We were lucky to catch up with Lois Lewis-Jolley recently and have shared our conversation below.
Lois, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I was very good to creating and designing gifts and home decor items. However, at the time…I did not know how to make it a business. I got the majority of my sales by word of mouth.
I came up with the idea for my business, after attending an expo to showcase my work. I saw that someone had designed balloons into an arch and I thought to myself; I could do that! It made sense for me to add this type of product as a staple for my business, because it seemed like it made it recognizable and necessary for anyone who wanted to celebrate by way of a party.
I searched the internet for “how to” videos and began to teach myself how to design balloons into arches, columns and more.
I then officially named my business, “Balloons and Things” to describe my ability to design balloons and all sorts of other “things” such as gift baskets, candles, treats, etc.
In my neighborhood, there was no where to buy loose balloons, nor structured balloons. So that was a problem I felt I could solve. I started my business from my home garage in 2007 and eventually opened my first brick and mortar shop in 2010. And here we are in 2024 and we are still going strong.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Lois Jolley. I am the owner and lead designer at Balloons and Things. I have been in business for 17+ years. I opened my first brick and mortar location in 2010, after being laid off from my job at a local telephone company, where I worked nights for 13 years.
I started Balloons and Things while still working a full time job. When I was laid off, I had the option to look for a new job or pursue becoming a full time entrepreneur. I took the leap of faith and risked it all. I worked harder for myself than I did for any other company I ever worked for. And as you can see, it has worked out great for me but not without problems.
There were times during this journey when I almost faced foreclosure on my home but GOD. Every time I saw the opportunity to scale up, I let GOD guide rather than the fear of failure. I went from owning a balloon shop to opening an event hall, doing celebrity events, then another event hall, and eventually buying the commercial block that my business is housed in. That’s my proudest moment. Being able to tell people that I brought an entire block by selling balloons and decorating events. If I can do that with balloons, they can do anything they set their minds to. I do believe that my honest and upfront personality is what truly sets me apart for other businesses like mines. I always transparent and my client’s certainly appreciate that.
Over the 17+ years, I have built tight relationship with people but I have also lost friends. I have cried but I also have loved and laughed. Most importantly; I have experienced the true meaning of love. I love my community and I do whatever I can to give back to them. They are the ones that got me here. I give back to them.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
Putting together the initial capital for my business was truly not planned. I was taking one of my good friends to the airport and she was placed on standby. So we had time to kill. I then took her to my favorite store (at the time) called Garden Ridge (it’s called At Home now). Well, back the. Garden Ridge had a party center, where they sold balloons and party supplies but they were going out of business. Everything was 90% off. They didn’t have much left except for tons of bags of balloons. I was like, “wow” I could use those balloons to help me practice my balloon designs. And so, I spent $300 and purchased everything they had pertaining to balloons and party. I have since turned that initial investment of $300 into 1 million dollars+ but I reinvested most of my profit to become debt-free in business.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Having to pivot was a very recent thing. In 2020, the world experienced the Covid Pandemic. And let me tell you, I would have never expected someone such as this to directly affect my business but it most definitely did. The state of Virginia placed a ban on gathering in public places and businesses. All of my businesses were based on gathering at the time. My gosh…what an experience. I stayed home for 2 weeks and was going stir crazy. I decided to get back in the shop and revert back to how I started. I made events mobile so that people could still celebrate their live ones in the comfort of their homes. I went back to making balloon bouquets, gift baskets and more for contactless pickups and deliveries. It’s was a time but it carried my business through that VERY HARD storm. And I didn’t receive any PPP money either. Lol
However, I did learn a few lessons. First, don’t put all your eggs in one basket and second, always prepare for the unknown. So with those lessons, I created a product in a different industry, that could stand the wrath on a pandemic or anything else that could disrupt business. Hence, introducing Jolley Essentials Inc., home of the Jollified Luffa (a superior skincare product).
So, I now have 2 corporations under my belt. All because I learned to pivot.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Balloonsandthings.net
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/balloonsandthings
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/balloonsandthings
- Linkedin: https://LinkedIn.com/jolleyinc
- Twitter: https://Twitter.com/msballoonlady
- Youtube: https://YouTube.com/balloonsandthings
- Yelp: https://Yelp.com/balloonsandthings
- Other: https://Jolleyessentials.com
Image Credits
Connie & Co. Photography (green photo)