Minima Celebrates 10 Years: A Look at Our Evolution
To celebrate Minima’s tenth birthday, I decided to put together a timeline of some of the most important moments over the years. Since Minima was born, it has grown steadily from a company of one with a few clients per month into a multi-employee business that books out weeks or even months in advance. We have a solid base of clientele whom we love (which continues to expand) and a dream list of brand/media features I never could have imagined. Each year it seems like something new and big happens to evolve things forward.
When I decided to start my own business, I had no idea what to expect. As it turns out, it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Even though it can be incredibly challenging at times, it fills me up with a complete sense of purpose and fulfillment. It truly is and will continue to be my life’s work.
2012 | Dirty Richmond
Pre-Minima
Let’s start with a recap of the years leading up to Minima, a series of developments that helped me decide to take a risk and start my own business.
October 2008 | I was laid off from my full-time architecture job due to the recession.
January 2009 | A friend told me about NAPO (National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals) and I went to my first NAPO Richmond local chapter meeting. Prior to hearing about them, I didn’t realize organizing could be a career! (This was pre-Marie Kondo after all.)
February 2009 | Shortly after attending the NAPO Richmond meeting, I was hired by a local organizing company. They saw the direct relationship between my skillset as an architect and the skills required to be successful in the home organizing industry.
2009 — 2010 | In addition to the part time job with the local organizing company, I worked multiple other part time jobs primarily in retail and temp agency office work. I began to hit a wall and realized I had a few options going forward—I could go back to architecture, I could start my own organizing business, or I could do something completely new.
February 2010 | I started a blog called Minima{list} to document my experiences surviving the recession. I’d just turned 27. The very first post reads:
The architect in me has been procrastinating this first posting. “It has to be perfect” I keep telling myself. Some major inspiration filtered in through the mail over the past couple of weeks. My W-2 forms. All five of them, with a grand total of under $20K (pre-tax) earned in 2009. It has been a hard year for many of us. When I lost my full time architecture job in October of 2008 I panicked. The recession was officially in full swing and there were no architecture jobs to be found. Over a year later I am still living in Richmond and supporting myself, albeit on approximately half of what I was earning before. I haven’t had to move back in with my parents or drain my savings account as I once catastrophized. That’s what this blog is all about. I want to share what I have learned about living minimally and surviving this recession. Losing my job has turned out, in many ways, to be one of the best things that has happened to me since graduating college. I have begun a new career direction as a Professional Organizer and feel empowered by my ability to live off of so little.
Minima Begins
October 2010 | I decided to take a risk and start my own organizing business and I got the blessing to branch off from the local organizing company I’d been working for. The name Minima was inspired by the Minima{list} blog—at the time I saw them as sister ideas. I later discovered Minima is also a calculus term, which was one of my favorite subjects in high school. I received my Certificate of Organization for Minima from the SCC on October 13.
Later that same week, I got the devastating news that I had an ovarian tumor, which I’d later find out was cancer. My plans for Minima were put on hold until 2011 while I completed surgery and chemo.
2013 | Richmond Home Magazine
2015 | Richmond Home Magazine
2015 | Need Supply Blog
The Early Years (2011 - 2015)
February 2011 | Once I was well, I started work on Minima’s website and marketing materials and slowly took on a few clients. This was the first full year of business and was really about getting the word out and building an initial client base. I continued to assist the local organizing company I’d worked for on jobs as needed.
March 2012 | I attended my first NAPO conference in Baltimore and networked with other organizers from all over the country.
June 2012 | I passed my Certified Professional Organizer (CPO) exam. Several years later, I decided not to renew my CPO certification because the very specific continuing education requirements were not in alignment with my desired direction for Minima.
June 2012 | I began work with my first commercial client, Flashpoint (now Epiphany).
July 2012 | Gabe Ricioppo, at the time a partner at Need Supply, reached out to me to help Need streamline and organize their workspace. Gabe was impressed with Minima’s website and said he wanted me to apply the same attention to detail to the space at Need. As a long time admirer of the Need brand, this came as a major compliment. Minima started work with Need in August and maintained an ongoing relationship until Need permanently closed earlier this year due to COVID (RIP). In addition to my credentials as an architect, being able to say “Need Supply is a client” established a lot of respect and trust with new clients in the Richmond community.
