We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kristen Ziegler. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kristen below.

Alright, Kristen thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

Eight months before Minima was born, I started a blog called Minima{list} to share my simple living tips after I lost my architecture job during the Great Recession. For multiple years, I was underemployed and earned less than $20K/year. Through necessary minimalism, I stayed out of debt, kept my savings afloat, and learned that freedom was better than anything money could buy. I experienced firsthand the powerful benefits of living with less: more time, more money, more calm, more presence, more peace.

In October 2010, I founded my organizing business, Minima. I imagined the blog, Minima{list}, and the business, Minima, as sister sites. The name Minima appealed to me because it referenced minimalism, but with a warmer feel. Minimalism is often misunderstood as being restrictive or cold, but I have never seen it that way.

Later on, I remembered the word minima was also a calculus term that references the smallest value on a function curve (calculus was one of my favorite high school subjects). In organizing, I see minima as each client’s desired point on the organization curve—it’s a different place for everyone.

Kristen, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Minima provides organizing and redesign services for your home, workspace, move, or renovation. Our core values are rooted in minimalism, but we are never forceful—we meet clients where they are. Our approach to organizing prioritizes minimizing excess over purchasing organizing products, as well as a holistic whole-home approach versus looking at rooms as standalone projects. We value solutions that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

Our goal is to not only help our clients get organized, but to teach them how to stay organized after we’re done working together. We share our methods with them as well as design sustainable systems that can evolve with them over time as their needs change.

We work with people from all different backgrounds and stages of life: busy parents, empty nesters, artists and creatives, those with ADHD, business professionals and entrepreneurs, perfectionists, those downsizing, relocating or renovating.

Minima started as a one-woman business, but today we have seven employees who provide most client services. My role has shifted to working from home and managing the day to day business operations, creating social media content, writing for the Minima Journal (blog), engaging with the public via in-person events, and collaborating with other businesses/companies such as The Minimalists and MUJI. I am also continually designing and streamlining pieces of the business as we grow.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

On October 13, 2010, I received both joyous and devastating news: my LLC for Minima was official, and I had ovarian cancer. The latter put my entrepreneurial dreams on hold as I underwent multiple surgeries and several months of chemotherapy. While I spent most days in bed, too weak to do anything else, I daydreamed about Minima’s brand and mission—to help others Make what is necessary beautiful®. This dream kept me energized and provided a light at the end of the tunnel.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

This has been one of the biggest learning curves for me.

From 2010 to about 2018, I worked as Project Manager on every single client job, so I had direct communication with my team everyday. After 2018, I promoted one of my long-time employees to Project Manager and began phasing myself out of on-site work. She knew how to do the role because she’d worked alongside me as an assistant for so many years. We didn’t have any sort of written training manual at the time.

In the summer of 2021, my Project Manager was planning to take time off for maternity leave. I’d become accustomed to working from home and saw two options: I could go back to on-site work, or I could temporarily promote two of my other employees to Project Manager. I opted for the latter, but I didn’t provide them with enough training. The lack of clear direction resulted in several quality control and communication issues that were very challenging to deal with.

I course-corrected in early 2022 by writing an in-depth employee handbook that clarified job descriptions, responsibilities, and policies and procedures for everything we do. I also established new communication touch points, such as annual reviews, monthly leadership meetings with my Project Managers, and quarterly team socials.

Employee relationships have been much smoother, but there’s always more to learn! I recently contracted an HR professional to help when issues arise that are beyond my knowledge or skill level. Knowing when to delegate is essential to managing a successful small business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.minimaonline.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/minima_organizing/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/minimaonline
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/minimaonline/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@minima_organizing
• Other: Minima Journal: https://www.minimaonline.com/journal

Image Credits
Kristen Ziegler, The Minimalists, Mindie Ballard