The Home Edit Founders on Building a Home Organization Empire
Clea and Joanna, Founders of The Home Edit
Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin both moved to Nashville from Cali without knowing many people and after a friend introduced them via text - not only did a friendship blossom but so did The Home Edit. They realized that no one was using social media platforms to market their home organization companies so they decided beautiful photos of their projects were perfect for Instagram. The goal in starting The Home Edit was to reinvent traditional organizing and merge it with design and interior styling. While every project is rooted in functional systems that can be maintained for the long term, there's just as much emphasis placed on transforming the space visually and adding their signature stylized aesthetic. Six years later, they have written two books and are on season 2 of their Netflix show!
“We don't take anything for granted. We don't take success for granted, we don't take a single dollar for granted. Just because you have success doesn't mean you're always going to have it.” -Joanna
Find Clea, Joanna, and The Home Edit:
- Website: https://www.thehomeedit.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehomeedit/
- Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/thehomeedit/_shop/
- Joanna’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/joannateplin/
- Clea’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/cleashearer/
Episode Contents
- From A Blind Date to Six Years of Running The Home Edit
- Synergy and Their Dynamic Partnership
- How The Home Edit Finds New Clients (Then and Now)
- Lessons Learned and What A Day In The Home Edit Life Looks Like
- LA Press and Writing a Book
- The Home Edit Show Season Two on Netflix!
- They Always Have Their Foot on the Gas
- Inspiration Is Everything
From A Blind Date to Six Years of Running The Home Edit
Mimi:
Thank you so much Clea and Joanna for coming on today. I really appreciate it. And I'm so excited to hear about your journey because it has been like a wild ride for you guys and I'm so impressed in everything that you've done. So thank you so much for coming on.
Joanna:
Thanks for us.
Clea:
Yeah. Thank you.
Mimi:
Yes. First I'm going to start up by telling your whole story. But I mean you guys have your own TV show now. Like when did you guys hit your like pinch me moment? Like, "Oh my God, I can't believe we went from starting to having our own TV show."
Clea:
We've had a few pinch me moments. I will say it's been a very accelerated six years and we haven't really had a moment to catch our breath. We haven't really had a lot of time to reflect on how crazy it's been. But we just started the day we met, is when we started our business, which is kind of indicative for everything that was to come. We just-
Joanna:
Totally.
Clea:
We were feet to the fire the entire way.
Mimi:
That's amazing. You guys were introduced by somebody and did that person introduce you guys because they knew you guys were both organizers? Is that how that went or was it just coincidence?
Clea:
Well, I actually had a blind lunch date with this friend, Leah, and I told her that I was brand new to Nashville, I didn't know anyone. I had no friends. Leah was like the first person I met in Nashville. And I told her that I really wanted to start an organizing business. I had always wanted to and figured, I'm in Nashville, it's a fresh start. Why not? Like, why go for it? And she said, "Well, I have a friend named Joanna. She moved from California a year ago and she had an organizing business in San Francisco and wants to re-up it in Nashville. You guys should meet." And the rest is history. The other part though, is that Joanna was like, "No, thanks. I don't need a business partner. I can do it myself."
Mimi:
You had to convince to take you on?
Clea:
Yes.
Joanna:
Well, no, you didn't have to convince me to take me on. Leah had to convince me that it was like a worthwhile conversation. Once I met you, there was no convincing needed.
Clea:
That's true. I had to convince her to just go to lunch, like she was that-
Joanna:
No, I would've gone. I was fine to go to lunch. I was fine to go to lunch. I just didn't need a business partner. So-
Clea:
The operative word is fine. She was not excited. This is no a thing.
Synergy and Their Dynamic Partnership
Mimi:
How did you convince her that she needed a partner?
Joanna:
Oh, she didn't need to convince me the second I met Clea, there was no convincing necessary. I was like, "Oh you and I are... Yes. A hundred million percent."
Clea:
So we sat down and we didn't even ask each other, we still haven't. I mean, no one's ever...
Joanna:
Clea, do you want to go into business with me?
Clea:
Yeah, no one proposed.
Joanna:
No, we just started and kind of never looked back. I mean I... Fortunate is beyond the understatement of the century to describe my experience with Clea.
Mimi:
So I have a question though, cause there's a lot of women that have started organizing businesses and none of them have reached your success. So what would you like attribute that to? Is it your synergy or is it because you created a whole different take on it?
Joanna:
I think the secret initially was the friendship that we built. We just saw eye to eye on all major things from the second we started and we don't waste time in the muck. And as far as like hemming and hawing, we're both very intuitive, fast decision making people and we sort of go, go, go, go. And if there's an issue, then we figure it out. But we don't get stuck in the muck. And I think that's allowed us to get where we are now.
