in the news
2012
February
#91 is my favorite! The Biggest Challenges Facing Solopreneurs | Business Unplugged
http://www.carolroth.com/blog/entrepreneurs-the-biggest-challenges-facing-solopreneurs/
January
New Year’s Business Resolutions! Check out #53
http://www.carolroth.com/blog/65-new-years-business-resolutions-for-2012/
2011
December
60+ Great Free Business Resources (Check out #60)
http://www.carolroth.com/blog/60-great-free-business-resources/
November
95 Tips for Increasing Productivity Within Small and Medium Businesses Check out #43!
October
Triangle Business Journal Award:
2011 Green Awards Green Entrepreneurial Honorable Mention
Healing through Organization
Premium content from Triangle Business Journal
Date: Friday, October 28, 2011, 6:00am EDT
Julie Seibert helps turn chaos into order for her clients
Healing through Organization
Location: Raleigh.
Businessdescription: Professional organizing services for residential and business.
Number of employees in the Triangle: One.
Top Triangle executive: Julie Seibert, owner.
Describe some of the organization’s chief achievements in the Green Awards category in which you were nominated?
• Started business July 2009; January 2011, awarded the National Association of Professional Organizer Los Angeles chapter Green Award for Most Eco-Friendly Organizing Service. Highest award in industry.
• First professional organizer in state of North Carolina to specialize in green for home and business.
• Created Julie’s 6 R’s of Eco-Organization: recycle (know your guidelines & do it); reuse (give your moving boxes to someone else to use); repurpose (use an empty case of wine box to store holiday ornaments); repair (can it be repaired before tossing it and buying a new one?); rethink (Do you really need to purchase something? Can you buy in bulk to reduce packaging?); and reduce (if you don’t buy it, you don’t have to organize it).
• Comprehensive green resource online directory.
• 60+ talks on getting organized while being green. All talks feature a demonstration on being creative and using everyday items you most likely already have at home to get organized.
Have sustainable efforts produced financial benefits. Can you quantify the gains or costs? Please be specific.
• I help save my clients money by suggesting donating/selling/buying used, etc. (not having to buy plastic containers; knowing what they have so they don’t make duplicate purchases, etc.); tax write-off for donations (donating clothes to Interact); selling items (someone else sees “junk” as treasure); where they can buy what they want used (N.C. State Surplus store a good example for used office furniture).
• Instead of tracking “number of bags saved from the landfill” because size of bag/item can vary, decided to concentrate on making sure stuff wasn’t going in the landfills; educating people, and reusing/repurposing items to avoid buying plastic or new containers.
How could you afford to embark on green programs in a challenging economy?
I couldn’t afford not to do it. I do not believe that personal and professional lives are separate; to not bring green principles into my business would have been a breach of personal ethics. Because I show people how being green can also save time and money, people are more open to my ideas. The reality is, at least in my business, you save time and money in the long run by being green.
How did your employees react to such sustainable efforts?
N/A. Since being the first in the state of North Carolina to specialize in being green, other organizers have added green as a specialty. Other organizers often email me for advice and resources.
My clients have acted favorably. If they were already green, they appreciated taking it to the next level. If they were not green, they were open to suggestions, especially when it would save them money and/or time. Past clients continue to ask me for green advice.
What are your plans for expanding such programs in the coming year?
I hope to expand my speaking engagements and/or workshops to more corporations, small businesses and entrepreneurs (really any groups!) as well as reach more professional organizers, teaching them ways to be green. I also hope to grow my business to increase the number of people who are organizing/de-cluttering in a sustainable way.
