Exploring Life & Business with Erica Palmer of Calm Your Space Home Organizing

Today we’d like to introduce you to Erica Palmer.

Hi Erica, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I guess you could technically say I was an organizer my whole life. It was always my joy and my favorite hobby. When I was about 7 or 8 I would spend all weekend cleaning out and rearranging my bedroom. If my parents forced me to go outside (yes, they usually had to force me) I would go out back to the wooded area behind our house and sweep up the pine needles and create a pretend (and also highly organized) house out there too.

Alas, I had no idea organizing homes was a career choice. If my High School counselor had been like “Oh, and you can also clean out people’s closets for a living,” that would have been quite helpful! So I did what lots of people do- went to college, picked a major that didn’t require math, and got a job that kind of, mostly, had something to do with that degree.

I will say when I look back at all the jobs I’ve held- working in operations, sales, account management, public relations, and heck, even back to bussing tables and waitressing as a teen- they all had a strong element of organization. Organizing something (anything) and helping people were always my favorite parts of any job.

I was never fully happy in my professional life, so I left my full-time job behind when I had my three kids. I realize now a lot of my brain space during those “little kid years” was occupied by worrying about what my next career step would be. We were stretched for money and I knew I had to get a job but I was terrified that it would be something I didn’t enjoy.

I finally went online to do a job search, which I had been dreading for y-e-a-r-s. I typed in “Organizing” and up popped “Professional Organizer.” I read the job description and it just clicked. They were literally describing me and that was the only thing I ever wanted to do. I immediately searched for “how to be an organizer” and found out that YOU CAN JUST DECIDE TO BE AN ORGANIZER. Did you know you can just decide to be something? I did not.

So in 2021 I officially started Calm Your Space Home Organizing. I Googled my way through how to start a business and devoured new-found podcasts for organizers. I organized my own home like a maniac for months, making lists and preparing the supplies I would need to help my clients. I made a website, which was new to me, and I ended up loving that process as well.

I offered to help my good friend and amazing photographer, Megan Sweeney at Big Heart Film, organize her office in exchange for taking pictures of me for my website. I started telling friends and family what I was doing and I immediately had so much support. My two brothers and sisters-in-law and my Mom and Dad were some of my first clients.

Starting this business was the missing puzzle piece for me. Suddenly the dreaded “going to work” wasn’t a bad thing and finding a career I actually enjoyed freed space in my mind to make room for new friendships and hobbies. At the end of the day, I’m just extremely grateful to be doing something I love that truly helps other people.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Towards the beginning, I struggled a lot with confidence. I knew I could organize in my own home, but I worried about being able to do it for other people. I thought, “I didn’t go to school for this, I’m not really qualified,” and “What if they don’t organize things like I do?” But what I quickly learned was that organizing is instinctual for me.

Everything I had been doing throughout my life actually was my experience and I had plenty of it. And no, my clients don’t organize how I organize because there isn’t one way. Everyone does it differently, but if the end result is someone feeling better about their space, I’ve succeeded. I realized that for my clients it isn’t important HOW it’s being organized but more THAT it’s being organized.

For the most part, though, I’ve been extremely lucky throughout this process of shifting careers and starting my own business. I have a very supportive husband who was the one to encourage me to start my own business instead of working for a larger company. I’m also fortunate to be able to apply all my previous work experience and skills to this career. I use my writing skills, PR, marketing, communication, and sales- all of it- AND I get to clean out closets.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Calm Your Space Home Organizing?
My business is just me. I don’t have an army of people who will descend upon your home and make it a rainbow in a few hours (although this is extremely fun to watch on TV!). I offer a joyful, energetic, and very personal, one-on-one approach to organizing. I give my clients the option of how and where to begin the organization process. They can be as involved as they want or as hands-off as they want.

The mental and physical process of organizing your home can be extremely overwhelming. There are many emotions tied to the things we own and it’s important to figure out why we keep what we keep. It’s also important for the client to really think through how they use their spaces and how we can work together to make their daily lives more efficient.

I love interior design and making a space look cute, while still being functional. I also love a cute basket or bin. But having said that, I don’t think a space needs to look like Instagram for it to be organized. My goal for my clients is for them to know where things are located when they need them. For ‘all the things’ to have a home. If you can’t find the scissors when you need to cut something, it’s enraging. Okay yes, that’s dramatic, but IYKYK.

I am someone who buys too much stuff- YES, you read that right. My husband can provide you with a list of things I did not need from TJ Maxx. I can relate in a way most organizers can’t. I’m not a minimalist- I have 3 kids (regular, untidy ones) and the husband with the above list is also the one who has 5 massive boxes of keepsakes. It is what it is. I can help you determine what is important to keep and where to put things to streamline your home, no matter your situation.

My end goal is always simply to help someone. I truly believe the space we live in has a profound impact on our mental health. If something I do, that I love to do, can help someone live a happier life, that’s all I could ever ask for.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
At my core, helping people makes me the happiest. Whether it’s helping my family, helping a client, or helping my community- I love to help make someone’s life easier or better in whatever way I can. And it makes me happy when I can find the freaking scissors. Sometimes it’s the little things. Actually, it’s almost always the little things.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.calmyourspace.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calm_your_space/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CalmYourSpacewithErica/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erica-palmer-0708302/
• Other: https://www.homeadvisor.com/rated.CalmYourSpace.123497337.html

Image Credits
Megan Sweeney (Big Heart Film)