We recently connected with Denise CreatiVisuals and have shared our conversation below.
Denise, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later
I’ve always said the one change I would make in my career is starting sooner! As the years pass, we always notice business owners starting at younger ages and becoming successful faster than tenured business owners. I believe this would also have been the case for myself, had I found my passion sooner. I was always committed to having a stable income and job growing up. From the age of 15 to 31, I have never been unemployed. If you are in a Caribbean upbringing of any capacity, you are trained from young to work hard and maintain a good career. That was the path that was chosen for me from birth and could not leave a job mentally for years. It wasn’t until I started a business while working full time for years, that I would realize that this could be my “full-time” job- working for myself. I spent most of my corporate career in hospitality, managing restaurants and hotels. I gained a degree in the same field, but it was not necessary to elevate in my career which I would eventually leave to have more work-life balance. I understood quickly that having my own business could also provide more flexibility in balance overtime. If I could shave off 10 of the 16 years I spent working for $5.25-18.00 an hour, I strongly believe that I would be a Fortune 500 Millionaire and known worldwide for my talents. One thing I always vowed to contribute to my business, was the same amount of hours and work ethic that I put into the corporate jobs, I would match for my business. The 16 years that I put into other jobs could have laid the foundation early for my business. In retrospect, that is the one thing I would change. I am grateful for the experiences I received by working at the companies I have and I think they directly influence how I run my business, but I overstayed my time at each job/role simply because I was afraid to leave.
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?
CreatiVisuals and Events is a boutique social event company that specializes in luxury milestone events, balloon decor & educational workshops. It came into fruition from an idea in 2016 after planning many events for friends and family. My company allows clients to relinquish any stress that comes from having an event and be WOW’d by the creative details and thought that goes into their celebratory moments. I am most proud of the reach that my small-black-female owned business has made over the years. Not only have I been able to connect with repeat clientele, but also celebrities, public figures and companies who have believed in my brand. Although CreatiVisuals does not target weddings, you are still able to get a luxury experience on a wedding scale for birthdays, anniversaries, children’s parties and more. The workshop sector of CreatiVisuals is unique because it is one of its niche that allows anyone in any industry to learn techniques and best practices to apply to their business or to start their own.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
It may sound cliche, but consistency is the number one growth factor on social media. There are numerous other factors to help your business grow and get fresh eyes onto your page but do not forget rule #1, be consistent. Social media algorithms are so hard to beat in 2022, but the more you post and the type of posts you make, will allow your business to stay relevant and seen. My advice to anyone showing up on social media is to have clear high quality images of your work: HIRE A PHOTOGRAPHER for all of your content being posted to your page. Hire a videographer as well if your business model calls for one. Professional images = professional business. Branding is also key to have your presence felt online. Having a cohesive brand look and voice will allow your audience to connect with you personally and evoke emotion that allows them to buy into your brand. Knowing your target audience will help you know how to reach them. Purchasing advertisement may fit your business needs to extend your reach. Be sure to be intentional with any ad or promotion you put out. Often times doing work for public figures can also increase your following, especially if you are tagged, but keep in mind they may not always be your customer. Your job is to always find your customer. I personally made 8,000 followers through consistency. I gained 2,000 followers by doing events for celebrities. At 10K followers, I did 10 giveaways and most required you to have people follow my social media to be entered to win, which also helped with my audience and engagement. Today I am at 17.5K followers all through organic posting and no advertisements, only consistently posting quality content of both images and video and most importantly engaging with my audience via posts, stories, live feeds, behind the scenes and more,
Have you ever had to pivot?
2020 was the year of PIVOT with the global pandemic arising. 2020 was the year I was also the busiest and able to finally quit my job and do what I love full-time. A scary year for sure, but the best decision I have ever made. I started introducing education into my business model in 2019 which was my first attempt to scale my business. I started doing only balloon workshops and now I offer balloons, event design, graphic design and Entrepreneurship workshops year round. Taking a chance and sharing what you know is the easiest way to scale your business and pivot if business is slow with your main offerings. I have made over $40,000 in classes alone a year. It is very possible to offer a different service or product and be able to be successful in that area.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.creativisuals.co
- Instagram: instagram.com/_creativisuals
- Facebook: Facebook.com/creativisuals
Image Credits
Grand Perspective Media Atlanta