Seasoned moms, co-owners of Good Riddance Professional Organizing Solutions and co-authors of Good Riddance: Showing Clutter the Door, Susan Borax and Heather Knittel, joined together over a common interest: to help others. Susan, a native of New York, has 20 years’ experience in marketing sales and management in both Fortune 500 and small start-up operations. Heather, a native of Montreal, began a career in health care, continued with property management and community relations in the broadcast industry. Both ladies work with a number of community organizations such as the National Association of Senior Move Managers.
What inspired you to start your business?
Good Riddance was founded in 2004. Both Susan and Heather had experience helping friends and family shed excess belongings. By 2004, they realized that the time was right. The organizing profession was beginning to take shape. They knew we had a unique approach to managing a struggle that people have at all different ages with clutter – one that was both light-hearted, but firm, that allowed clients to set realistic objectives that they could achieve. Being functionally organized, as opposed to perfectionism, is what they convey in their processes.
What is your company all about?
There are many people living in isolation in extremely cluttered or borderline hoarding home environments. Many are reluctant to ask for help. Some have no immediate family members to help. Good Riddance concentrates on these clients as well as well as other populations like busy, growing families or independent business people and self employed professionals who are often too time-challenged to stay on top of their clutter. They guide people through a difficult decision-making process so that their future remains clutter-free. If they are moving, the organizers “right size” them for their new residences. If they continue to live where they are, they make the premises safer and things easy to find. In addition, by helping to keep gently used goods in circulation through sale, donation and recycling, they are helping to keep our communities green. Above all, through their hilarious book, lectures and musical “Cluttermania”, Susan and Heather have demonstrated that getting organized doesn’t have to mean drudgery.
What is the vision for your company?
To continue to provide support to individuals and families to create spaces that work for them and make them feel good, by eliminating logistical problems they are unable to manage on their own.
What excites you about what you do?
There are many aspects of this job we love. Our clients often have great stuff and stories to share. There is a lot of satisfaction that comes from observing the sometimes life-altering changes our clients experience by tackling a life-long load. We also meet great people as clients and in our workshops, book-signings and musical. There is so much you can learn about human behavior based on how they relate to their possessions. Every day is fascinating. If we can get our clients to relax and realize it is just stuff, then we have accomplished a lot.
What are some examples of success?
We define success different ways for the various aspects of our business. With respect to our book, Good Riddance: Showing Clutter the Door, we were successful in getting book distribution across Canada including the chains, even though we were self-published. We have been featured guests on a number of television shows, radio and the subject of numerous articles in newspapers, magazines and the Internet. We believe our partnership is a success. We have worked together for 8 years now on both the business and creative pursuits. Our skills complement each other’s. It is great to have a sounding board with someone who is as invested in the concept as you are. Some clients are merely looking for organization help in a few areas and others require months of sustained de-cluttering. Sometimes success is clearing a space so a patient can come home to a safe environment after a prolonged stay in a hospital. Other times it is helping a mother with pre-school aged toddlers manage clothing donations from friends and neighbors. Or, it can be seeing someone park his car in the garage for the first time in over a decade.
What have been some of the challenges?
Every profession has its challenges. In our case, the physical environment can be a factor. Many of our clients’ residences suffer from neglect so one has to be prepared for the difficulties. Some clients are very resistant to making the kinds of changes they need to make to make a difference in their situation. Often they remain attached to objects that are no longer necessary and weigh them down. We have worked with families who hold wildly disparate views on issues of volume, often pointing fingers at each other and undermining the process.
