Today we’d like to introduce you to Catherine Burke.
Hi Catherine, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My road to professional organizing was a rather winding one! As a child, I was really messy, and somewhere along the line, I learned that my Mom was a lot happier when my room was clean, so I started keeping it neat to please her; but I realized that I really enjoyed being in an organized space. My friends would tease me about it, but it made me happy, so I refused to be ashamed of it! When I was in college, I would help friends set up and organize their dorm rooms. One of them said, “You should charge money for this!” and I wish I could say that I started my business the next week, but it took me another 20 years (and two degrees) before I did.
I was working at Austin Community College Library Services, and my supervisor knew how good I was at organizing, and she asked me to reorganize some storage closets that had gotten unmanageable. After I was finished, our Head Librarian was astounded at the change and said, “You really should do this professionally!” That week, as more and more people saw those closets and said the same thing, I really started taking their statements to heart. Organizing is something that I find rewarding and enjoyable, so why shouldn’t I make it my career? So, I did a little research and formed an LLC, and went into business for myself. That was in 2016, and I’ve been organizing full-time since 2018.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Getting to the point where I began my organizing business was a little bumpy. I had office jobs that were terribly boring and unfulfilling. I went to graduate school, hoping to become a history professor, but that didn’t work out as I had hoped (I have a Master’s Degree in Medieval History; I was a dissertation shy of a PhD, but it was time to go). I ended up working at ACC Library Services soon after I moved to Austin in 2010, and it was a wonderful experience, but it couldn’t last forever. Fortunately, it provided me with people who saw the potential for my organizing skills to be used in a professional capacity and who were very encouraging and supportive of my endeavors.
When I left the Library and went full-time as an organizer, it felt like I was jumping off a diving board, hoping the water was deep enough! But I very quickly found friends who were willing to be my first clients and to refer me to others. I found the local NAPO Austin Chapter (the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals), which is filled with amazing people who are supportive and generous and like to geek out on organizing.
My biggest challenge so far has been the pandemic, which put my business in stasis for a while. Most of my clients have underlying health issues, which makes them vulnerable to the virus. I offered discounted virtual sessions, but most of my clients really need hands-on help in their homes. Fortunately, the relationships that I have built with them meant that as soon as they (and I) were vaccinated, they asked me how soon I could come back!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My style of organizing is not the “Pinterest Perfect” that is often seen in magazines and on TV. My clients are often people whose homes have passed the “tipping point,” where they just need someone to help them reel it back in and sort through the things that are overwhelming them. These people aren’t hoarders; they just have had challenges in their lives that have made it difficult for them to manage their own space, and they need someone to help. My clients are people I work with on an ongoing basis to get them back to a manageable level and help them keep their space from reaching that tipping point again.
I like to say, “I don’t show up in a pretty dress with a label maker; I show up in Doc Martens with a trash bag.”
I think the moment that I’m most proud of was my initial meeting with a new client, a young woman who collects and breeds exotic insects (including cockroaches!) and keeps a lot of different plants. Her space had gotten way past the tipping point (there was potting soil that had spilled, and some of the insects had escaped and were roaming the room) and I think she thought that I was going to take one look at her space and run the other direction. But I saw a lot of potential in her space and halfway through the consultation she said, “Can we just get started right now?” and I said, “Absolutely!” We’ve been working together ever since.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters most to me is my friends and family. Without close, strong relationships, life would be very lonely. One of the things I love about my job is that I’m my own boss, and I can structure my time in a way that allows me to spend time with my loved ones, both near and far. I’m originally from Upstate New York, and my family still lives there. I visit every chance I get, especially now that my parents are older. My mother’s health is declining, and I want to be able to spend as much quality time with them as I can.
Pricing:
- In-Person Organizing Services: $75/hr
- Virtual Organizing Services: $50/hr
Contact Info:
- Email: catherine@counter-clutter.com
- Website: www.counter-clutter.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counter_clutter/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/counterclutter
Image Credits:
Personal Photo Credit: Harris O’Malley. All other photos are my own.
