Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ashley Grayson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Ashley, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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.
Destin and Ashley Grayson are husband and wife Co-founders of Just Friends Events. We collectively have a lot of friends that like to share experiences with us , but home was not always the best place to celebrate. We needed bigger venue settings so we could have a good time with more people.
There was a void of exciting social events for young professionals in the Columbus area. Destin traveled a lot for work and had the opportunity to attend several events that embodies the vibe we wanted to bring back to the city. He came up with the concept of having an environment to “Hook up, hang out, and just chill” lyrics in relation to the Musiq Soulchild song entitled “JustFriends”.
Ashley had a passion for event planning and design. We were able to utilize those skills to curate sophisticated events. This includes the Garden Party Classic coming up August 20th, Lovers & Friends, Kickback & Karaoke, Juneteenth Block Party, New Year’s Eve in Noir and other holiday gatherings. We continue to provide a variety of events for everyone to enjoy.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Just Friends Events is a social organization who hosts social events and engagement for the young professional demographic that was a necessity in the city. Each year we celebrate with signature events that stand out due to its focus on R&B and Hip-Hop vibes for attendees to have fun. Metropolitan. Urban. Black. Educated. Cultured. Professional. Movers. Shakers. Influencers. Millennials. Hustlers. Creatives. These are just a few words that describe the attendees. Black millennials are all about experiences. They want to attend events that are unique, fun, and upscale. Just Friends events achieves all of these objectives.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Our audience was curated from relationships and connections we had with our closest friends groups. We would invite our friends to attend the events we host and promote the details on Instagram and Facebook posts. Often we would hire a photographer and videographer to capture the guests experience. After each event, photos and videos would be shared on social media. We learned that people like seeing others have a good time. This action allowed our social media presence and guest attendance to grow.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Within our first year of business, we hosted parties once a month. The enthusiasm of partying with others started off very exciting. However, between our family life overwhelmed us and we pivoted to hosting 4 signature events per year. That way our special events are able to be carefully planned, anxiously awaited and our parties do not become mundane. Its all about fun work life balance.
Contact Info:
- Website: [email protected]
- Instagram: Justfriends614
- Facebook: Just Friends 614
Image Credits
Kevin Rigby – Photographer Jaron Murphy – Photographer