An entrepreneur has quit her job to set herself up as the North East’s very own Queen of Tidy.
Cath Hindle, of Cullercoats, North Tyneside , was head of operations at the NewcastleGateshead Initiative when she evaluated her busy life, and looked to make changes to fit in with family life and her two children.
It was while organising her own life that she hit upon the idea of become a professional organiser and declutterer, tapping into the success of cleaning wellbeing celebrities Marie Kondo and Mrs Hinch.
Mrs Hindle now runs Clear The Clutter, a business which helps those with busy lives reorder the chaos to create calming homes.
She said: “I was head of operations when I went to see a recruitment consultant. I needed to do something that fitted better into my life, and I had to think about what I like to do.
“And when I thought about it, one thing I really enjoyed doing was helping others to get organised.
“With a bit more research I came across the Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers – it was an actual thing.
“So I handed in my resignation to NGI. It was time really – I had done lots of other jobs there but it was time for me and my family to do something a little different.”
With support from the Business Factory in North Tyneside , and advice from former colleagues on building a website, brand awareness and a strong social media presence, Mrs Hindle’s business has steadily grown.
Working to a William Morris motto – “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful” – she works with everyone from busy mothers and people who are downsizing, to people with hoarding tendencies, all with the main aim to get them to work out what is important to them, recycle the rest and discover the joys of more space and time.
She also helps people move on from bereavement, people who are getting divorced, married or moving in with someone.
After a 20-minute free consultation, Mrs Hindle comes up with a plan with approximate timescales and costs, charging an hourly rate, and while she prefers to work with people when they’re at home she’s also happy to be given a brief and work alone.
She said: “It really is a word of mouth business and I’m working with a maximum of three clients a week now. It’s interesting that down in London there are a lot of professional organisers, and people generally know and get what it is that they do. It’s basically like having a cleaner or personal trainer – it’s a service that can make life easier.
“Some people are worried about the state of their home before I arrive but I don’t want them to be. I don’t judge and just love helping to bring order and create calm.”
A partnership with St Oswald’s Hospice also makes sure good use comes of unwanted belongings, and she has donated items to their shops that have so far raised £1,500 for the charity.
She added: “I love that things can go to the right home if they aren’t already in the right home.”
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