Triangle Business Journal Green Award Winners Announced:
http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2011/09/27/tbj-announces-2011-green-awards-winners.html
The Biggest Social Media Blunders for Businesses (Check out #48!)
http://www.carolroth.com/unsolicited-business-advice/?p=6578
July
85 Ways to Battle Business Burn Out (Check out #80!)
http://www.carolroth.com/unsolicited-business-advice/?p=5662
May
Inspirations for Starting a Business (Check out #95~!)
http://www.carolroth.com/unsolicited-business-advice/?p=5412
April
10 More Techniques to Organize Your Office Check out tip #3!
http://marketinginbloom.com/site/2011/04/29/10-more-techniques-to-organize-your-office/
March
10 money-saving ways to go green
http://money.bundle.com/article/10-money-saving-ways-to-go-green/1
Stressed? Raleigh woman’s advice: organize
Raleigh business honored in L.A.
http://www.midtownraleighnews.com/2011/03/01/6226/stressed-her-advice-organize.html
2010
December
Save on storage: Use household ‘junk’ to organize your stuff by Wynne Everrett
Getting organized takes some planning and discipline, but before you spend a small fortune on plastic tubs and other boxes manufactured and marketed just for storage, take a look around the house for items you can reuse. You can save some money and keep a few more things out of the landfill.
Jennifer Schwab, the Sierra Club’s director of sustainability, said reusing household items is even better than recycling many things because some material, including plastic, is difficult to recycle.
“It just comes down to putting a little more time into really thinking about things you have and how you can reuse them,” Schwab said.
Professional eco-organizer Julie Seibert, of Healing Through Organization in Raleigh, N.C., said finding organizing tools around your house is just a question of seeing items with a fresh set of eyes.
“Get out of the mindset of going to the container store and spending $30 or $50 on stuff made in China,” she said.
Here are Schwab and Seibert’s tips for household items that might have a second life for storage.
Wine bottle cartons are great to reuse for storing just about any kind of breakable object. They’re particularly handy for Christmas decorations. Just wrap each ornament in some paper and slide them into the snug bottle-sized compartments. These cartons are perfect for storage because they’re easily stackable.
Empty tissue boxes can find a second life dispensing a variety of things that clutter up drawers and cupboards. Restuff them with your plastic grocery bags, which you can reuse as garbage bags. Or refill the box with the small plastic bags you use for pet poop.
Used FedEx packages are sturdy and tough to recycle. But you can cut one down for use as a receptacle for magazines, cookbooks or paperwork.
Save the clear plastic zippered bags in which most blankets and sheet sets are sold. The plastic is tough to recycle, but it’s sturdy and easily reused for storing just about anything. “You can even write on the outside with a marker,” Seibert said.
Canvas shoe organizers, particular the kind that can hang on the wall or from a hook, are great for more than shoes. Use the compartments for any small item, from toys to craft supplies. Many are attractive enough to hang in the middle of a room, not just in a closet.
Clean out empty baby food jars, jam jars and other small glass containers to use for storing small items like nuts and bolts on your tool bench, buttons and notions in your sewing room or any collections of small items. Clear glass jars work best so you can see the items.
November
RALEIGH PROFESSIONAL ECO-ORGANIZER NAMED AS A FINALIST FOR 2011 LOS ANGELES ORGANIZING AWARDS
Healing through Organization, LLC nominated as ‘Most Eco-Friendly Organizing Business’
LOS ANGELES, CA (November 11, 2010) –– The National Association of Professional Organizers– Los Angeles Chapter (NAPO-LA) with Presenting Sponsor OfficeMax® (NYSE: OMX) is watching the flurry of online voting activity as it prepares to recognize the organizing and productivity industryʼs best during a memorable celebratory event on January 29, 2011. Themed Changing Lives – Touching Hearts, the sixth annual Awards will conclude National Get Organized Month, with a Gala Industry Exchange and Awards Ceremony held at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Universal City on January 29, 2011.
One of the finalists is Julie Seibert, CEO of Healing through Organization, LLC, based in Raleigh, N.C. Seibert is nominated for ‘Most Eco-Friendly Organizing Business.’
“I am thrilled to be selected as a finalist for the award. I am very passionate about being ‘green,’ and making the personal more professional,” said Seibert. “The Triangle, and in fact much of North Carolina, is not very ‘green,’ and I believe very strongly in showing people how easy it is to repurpose and properly donate or dispose of items they are prepared to just throw out in the course of getting their lives and homes reorganized.”
