We recently connected with Jodanna Knabe and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jodanna, thanks for joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

I have seen the organizing industry change and grow a lot since I started almost 14 years ago, in January 2010. When I felt led to start my business, I was only able to find three organizers within an hour radius to Knoxville. Just a few years ago there were two organizers in my own neighborhood! I feel it safe to say that I was one of the pioneers of the Organizing industry here in Knoxville. There were many other organizers throughout the country, and even shows like HGTV we’re really starting to talk about Organizing and trying to bring awareness to the need for it in homes. I’ve never used any paid advertising and went straight for word-of-mouth exposure, and massive amounts of networking meetings, to get to know other businesses in the community, and promote my business. Yet during my start up, while attending these meetings, I had to thoroughly explain what an organizer actually does. Many many people asked if I clean or decorate houses, interior design, or staging, and I politely would tell them it was definitely some thing different than all of those things (even though there is a very small amount of that happening depending on the clients situation). It was really fun helping to bring this concept to Knoxville, yet it still took several years for people to really grasp and understand the service.
That’s exactly what I see my business representing. It is a service to my clients. I also see it as a ministry. There’s several ways that set me a part from other organizers . There are ways that I do things differently than the general population of professional organizers. When I say it’s like a ministry to me… Not only do I pray with, and for my clients, when they allow me to, my heart has compassion for them, and I truly care about their victory in their spaces! We are the most consuming, country, and we put so much pride and emphasis on having stuff. However, the most important thing should be our health and our relationships, and even hobbies to bring us joy. Our stuff gets in the way of that. In my heart, I want everyone to learn organization on some level so their lives can be less stressful, and more productive in the areas that truly give them a better quality of life. The way I do this is not by just putting a Band-Aid on their space or making it look like a pretty magazine picture, and yet they still can’t find things, and still don’t understand the process of how to put it away… but I actually work side-by-side my clients and teach them a simple three step life skill process. This is something they can teach generations in their family, as well as mimic it in any area in their home or office, or in any lifestyle change that they go through. Not only do I work with, and teach my clients this process, I also teach non-credit workshops at a community college, as well as special opportunities during middle school and high school life-skills classes. No one really teaches these things to younger people and in my opinion it’s a very important life skill! While I’m in peoples spaces, I first do an assessment. I do charge for this because I’m giving them valuable information on every space that I see and give them an action plan that they can do on their own, or we can work on together. This sets me apart because generally in our industry, the organizers will do a free quote, come in and just organize the space to what they think works, and even get rid of items without really working with the client to ask them questions to understand how they operate & to understand the needs and functionality of the home or space for that client . I think it is literally crucial to understand my clients and use that knowledge, combined with my wisdom and expertise, to develop a system & spaces that truly work for my client. It’s important that it works for the client because they are the ones who have to function in their space successfully. Is it important at the end of the process to have a nice looking system w containers and labels, etc.… Sure! Yet I t doesn’t all have to match and be perfect, but it does have to be functional, and labels are a must! I have developed a title for my type of organizing. I consider myself a Functional Organizer. It’s not a technical term as it should be, compared to other titles in our industry, such as Boutique Organizers, or Decluttering Professionals, Junk Removers, or just Professional Organizer. All that being said, with the very rapidly growing industry, I can only hope that we all are truly passionate and caring about our clients situations, and their quality of life. Unfortunately I’ve seen and received many clients, who have “tried using an organizer “, and we’re very unhappy with the results. If I can get them to try again with me, it’s been a much better result. In my experienced opinion, you cannot just slap a Band-Aid on stuff in a space and it successfully stay that way. “Organization is a lifestyle and a life skill that is constantly evolving, and yet should be easy to maintain. My true heart is to teach and help people to live a lifestyle of organization, to bring hope to them, and to show them how to SEE THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE CLUTTER!!”

