Small Businesses Find Success in Knoxville, TN
Knoxville, TN, is home to a sturdy business environment where big-name brands, mom-and-pop shops and everything in between can find the resources and support they need to flourish – just look at the numerous entrepreneurial success stories found throughout the city.
Designing a Dream
For Knoxville, TN, native Paris Woodhull, a talent for drawing and painting blossomed into a full-time business. Her illustrations – playful mixes of bright colors and catchy phrases – grace everything from T-shirts and canvas totes to magnets and keychains. She sells her work in her downtown storefront on Gay Street, which she opened two years ago, as well as on her website. She’s even been commissioned for large-scale murals and had several notable clients. A few include HGTV, Sesame Street, Bush’s Beans and the University of Tennessee (UT), Knoxville. Though she’s the founder and owner of Paris Woodhull Illustrations, she credits a “star-studded bunch” with assisting with daily operations.
Woodhull started her business in 2015 while pursuing an art degree at UT Knoxville. She had been working at Rala, a local art store, for over a decade when she decided to merge her love of art and entrepreneurship. As someone who was born and bred in the city, it only made sense to open her business in Knoxville, TN.
“I always thought I’d move away, but as my business grew, I noticed that my top supporters were Knoxville people,” she says. “I eventually fell back in love with Knoxville, and now, I don’t see myself ever being able to move away. Knoxville is a special city chock-full of go-getters.”
In fact, she turned to many fellow Tennesseans for mentorship and guidance when starting her business.
“I used (and still use) resources from the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center, The Maker City, Dogwood Arts and the Small Business Development Center, just to name a few,” she says.
Woodhull believes mistakes are inevitable but having the ability to “self-analyze and grow from your findings” has been key to her company’s growth. When it comes to offering advice to entrepreneurs who want to get an idea off the ground, Woodhull says:
“Get connected! There are so many ways to start with the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center and The Maker City at our fingertips. Knoxville is lucky to have such a diverse community of entrepreneurs who are willing to collaborate and share experiences. Hit publish! You’ll never know what you need to fine tune until you hear feedback. Don’t be scared for things to not be perfect right off the bat. The goal is always growth even when you get to the tippy top of the mountain – those business owners are still growing, too.”
Master of Marketing
While Mal Alder planned to have a career in print journalism, a chance Craigslist ad changed the course of her professional life. On a whim, she applied for a job as a content writer with a digital marketing agency in Tennessee and was hired. She ended up spending three years at the company, learning the ins and outs of the burgeoning industry, and eventually created a business of her own.
In 2018, she launched Alderwood Creative in Knoxville. The Knoxville, TN, company focuses on serving small-business owners and mom-and-pop shops. Alder and her team offer everything from branding and copywriting to graphic design and photography. They work remotely as well as in an office within the Fourth and Gill neighborhood in Knoxville.
Alder is a UT Knoxville alum who grew to love the city.
“I really liked how it was just big enough to not feel too ‘small town,’ but then it was just small enough that you could still build pretty good, genuine relationships,” she says.
Forging alliances like these has been a big part of Alder’s mission as a businesswoman. One of her first stops when starting her Knoxville, TN, business was the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center. She also hired a business attorney and attended networking cohorts provided by Leadership Knoxville, an organization that helps foster leadership through programs, community workshops, organizational training and events. Alder says those things and “having a big heart for the community” have made all the difference.
Since the company’s inception, Alder has seen it grow organically, with much of their work coming from referrals. Alder believes that’s a testament to the company putting people first.
“We really strive and pride ourselves on working with our clients to ensure they know we are stewards of their time and advertising dollars so they know where it’s going, what they’re getting in return and that they can trust us,” she says.