Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kiaira Ferguson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kiaira, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How do you feel about asking friends and family to support your business? What’s appropriate, what’s not? Where do you draw the line?

When you start a brand, you expect your first clients to be your own people. I found out the hard way that is never the case! Family and friends will often expect free or discounted services! They do not understand that this is our bread and butter lol. I have implemented a no friend and no family booking rule. The only exception is if they pay full price with no complaints. You will find complete strangers to be your biggest supporters and money makers, so do not focus on the woes of friends and family when there is a whole field of consumers waiting to support you!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started Be Original Expos as an outlet for the real small businesses of Atlanta. We don’t use big celeb names, charge outrageous vendor fees or have a bunch of glitz & glamour with nothing else to offer.

We bring the real hustlers of the city under one roof to sell, network and brand! Everybody makes money and makes connects!

On the other end, we are an established event decorating company. We create magical memories for all occasions. Weddings are our favorite! But we do it all to the upmost effect to bring a day they can say “we didn’t have any issues”!

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

I absolutely hate working for people. I used to be miserable everyday waking up for work. I started doing event decorating because my family is a big party family, so this makes it in my blood lol.

As my business started to pick up, I started to call out of work every other day. It turned into completely quitting and making events my main income.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

My funding came from many paychecks, my family and close friends who believe in the vision. It’s hard to find capital loans for event decorating brands lol. So I hustled up my income!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.boeatl.org
• Instagram: Beoriginalexpo
• Facebook: Be original expo

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