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

Ashley, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I’ve always loved planning parties! And after having kids, it quickly turned into my passion! In January of 2019, after wrapping up my second son’s 3rd birthday, I couldn’t stand the thought of waiting until June to party again. My husband encouraged me to offer my creativity and planning super powers to family and friends, but I had doubts. Would people really want my help? And even if they did, would they really pay me for it? I quickly found out that not everyone loves the process of planning parties like me. And almost everyone loves the idea of help! So off I went! The first thing I tackled was my business name. I wanted it to be meaningful yet clearly state what my business was all about. So I came up with Hudson Grey Events, after my two boys, Hudson and Greyson, who were my whole inspiration for setting out on this journey.

Then, just as I was getting myself up and running, 2020 happened. Events were completely shut down. I had two choices. Shut it down myself. Or pivot. I chose to pivot. I decided that, especially during this time of uncertainty, families could use a little something to help keep their kids smiling. I created specially curated seasonal party boxes that were contactless. Inside each party box would be everything you needed to create a special seasonal set up for your kids, including décor items and activities from other small shops. By pivoting to party boxes, I was faced with unexpected tasks like figuring out how to ship, how to create a website and how to sell via that website along with continuing to figure out how to run a small business. But by pivoting, my event services, which are traditionally tied to your locale, were now opened up to clients nationwide whether it be in the form of a party box, party package or a full party production!

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

Hi Party People!! My name is Ashley and I’m the owner of Hudson Grey Events. I’m a mom to two wild and loving boys, a wife to the most supportive man in the world and as of 2019, a small business owner! I’ve always loved party planning, but I especially fell in love with party design after becoming a mom. Putting something together that was personal and memorable for each of my boys’ special day of the year was so important to me. And after my youngest’s 3rd birthday in January of 2019, I knew I couldn’t wait until June to throw another party. So, I did it, I came up with a business name built from the very two reasons I fell in love with party planning – my boys, Hudson and Greyson. I still sit down with each boy a few months in advance of their birthdays to discuss their party. They always have input on their theme! These simple conversations mean the world to me as I watch the excitement grow on their face while we dream up the celebration ahead! And with Hudson Grey Events, that’s exactly what I want to share with you! I want to help make your child’s birthday as personal and unique as they are while eliminating the stress of doing so. The same can be said for any special occasion or event you want to celebrate!

I love to plan. I love to prep. And your only job is to enjoy the party!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

This year, I had to pivot my mindset. Having opened right before Covid, I ended up doing some things out of order so I could stay afloat. I hustled to get the word out about my new business, started to build my client base and worked on creating my portfolio. It was easy to focus on these things because that’s what I loved to do – party! So I put building out my website, creating marketing strategies (or any strategy for that matter) and understanding my financials on the back burner. This worked for a time, but I understood, as I grew, this would not be sustainable. I needed to work smarter, not harder. So this year, 2023, I’ve shifted my mindset. I’ve decided to get my business in shape so I can grow efficiently and effectively. This means beefing up my website, starting an email marketing strategy, creating templates and processes and really understanding my financials. None of these are glamorous, but each will set my business up for success that will be sustainable for years to come.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

As an event planner, relationship marketing is huge. And as your event planner, I not only alleviate the pressure of hosting by using my organizational and time management super powers, but also by being your go-to, your rock, your sounding board, your cheerleader! It’s no wonder my clients have come back again and again and have become my friends. We are in this together! But checking in on my clients, outside of when we’re working together, is so important to me. Life happens and to be there for them in any way they need builds trust and fosters brand loyalty.

I take notes of when my client’s birthday is, what their kids names are, their kid’s birthdays and of course, the date of our last working event. I like to send birthday wishes and reminders of upcoming event dates to see if I can be of assistance yet again. I invest in holiday gifts for my clients to let them know how much it means to me to have worked with them that year. These littles things don’t take a lot of time or money, but committing to fostering client relationships will prove beneficial both in life and business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hudsongreyevents.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hudsongreyevents/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hudsongreyevents/