Check Out Leslie VanDerven’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leslie VanDerven.

Hi Leslie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
My idea for a professional organizing business was born after my husband and I bought our first house in Telluride, CO. Built with intention, the stone shower was embedded with sea glass and shells. The stairs were built from an old trestle bridge. The cabinets were made from local pine. Our home looked beautiful and, more importantly, felt special, clean, functional, and warm.

In my efforts to keep it that way, I began studying Feng Shui and only surrounded myself with things that we adored, used, and appreciated regularly. In 2008, I became a Certified Feng Shui Professional. I believe that your home should function well, reflect who you are, and inspire you to thrive. Removing obsolete possessions, organizing what remains, and arranging your furniture properly are the first steps in achieving the transformational effects of Feng Shui.

When I started my business in 2008, Marie Kondo’s famous book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up had not yet been published and hit the Best Seller’s list. Most people did not even know that professional organizers existed, nor had there been substantial studies and talk about the connection between clutter and mental health. While I advertised my services here and there, it was many years before I started to get busy working in homes. In the meantime, I was working as an esthetician, moved a few times, and had 2 children.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Having graduated college without ever owning a computer, my biggest challenges have been tech and business related: website, finances, insurance, contracts, hiring subcontractors, etc. I bought a book from Amazon called How to Start a Home-Based Professional Organizing Business. I took full advantage of free resources at the Small Business Development Center and had a wonderful SCORE advisor. I even cold-called professional organizers not in my area to ask for help. I was rewarded with an amazing network of professionals who were more than happy to assist.

When I was ready to dive back in, I started offering free organizing sessions in return for Google reviews and setting up meetings with local realtors. Fortunately, the benefits of my services spread organically through word of mouth, but the work can be pretty inconsistent. It fluctuates with real estate, taxes, pandemics, and seasons. The good news is that getting organized is so popular now, shows are streaming on Netflix about it.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Coaching clients through the organizing process and providing support and execution of decluttering has been rewarding in so many ways. I believe the quality of our lives is reflected in our positive relationships and the value of our experiences. That is why I am so passionate about creating spaces for people to feel their best so they can attain their highest level of achievement in life without feeling overwhelmed by their possessions. A home that is free of clutter, functional, organized, and arranged properly will invite harmony, balance, and creativity.

Over the last decade, I believe that professional organizing has taken off as a viable career path. I have met, connected, and collaborated with many of my colleagues and they are truly wonderful people whose main agenda is helping people. They all have special gifts and specialties like closet design, packing & unpacking, and working with tiny spaces, storage systems, or commercial buildings.

Your environment profoundly affects your emotions, health, ability to succeed, and sense of well-being. Intuitively and with compassion, I listen to understand my client’s challenges, needs, and goals in their homes and translate those energies into a physical action plan which my team and I facilitate. Emotional coaching is of utmost importance when working with clients to release what has been holding them back from achieving harmony in their homes.

My specialties are incorporating solutions to energetic problems while working with what is already in the house. I don’t often ask a client to buy anything, as I usually find more than I need! By understanding their tendencies and habits, I strive to create easy systems that feel good and that work for people.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love Fort Collins! I am a CSU alumna and I am so happy to be living here with my family many years later. Like most Coloradoans, I am an avid hiker, mountain biker, and skier and the mountains are my home. I love the lights and activity in Old Town, the availability of entertainment, the education and opportunities for my kids, and most of all the amazing people that I have met and befriended here. What do I like least? The traffic!

Contact Info:

• Website: http://welcomehomeorganizing.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/welcomehomeorganizing/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WelcomeHomeOrganizing
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWDFcEFEYWM&t=5s
• Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leslie-vanderven-a-new-sense-of-freedom/id1454429434?i=1000449708697

    
Image Credits
Fire + Flow Designs IRES MLS