Joanna:
And because we're friends, we were always happy to spend a million hours together. So instead of at night where we both go to our respective hotel rooms, we would share a room because it's more fun. It was economical at first. But then it was like, "Well of course this is way more fun." So, you know, we would talk about work until 11:30 at night.
Joanna:
So we had like 10 years in the amount of time that we started instead of the amount of time that we actually have had.
Clea:
I agree with Joanna, I think our synergy is what has got us to this point. I think the work product though, what we put out into the world, I think was different than what was existing in the market. And you know, when we first started this business, I said to Joanna, I was kind of obsessed with... Well, I have a marketing background and a social media background kind of, I guess, both. And I was obsessed with the idea of using social media and using Instagram to represent our work cause no one else was doing that. And I was like, this is such a missing piece of the organizing world. Let people see how beautiful and cool and engaging and pleasing and satisfying this can be, and let's also elevate the game and make it really, really beautiful. And you know, we did a lot of things that other people weren't doing. We incorporated a lot of aesthetic qualities that other organizers weren't. So I do think we kind of changed the game.
Joanna:
Yeah.
Mimi:
Yeah. I mean, it's so satisfying seeing your Instagram, like before and after and just... I don't know what it is. Like you just sit there for hours and look at those like reels.
Joanna:
It's really fun. We also have the most fun job ever. So, you know, we're lucky we get to do what we love all the time and with a person that we would choose to be with all the time.
How The Home Edit Finds New Clients
Mimi:
Yeah. Now have you ever had a moment of having difficulty finding clients or was like from the very beginning, like we have them and it just hasn't stopped?
Clea:
I'd say that there's always ebbs and flow when it comes to anything client facing, because this business, unlike a hair stylist, a makeup artist, whatever that is, you can sustain your business on your roster of clients because they keep coming back. But in the organizing world, you have repeat clients of course, but you need the quantity because even if you have clients where you do the entire house over and over and over again, there is a limit to how much... You're not getting your hair done every four to six weeks. It's just different. So there have been periods absolutely where we've had to kind of pivot and think about how to drive up client experiences and how to drive up numbers and that, especially in different cities, in emerging markets, when we open in new places where we don't have a presence yet, and even though we might be the biggest kind of organizing company, it doesn't mean that if we open up in a city where there's a huge presence of other organizers, we still have to fight for that market share.
Mimi:
And when you've opened into new spaces though, has it been hard to make sure your look is consistent and your brand with people? Cause obviously you're not going to everyone's house doing it.
Joanna:
Right. Well, we're very fortunate to have excellent trainers who have been with us for a hundred years and they have it down to a science as far as how to train our techniques. Cause we really do have a system that's trainable to other people. So no, actually we're able to keep the consistencies across all markets, even if the two of us aren't there. Which is truly amazing.
Mimi:
It's all about... I was talking about this last week with somebody we had on Instagram live. It's all about creating like systems like you're talking about-
Joanna:
Yes.
Mimi:
In a business and that's how you scale.
Joanna:
Yes. You have to have systems. And we realized that. After we realized we couldn't do it ourselves and grow, we realized we had to figure out ways to scale and that absolutely involves systems.
Lessons Learned and The Home Edit Day to Day
Mimi:
And what has been the hardest lesson that you've both had to learn?
Clea:
Oh, I think it's all employee related. Managing people is the hardest job anyone will ever have. I would say managing people and motherhood, which is also kind of the same thing.
Joanna:
It's the same.
Clea:
Hardest job.
Mimi:
Well, it's communicating what you want, right? And making sure like they're doing what you... In your mind, you're thinking that you're telling them, but they're not hearing that, right? I think that's the thing. And then also is it just finding them or is it-
Clea:
No.
Joanna:
You know what I also think-
Clea:
It's managing.
Joanna:
Managing, but I also think understanding and accepting that not everyone's meant to be on the ride with you for the long haul, has been a really hard lesson. Clea and I are both very loyal people., And when we commit to something, we sort of commit for a lifetime, I guess, I don't know, for lack of a better way to put it. And so I think realizing that sometimes employees come and then they go and that's just like part of how a business works.
