We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alice Nufio a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alice, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Often the greatest growth and the biggest wins come right after a defeat. Other times the failure serves as a lesson that’s helpful later in your journey. We’d appreciate if you could open up about a time you’ve failed.
This is such a vulnerable question but it’s also so empowering to share the failures that have molded me to become more attentive in my work. As humans, we tend to show our successes which is wonderful who doesn’t want the approval? But the failures are what prepares us for the hard journey ahead of us and provides powerful lessons. Just recently I had a heart wrenching experience with a client. We had been emailing for weeks about her upcoming party and I could tell that she was very ecstatic to work with me. After sending mockups designs of her balloon garland for approval, she finally picked the one that she loved. I started ordering all the materials necessary for the install. The day finally came to pass and we were both very excited to meet one another. She greeted me with a smile and kept the conversation going as I started installing by the staircase. I took out my adhesive clear hooks and started pressing them firmly on the staircase to better secure the garland. After a while, I noticed how some of the paint had came off the staircase and was now on the clear part of the hook. I tried to remove the hook to see the damage and the entire paint came off to the point that you could see the wooden part of the staircase. I was so embarrassed. My client was very upset and I felt so awful. The whole vibe of the room completely changed and I knew automatically I had made an honest mistake. I offered my client the full refund, she didn’t want to accept it but I gave it to her nonetheless. It didn’t seem very candid of me to just leave knowing how disheartened my client felt. I apologized profusely and gave her a hug afterwards. As I drove back home I couldn’t stop thinking of the mistake I had made, it really impacted me. About a week later, as I was sitting with a friend at a restaurant I get a surprising email from my client. She wrote how she understood we all make mistakes and sent the payment back and hopes to work with me in the future. I was literally in awe, as I was not expecting to ever hear from her again, it made me feel seen. In spite of everything, I took it as a huge lesson learned and made many changes to the install procedures after that incident.
Alice, 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?
The idea of starting a soft play business came about when I was planning my son’s first birthday party. This was back in early 2021, before the big boom in the party industry. After purchasing all the equipment, I thought, why not make this a business? Ever since, we’ve been in the party rental business for about 3 years now. As we continue to grow and expand so do our ideas. We now have incorporated balloon services along with our soft plays. And it’s been a fun wild ride. Honestly, I’m just forever grateful for all the support every Houstonian has given us. It truly means the world.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
Word of mouth believe or not. I’ve lost count of how many clients have mentioned that their friend(s) have recommended our business to them. Or that they attended a party and saw our work and how much they loved it. It shows that we take pride in our artistic work and have amazing customer service. We truly treat our clientele like family.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
During the first two years, I was focused on chasing trends and comparing myself to more established businesses, which ultimately depleted my energy. In hindsight, I was losing vision of what was really important and all the blessings within my reach – my unique visions and talents. Once I started these aspects, a remarkable transformation unfolded. To those who may resonate with my previous struggles, I offer this insight: life is not a competition and it’s meant to be lived in the present moment. Continue to show up just as you are. Breathe and let things that are meant for you come into alignment. As a result, I learned to be kind to myself during this journey and to nurture my creativity.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: littlepartymonsters
- Facebook: Little Party Monsters
- Other: Email: littlepartymonstershtx@gmail.com
