I lost my job and picked up decluttering as a side hustle. I’m happy that I can make money on my own — and make it right away.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Melissa Riepe, a 37-year-old founder of a home decluttering and organizing business in NYC. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I started my career wanting to save the world.

My goal was to help companies become more equitable and sustainable. I did that for several years as a consultant before moving into environmental, social, and governance reporting at a retail company, where I eventually quit.

After that, I thought I had found my dream job at a biodiversity startup. Four months into that job, I got a 15-minute meeting invite, where the company ended my role and let me go that day. I was stunned. Up until then, I’ve always been a high performer and a high achiever.

When I lost my job and $200,000 salary, I remember thinking, I don’t need to save the world or try to re-engineer corporate America. Instead, I thought, What if I just do something that I like doing? I ended up finding a side hustle idea and clients on Reddit.

It has been great to see that I can make money on my own and make it right away.

I began a few side hustles after I lost my job

A couple of months after I was fired, I started refurbishing furniture and taking people’s dating profile pictures — things I still do now. But one day, when I was scrolling through Reddit, I saw a thread that asked: “What’s something you wish you’d done sooner?” One answer read, “Getting a home organizer was worth every penny.”

I’ve done that for several friends, and I always enjoyed it. So I thought, I should do that — I should declutter houses.

A few days passed, and I kept thinking about it. The post stuck in my mind. I eventually put up a Reddit post in my neighborhood sub, advertising my decluttering services. Within a couple of days, I got a couple of clients from it.

Then I did it again in a bigger group on Reddit and got even more clients from that.

The homes I declutter are often small New York City apartments

My clients have mainly found me online on Reddit and Instagram, and because they often have big jobs for me to do, I’m usually seeing the same people week after week and forming relationships with them.

I have clients, a couple with a young kid, who have one closet that has everything in their lives in there. They brought me in for that, and then I stayed for longer.

That’s a typical case in terms of what I’m decluttering. People will say, “We need help with this closet, or we need help with our kitchen cabinets,” but when I’m done, they say, “Now that you’ve done that, we need help with this too.”

Other clients will just say, “My life is a mess. Can you help me in every area of my apartment?” Either way, I’m happy to help.

I Googled what organizers were charging in New York City and found the high prices shocking

Prices were as high as $100 or even $150 per hour as starting rates. I immediately thought, I’m not going to do that.

I also realized a lot of what I was seeing was organizers helping wealthy people perfect their lives in large apartments — getting everything Instagram-ready. The people I work with are everyday people, so I cut the rates I was seeing in half.

Since losing my job and starting my business, I’ve been steadily building up a livable income and accumulating various income streams. I’ve homed in on decluttering as I enjoy it the most, and there’s steady business.

Through decluttering and my side hustles, I cover my rent and basic expenses alone.

I get to interact with people one-on-one, and the results are immediate

It’s been nice to see how many different types of people I’ve been able to form strong relationships with. I can see their lives improve after just one session, and I love that. My clients are mostly women, almost 100%, except one person.

Women are saddled with many responsibilities in all areas of life, especially moms and wives. With my decluttering business, I get to be a part of these super busy women’s lives and help streamline things for them.

I also learned I get along with people well. When you have a corporate job, you always have to err on the side of professionalism — there’s a boundary there. With decluttering, there’s still a bit of that, but it’s not the same. It quickly becomes intimate and personal.

One challenge with a job like this is how physical it is

I haven’t gotten sick yet, but if I do get sick or injured, I’m not sure how I’ll work around it, as the job very much depends on me going into people’s homes.

I don’t only need to go to work, I also need to be able to move boxes and people’s belongings. It’s a physical job and one that puts me in a lot of dust. I’m constantly in some very dusty places, but I see that as a minor issue.

I want to make decluttering work, so I don’t have to go back to corporate

Every day, I wake up looking forward to going to work, unlike when I worked a corporate job, where I mostly woke up feeling stressed and full of dread. Although what I’m doing might not be changing the world, I like to help people understand how they can downsize and live with less. I help my clients dispose of all their stuff sustainably.

With decluttering, I haven’t found my “true calling,” but I’ve realized I don’t really believe in that anymore. To me, life is about exploration, learning, variety, and trying new things.

Exploring makes me happy, and I prefer that over being locked into a job, under the thumb of corporate. I can set my own schedule, choose which clients I want to take on, and try different things — that freedom works for me.

If you started a lucrative side hustle and would like to share your story, please email the editor, Manseen Logan, at [email protected].

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