Mimi:
But do you find that you wait until they leave or do you-
Clea:
Hugely it's people leaving. We are not the firing type. I mean, it is hard for us to let go of people, Joanna's right. We are loyal to a fault, and I think that the hardest thing for me is to not take things personally, because I think that from the very beginning, we kind of operate like it's the family, everyone's together, and we have so much fun together and we go to dinners together and we spend so much time together on work trips. I mean, it's a really intense, personal amount of time that we spend with people who work for us. And at a certain point, it's like if they leave or if they're unhappy or if there's some... You know, it's like, there's something that it's like a punch to the gut because we take it personally and it's hard, but it's part of it.
Joanna:
It is.
Clea:
And we need to get kind of better about like divorcing the personal aspect of it.
Joanna:
Yeah. I think that's right. And growing, I mean, growing is hard. Change is hard. It's hard for everybody. Some it's harder for than others, but like explaining to everyone that has been with you from the start that change is imminent and that it's going to happen and it's not a bad thing. It's just a different thing. It's all hard. It's been a ride and people have come and gone at different points, but the ones that have been with us for a long time have experienced so many iterations of our business.
Mimi:
Yeah. Now have you, because you have so many different offices, do you have like a Monday morning, like national meeting or how do you kind of keep everybody in a community?
Clea:
That's a good idea. We should do that. I mean, it's hard. We have different time zones, we have some people who work kind of on the back end role and then other people who are organizing in someone's house. So it's hard to kind of-
Mimi:
You don't want to take him away from that job?
Joanna:
Right. That's been a huge challenge. Always. It's always a work in progress. I mean, I think Clea and I are always a work in progress. We're always looking for someone smarter to come up with a better solution than we've already implemented because there is one and it's just, again, we're always growing and learning. Always.
LA Press and Writing a Book
Mimi:
Now you guys have such an impressive like press and following, and you've created a book. Like was that from your connections in LA? Was that because people saw you on social media and like reached out? What would you attribute that to?
Clea:
I grew up in Los Angeles and when we first launched in August of 2015, I said to Joanna in October of 2015, I was like, "Let's go to LA. Let's do kind of a promotional trip where we connect with some of the people that I know, some high profile people and offer them a free job and they can post about it on Instagram in exchange." And that jump started kind of our celebrity profile and exposure. And once you do a few celebrities, then they all start reaching out. And then very, very quickly became kind of the celebrity organizers.
Mimi:
Right. The problem with a lot of celebrities, and sorry if anyone's listening, a lot of them want it for free. So at some point, did they want to pay? Right? I feel like a lot of celebrities, sometimes they're all looking for... You know, I found out with a lot of people that they're looking for, "Hey, I'll put it on social media." And you're like, "Well, at some point I need to get paid though." Right?
Clea:
We have run into both sides actually, where we are more than happy. We don't pay for advertising. So this is the best... You know, comping a job for a high profile person and a celebrity, it is worth it for us. And then there are some celebrities that we would've died for them to post about it and they wanted to pay. And it was like, "Ugh, but you're so good." So sometimes it's a bummer. Sometimes I'm like, "Gosh, it would be the best money I could spend to do this job for free."
Mimi:
That's a good way to look at it. Now you decided to, you wrote a book and how did that come about?
Clea:
The book came pretty early in The Home Edit lifespan. Books take a long time to come to fruition. So our first book came out March of 2019. So it became in the works in 2017 and we shopped it around to a few different publishers. We had a huge library of amazing photos and we were like, "Well, we should do something with this. We should do a book." Write a book, they say, it'll be great they say. It's a real fair to write a book.
Joanna:
Clea wrote the book and it's fantastic. And it just launched a thousand opportunities from the book, honestly.
Mimi:
Yeah. It's like a calling card. You don't do it for the money. Right. You do it for the calling card and for the-
Clea:
You definitely don't do it for the money, but to our absolute shock, a lot of people bought our book and-
Mimi:
Oh, that's great.
Clea:
And, and then we wrote a second book and a lot of people bought the second book. So no, you absolutely do not do it for the money, but the amount of people who supported and continue to support our books is unbelievable. I'll never get over it.
Mimi:
That's amazing. Well, everyone loves pretty pictures and pretty... You know? Like it just makes you feel good and like, "Oh my house can look like that," right? So I think that has a lot to do with it.
Clea:
Yeah. And I think that the book, I tried to write it in a really approachable, like humor filled way so that it's something for everyone. Right? Like there's process in there, the pretty pictures if that's all you want to see, and if you really want to read it, cover to cover, there's a lot in there that is kind of written in my voice that it's not so serious. And I think that people really responded to it. I mean, I can't even tell you how many people will come to a book signing and there are like 10,000 post-it notes throughout the book and-
Mimi:
Oh, wow.
