with my services and fuel success.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sorted-spaces.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/sortedspaces_design
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/sortedspacesanddesign
