Celebrating National Entrepreneur Day with the Founders of Horderly Professional Organizing

In this blog, Horderly’s Content Director interviews Jamie and Fillip Hord to give you the inside scoop on all things Horderly. 

Jamie: At Horderly, starting our own small business has been a learn-as-you-go experience, but we are so grateful for everything we’ve learned thus far!

When did you know that you wanted to be a professional organizer?

Jamie: The idea formed the summer of 2015 when someone told me that I reminded them of Marie Kondo. As soon as I learned who Marie Kondo was and realized that you could make a career out of “professional organizing,” I was determined to make that dream come true. 

Fillip: Jamie is the most particular person I’ve ever met, and she was always moving our home around. She pushed us to move once a year to a new apartment because she loved moving and when she found out about NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers) and Marie Kondo, the rest was history.

When did you two know it was time to start Horderly?

Jamie: I always had great jobs before Horderly and I always work hard at whatever I do, however, the true passion wasn’t there in previous jobs. I knew it was time to start Horderly when I knew in my heart that it was something I was truly passionate about.

Fillip: Jamie ended up organizing off-hours at night after she just worked a shift at her full-time job in Manhattan. Eventually, we decided it was time for Jamie to commit all of her time to organizing, which was an easy decision for a household of entrepreneurs.

Was it scary to leave your career to launch Horderly? 

Jamie: It was really scary for Fillip to transfer full-time at Horderly, but I was in desperate need of help when it came to running the company. When Fillip came on full-time, we honestly weren’t sure if we would survive this way, but we quickly grew – more than even we could handle. It’s so hard to “take the leap” and get out of your comfort zone, but in this case, it was completely worth it. Fillip also put a lot of time and energy into developing his career, so it was difficult to say goodbye to that after all of his hard work.

Fillip: I came from a tech startup, and at the time I was leading a business development team in the city. However, I’m an entrepreneur, so I follow opportunities. As the tech company I was working for was starting to see a struggle for continued angel investment, Horderly started to organically grow. This magnificent startup Jamie had created was right under my nose and the timing was seamless! Although I didn’t take a salary, I was the fifth employee at Horderly.

What has been the biggest challenge so far with running your own business?

Jamie: I would say just the overall balance of a happy business. Whether it’s too many employees, not enough employees, too many clients, not enough clients, there is always something that is going to make you feel uncomfortable or nervous about running a company. Being content with that and knowing that getting in the “uncomfortable zone” is only going to make you stronger in the end.

Fillip: Navigating state, city, federal policies, insurance guidelines and ensuring we have all the proper processes and are paying the correct yearly taxes, insurance and other fees has always been tough for running businesses. The threshold is insane, but I would give anyone these two tips: ask for forgiveness, not permission – and delegate what you can’t figure out on your own.

What has been your biggest success story so far? 

Jamie: I would say being on the Today Show was one of our biggest successes so far! In my heart, I would say getting to organize the Real Simple Home! 

Fillip: Horderly month after month is an overbearing success story in my opinion. Seeing our employees grow from being a new organizer to transforming a client’s life in just a few months – and becoming the best organizers in the world is mind-boggling. Having our management and ops team start out as organizers and grow as badass bosses and insanely successful decision-makers is a success I see every day. We have created a force to be reckoned with in not only the organizing industry but the industry of logistics. We have a two-person team that intakes thousands of leads and turns those leads into hundreds of clients a year; more than one booked client per day. I can’t wait to see what this team does next!

How has technology helped you “behind the scenes” for things like marketing and operations?

Jamie: Technology has helped in a HUGE way. Instagram, for example, has been a big part of Horderly since day one. I have always enjoyed taking photographs and showing off our team’s talented work and inspiring others to DIY at home. Organizing is very visual so Instagram has pushed us ahead in many ways. 

Fillip: I work on the business and ops side of things, so technology is everything. Our entire team is virtual and we do multiple video calls per day. We use three different CRM’s to manage the incoming leads and booking clients. We even have a full-time tech team that has built Horderly an enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform for our bookkeepers to manage and send invoices, host our HR system and for our employees to clock in and out each day. We are very tech-forward and using these platforms is typically a large piece of advice I give to other small businesses that are struggling to keep organized. We also use our Brother MFCJ995DW INKvestment Tank Color Inkjet All-in-One Printer at our HQ and label the heck out of our files to keep our paperwork as organized as possible.

How has technology helped you in the field, on organizing jobs? 

Jamie: In the field, the technology that Brother provides with its Brother P-Touch CUBE Plus label maker has helped us tremendously. The smartphone-compatible label maker makes it extremely portable and easy for us to create labels in clients’ homes, setting them up for success once we leave. Without the flexibility and ease of Brother products, we wouldn’t be able to turnover such quick transformations and change the lives of our clients in such an impactful way. 

How have strategic partnerships helped Horderly?

Jamie: We started partnering with influencers and brands about two years ago. This has really made us create strong relationships and support influencers and companies that we love. It was a big (and fun!) shift in our business. Some notable partnerships include The Container Store, Brother and Real Simple. 

Fillip: The Container Store. That’s all I need to say. We have adopted their culture, their work ethic, their mentality to run a business and to treat customers. The Container Store has adopted Horderly as a partner and part of our family. We also have great partnerships with junk removal, closet design, kitchen design, housekeeping and moving companies. If you want any referral Horderly can help steer you in the best direction. Interior Designer? Builder? Real Estate? We have strong partnerships in every category and our team is more than willing to voice our recommendations at no cost to you!

What traits do successful entrepreneurs possess? 

Jamie: Fillip naturally knew he was an entrepreneur, and for me, it is something that has come over time. I would say the biggest trait of a successful entrepreneur is their persistence and energy.

Fillip: “Wiggle-ability” – The ability to pivot, wiggle, and react when s–t hits the fan or when the opportunity presents itself. Optimism: Being able to hear “no” thousands of times and being able to cope. Sales: I feel like if you can sell, you can be an entrepreneur, but you have to have that confidence to be able to think your idea, business, product, app, is the best in its category and push it to the top.

What’s the best lesson you’ve learned so far throughout this process?

Jamie: By far delegation for me. As you can probably assume, delegating did not come easy for me at first but what I’ve learned is that it is the only way you are going to grow.

Fillip: Trust people, including yourself. If you can trust yourself and the people around you, you will grow. The biggest difference between entrepreneurs who want to do it all themselves and entrepreneurs who learn to trust others is growth. You can’t grow if you don’t trust yourself and others.

What are your goals for Horderly in the future? 

Jamie: My goal has yet to change – keep a happy team that is fulfilled with doing what they are passionate about and changing our clients’ lives through organizing. 

Fillip: Horizontal and vertical growth in a smart, essential organized way. I think there is room for Horderly in every Container Store, Who knows what our next move is exactly – but I do believe our team of hungry individuals will make the best moves presented and nobody on our team is scared to share their voice. I hear it when I have a not so good idea, and not only my wife tells me, I hear it from everyone, and it makes me smile knowing our entire team has a voice that will direct this great company with Jamie’s and my namesake, it’s just as much theirs as ours.

For more information on all things Horderly – including lots of great tips, tricks and other #HorderlyHabits – check out our blog or reach out for more information!

This content is independently curated by Horderly and may earn us a commission. Horderly has an existing partnership with Brother.