August 2012 | I began to see a steady stream of work and my weeks were staying busy. I established Mondays as my no-client admin/marketing day. To this day, Mondays remain my sacred day to work on the business.
The same month, I hired a VCU Interior Design student, Megan, as an intern to assist on organizing jobs. Prior to hiring Megan, I thought I could never delegate and needed to do everything on my own to maintain a high quality standard. After working with Megan, I realized what a huge help it was to have a second person to delegate to. She helped expedite the entire process for both me and the client. This was a revelation—after Megan finished her internship, I hired my first two Organizing Assistants in early 2013 and the Minima team organizing approach was born.
January 2013 | I participated in the TedX Open Mic Night in front of hundreds of people, telling my story of how beating cancer gave me the courage to start a business. You can watch my mini-talk here.
February 2013 | I purchased my first home in the Fan and did a full renovation of the downstairs plus some improvements to the upstairs. Transitioning from an apartment where I had little design control to a home where I could make things exactly how I wanted has been a big part of expanding Minima’s presence as an organizing company with a design focus. My home has become the physical representation of Minima, a real-life showroom for my work.
May 2013 | Minima began working with Ledbury in a similar capacity to Need Supply. We have continued to help them over the years as needed.
August 2013 | I signed on with my accountant. To all of the new businesses owners out there—I wish I’d signed on with him from day one. He saves me so much money and is an invaluable resource. Per my accountant’s recommendation, Minima became an S-Corporation for tax purposes. I was no longer self-employed, but owner-employee of Minima and set up with payroll.
September/October 2013 | My newly renovated home was featured in Richmond Home Magazine’s small spaces issue.
March 2014 | Minima was voted Best Home Organizer in Richmond Home Magazine’s Readers’ Favorites poll for the first year. We have continued to be voted best every year since.
April 2014 | I began the first of a series of collaborative blog posts centered around minimalism with Need Supply. Their blog was popular on an international level, which attracted new interest to Minima outside of Richmond.
August 2014 | I took on a trial partnership with another woman, which lasted about a year. The collaboration brought a lot of growth and new ideas to Minima, but ultimately we did not move forward with the partnership. The experience was positive, but helped me solidify that I did not want a business partner.
February 2017 | Creative Mornings
January 2020 | Apartment Therapy
2016 - Present Day
May 2016 | I attended my second NAPO conference in Atlanta and connected with long-time online friend and home organizer, Fay Wolf.
Later that month, I watched Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things for the first time and strongly connected with their message. I continue to rewatch the documentary periodically to re-center.
June 2016 | Alex Coleburn (now a long-time employee and Project Manager for Minima) joined the Minima team as an Organizing Assistant.
July 2016 | Minima’s mission statement Make what is necessary beautiful.® was trademarked. (The business name Minima was trademarked in 2010 as part of the business formation.)
October 2016 | Minima was invited to NYC for an all expenses paid trip to organize a high end retailer’s store and offices in SoHo.
February 2017 | I was the featured speaker at the monthly Creative Mornings event in front of over 200 people. You can watch my talk “Living Intentional Moments Through Minimalism” here.
April 2017 | I booked our first four organizer job. The team approach became the norm versus me working one-on-one.
June 2017 | Alex Coleburn successfully Project Managed her first job without me. This was a major turning point—I realized client jobs could be carried out without me present. Alex began Project Managing regularly, which allowed Minima to take on more clients than before.
January 2018 | My home tour was featured in Apartment Therapy, which attracted a wide range of new interest for Minima outside of Richmond. Apartment Therapy invited me onto their team of paid writers and I did a series of posts for them spanning through 2019.
October 2018 | I hired one of Minima’s Organizing Assistants to provide admin support for Minima. The day to day responsibilities had grown beyond a place I could manage on my own. This allowed me to focus on bigger picture work and get back to the things I enjoyed.
June 2019 | I took a long-awaited 15 day design focused trip to Sweden and Denmark with my now-husband, Jonathan.
January 2020 | My home tour was featured in Apartment Therapy highlighting recent renovations.
April 2020 | I pivoted services to virtual-only from April through June due to COVID. I’d done virtual organizing before COVID, but the demand increased and it’s now become a standard offering.
September 2020 | I hosted a virtual desk organizing workshop in partnership with one of my all-time favorite brands, MUJI.
I can’t wait to see what unfolds next! Here’s to many more years of helping people improve their lives through organization and simplicity.