Born into a family of self-declared “stashers,” Spokane entrepreneur Kara Dixon says understanding that she needed to get her possessions better organized led her to found Spokane Organizing Solutions Inc., a company dedicated to helping people to declutter, downsize, and get organized.

Dixon says business is growing through word-of-mouth and advertising on social media platforms Facebook and Instagram.

“I’ve discovered it’s hard for people to know where to start the process of getting organized,” says Dixon. “At first, it’s just all so overwhelming.”

From a single closet or pantry to the entire house or business, Dixon serves as more than a cleaner; she’s an organizational coach who strives to help her clients understand why they have so much stuff in the first place.

According to the SpareFoot Storage Beat, an organization that tracks the storage unit business in the U.S., the industry today generates $38 billion in annual revenue.

“Storage units are everywhere,” Dixon says. “They get built and never go away.”

Dixon says sentiment is often the driving factor behind people’s inability to get rid of unnecessary items.

“There’s a joy bringing something home, but then years go by and now there’s one more thing that’s in your way,” she says.

In helping a recent client with a closet, Dixon had her empty it, place all articles of clothing on her bed and then asked her: “Which are the items that you absolutely love?”

From there, she says, the purge went quickly.

“Like so many people I’ve worked for, she didn’t know where most of the clothes even came from,” she says.

Dixon says she enjoys helping people find peace in their living and work space.

“I’ve had clients call me after the work was finished and tell me just how much more relaxed they feel in their environment,” she says.