We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Courtney Qawwee. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Courtney below.

Courtney , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

We pride ourselves on unique rentals, and custom flower walls. We love decor that is special and it not in every rental store inventory. It gets so boring seeing the same things all the time. We love when a space is shaken up, and the creativity is pouring out.

Courtney , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

How I got into this industry is very intimate and happened during a difficult time. My personal and professional journey begin to collide once my daughter was born. I was forced to step out of my career because my job at the time would not allow me to work from home. This was pre-covid. This was an absolutely need for my family as our daughter was just born with an extremely rare brain disorder, so I quit my job. After I stayed home with my daughter for a year, I came up for air and pondered on what to do next. I had a fresh Masters degree, years of experience and no idea what to do. So I created three business plans. The event rental company was the business plan with the least start up costs and quick return on investment. I haven’t looked back since.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think getting to know people and businesses on both a personal and business level is vital. I believe being unique is quite important as well. Embracing not being like every event rental and design company helped build the reputation that I have.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I conducted a lot of research that impacted my management and entrepreneurial thinking. I believe during my time in graduate school being apart of cohorts contribute to the management portion. Also, doing immense research in my studies help me navigate this entrepreneur space. I would watch YouTube videos, read notes from graduate school and some of the textbooks I decided not to sale. These have been real gems I have kept close to me on this journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: ace-royale.com