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ShipShape
ShipShape is an organizing consulting business based in Oakland, California with
branches in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York City. They specialize in home,
office and relocation organizing as well as project management. |
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VERSATILE LABELERS PROVIDE SLEEK, PROFESSIONAL RESULTS
While many of us struggle to live in a world ruled by clutter, Deborah Silberberg
and Sylvia Borchert have made it their business to create order out of chaos. As
the owners of ShipShape, a twelve-year old company based out of Oakland, CA, these
women serve a diverse clientele and tackle a wide range of organizational challenges
- from restoring harmony to a single closet to cataloging the contents of an entire
estate. Finding a tool that was flexible enough to use on every job and handle the
myriad tasks they faced was a big challenge. |
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According to Borchert, labels are
an essential part of the reorganizing process. "Effective labeling creates
and defines a space, whether it's a file, a closet or a cabinet. It creates tangible
results, and people love that." When ShipShape first started out, Silberberg
and Borchert relied on markers and paper labels. But writing the labels by hand
was time-consuming and the results too difficult to read. "My handwriting is
atrocious," confides Silberberg. "On more than one occasion, our handwriting
looked worse than the original mess. And then the labels would often peel up, and
we'd have to start all over. Being able to work quickly and create a professional
look is essential to our business." |
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They kept trying different options.
Typewriters: too slow and clunky. Computers: some clients owned one, others didn't
- and it was impossible to prepare the labels they'd need for a job ahead of time.
Then one day they encountered the perfect solution at their local office supply
store, the Brother P-touch labeler. ShipShape uses the P-touch labeler for a wide
variety of needs ranging from: the relocation packing, un-packing, and set-up end
of the business, which can really help to "de-frazzle" the moving process;
reorganizing spice racks; to labeling silverware collection pouches, shelves, and
magazine holders; as well as using clear laminated tape on furniture to give it
that professionally engraved look. |
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As business purchases go, the two
entrepreneurs consider P-touch labelers to be one of their better decisions. "It's
the least expensive, biggest bang for our buck," says Silberberg. Over the
eight years that they've been using the line of P-touch labelers, Borchert roughly
estimates they've used somewhere between 8,000 and 9,000 tape cassettes. Since their
work looks better, they've been able to attract a more affluent customer base. They've
also had great success using the P-touch labeler to pitch potential clients - time
and again the results win them over. |
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