Founder and CEO of SPIFF, Jenna Haefelin, who has a mix of high-end and A-list clients, believes ... [+]
We are consumed by stuff and things. As a society, material items have become a staple of status and prestige.
The average home has 300,000 items, and 1 out of every 10 Americans rents offsite storage spaces. The average woman owns 30 outfits—one for every day of the month. In 1930, that figure was nine. And when talking about celebrities and possessions, the number increases.
Jenna Haefelin, founder of SPIFF, offers A-list celebrities, athletes and high-end clientele a sustainable and minimalistic approach to luxury home organization. Most recently, she’s worked with Justine Skye, Julius and Kendra Randle and Pete Davidson. Her minimalistic approach helps clients not only organize their homes but also helps clear people’s mindsets by eliminating unnecessary items.
“There’s a weight lifted off [the client’s] shoulders when we leave,” Haefelin states, “which is the goal, aside from visually, that’s what we want; we want the energy to flow better in their home. They let go and understand that once it’s gone, they’re going to be able to breathe better metaphorically. I always say, ‘visual clutter is clutter in your brain,’ which isn’t good for your mental state.”
Growing up, Haefelin found when her space was clean and organized, she felt better mentally and was more productive. She knew she wouldn’t thrive at a nine-to-five desk job, so she opted to become a full-time nanny; she liked how each day would be different. Haefelin didn’t want to nanny for her entire career. During this time, she self-reflected on what she liked to do and how to create a business.
Studies show that minimizing the clutter in your living space contributes to the betterment of your ... [+]
“I asked myself over and over, ‘What’s my passion?’” she explains. “All I could come up with was cleaning, but I wanted something more creative. I didn’t want to actually clean. So I came up with the idea of organizing before it really took off to what it is now. I love art; this is like art to me. Each job is a blank canvas. It’s always different. I don’t enjoy doing the same thing every single day. So this gives me the ability to be creative.”
Haefelin reduced her nannying hours to build out her business. She posted her service on the Nextdoor app, a community bulletin to reduce overhead costs. After a few clients, word of mouth became her most effective marketing tool. Celebrities started hiring her for her organizational skills.
NBA player Bobby Portis became Haefelin’s first celebrity client. He wanted to create a sneaker room in his home, and she helped him design and organize a space that would highlight his collection in an organized fashion. Again, word of mouth became a marketing tool for her in the celebrity world, along with utilizing social media.
Over the years, Haefelin has noticed that one of the biggest roadblocks for people dealing with clutter is when they experience the death of someone close to them; sentimental attachment makes people hold onto items.
“I’m realistic with my clients,” Haefelin states. “I push them to make the best decisions that they can.”
The approach of a new year is always a good time to declutter and organize a space; it’s a fresh start. Haefelin shares that it’s important to start off with a small area. Having someone who doesn’t have an attachment to your things will help move the process along quicker; the outsider is objective, realistic and sees your space from a different point of view.
One of the challenges she faced while expanding the company was hiring the right people. She looked for individuals with similar views on sustainability, formality and organization. Currently, Haefelin is designing her own line of sustainable products. She doesn’t use any plastic products in her work, just eco-friendly materials.
Sustainability is key at SPIFF so they began to eliminate the use of plastics in clients’ homes. ... [+]
As Haefelin continues to evolve in her career and expand her business, she focuses on the following essential steps:
- Don’t settle in your career. If you’re unsatisfied with what you’re doing, map out what would energize you and strategize how to get there.
- Save as much money as you can before pivoting. Whether transitioning to a different company or starting a business, having a fund to fall back on helps in the process.
- Give it a try. No matter what you want to do, you’ll regret not investing in yourself.
“We give our clients sentimental bins,” Haefelin concludes. “We want them to hang on to a certain amount of things like important cards and letters and some objects, but when it’s occupying a lot of space in your home, it’s just taking up too much, and you might need that real estate for something else... So depending on what it is, I ask them to take a picture so they’ll always have the memory.”
##
Update: Randall; Randle
