Hello and welcome! I am Collette Shine and I started Organize and Shine, LLC in 2008. While I have always been a planner and organizer, I never dreamed that the skills I had been honing throughout my adult life would be the foundation of a new career.
Starting out I had two terrific experiences that shaped my business. First, my aunt who owned a professional organizing business gave me the opportunity to get some invaluable on-the-job training and superb guidance. Second, I had the amazing experience to sit with my great aunt and create a family history album complete with photos, stories and documents. I knew then that I had found my niche.
One of the important things I discovered early on in my new career is that organizing is not so much about organizing the stuff or the photos as it is about helping people. That realization is the most rewarding part of my career.
Fortunately, my education and business experience in both marketing and project management positions provided me with extremely useful skills that fit perfectly in my new business. I received my undergraduate degree from The George Washington University and went on to receive my MBA from Fordham University.
I am a strong believer in education and I support the education and promotion of the professional photo management and organizing industry. As such, from the beginning, I joined and have been a member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO) and its New York chapter and a member of The Photo Managers (formerly know as the Association of Personal Photo Organizers or APPO). I served for three years as President of the New York chapter of NAPO and four years in the role of Professional Development Director where I oversaw all of the educational programs produced at chapter meetings as well as webinars and other special events.
When I am not organizing, I am either watching or listening to sports, thinking about the next meal I am going to cook, or planning my next DIY project.
I hope this gives you a glimpse into the person I am and gives you a feel for me and my background. After all, that thing I discovered about helping people works best when the two people involved know a little bit about each other.
