We recently connected with Breana Hardy and have shared our conversation below.
Breana , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with 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 was 18 years old working at a popular fast-food restaurant when 2 of my favorite princesses came through the drive thru. As I was handing THE Ice Queen her burger and fry, I looked at her and said, “How do I do whatever it is that you’re doing??”. She briefly explained that she made magic for children in her community as a party princess and that night I went home and researched what it took to do just that. Over the next couple of years, I spent my weekends working for a few different companies and had the opportunity to bring many children’s (and children at hearts’) favorite fairytale characters to life through parties, events and volunteer work. While I was being a part of so many little ones core childhood memories, I was also creating my own. One of the best parts of the day was going back to our fairy godmother’s to hang up our tiaras for the night and swap stories with fellow performers that very quickly turned into incredible, life-long friends. About a year and a half into working for this magic maker, she closed the book on what we like to call “princessing” and I decided that I too wanted to create magic of my-own for kids and other young women looking for a place to call a safe space. After a few months of researching, sourcing and creating my brand, while also working a full-time job, I finally had everything I needed to bring this dream to life. I remember booking my very first party and thinking to myself that this was the start of something very special.
Breana , 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?
While putting myself through college, I worked as a party princess on the weekends to make new friends and have a creative outlet, while also being part of my community in a unique and magical way. When my employer decided to hang her tiara up, I knew that I wasn’t quite ready to close this chapter of my life. I had fallen in love with the idea of creating magic right here in Arizona and decided to start my own company. Bippity Boppity Events, is a princess/character entertainment company located in Phoenix, Arizona that brings well known fairytale characters to life through authentic character experiences for children of all ages and for those that are young at heart. Our characters attend children’s birthday parties, events and enjoy being included in volunteer work. When you invite one of our characters to your party, you are creating a core memory for your child and guests. Our performers are hand selected after going through a thorough interview process to ensure we can offer a high-quality experience. Our packages include many interactive and engaging activities so parents and royal guests can so you can sit back and watch the magic unfold. I take pride in the women that our part of my team. They have hearts of gold and share my enthusiasm for being a magic maker in their free time.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
The best source of new clients for me has been networking with other local businesses. Very early on in my business, I came across an Instagram page for a local soft play company in my area. After browsing her page, I was inspired by her resilience and creativity in the party community and knew we would be a great fit together. I decided to shoot my shot and reached out to introduce myself and share my ideas on how I thought we could collaborate with one another. Before we finished our coffee, we had our very first big event planned together as well as my very first photoshoot with another local company. Over the last year and half, The Playhouse has become one of our closest partners and we still enjoy working together as often as we can!
Another incredible business I have had the pleasure of working with is Cup of Joey. While attending a friend’s book club, I met Cup of Joey’s social media manager and after introducing myself she thought I had looked very familiar. We soon found out I had previously attended her daughter’s party once upon a time as everyone’s favorite red-haired mermaid and realized it really is a small world after all. In April of 2023 our princesses made a quick appearance at their store front in Mesa, and we have been doing monthly princess parties ever since! Every time I book a party with someone that found us through Cup of Joey, my heart warms up! We love seeing familiar faces and watching little ones grow right before our eyes! I feel so lucky to be part of the Joey family.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
We have been in business for just over a year now, and while our social media audience may not be the biggest, it is full of mother’s, families and friends that all share a common interest, magic. At times, it can be discouraging when you pour your heart and soul into a post or reel, to only get a few likes a new follower here and there but at the end of the day I wouldn’t trade my following for the world. I truly appreciate each and every one of our followers because without them, we wouldn’t have the clientele we have today. My biggest piece of advice for those just starting out, is that consistency is key. Keep sharing your art and the right people will find their way to you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bippityboppityevents.com/
- Instagram: bippityboppityevents
- Facebook: Bippity Boppity Events & Princess Parties
