Richmond has a new magazine that brings consumer content and social media together. Sara Bereika of NEAT LLC has the honor of being included in their debut magazine that is coming out July 31, 2009. From what we can gather the magazine is FREE and can be found in many local restaurants and retail stores. You’ll also get the writers and/or subjects social media accounts so you can connect with them. NEAT has two social media accounts. One on Twitter called NEATOrganizer and one on Facebook. Feel free to follow Sara on Twitter and Facebook. Learn more about this new resource by going to RichmondGrid.com.

Ok so I have been toying with the idea of having a Virtual Assistant division to my business. It makes perfect sense after all. So many of my clients need assistance with clerical work, odd jobs, administrative support and so on. It would be silly for me not to take advantage of this market niche. But here is the kicker, this division is not just a local service. I can help anyone in the world. The world of technology is so amazing.

So how do I get a grasp on the great big world and show people who have never met me (that need my services desperately) that I am a stand up business woman? Yes, I am on Facebook. Yes, I am on Twitter. No, I am not on LinkedIn. I know, I know, I should be. So maybe that’s step one. For now I joined an online community called ODesk.com. You can post jobs, find jobs and it even provides a downloadable service so you can keep track of your hours. These are the things that make a Professional Organizer drool. Silly, I know.

I am taking this opportunity to do a shout out to all my Twitter and Facebook peops. If you know someone who needs administrative support send them my way. I’ll soon have a separate website that will include information about these services I now offer. But for now you can find information by going to http://www.neat-organizing.com/virtualassistant.htm or by viewing my ODesk profile. 

I just got back from the NAPO National Conference in Orlando, Florida. If you’ve been to a conference before you know how motivating and fulfilling they can be. Well this conference was no exception. Once again I am in awe of our industry, how far we have come, and how devoted we are to our clients and profession.

I attended sessions on hoarding, creating workshops, media, and the future of the organizing industry. I even had the pleasure of presenting my own presentation on blogging and podcasting. From what I can tell it went well despite some annoying microphone problems. But it was such an honor to speak in front of such an amazing group.

So now I am home, exhausted, overwhelmed, and completely motivated. I have my list of tasks for the week and I can’t wait to get started. To all you professional organizers out there that I met this week send me some love. Let me know what you thought of my session by commenting here. Follow me on twitter as NEATOrganizer, find me on facebook. I look forward to seeing you all again next year on Columbus. 

This morning while drinking my coffee and having breakfast I was watching the Today Show. They had a segment on animal hoarding. I have to say it was a relief to see. It is a growing problem and I like that it is getting the attention it deserves. The segment was actually a very good representation of people who hoard animals. The woman they focused on was not made out to be a crazy cat lady. She was actually very upset and concerned about her animals. She truly wanted what was best for them. The SPCA was there helping her spay and neuter the animals and allowed her to keep a few of them. I really liked that the SPCA was willing to work with the woman and not condemn her for her love for animals.

Unfortunately there are many cases where the animals are malnourished and neglected. I believe strongly it is not the intent of the owner. However the animals just continue to procreate and the problem becomes out of their control. It is also important to understand that people that do this are not crazy. They may possibly have a compulsive disorder and may have suffered a great loss. Grief can really effect us in many strange ways.

Ironically, I recently met and spoke with Matt Paxton from Clutter Cleaners. He helps people in these severe hoarding situations. He was wonderful and so passionate about his job. He works with local counties and towns to help hoarders keep their homes so they don’t end up on the streets. I strongly recommend calling Matt if you know someone with a hoarding problem. 

If you missed Oprah on November 15th and 16th you missed an AMAZING show. The topic was hoarding. Peter Walsh from Clean Sweep helped a hoarder who lived in a house with 75 tons of garbage. It was incredible to see the transformation. However I feel the need to stress the amount of time, people and effort involved in making such a drastic change in the life of a hoarder. This project took 8 weeks, 100 people and 2500 man hours to get rid of all the clutter in the home. They sold most of the things that were found in the home and made roughly $13,000.00 on the items they sold.

While watching Oprah you are so mesmerized by the transformation. I can only imagine what viewers may be thinking. Especially if they are hoarders or know someone who is. All too often we want that quick fix. But it’s important to know that hoarding is a very serious matter and needs to be addressed appropriately. An organizer and a therapist and the support of the family involved is just a start to making a change in the right direction. Projects like the one on Oprah can take several months, even years and LOTS of support and therapy.

I am grateful that hoarding has been given the attention it deserves on a show like Oprah. So many people are unaware of the consequences and the severity of the problem. Not only is it a psycological issue but it causes serious health problems as well. The hoarder on Oprah had mold infesting every couch in her home. And she had serious rot in areas of her home where food was left for over 12 years. 

I encourage anyone who needs assistance with hoarding or knows someone who does to go to www.nsgcd.org or www.napo.net or to . I will be more than happy to put you in the right direction.

For those who missed the episode you can get a recap here.

What an experience! I may have found a new calling. Being on the radio was such a rush. I loved it. It was fast paced, new, and such a great feeling knowing so many people out there were listening. Jack and Jen at radio 103.7 were so welcoming and made me feel so comfortable and at ease. I hope they weren’t joking when they said they wanted me back. I would do it in a heartbeat.

I don’t mean to sound like a screaming, hyper, 10 year old but.... I AM GOING TO BE ON THE RADIO!!!!!!! I got word today that radio 103.7 wants me to be their guest. I’ll be on the air Thursday, August 30th at 7am. They call it “Hersday” and focus all the topics on womens issues and items of interest. I’ll be chattin away with Jen on air about organizing tips and ideas. You’ll be able to call in and ask any questions you may have. So stay tuned in on August 30th and send some love my way. It would be awesome to hear a familiar voice. Oh and if anyone has ever been on the air before and has any tips that might be helpful feel free to write me a comment. I could use the advice. 

It’s official...well I think it’s official. I’ll be an exhibitor at the next Biz Link event coming up on September 27th. I have never done a trade show before but I am excited. This is an opportunty to announce to the world… well the Biz Linc attendees, that Organizers don’t just do closets. I’ll be promoting my own personal niche, helping individuals with Attention Deficit Disorder in their work environments. More importantly I’ll be promoting that I work with people on the job, in any job. Due to all the media attention, I think individuals get stuck thinking we only do homes. But there is so much more we offer. So jot this date down on your calendars. It will be at the Greater Richmond Convention Center, 403 N. 3rd Street, downtown. Pop by my exhibit and see me. And if you have any suggestions on what my booth should look like, what I should do for take aways, etc. post me a comment. I would love to know what the people want.