Small Business: Carrie Lagerstedt on decluttering neurodiverse homes

Carrie Lagerstedt of Curate Home.

Teacher Carrie Lagerstedt brought her professional background and experiences with ADHD into a new business established during the pandemic.

What does your business do?

I am a professional home organiser. I work with busy families and neurodiverse people to declutter their homes, and set up realistic and functional organisational systems.

I work alongside people to transform disorganised and cluttered spaces into calm, functional and systemised living areas.

Often I help people who are entering a new phase of life, such as having children, moving house or downsizing. People find they can get the everyday chores done, but clutter builds up in the background and behind closed doors.

I also specialise in neuro-affirming organisational systems that make a home easier to keep tidy and manage if you have ADHD or autism.

You established Curate Home in 2021, a pretty tough year for lots of Kiwis during the pandemic. How challenging was that in terms of timing?

In terms of timing for a business that focused on people’s homes, it was probably perfect.

Over the previous years, people had been forced to reflect on and experience how their homes worked (or didn’t, as the case may be).

I started the business as a part-time venture, and worked as a relief teacher to supplement my income.

It is a small industry in New Zealand, so I have to advocate and educate on behalf of the industry alongside my own business. It was certainly a bold decision, especially on a single income.

How does your background as a teacher inform your current work?

Inviting someone into your home in this context is a very vulnerable thing to do and takes a lot of bravery, so my teaching background ensures a degree of sensitivity and understanding when I am working with clients.

You need to be able to read people’s energy levels and emotions. Decluttering is physically and mentally taxing, and there is a lot of emotion and context layered over our belongings.

I also love working with kids to manage their spaces. They feel excited and proud once it’s done.

You have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). How did that influence your thoughts on becoming a small business owner before you set up Curate Home?

I never imagined I could be self-employed, although interestingly, I set up the business not long after being diagnosed with ADHD.

Many ADHD folk are self-employed, and I think it suits us well. We are creative, tenacious and imaginative.

I definitely didn’t feel confident in myself, but a recurring business mantra has been to feel absolutely terrified and do it anyway. At some point, you just have to take a leap of faith and give things a go.

Having a good accounting system made it possible, as I have dyscalculia (a learning disorder affecting numbers and maths-related concepts). I’m terrible with numbers.

Decluttering must have its challenges sometimes. What’s the most cluttered place you’ve encountered?

Everyday I work with people who feel overwhelmed in their homes, and honestly, the more disorganised it is, the bigger kick I get out of sorting it for people.

There’s a difference between chronic disorganisation and a hoarded home, but both of them feel very shame-inducing and difficult to live in.

The challenge for me is not so much the physical manifestation of clutter.

It’s more around my client being open to the process, trusting they can let go of items and accept creative solutions to organisational challenges. The end result is so satisfying, changes people’s lives and lifts such a weight off their shoulders.

We hear about neurodiversity more now than we used to, but why do some neurodiverse customers benefit from getting an outsider to declutter their property?

An outsider is impartial, knowledgeable and, most importantly, non-judgemental.

You need to have someone who is advocating for your needs, rather than giving “support” through their own filter or lens.

Many of my clients talk to me about the shame and exasperation they have to manage from family members outside the home - grown women who won’t invite their mothers over because they’re sick of getting shamed and lectured.

Research and knowledge of neurodiversity is changing rapidly, but there is still so much stigma that overlays how we think and live.

You have to feel secure and comfortable when making decluttering decisions, not feeling put-down, ashamed, or influenced by what someone else’s opinion is.

As told to John Weekes. Small Business Q&A may be edited for brevity and clarity. If you have a Small Business story idea, contact newsdesk@nzherald.co.nz with the subject “Small Business Q&A”.