We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Megan Stabasefski a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Megan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

One of the most treasured things I remember from my childhood is believing in the true joy of magic. There is something sweet, innocent, and purely happy about imagination and all the possibilities it brings. Growing up, birthdays were always a huge celebration in our house. My mom would create these magically themed celebrations that really made us feel special.

In the classic tale of Peter Pan, that feeling is embodied in the moment the lost boys use pixie dust to bring their imagination to life by flying. When I think about my customer service for clients, I really want to be able to provide that moment of stress-free happiness. I want to give my clients the opportunity to make a wish and see it come alive with a little bit of magic.

Balloons are the perfect way to help spread pixie dust. From parents buying special balloon surprises for their little ones to a blushing bride, balloons spread that same feeling of joy and magic. Pixie Dust Parties is about more than balloons. It is about joy, excitement, and magic.

Megan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Megan and Pixie Dust Parties was started in June 2022. We provide our clients with custom, stress free experiences by designing the perfect celebration for important moments. We specialize in custom backdrop and balloon designs using high quality materials. We offer a variety of services from grab and go options to custom installations, and rentals.

Prior to starting this event design business, I was an elementary teacher for 12 years. Teaching was my passion. But so is being a mom. In 2022, my husband and I decided that it was time for me to step away from education and be a stay at home mom. However, I knew I needed to find a way to continue to add to our family financially. So I started to think about what other passions I had.

I have always loved hosting events. I DIY’d my whole wedding and have always enjoyed hosting themed parties. Family and friends have told me for years that I could be an event planner. And in a lot of ways, there are skills in teaching that transfer to event planning. So in June 2022, I started an event planning business.

But my journey didn’t just take off from there. For the first several months, I worked really hard on creating event planning packages. However, I was getting more and more inquiries for balloon services. So I really started working on my craft and learning new balloon skills. Over the first 6 months of my business, I really found my niche and learned that I really loved balloons! So I changed all my packaging to focus on balloon creations.

In early 2023, I started adding rentals to the business. We offer a variety of backdrop decor and even sleep over tent rentals. All of our rentals are a great addition to balloon decor. Rentals help elevate any event and go great with balloons. These backdrop setups are the perfect photo opportunity at any event.

At Pixie Dust Parties we specialize in offering our clients creative and custom balloon art to make their celebrations feel special. We offer so many different styles and sizes of high quality balloon structures that can be used for any event or theme. There is nothing like seeing a client or their child light up with joy. Because balloons make people happy.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

My favorite quote is from Henry Ford– “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.”

Let’s be honest, owning a business is hard. And I had no idea what I was doing when I started. However, I was determined. I knew that I didn’t know a lot, But I also knew that I was capable. There are so many things new business owners are learning in their first year. From legal processes, to customer service, to pricing, and everything in between. And for someone like me who works in a creative industry, it can be really difficult to remain focused on growing the “business” aspect of the business.

In our area, there are a lot of wonderful event companies in the industry that offer amazing services. It can be intimidating for a new business owner. But I knew there was room for me too. I learned how use social media, how to make my own website, and how to file state sales tax. I also learned how to remove the word “competitor” from my brain.

The word “competitor” quickly became a road block for me. There are several other companies in my area that technically could be considered my competitor. However, when I had the competitor lenses on, I really spent a lot of time focusing on what the other companies were doing. I found myself constantly comparing my business to theirs. I spent more time than necessary scrolling through their social medias. So I soon realized that it was actually holding me back.

So I switched from a “competitor” mindset to a “networking” mindset. And I quickly realized how similar companies to mine would actually be a value add for me. I started learning. I started networking, And I started growing. Networking and making connections became the most important and valuable skill I could learn. These other vendors are no longer a company to compete with, but a company to collaborate with. I firmly believe that I have had more opportunities and client referrals because of building those relationships with other companies.

I don’t believe a story of resilience can be summed up from one moment. My story of resilience is ongoing. I still have a lot to learn and many dreams to still accomplish. You have to be resilient to be a small business owner. Learning, growing, changing, and reflecting on your business helps to create the resilience needed to be successful.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Honestly, I have a love/hate relationship with social media. And I know there are a lot of other business owners who are also intimidated by it. I am by no means a social media expert and am still learning. But there are some things I learned that have helped me be more comfortable on socials so I can use it to grow my business.

As a teacher for 12 years, it was taught through our ethics training to be very cautious of social media. So I knew social media was going to be a hurdle for me. I had to switch my mindset to learn how to embrace different social platforms and learn to be ok with putting myself out there.

I was extremely intimidated at first. I only had a personal facebook account and had no idea how to use instagram. So I got on youtube and watched a lot of videos. There are some very important pieces of advice that I learned.

The first one is simply to show up. Just show up, everyday. When I first started, I felt like that I had to post all the things every day. But that was too overwhelming. So I began to just focus on one thing everyday. A story or a post, or even a comment. Just do something on your social media everyday. As you do that, you will start to get more comfortable. Then you will find yourself posting a little more, and a little more.

The second piece of advice I have for someone just starting to build a social media presence is to interact with other social media accounts. Follow other companies in your area that are similar to yours. Like their content. Comment on their stuff. The more you show up on other accounts, then your business name will get more attention as well. It also shows that you are a company who is willing to encourage others and not create that “competitor” type relationship.

My last piece of advice is anything can be content. Clients love to see all the things you need to do in your business, especially behind the scenes. My business is balloons, but I spend a lot of time at the hardware store. I also have two kids and dog who show up in my business accounts. Anything that has a connection to your business can be a story or a funny post. If it relates to your business in any way, share it.

Contact Info:

• Website: pixiedustpartiesnc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pixiedustpartiesnc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pixiedustpartiesnc
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/pixie-dust-parties-mooresville

Image Credits
Moments by Heather Edmunds and Company Jo Hayes Images Jacqueline Jones Photography