Clea:
Highlighted and like people read the book. Which now we're working on book three and I'm like, "Wow, I feel a lot of pressure because it's not like I can just write gibberish and people are looking at the photos." I'm like, "There are people who really read this thing." So I need to live up to the expectation.
The Home Edit Show Season 2 On Netflix!
Mimi:
That's great. That's great. And then how about your new TV show? Like, are you filming it in LA, are you filming in Nashville and how did that come about?
Joanna:
So Molly Sims, our savior. I love Molly more than anything. Molly, very early on in The Home Edit lifespan found us on Instagram. And she reached out to us about helping her book. And she had an organizing section of her current book and she wanted us to come to LA and do some projects so they could be photographed. And of course we jumped at the opportunity and while we were there, we were being our normal, crazy selves, unloading a pantry, bickering over which spice order things should go in. I mean, just like dumb stuff that we do. And Molly and her husband, Scott Stuber, who is a huge producer. They were just kind of staring at us in like wonder and disbelief, like who are these crazy ladies?
Joanna:
And, you know, we are just our normal selves, and we left. Molly and Scott turned to each other and they were like, "I think this is a show. I think that they could be a [inaudible 00:17:29]." And it all started in Molly's kitchen. We put a sizzle, a pilot together, and as that was developing, Reese Witherspoon also found us on Instagram and reached out. And it was kind of like the perfect trifecta. So we worked with Molly and Hello Sunshine, Reese's production company. And we put together kind of a mini show called Master the Mess, initially. And that was just kind of like mini episodes. And that ended up living on Hello Sunshine's platform and we basically packaged that up and pitched it to Netflix and they bought it. So yeah, we had a huge season one. The book and the show, I'll never get over how many people will watch the show. It is crazy.
Clea:
It'll never seize to amaze us.
Joanna:
You never know what's going to resonate. We finished filming season two over the summer. We filmed in Nashville, LA, New York and Atlanta for season two.
Mimi:
Oh, that's great. That's awesome. Well, congratulations. That's amazing what you've guys have accomplished in six years. And I think it's like, once you have the right formula and it just works, right? What would you say you guys have had to give up? Anything as far as like time with your kids, obviously, like what-
Clea:
A lot. Sleep, sanity time with our family...
Mimi:
But is it worth it? Right?
Joanna:
Absolutely. It wouldn't change a single thing. Not one.
Clea:
Yeah. Oh, a hundred percent. I mean, yeah, did I look younger? Yes, 6 years ago, but that's fine. That's fine. I would take this.
Joanna:
I would too, any day.
Clea:
Yeah. I give, I gave up my youth.
They Always Have Their Foot on the Gas
Mimi:
So you guys are definitely the 1.7%. And we touched on this in the beginning of the podcast, but what would you say really attributes you guys to reaching that, that million dollar milestone?
Clea:
I think Joanna and I, to this day, we have never rested in a way that like we never stopped. We always have our foot on the gas and we're in constant motion. You know, we do not rest on our laurels, which is kind of a joke because our logo has laurels in it. But it's something that... We don't take anything for granted. We don't take success for granted, we don't take a single dollar for granted. Just because you have success doesn't mean you're always going to have it. And we are in constant forward motion at all times. And we're yes people. You know, we say yes. And I think saying yes has been really good to us. You know, we are not people who turn things down or turn our nose down at things. If we can do it, we will do it.
Clea:
And by and large, it's proven successful for us. And kind of like the question that you had back to celebrity clients and eventually they need to pay. A lot of them do and that's amazing. And we like to offer our services because it's served us well and it got us to this point and we don't forget that.
Joanna:
Yep. I mean, Clea's exactly right. We don't take any of it for granted. And we also don't rest on our laurels. Like we have to keep plugging ahead. I mean, just because you're successful for a minute, doesn't mean you're successful forever. So you have to keep at it and keep working and we're here for it.
Mimi:
Yeah. But you know, you guys are lucky because I think a lot of partnerships when people go into partnerships, there's different work ethic, you know? And like maybe both people don't have the same work ethic and mentality of like, keep the foot on the gas. And so finding like, "Oh, I'm working more than you," or like... So I think you're lucky in that regard that you've been able to find that great balance that you both had that same outlook.
Clea:
It's what's gotten us to this place. And also the reason why Joanna didn't want a business partner from the beginning is because you can bet on yourself, but you can't always bet on someone else. And I think that we are infinitely lucky that we can bet on each other all day long. I mean, there's no one else I could bet on more than Joanna. And it's one of those things that's like... It's like meeting your soulmate. We don't take it for granted. You know, like this is not normal.
