Corrie Goldfingers supports clients in decluttering and reclaiming control over their homes and workspaces

What is the origin story of your business? Tell us how and why you started — what inspired you?

After practicing as a mental healthcare professional for over a decade, I felt a strong desire to shift the way I was helping people in their lives. Instead of working within the limits of a clinical setting, I chose to leave my practice and start my journey as a professional organizer. Being keenly aware of the ways in which people’s thoughts affect their motivation and behaviour, I wanted to incorporate this understanding into my education and the way I work with my clients to help them get their spaces and lives organized when they feel stuck on how to do so independently. I like to refer to myself as an anti-perfectionist organizer; an organizer who encourages people to let go of their own perfectionistic thoughts about the process and outcomes of getting organized. I also encourage them to let go of the unrealistic expectations about what it means to be organized that is spread by marketers and social media. While I don’t do therapy with my clients and am no longer a healthcare professional, I will always identify as a helping professional.

What does your business do, and who is your ideal client or customer?

One Space at a Time Professional Organizing supports people who are overwhelmed with the process of getting their home or office decluttered and organized. I provide hands-on support to my clients while setting up organizational systems and routines that match their unique needs. Throughout the process, my clients receive education about organization and mindset shifts that will help them maintain the organization over time. Whether they are looking for support with just a single room or a slow journey to declutter and organize their whole home, I am there to provide the right amount of support for their needs. As a lifespan organizer, I work with clients at all stages of life who are ready for change but want support and guidance to do so. From young adults who have yet to learn the skills of organizing that will allow them to live an organized life independently, to parents raising children who feel inundated with the chaos and clutter of parenthood, to people overwhelmed with their office that doesn’t allow them to think clearly, to those who want to enjoy their years of retirement in peace and with purpose at home.

What do you love most about running your business?

I love hearing the feedback my clients share about how the work we do together changes their lives practically and emotionally. They often mention how their overwhelm has been reduced or eliminated, even sometimes after our first session together. I love hearing how after our work together they have more time and energy to enjoy their favourite activities and hobbies, instead of feeling limited by their stuff. There are two things my clients share that are my favourite types of feedback to hear. The first is from those clients who bring me in for a small project, take the lessons I shared during our time together, and then apply them to other organizational projects in their home. They sometimes share photos of the work they accomplished themselves and I know I have made a huge impact by teaching them the skills and increasing their confidence in their own abilities. The second is feedback from clients who change their consumption behaviour because of our work together. They come to recognize the impact of their purchasing behaviour on their quality of life and begin to purchase less and love their life with less.

How can the community best support you?

There continues to be negative judgments in our culture surrounding people’s “mess”, leading some people to feel shame or embarrassment about clutter or disorganization. This prevents people from reaching out for help rather than seeking out support. I encourage people to talk openly with others about these common challenges and let others know that professional organizing is an option to help them ease their daily life. People can support me by checking out my website and social media to learn more about my services, and sharing them with people they know who may benefit from the support of a professional organizer. Remember to pass the information along without judgment or pressure.

What is the biggest lesson you've learned on your entrepreneurial journey?

Just as I encourage my clients to let go of perfectionism throughout the process of decluttering and organizing, I too have continued my recovery from perfectionism as a business owner and operator. This has been very freeing and allows me to be genuine and authentic in my interactions with my clients, as well as in how I run my business. I cannot be everything to everyone and I’ve learned that I won’t be the right organizer for every person. I try to express who I am and get my values across on my website and in my social media communications so that people can get a feel for whether we are the right fit. I am one of a large community of organizers across the country who are members of the Professional Organizers in Canada. When I am not the best fit for someone, I’m always happy to refer them to a colleague who can meet their needs.

Has your Jewish identity, values, or community experience influenced your business in any way?

I grew up within a Jewish family and community where tikkun olam was a common discussion and practice. Caring for the environment was a particularly strong value in our household, and one that I have carried with me in my personal life, as well as my professional organizing business. I incorporate environmental sustainability into my business practices as well as in the decluttering and organizing process. Additionally, while my parents typically spoke Yiddish to one another when they didn’t want my sister or I to know what they were saying, there were a handful of words that they ensured we knew the meaning of. Mensch was one of these words. The importance of being good and doing good were engrained into us and contributed to my decision to become a helping professional. I continually strive to make decisions and act in ways that would make my own parents refer to me as a mensch.