Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Leigh Achenbach. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Leigh thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
I’ve always been someone who thrives on order and simplicity—it’s just how I’m wired. But the actual business idea didn’t click until a pretty pivotal season of my life.
I was born and raised in Tennessee and never planned to leave, but just three weeks after getting married, my husband was stationed in Los Angeles with the Air Force. So suddenly I went from being completely comfortable to 2,000 miles away, starting over in a brand-new environment. It pushed me way outside of my comfort zone in a way I had never experienced before.
During that time, I was really trying to figure out what I was meant to do. I kept coming back to organizing—it showed up in every avenue I looked into. And at first I honestly thought, ‘I wish that was a real career.’ That’s when I discovered it actually was.
Once I started working with clients in Los Angeles, everything clicked. I got to see firsthand that this wasn’t just about making spaces look nice—people were genuinely overwhelmed in their homes. They didn’t have systems that supported their day-to-day life, and it was affecting their stress, their routines, even their relationships.
What I also noticed was a gap in the industry. A lot of organizing was either very aesthetic—beautiful but not sustainable—or very system-focused without considering how the space actually felt. What came naturally to me was blending the two: creating spaces that are both functional and visually calm, but also realistic for the client to maintain.
That’s when I knew this was more than just something I enjoyed—it was something people truly needed and were willing to invest in because it makes their everyday life easier.
When we moved back to Middle Tennessee, starting Suddenly Simple felt like a natural next step. I had the experience, I understood the need, and I had a clear approach that set me apart.
What still excites me the most is the transformation—not just of the space, but of how people feel in their home. When someone goes from overwhelmed and stressed to calm and in control, that’s powerful. And I knew if I could consistently create that for people, this was absolutely a worthwhile business to build.”
Leigh, 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?
I started my journey into professional organizing because I know how much stress and overwhelm clutter can create. I feel it in my own life when I start to feel suffocated by my own home. I realized that in moments of overwhelm, I could come up with a plan to get rid of that feeling and make spaces start working with me, instead of against me. When I realized not everyone could see the hope in a seemingly hopeless space and didn’t have the drive to pull themselves into a better place, that’s when I decided I wanted to help people reclaim their spaces—and their peace of mind. Over the years, I’ve honed my approach to blend functionality with style, so every space I organize isn’t just orderly, it’s beautiful too.
I work with both homes and small businesses to create spaces that aren’t just tidy—they function effortlessly and truly restore energy. What sets my business apart is that we design solutions that specifically fit YOU. We tackle the root causes of clutter and visual noise so your space works for your life.
We don’t just organize, we solve the feeling that your space creates. Actual clutter and visual clutter (are two different problems, but they create the same result – stress, overwhelm, and mental noise. If you only declutter, your space can still feel chaotic. If you only make it look pretty, it won’t function. That’s why our team addresses both types of clutter in every single job. The goal isn’t a tidy home, it’s a calm one.
We edit what you own so your space functions effortlessly, and we refine how it looks so it feels calm, clear, and elevated. Because we believe that a space isn’t truly organized until it feels as good as it functions.
After 8 years of owning my own business the thing I am most proud of is the team that I’ve built. They are the most caring, dedicated, hard-working girls out there. They believe in the brand and want every client to have the best experience and the greatest result. Every job presents different challenges, but we always take them on together. It’s not usual for a group of women this large to genuinely love and care not only for our clients, but for each other. We are truly blessed to be a part of something so great!
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I truly believe people make or break this business. Over the years, I’ve had seasons where I brought on the wrong team members—or where the right people became the wrong fit over time. Early on, I tried to make it work and sometimes avoided hard conversations, thinking effort could overcome misaligned values or skills.
But I learned the hard way that it doesn’t. It slowed growth and created unnecessary stress—not just for me, but for the clients and team I care deeply about.
Those were some of the toughest moments in my business, but they forced me to grow as a leader. I started facing uncomfortable situations head-on, making the hard decisions to realign my team, and getting very clear on the culture I wanted to build—one rooted in trust, shared vision, and accountability.
That experience reshaped how I lead. It taught me that resilience isn’t just about pushing through—it’s about making difficult decisions sooner, learning quickly, and protecting the standard of your business.
Looking back, those missteps weren’t failures—they were necessary. They sharpened my instincts, strengthened my leadership, and ultimately allowed me to build a team that truly supports both the work and the clients I care so much about.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
One of the advantages of a service-based business is that you don’t need a large amount of capital to get started. Instead of focusing on raising money, I focused on building a strong foundation—developing a business plan centered around process, results, and the client experience. The financial side followed that.
Before launching my own business, I spent two years in Los Angeles working for other professional organizing companies. During that time, I wasn’t just working—I was studying, refining, and intentionally developing my own methods. I spent hours thinking through what worked, what didn’t, and how I wanted my approach to feel for clients.
The capital I did need, I earned while working as an organizing assistant during those two years. But more than anything, I invested time—far more than money—into building this business. I created my own website, handled my own marketing, developed my team’s training, and built every system from the ground up.
That was very intentional. I wanted my heart to be felt in every aspect of the business—every touchpoint, every interaction, every way a client found and experienced us.
Looking back, that investment gave me something more valuable than outside funding: a business that is not only financially sound, but deeply aligned with my standards, my process, and the experience I want every client to have.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://suddenlysimpleorganizing.com
- Instagram: @suddenlysimpleorganizing
- Facebook: @suddenlysimpleorganizing
- Other: TikTok: @suddenlysimpleorganizing
Image Credits
Suddenly Simple Organizing
Feiten Photography