Mimi:
Now I have a random question. You know how they always say like, the accountant, their books are a mess. Or the lawyer, they die without the will. Do both of your houses look like they could be on TV?
Joanna:
Yes.
Clea:
Yeah. They're immaculate.
Mimi:
They are?
Clea:
Yes.
Mimi:
So you actually follow through?
Clea:
Our homes are perfect, but Joanna and I are a mess. Like I need someone to remind me to like, do everything because I'm so frazzled. I feel like I have a million things going at all times. So I'm late to things, I'm... So yes, there are aspects where I feel like sometimes I'm not an organized person. All of my things are incredibly organized and perfect, but I'm like, "Are the kids... Do they have lunch at school?" Like, I don't know.
Joanna:
We both have that in common. And I'll also say this too. Just because our homes are immaculate doesn't mean that they don't get messy. They get messy all the time. We both have two kids and a husband and dogs. So they always get messy. It's just that we have systems in place that are smart and we're easily able to put things back together how they're supposed to be. But it does not mean that if you walked in at any given moment that everything's perfectly put away. It's just that everything could be put away perfectly.
Clea:
Mine's pretty perfectly put away. I will say, yeah.
Mimi:
Okay, so you say you're frazzled. Like, okay. Sometimes, like you could tell when you walk into my house, if I'm having a frazzled day, week, whatever. Because like for me to even hang my clothes up is like a monumental task. So like you go into my closet, it's like, you can tell if I'm having a more relaxed, like in control week. I have my clothes put away or you walk up and there's just a pile of like clothes from the last five days that are still sitting there. So what advice would you give working moms, CEOs right now, who have kids or whatever, like balancing it all. Is there any advice or any tools or apps or anything that you would use to be like, "Okay, make sure you hang your clothes up every night." I don't know. I'm just throwing it out there.
Joanna:
You know what I will say? We both make our beds every morning. It takes a lot for us each not to make our bed in the morning, no matter how busy we are. To me, I'm like, okay, if nothing else is done today, at least my bed is made when I get into it tonight. I think it's such a stupid thing, but honestly, I think it's important.
Clea:
I do too. And I think that every time you walk in your bedroom, if your bed is made, you're like, "Wow, I did something right today." So, if your bed is always made and you walk into your closet and your dry cleaning isn't put away yet. You're like, "Man, I wish my closet looked like my bedroom." And then you're inspired to do that. And then little by little, the piles start eliminating from the kitchen counters because you can relax at the end of the day when everything's in its home and has a place and you don't have any chores then.
Joanna:
Yeah, it's amazing. It's amazing.
Clea:
Not having chores in your own house is really powerful. It's really, really nice. And I think if people could carve out a little bit of time here to set up those systems so that things are plug and play, like your pantry, your fridge, your playroom for your kids, whatever it is, your office, your desk. When everything as a home, it's really easy and mindless to put things back. It's simple. Being organized takes some effort on the front end. Staying organized is... It should be mindless. You know, you should be able to listen to a podcast and do whatever you're doing and just be putting things back where you already created the home for it.
Inspiration Is Everything To Growth
Mimi:
That's so true. This has been amazing. Is there anything else that we haven't covered that you think either about your business or advice for anyone who's listening or inspiration that you would like to share?
Clea:
I don't know. Inspiration.
Joanna:
I don't know either. I mean-
Clea:
Particularly inspirational. When people say that we inspire people. I'm like, "Oh gosh, I'm glad to hear it." But I mean, we're just struggling, surviving not thriving.
Joanna:
Always.
Clea:
But I say that [crosstalk 00:25:46] We are very fortunate and very lucky and are so thrilled that we have this community that we've built.
Mimi:
That's great. No, congratulations to you guys. It's been amazing and you inspire a lot of people. And I think being organized helps, like you said, like with work professionally, like putting systems in place for anybody who's listening, right? Like taking the time, creating those systems, making things organized at your office, right? And then also at home too, it makes you a better person.
Clea:
It does again, I will always be late to lunch, but at least my house looks great.
Mimi:
You guys are funny. This has been awesome. I really appreciate your time. And so thank you so much.
Joanna:
Thank you so much.
Mimi:
And good luck with the second season.
Joanna:
Thank you.
Mimi:
Thank you for joining us on The Badass CEO. To get your copy of the top 10 tips every entrepreneur should know, go to thebadassceo.com/tips. Also please leave a review as it helps others find us. If you have any ideas or suggestions, I would love to hear them. So email me at mimi@thebadassceo.com. See you next week. And thank you for listening.
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