It’s amazing how many different forms you need in order to operate a professional organizing business!

The good news is that you don’t have to create everything from scratch – or manage it all manually.

What you need will depend on how you operate your business.

Client-Facing Forms

Many documents are intended to communicate important information to your clients. This may include:

• Client action/organizing plan
• Service agreement/contract
• Invoice
• Feedback form

Any forms you’ll be using with clients must be easy to read and professional.

Forms for Internal Use

Although client information sheets, assessment forms, checklists and other documents for your own use don’t have to be as polished as those you give or send to clients, they still need to be well-designed so they’re easy for you to follow and so you’re not stumbling over your words when you’re speaking to your clients.

It’s easier to develop appropriate organizing plans for your clients when you ask standard questions, whether you do your intake and assessment over the phone or in person.

Creating Your Forms

Figuring out just what those questions should be can be a real challenge when you’re just starting out in your business and don’t really know what things are important to ask about. Writing up your first agreement can also be difficult, because until you’ve run into situations such as client cancellations, you may not think of addressing them in your contract.

Fortunately, a lot of seasoned organizers have made their expertise available to you, so you don’t have to learn by trial and error. Here are a few resources that I recommend:

• Maria Gracia’s Ultimate Guide For Professional Organizers includes a collection of fill-in forms which you can copy and use.
• If you’re handy with a word processor, you can create your own forms following the guidelines provided in Anne Blumer’s guide for professional organizers, Mastering the Business of Organizing. If you can’t find it, you may be able to track down a copy of the original version, Get Rich Organizing.
• Lisa Montanaro applied her expertise as a lawyer and a professional organizer to develop a comprehensive Client Agreement Template for Professional Organizers which you can customize to meet the needs of your business.
• Sara Pedersen offers a set of five essential client forms, including a Client Phone Intake Form, Client Service Agreement Form, Client Assessment Form, Client Action Plan Form, and Client Feedback Survey Form

Creating and Signing Agreements Electronically

Although you can print your agreement or carry a supply of blank forms in your workbag, secure online signature services are more efficient. I’ve been using Signwell for about seven years, and I love how easy it is to use.

I’ve created my own forms and uploaded them as templates, so all I need to do is log in, enter the client’s name and email address, and send it along with an email. I don’t like the default email text, but I’ve saved my own to my computer and simply copy and paste it in before sending.

Once my client has reviewed the agreement and followed the instructions provided to indicate their acceptance, a copy of the e-signed agreement is emailed to me and stored in my account for future reference. I haven’t tried it, but it can even be set to automatically save signed documents to Google Drive or Dropbox.

Signwell even provides a selection of contract and agreement templates that can serve as a good starting point. No matter where you source your template, have a lawyer review it to make sure it meets the legal requirements where you operate and covers the situations that are relevant to your business.

Other services may have different features, so make sure you choose one that meets your needs.

Invoicing and Collecting Payments

Online invoicing has the same benefits as electronic signatures, and more. If you require an up-front deposit, it’s a must.

I’ve found that Zoho Invoice is perfect for creating invoices as well as keeping track of what’s been paid and what’s outstanding. What I love most is that it ties into my preferred payment gateway, so when my clients receive their invoices, all they have to do is click to pay online. It’s  easy for them and usually leads to faster payment, which is good for me. As an added bonus, when they pay that way, my Zoho account is automatically updated to reflect the payment.

There’s even a mobile app so you can issue an invoice while you’re with your client.

Although you still have to pay transaction fees to your provider (options include Stripe, Square, and PayPal, among others), Zoho Invoice itself is free for small businesses.

Other Options

If I were starting a business today, I’d probably look for an all-in-one system such as Dubsado rather than assembling these pieces separately. In addition to forms, agreements, invoicing and payments, you can use it to organize your projects and tasks, schedule appointments, and keep track of potential and existing clients. And it’s all in one place!

There are so many options out there, so please leave a comment to let us know what tools you use and what you like or dislike about them.

Ready to Get Your Organizing Business Off the Ground?

There’s a lot to think about when you’re starting a professional organizing business. From setting your prices and finding clients to managing the paperwork, marketing your services, and staying organized yourself, it can be hard to know where to begin.

My Starting a Professional Organizing Business Resource Guide brings together articles, tools, and resources to help you get your new business off to a solid start.

Photo by Elle Hughes