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I have always been an organized person. I can remember during high school when my friends and I would be getting ready to go out to a party or something and as my friends would still be getting ready, I would be in their bedrooms organizing and tidying up their space! I was also constantly re-organizing and redecorating my own bedroom. I would declutter my space and my families home, and my friend spaces anytime I had a chance! It’s been a characteristic that has always followed me to every job I’ve had, from restaurants to store fronts to offices, I was always organizing the space and developing more efficient systems. When my son was six months old, I became a full-time single parent, and by the time he was four I realized these jobs were not giving me enough time to be at home with my son, and provide for our family. I truly believe that God showed me that I could utilize organization as a career. He gave me the theme for my business and it was to teach and help people to “see the light at the end of the clutter”. I utilized word-of-mouth, tons of networking meetings, and a half off deal with an online company to spread the news about my business. And this January 2024 will be my 14 year mark of being successful in this industry. Has there been ups and downs? Of course. But I come from a family of entrepreneurs, so I have always known that there would be growing pains. But the joy of seeing my clients released from their stress, gaining control of their space and stuff, and having more time for what’s most important to them, makes it worth it all! Not to mention, it has been a humongous blessing that I have had more time with my son!

The core of my business is to help and teach my clients a life skill of organization and turn it into a lifestyle. I do this, utilizing my simple three-step process that can be mimicked anywhere with any space, situation, etc. I am not only a consultant and physical helper for my clients in their space, but I also help clients virtually. That has been a wonderful opportunity for clients who may not have several hours in their day, but can learn the process and do things on their own, weekly. One of my favorite aspects of my business, is that I help people with their moving process, such as packing/unpacking, and even help advocate for them on their move day! I also can provide my service not only in homes, but offices, store fronts, storage rooms, storage units, RVs, and even Airbnb’s!
I believe the most important thing I do is to give my clients encouragement and hope, so that they can overcome their space and situation and take back control of their lives, and add to their quality of life! My business name, Messes2Miracles, says it all! I do my best to create a miracle from messes that clients are overwhelmed with so that I can help take the stress away, make their life more functional, and bless them! And when clients value the process, that’s when it becomes the most successful! It’s so rewarding to me when things click for my clients. When they’re so proud of themselves and they send me text messages or pictures of something they’ve done even on their own, it warms my heart, and makes me smile! it is truly a service that I try to bring to my clients! And I am thankful for the opportunity to get to know my clients and help develop systems that will work best for them.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

I have primarily built my business on word-of-mouth. In the very beginning, I utilized an online service called Living Social where you pay for leads. Basically the client pays for a deal and the online company keeps half of that discounted deal and you get the other half. It was like getting paid a quarter of what I normally charge for my service but it does get you in front of a ton more people that you may not ever know. I call it reverse advertisement. Also in the beginning, I networked like crazy! I spent a ton of time going to every networking meeting I could make it to so I could get the word out about my business. My industry was also fairly new, so it was very important to get in front of as many people as possible to bring the awareness of what a Professional Organizer does. I continue to network after all these years since 2010 when I started! I utilize social media a little bit but I’m not very good at keeping up with it, truth be told! My clients have been so grateful for what we’ve accomplished in their spaces, that they tell others about my service. Word of mouth exposure is the best kind of exposure in my opinion.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I started this business in 2010, and it was very new to my area, I definitely had to stay resilient to bring awareness and understanding of what a Professional Organizer does. Many thought I cleaned houses or staged/decorated… and although those things happen on a very small scale in my business, it was very important to teach & construct the job description to the people of Knoxville! It took several years. Now the industry is growing, and there are countless organizers in Knoxville Area alone. I am happy to see that this industry has become something important. In my opinion, it is a life skill that everyone should have. It is also a luxury service, but a necessity for everyone. That does make it a little challenging because there are people who truly need help but can’t afford a service like this. I try to do a little charity work or give discounts when I’m able. I may not be able to do it on a scale that I would like to, but I keep doing my best helping one client at a time to help them be successful in their space! I’ve been a full-time single parent during all the years of doing my business, and at times, I don’t always have the energy, time, or ability to grow and nurture the ideas that I have for my business, or keep up on social media. However, I don’t ever give up! After almost 14 years of doing this very physical, emotional, spiritual, & mental job, I have seen the need to take care of myself even more. When my body and mind might be weary and tired, I push through knowing that I am going to bring hope and help to someone, and feeling the reward of helping my clients gets me through every day! I do love what I do, and when I started this business at 30 years old, & to this day, it’s very special to say I’ve been doing what I love to do as my career!

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.messes2miracles.com
• Instagram: @messes2miracles
• Facebook: @messes2miracles
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/Messes2Miracles

Image Credits
Knoxville entrepreneur center: Made for Knoxville Photo by Rachel Woods, Smoke Signal Media