Interview with Professional Organizer Pamela Wong
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My latest organizer interview features Pamela Wong of Zen N Organized, who specializes in home office and small office organizing in Oakville, Burlington, Mississauga, Toronto and surrounding areas. She also offers whole home decluttering and organizing and preparing homes for sale.
Pam and I first met in 2016, when I spoke to the Halton-Peel Chapter of Professional Organizers of Canada about social media. I’ve had the honor of managing her website for many years since then.
Hi, Pam! Thank you for being here. My readers would love to know how you approach a new organizing project!
I approach every new project with an open mind. Every client is different but each one contacted me because of an obstacle that they’d like to overcome. Through my conversation with them and an assessment, I learn and understand the specific challenge(s) that they are facing, what their needs and wants are, and find appropriate solutions for their needs.
Coincidentally, the last organizer I interviewed also had “Zen” in her business name. How did you come up with YOUR business name?
I wanted a business name that encompasses both the east, where I was born and the west, where I live now and how my clients would feel after the space is decluttered and organized. The word zen has Asian roots and it conveys the feeling of calmness, which is exactly what I wanted.
What’s the biggest challenge you currently face in your business?
I’m currently working on a few large projects and am dedicating majority of my hours to these projects. As a result, I am falling behind on my non-billable work, e.g. administration and bookkeeping.
What’s the most surprising thing you’ve discovered about running an organizing business?
I never thought I would need to strive for a work-life balance, but owning a business is a 24/7 job. It never stops! There are so many aspects with a business, and I find myself always working on something.
What’s your favorite organizing product?
My favourite organizing product is one that fits my client’s specific challenges. It may be a portable accordion file, a stackable tray or a wall mount filing system.
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
I like to spend time with my friends and family and to travel.
What’s the most interesting place you’ve visited?
Oh, so many places. One of my favourites was Rome, not just because of the history, the culture and the food, but our tour guide in Rome was my friend’s uncle who happened to be a Vatican priest!
What else should we know about you?
I have been in business for over 10 years now and as a Gold Leaf Member of the Professional Organizers in Canada, I continue to find new things to learn.
How did you become a Gold Leaf Member of POC?
I’ve been a member in good standing and have had my business for over 10 years.
I’ve also accumulated over 100 volunteer points as a member of the Ethics Committee of the POC National Board and as a past Chair, Vice Chair and Treasurer of the POC Halton-Peel Chapter.
Pam, thank you very much for telling us about your organizing business!
Want to be featured in an upcoming Organizer Interview on Your Organizing Business?
It’s a great opportunity to showcase your business, share what you’ve learned, and help others in the organizing community.
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Wonderful interview with Pam. I’m not sure we’ve ever met, so I enjoyed learning about her here. The new website is beautiful, and definitely seems a reflection of her approach. Well done, team!
Thank you, Seana! Pam is a delightful blend of professional and fun, and I was happy to help her convey that.
It’s always fun learning about our colleagues. I enjoyed learning about Pamela and all that she’s accomplished. Her comment about finding a work/life balance when running your own business resonated with me. It took me time to figure that out. But ultimately, having my own business has allowed me to design my life in a way that works.
The website redesign is beautiful. I love the deep blueish-gray colors!
Pam is a great inspiration!
One thing I’ve learned is that when you have a business, there is ALWAYS something to do. When I start to feel overwhelmed, I ask myself:
Does this need to be done?
Does it need to be done now?
Does it need to be done by me?
If all three answers are Yes, it goes to the top of my priority list. Everything else is lower on the list, delegated to someone else, put on the back burner, or discarded altogether.
Love this, Janet!
I love that string of questions and how you triage your to dos.
Thanks, Linda and Seana!
This is one of my favorite series. I know Pam’s name and her blog, but haven’t met her, so this was a great opportunity to get to know her better. (And it sounds like she needs a virtual assistant to handle the back end since she’s got so many client projects keeping her busy! She deserves that work/life balance for all the balance she’s helping her clients achieve!)
I love Pam’s new site; the colors are calming, and she you guys get extra bonus points for having a Mac on the desk!
She is worth getting to know! Pam is one of the few organizers I met in person before we found each other online, though I suppose that’s not surprising since we’re only two cities apart.
Another organizer with the word Zen in her title! I love Pam’s East-meets-West concept. I also learned that in Canada, seasoned organizers are “Golden Leaf” members whereas in the US where I live we refer to those members as “Golden Circle” members. Thanks for bringing other organizers to my attention. I really enjoy reading these interviews.
And I’ve just learned that POC has recently added Platinum Leaf members, who have been in business and in good standing over 20 years. It’s amazing to think that would have been me, had I stuck it out as an organizer! But I’m much better suited to caring for websites.