We were lucky to catch up with Julianna Strickland recently and have shared our conversation below.
Julianna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?
I run two businesses that are connected – one is Space Camp Organizing, a full-service home organizing company that’s been around for about four years. The other is The Space West Adams, a photography, event and meeting space that my team and I launched a few months ago. A trend I’ve been noticing that spans both businesses is a real desire for people to connect in person, especially after so many years of less connection because of the pandemic.
With regard to organizing, we’re seeing clients host more parties, have more gatherings at their homes, and enjoy their spaces more than ever. They’re decorating for holidays and purchasing more entertaining pieces. Of course, with these new habits, they’re accumulating more stuff. We’re helping them stay streamlined and organized so they can feel calm and happy in their spaces. This allows clients to enjoy their lives and their homes more fully.
At The Space West Adams, we have been hosting events with the idea of getting people out of their routines to try something new (and meet new friends in the process). Recently, we hosted an embroidery class with Spoonflower and “Making It” alum Robert Mahar. To say we were blown away by the response would be an understatement. Many incredible creatives from the community joined the class and the overall response was that people were so happy to be together in person making things. I’m excited to have created a place where creative events like this can happen. I think it’s where life is heading more and more these days: more creation, more collaboration, and more fun IRL.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I grew up in Wichita, KS and moved to Los Angeles in 2005 to attend film school at USC. Shortly after I graduated, I started a Youtube cooking show with my best friend called Cinema & Spice. We eventually sold that show to Yahoo and I learned how to be a producer and host from making hundreds of videos for a variety of companies like Yahoo, AOL, Awesomeness, Popsugar, and other food and lifestyle brands. In between producing shows, I started organizing for friends and clients for fun and to make some extra money. I’d always had a knack for organizing and I truly enjoyed helping people clean up their spaces and learn to love their homes more. After a few years, my organizing client base had grown organically. I started bringing help with me on jobs so we could get more done in a shorter time frame. That practice eventually grew into Space Camp, the professional organizing company I own and operate in LA. Today we’re a team of nine (and growing) and we have organized thousands of spaces.
I’m most proud of how the organizing we do for clients truly transforms the way they function and feel in their homes. It’s not just about making spaces look pretty (though we do that, too). It’s about looking at problems our clients are having and solving them from the root of the issue. For example, if a client is frustrated that they can never get out the door on time, we take the time to look at their habits with them. Where do they store their shoes? How do they know where their keys are? What processes could we implement that will streamline their experience every time they leave the house to free up more time and more mental clarity for them? I’m also so proud of the longevity of the systems we create. We have had some of the same clients for six plus years, and they are able to maintain their spaces themselves because the systems were customized specifically for them.
I also have to talk about my incredible team. Each and every Space Camp team member is one of the most caring, empathetic and creative people I have ever met. They care so deeply about our clients and put all of their energy and love into every job they do. This energy and intention makes such a big difference to our clients.The compliment that means the most to me is when clients rave about what a delight it is to have our team in their homes.
Beyond organizing, we also just opened a new event and creative space called The Space West Adams. It started as our warehouse / office space, but has since transformed into an incredible place that we rent out for photo shoots, events, offsite meetings, and where we hold classes for the community. My team and I designed and installed the entire space ourselves. Everything from the hand-painted mural in the conference room to the gallery wall of our organizing work, all of it was done by the team and it’s been really rewarding to see how excited people are when they visit for the first time. We’ve also been using The Space to get back into producing lifestyle content again, and that’s been so much fun. We can’t wait to see what the future has in store for The Space and Space Camp!
Any advice for managing a team?
I think the best thing you can do when you’re managing a team is to try to pair people with tasks that they’re naturally good at. Playing to team members’ strengths will naturally keep morale high and it will make your team as efficient as possible. My team is the heart and soul of my company, so when they’re happy and thriving, our work is at its best and our clients are thrilled. I also pay attention to each and every one of my team members to make sure they’re happy and doing well. They all know they can come to me with any issues or problems (work or personal) and I will do everything in my power to help make Space Camp the best work environment possible for them. Personally, a huge part of the joy of running a company is watching my team members grow and flourish, so I make this a top priority.
I’m also very careful about who I hire. I want to make sure that the team is cohesive and collaborates well with anyone who joins. So, we take our time and do lots of trial days before we invite someone to be an employee at Space Camp.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
At Space Camp, consistently producing a high quality product, excellent customer service, and a commitment to going above and beyond is what has helped us make a name for ourselves. Organizing is a very individualized service. We are in clients’ homes, going through their things with them and helping them tackle problems that are often sensitive and personal. We take this very seriously, and do everything in our power to make the experience as seamless and positive as possible. As a team of extremely creative people, we have created a niche of working with lots of artists and creatives to help them thrive in their homes and work spaces.
The Space West Adams was launched just a few months ago, but word is starting to get around that it’s a great place for people in the community to go learn, meet, and create. My team and I really poured our hearts into The Space, and my favorite feedback we’ve been getting lately is just how special it feels when you’re there in person. I personally love working there and have found it to be a great creative environment. I’ve been shooting lots of videos and photos, and it does have a magical quality about it. I’m so excited for more people to come use The Space and for it to take on a life of its own.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://spacecamporganizing.com and https://www.thespacewestadams.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makebetterspace/?hl=en and https://www.instagram.com/thespace.westadams/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-A0GmwzRiKsgJ6MGVEBnxw
- Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@makebetterspace Pinterest https://www.tiktok.com/@makebetterspace
Image Credits
Katherine Miles Jones Frank Terry Juliana Slemenda