Jan Hack - Organizer Extraordinaire
I was introduced to Jan several years ago at the Ann Arbor Thrift Shop where she and I volunteer. To talk more about her current biz venture I met Jan for lunch at a little outdoor vegan eatery called the Detroit Filling Station. We sat at a table surrounded by flowers, ate delicious veggie filled bowls and Jan told me her story.
A little background...
In her younger years Jan graduated from Princeton University with a BA in Art History and then landed a job at the prestigious Christie’s Inc. in New York City as a specialist in American Decorative Arts and Head of Christie’s East American Decorative Art department. Pretty cool, huh?
The work at Christie’s was always interesting and provided her with both appraisal experience as well as a valuable network of fellow appraisers.
Jan spent three years at Christie’s before leaving for Ann Arbor, Michigan, to build a home and family. Suddenly life was very busy raising kiddos!
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When her youngest hit kindergarten Jan realized she needed something to fill her time, and so she started an appraisal business. She became a certified appraiser (Appraisers Association of America) which involved course work, tests, and many hours of experience. But it allowed her to serve those going through divorce, estate changes, or insurance processes.
Her love of working with people and her extensive appraisal knowledge allowed her to more thoroughly understand how our possessions have not only value but also deep personal meaning.
As a mom she enjoyed the flexibility of working for herself, and her profits helped pay for ballet lessons and hockey equipment. But when her kids hit college, a change was needed. Her appraisal business was satisfying but profits were uneven. Expenses and tuition at Columbia, Standford and the Culinary Institute required more steady dollars. She also found herself dealing with a return of breast cancer and needed to regroup.
And so she jumped back into the 9 to 5 working world.
Jan worked as Communications Director for the Ann Arbor YMCA from January 2012 through September 2020 and was responsible for helping with grant writing and providing outward facing communication to members including emails and newsletters. She loved her expansive job description, using her creativity to find the money to get the work done. She was passionate about creating a community hub at the Y, building shared use gardens, growing a Day Camp at Birkett and running many other special events. She loved that people came to the space with a mix of ideas, beliefs, genders and perspectives to pursue healthy living.
And then COVID hit. When Jan was forced to stay home, she missed the joy of vibrant community and interacting with people. Another change was needed.
A New Direction
Jan has always been a good organizer, with a natural ability to see her way to order. Combined with her many years of appraisal experience she felt she had a valuable tool set for people looking to organize or downsize. And so the idea of her current business, Make Your Move LLC, was born.
Make Your Move LLC focuses on helping clients declutter and organize while also promoting sustainable practices through recycling, by donation, discarding or sale. Jan is committed to giving things a next and best use and keeping items out of the waste stream. Can an item be useful to others? Recycled? This motivates her!
Jan is also passionate about helping people find clarity. Her own space is well organized and efficient, which she loves, and it gives her great pleasure and satisfaction to help her clients create the same environment in their own space. For those of us who are a little older and have spent years collecting stuff, it can be so helpful to have a neutral party provide a new perspective.
Building Trust
Jan describes her job as all about creating trust. By its very nature her job is personal and requires a level of confidence and trust between herself and her clients. She understands how difficult it can be for people to allow her into their personal space, reworking shelves and drawers and closets filled with items they may have kept for many years.
Often the job grows. Jan may start out as a helper to get space organized, and then as trust and confidence in the process deepens, the project often becomes a more comprehensive editing of a person’s things.
The truth is, we all have strong feelings about our possessions.
As a member of the National Association of Productivity and Organization Jan has learned to emphasize that her job is to work WITH her client, not FOR another person. She’s not in the business of helping one person force another to get organized, but rather to create a collaborative environment in which all parties can make decisions on how the process moves forward.
A Fresh View
For example, Jan worked with a lovely older client whose children had left the house years earlier, but because their bedrooms were still intact and filled with childhood things, there was no place for her much-used sewing machine. As a result, the machine lived on the dining room table which prevented her client from entertaining.
Jan helped her re-prioritize and see the situation with fresh eyes. Did her kids really want all the “stuff” mom had kept? Trophies, toys, and all the bits and pieces of childhood are often not needed anymore and can be repurposed or recycled. Our local ScrapCreativeReuse is more than happy to re-use trophies, and there are many organizations dedicated to sharing gently used items with families in need.
Jan helped her client tuck away only the best of her children’s treasures and together they successfully freed up much needed space. Let the entertaining begin!
Quilting Colors
On another project Jan helped organize a quilter who had material and supplies stored all over the house.
She talked about how much fun it had been to fold, roll, sort and store all those textures and colors into one place.
And because of the work they did, her quilting client could focus on the creative side of her work instead of spending time hunting down the perfect bit of material.
Whole House Plan
Jan also helped a newly divorced dad of four put his recently purchased house together. The furniture had been haphazardly dropped into a large new space and he needed Jan’s help to organize, decorate, and decide how best to use the various rooms.
Along with general organization, Jan worked with the children to set up their rooms and give them the tools they needed to stay organized. One little girl had MANY pairs of underthings because she could never find them and so her dad kept buying more… Jan successfully organized the space so everything had a proper place and could be kept neat and enjoyed by everyone.
Pricey Pencil Holder
One client asked Jan to price several pieces of furniture in anticipation of selling for high dollars. Jan had to tell her that although her furniture was, unfortunately, not worth the money she'd hoped for, the pencil holder she’d been tossing things into was actually a signed Tiffany vase.
And THAT was a valuable item!
Honest But Kind
Jan's enthusiasm and get-it-done attitude are refreshing and contagious. She’s always honest and no nonsense when it comes to the truth of a situation, but her kind and thoughtful approach provides a softer path to understanding. And her ability to really listen makes her a rare and effective consultant.
Do you have a space, small or large, that needs to be organized? Or do you know someone who’s looking to downsize and clear the clutter? Talk with Jan! She works by the hour and is happy to consult, do a little organizing, or spend as much time as you need re-imagining your space.
Smooth Transitions
Jan is also amazing at working to facilitate senior transitions and loves to help develop and execute a comprehensive moving or age-in-place plan.
In addition to organizing and packing up belongings, she's happy to interview, schedule, and oversee movers, acting as a trusted agent for out-of-town family members.
Talk to Jan!
Don’t feel overwhelmed, talk to Jan and she’ll help you or your family members find their way to a simpler, safer and more organized space.
You can reach Jan through email jan@makeyourmoveannarbor.com, by phone (734.476.3230) or visit her website at MakeYourMoveAnnArbor.com