“NAPO-LA is taking professional organizing global,” said Dorothy Breininger, producer and star of the A & E Networkʼs Hoarders, who will make an appearance. “January 29, 2011 is a ʻmust attendʼ event for anyone interested in learning what it takes to minimize chaos in the world.”
“In my business, talks, and lunch and learns, my goal is to show people how they can be stylish, green, and organized. You don’t have to give up one to be the other,” Seibert added.
Voting is currently underway for the 2011 Los Angeles Organizing Awards, and the polls will close at 11:59 p.m. December 24, 2010. Vote for Julie directly at http://bit.ly/2011napo.
About the Organizing Awards:
The Los Angeles Organizing Awards, now in its sixth year, is presented annually to honor outstanding achievements and contributions to the organization and productivity profession, and to recognize professional organizers, organizing retailers, organizing products services & resources, charities, technology providers, authors and the media with exemplary contributions. The 2011 Celebrity Host and presenters will be announced shortly. Production support will be provided by The Dave Linden Group.
NAPO-LA continues to bring innovation to the industry this year as it prepares to honor those that stand out in the organizing industry. New for 2011 will be the Red Carpet Cocktail Reception featuring a Gala Industry Exchange. A multitude of exhibitors will feature new products, services, books, closet systems and accessories and technology and office products, all designed to showcase the benefits of better personal productivity, time saving techniques and the advantages of living in a streamlined home and office environment – just what the organizing awards are all about. Opportunities will present for attendeesʼ 15 minutes of fame on the red carpet where various media outlets will be present to capture the industryʼs best on film. Not-to-be-missed are the
July
Janice Marchok writes a column for the North Raleigh News and saw a presentation I did on Eco-Organizing. You can read Janice’s full column here:
http://www.northraleighnews.com/2010/07/28/3483/cut-down-on-clutter-but-dont-be.html
January
Getting Organized Has Never Been Easier – Announcing “Get Organized Month January 2010 – The Great Organizing Giveaway!”
Healing through Organization, LLC, is teaming up with Calahan Solutions, Inc. to make the most of Get Organized Month January 2010!
Raleigh, NC — January 24, 2010 — Many people use the start of a new year to think of ways in which they can improve their lives, and becoming more organized can help save time and money, increase productivity, enhance one’s quality of life, and reduce stress. In fact, in its most recent survey, the National Association of Professional Organizers found that 91 percent felt they could be more efficient at work if they were better organized. Overall, 71 percent indicated their quality of life would improve with more organization.
Although just about everyone seems to understand the benefits of being organized, it’s not always easy to figure out just where to start. To highlight ways in which people can become more organized in their office, with their time and in their home, professionals from around the globe will be participating in the first ever “Great Organizing Give Away”.
“There are many outstanding resources available to consumers to help them get organized, but frequently people do not know where to find them or how to start. Our solution was to get the resources available in one spot!” stated Stephanie LH Calahan, coordinator of the project and founder of Calahan Solutions, Inc. in Bloomington IL.
On January 25, 2010 seekers of organization and productivity wisdom can go to www.AskTheOrganizingExperts.com and sign up free resources such as ebooks, tip sheets, audio programs and more as well as enter into drawings for amazing prizes. Information will be categorized into three main categories: your office, your time and your home. Business professionals, parents and students will all find expert material that fits their personal productivity and organization needs.
“We decided to participate in this giveaway by providing an audio download of eco-friendly organizing tips to everyone that participates in the Great Organizing Giveaway. We want to support a fantastic start to 2010 and encourage people to be green while getting organized,” stated Julie Seibert. “So many times when people are motivated to get organized they just want to pitch everything. We want people to know they have other options.”
About Healing through Organization, LLC: (www.healingorganization.com) is the only eco-organization company serving the Triangle community. HTO works with residential and small business owners in creating systems using their natural habits to get organized. We focus on helping clients save time and money while reducing their stress and creating an inspiring and peaceful environment to help them achieve goals. For more information, call 919.559.3925 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 919.559.3925 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or visit our site.