We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Demi England-Forbes. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Demi below.
Demi, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
Now I had to think about what my mission was and really put it into words. Coming from someone who has a big family, who had a lot of family parties and get-togethers growing up , I always saw my family running around to get things done between set up, cooking and overall coordinating to make sure everything was perfect and everyone was having a great time. Now looking back at parties like they were before, I remember plastic tablecloths and simple balloons from the dollar store and somehow that was perfect and simply enough. Parties today are nothing like that. They are so much more(I think Pinterest has a lot to do with it lol). We see parties today and these beautiful set ups and begin to dream of the perfect event. We desire for it to look a certain way but we forget the amount of work and time that is needed to make something look like what I call Pinterest worthy.
How does a mom prepare for the party the day of her daughter’s quince and still somehow get to be there while she is getting her makeup done or putting on her dress? How do we do it all and still get to enjoy the moment? The time it takes to do these things doesn’t happen overnight. Even the simple and smaller events still take time and if there is anything I’ve learned over the years time is precious and it is something we can’t get back.
Harvey Mackay said ” Time is free but it’s priceless. You can’t own it but you can use it. You can’t keep it but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it you can never get it back”.
Those special moments that we wish we could to stop time for and just enjoy the moment, is what we give people. From the smallest to the biggest event, we make it our mission for our clients to have time to enjoy, cherish and make forever memories.
So when we talk about EnglandForbes Events mission and what we stand for, we stand for family and that it is the most precious gift . We believe that there is a way to have beautiful events at an affordable cost, stress free and more than anything giving them time. I always stress to my clients that not only do I do this to provide for my family but I do it to build relationships with people, to see people smile and to show the love of God through my work. That I bless others because I am blessed. It’s not enough to be running around dealing with every detail of a party but at what point do we stop? That is what our clients hire us for, to take the weight off their shoulders. For that smile in that one moment, that moment for someone to feel special or just that one second to stop time to soak in their wedding day, their daughters quince or even that first birthday. Our mission is to give back and to be of service to those who just want to make something just a little sweeter.
For that our mission is to provide exceptional service. help our clients make memories, give them the most valuable thing on earth which is time and above all show the love of God! Just for that simple and Priceless moment!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Who is Demi England-Forbes? I always make the joke that I’m famous somewhere with that name lol! Demi England Forbes was someone who has always had the creative niche for everything. With the desire to be the next JLO. Singing, dancing and acting were her passion and she actually was majoring in acting but things changed. She married at 20 and by 25 she had 2 beautiful boys and graduated with a BA in business management. If you asked her if she thought she’d have the passion to be an event planner or coordinator, she’d probably laugh.
So where did it start:
I always loved to get togethers and always loved being the life of the party. I loved the joy and the fun and the way I felt seeing people genuinely happy and having a great time. My father unfortunately passed in 2o18 and I really didn’t know what was next. Try to find out who I was while being a mom, wife and working full time in property management, I wanted to do something I enjoyed . I remember doing an event at my church with my best friend and from there that was a spark to start the flame. So I took the leap and put myself out there, I remember my very first event was a backyard wedding. I remember the way I felt and the excitement that I had. I will tell you, I did not make a dollar from that event. Between having to get the resources to start the business and invest I was left with nothing but I was okay with that . I will forever be grateful for my very first client who trusted me with her special day.
From there it’s been an up and down roller-coaster. I’ve been busy and I’ve been slow. I’ve had a lot of no’s or people contacting me and then ghosting me but that has never stopped me. One thing my father instilled in me was I can do anything because nothing is impossible for God, I have now been running my business for almost 4 years, I left my property management job 9-5 in May. Now I work from home with the flexibility to do a lot of different things to help my business grow.
EnglandForbes Events offers service such as:
Full Service
Simple Service
Catering
Day. Night of Coordinating
Rentals
We have been expanding and it’s been a blessing. I have about 3-4 staff members I use consistently when I have bigger jobs. My mom is my right hand through this process. My husband cooks when I get him to and I even involve my sons to teach them responsibility and independence. This is a family owned business.
My next desire is to open an event hall. Which I know is possible. Little by little. Did I ever think I would be here? No, but I will take what is given to me and continue to work hard to reach those dreams. I am proud of the journey and can’t wait to see what happens next.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I think the part people struggle to understand is they don’t see the time it takes to make these events just perfect. There are nights I have been up until 2 am crafting and working to prepare for an event, to then have to be up at 6 am to make sure everything is ready and loaded to go. There are many times I said no to hanging out with family and friends because I am working to make someone’s day special.. There are things I have missed and times I have taken away from my kids to give other people their time with their own family. Being respectful to people’s time is something I think people miss. This is also how I provide for my family and what I am doing to leave my kids something. But people don’t see that. They only see the ending result and nothing else.
Time is also money! You can’t expect an extravagant event with a $200 budget. Materials in itself have gotten so expensive and just like everything we deal with on our day to day, we have to dish out to still make the clients party dreams perfect. Therefore their budget has to match their vision. The price is what you pay. value is what you get. You can pay someone just to get the job done or you get someone who will give value and exceptional service.
Respect people’s hustle. That goes for friends and family included. They should be the main ones supporting your dream.
So in a nutshell: Respecting people’s time and hustle is something that does go unnoticed and is misunderstood.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being creative in your experience?
The most rewarding parts of being an event planner/coordinator for me would be the smiles, the enjoyment people have when they see the end results and meeting new people. Even when they didn’t see the obstacles or the issues that happened prior to those special events. Knowing that I have helped make a forever memory is rewarding,
It’s also really rewarding when I have clients year after year come back and contact me for something else or even simply share my contact with someone else
It is really motivating and what keeps me going!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: englandforbesevents
- Facebook: englandforbesevents