Meet Shara Kay | Certified Professional Organizer & Owner, SK Organizing

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shara Kay and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shara, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
A key factor behind our success is abiding by our core values of clarity and simplicity. Our mission is to bring clear, simple and easy to maintain organization to our clients’ lives, and this starts with “walking the talk” in our own business. Our pricing is outlined clearly and simply on our website (rare in our industry) and it is consistent for all clients and all situations, whether we are tidying a kitchen, installing a closet, moving a household, or helping settle an estate. Our clients appreciate this transparency and it sets the stage for clear, honest communication throughout the organizing process.

What should our readers know about your business?
Prior to launching SK Organizing, I had worked in the independent film industry where we form a new entity for each production, so I thought I knew something about starting a business. Ha! Being a solopreneur in an entirely new field was completely all-consuming. Every single policy and procedure had to be created from scratch. Every resource and outside service that we rely on had to be discovered and vetted. Plus, every client was a new client, which meant a lot more marketing, networking and onboarding than we have to do now. For two straight years, I barely took a break. Even when I slept, I dreamt about organizing! Then, just after hiring my first two employees, the COVID-19 pandemic struck and we were completely shut down. And as things started opening back up again, we faced shifting sets of restrictions, materials shortages, and the challenge of keeping our team and our clients as safe as possible while physically handling their belongings. I would not say it has been easy! But I’m grateful for our wonderful clients and deeply satisfying work, an amazing team that has grown to me plus five, and for all that I’ve learned along the way. I feel like we are more resilient as a company for having adapted and thrived under difficult circumstances.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m based in Beverly Hills so we’d start right here with window shopping in the Golden Triangle and a walk along Beverly Gardens Park, the nearly 2-mile path that stretches from Wilshire to Doheny off Santa Monica Blvd. We’ll eat at one of my favorite spots like Gracias Madre or il Fico or, venturing a bit east, at Norah or Connie and Ted’s. During the remainder of the week, we’ll visit the beach and pier in Santa Monica, take a leisurely hike around the Hollywood Reservoir, check out the Huntington Library and associated museums in Pasadena, and finally make a day trip to Santa Barbara for wine tasting…or Disneyland if the friend brought kids!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would never have considered starting my business without the encouragement of professional organizer and family friend Cynthia Peaton. Following Cynthia’s advice, I joined our professional association NAPO, the National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals, and its Los Angeles chapter. I eagerly volunteered my time and formed relationships with my colleagues that propelled me to where I am today. The community of organizers is incredibly supportive and collaborative, and as Immediate Past President of NAPO-LA, I feel lucky to be able to continue giving back to a group that contributed so greatly to my own success.

Website: https://www.sharakay.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skorganizing/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharakay/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skorganizing