As an organizer, connecting with my professional peers is crucial to my success as a business owner. You may have noticed my mention of / affiliation with NAPO. NAPO is the National Association of Professional Organizers. I’m a member of the national chapter as well as my local chapter here in San Francisco. Personally, I don’t see this industry as competitive – instead, I see it as the exact opposite. And every professional organizer should have the save viewpoint. Organizing is not something to be done alone. I don’t mean the actual work, because 99.9% of the time I work alone on jobs. When I say you can’t do this alone, I mean you need your professional peers to bounce ideas off of. Whether in regards to business issues or dealing with the specific needs of a client or to have a referral source for someone you can’t help, I simply can’t do this job without the experience, education and input of my peer group. NAPO provides me the opportunity to connect with my peers and continue my education in this field so I’m always playing my a-game.

The same is to be said about the blogging side of my business. Connecting with my fellow blogging community is critical. If you’re a new blogger, the only way to grow your blog as well as your ability to quickly learn tips, tricks and lessons is by connecting with your blogging peers. Whether you connect with those who have paved the way in this online world or you connect with a new blogger to commiserate / celebrate with, you need to be connected. It’s essential to your success.

When I started my blog 4 years ago, I chose to follow and connect directly with bloggers in my blog niche – organization blogs. My friends thought I was nuts because “isn’t that your direct competition?”. No. Why? No matter what each of us may write about within organization, we are individuals with varying opinions, households and creative ideas. And we have our own unique personalities, writing style and voices.

All the above said, if you told me 4 years ago that starting a blog would lead to life-long friendships – real friendships – I’d think you were nuts. I mean, meeting people online? That’s so taboo and risky! Slowly but surely over a couple years time I had built a great network of blog friends. And the relationships go well beyond connecting over blogs.

Ok, have I lost you? I’m sure you’re like “Sam, this has nothing to do with the title of your post!”.

One of my very first blog friends was Toni from A Bowl Full of Lemons. I was following her blog back before she made the jump from blogger to wordpress! I used to share my blog posts on her weekly Tuesday link parties and her style always appealed to me. It’s clean and fresh, yet warm and full of love. I love her printable’s and reader home organization series she hosts each year. And of course I loved anything she did when it came to organizing a space in her home. She’s always been an inspiration to me as a blogger, making me push harder to be better with that side of my business and has been someone I’ve reached out to when I have a blogging-related question. I truly value her friendship…because I do consider her a friend.

But talk about floored when a few months ago I received an e-mail from a book publisher in San Francisco. She was reaching out to ask if I was interested in contributing a before and after piece for Toni’s book. Book? What book? Toni’s writing a book?! Yes, she was in fact writing a book and it’s finally available for purchase this week! Meet Toni’s stunning book, The Complete Book of Home Organization!…

And just like everything else she touches, this little book is a piece of organization gold! It’s a must-have in every home and no surprise to me at all that it’s already a #1 best seller on Amazon! In her book, Toni shares 200+ tips and projects to help you organize every space in your home, including the garage and outdoors!

From storage solutions and cleaning tips to secret space-saving methods and expert strategies, The Complete Book of Home Organization is packed with the tips and shortcuts you need to effectively organize your home.

Toni structured the book in a way for you to tackle each area of your home, one space at a time. This is the same way I’d help a client that needed a whole house turnover. Tackling one space at a time is doable and realistic, meaning you won’t burn out and throw in the towel. And you’ll feel successful along the way – which is essential to keep you going! She helps you organize the 30 main spaces of your home including living and dining spaces, bedrooms and bathrooms, guest areas, baby and kids’ rooms, entryways and offices, patios and desks, closets and pet areas.

From small spaces and apartment solutions to how to tackle a big, messy home with a 15-week total home organization challenge, this book covers it all. Toni spells out everything you need to de-clutter your house, store your belongings, and keep your home—and life—in tip-top shape.

Keep track of your pantry, holiday and craft supplies, weekly menu planning, keepsakes, and schedules. From the basement to the attic, this book covers every nook and cranny.

She offers step-by-step instructions, detailed illustrations, and handy checklists that help you say goodbye to a messy home and wasted storage space! With high-quality design, intricate detail, and a durable flexicover—this manual is the perfect gift! And it’s so pretty!!!…

Did I mention you’ll also find tips about getting your garage organized? You may recognize this person and garage space found in this treasure of a book!…

#pinchme!

Still can’t believe Toni chose me among 7 professionals to be included in her before / after features. Thank you, Toni! I’m forever grateful for your friendship and am so proud of your hard work on this amazing book! Congratulations!

This book is really a staple in any home. If you’d like to purchase a copy, you can find it here on Amazon. But Toni is also generously offering one Simply Organized reader the chance to win a copy of the book! Yay, thank you Toni!! As always, entry into the giveaway is simple – enter one or as many ways as you wish to up your chances of winning. Good luck and happy reading!
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