North Boston News

Erika Salloux will always remember this birthday.

Salloux, a Certified Professional Organizer®, is the CEO and harmony coordinator at Living Harmony LLC in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She offers personal and business organizing and speaking assistance.

“As Cambridge’s premier and only Certified Professional Organizer, I get people organized for success,” Salloux said. “I've been in business for 17 years. My business has no employees, unless you count me. It was doing great.”

The COVID-19 pandemic hit her hard. There have been 93,693 confirmed cases in Massachusetts as of May 26 and 6,473 deaths.

“Since 95 percent of my business is done in-person, with clients in their homes and offices, and live workshops, the clients mostly all canceled,” Salloux said. “I only have been able to move a few clients to virtual work. For various reasons not all of them could be moved to virtual. And no new clients have booked since March 10. That day was my birthday, the day things began to really change.

“Now that the few clients I had before the shutdown happened are ending their projects, I will be client-less. I fear that even though in the next few weeks, legally clients can have me in their offices and homes, they will be afraid to do so. My client yesterday who I was working with virtually has a husband who works in a hospital. And some of his patients have the virus. She does not want me to be at risk in her home.”

Salloux doubts things will change soon. The state shut down businesses deemed non-essential March 24 and Gov. Charlie Baker twice extended it. Massachusetts has been, like most states, slow to emerge from the pandemic-related economic decline. Baker has issued a four-phased program to reopen the state.

“And I also have a feeling that since we’re so uncertain what the future holds, potential clients might hold off on investing in non-essential services, like professional organizing,” she said.

Salloux, however, does see opportunities ahead.

“Yet, for some years now, I had been wanting to shift working virtually with clients,” she said. “I also have been wanting to create digital programs and virtual group programs, so that my expertise could be reached at different price points.

“I want those who it is too big of an investment to work with me one-on-one to reach their organizing goals through virtual group programs or investing in a program they could follow on their own.”

Salloux said the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program was not a good fit for her.

“Actually, for me and my business, unemployment was the best option over the PPP,” she said. “The best would be if they extend the extra $600 past July.”

There has been some additional assistance, Salloux said.

“I just received a small grant from the Cambridge Community Foundation for which I am super grateful,” she said. “I feel blessed to be a member of Cambridge Local First and the Harvard Square Business Association. Their connections and communications have kept me knowing all that is happening. I have learned that local is awesome during a crisis.”