We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gabby Mercado a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Gabby, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea
So my sister was the one who initially brought up the idea of doing luxury picnics to me! At the time (in 2021) I wasn’t financially stable, I was making just enough to pay for rent and I was living in my comfort bubble, so when she shared the idea about doing luxury picnics, I jumped in immediately because it was something new and fun that I would get to do with my sister!
She took us shopping and we went to HomeGoods to buy our first cushions, a blanket, some tableware, and then I asked my friends if they would like to model for us for a little photoshoot where we can get pictures of the set-up and they said yes! So, the same month of June, we went to a park in Leesburg, VA, we set-up a little picnic for two, and began taking pictures of it! The next day I shared a couple of images of the picnic set-up on a local Facebook group and we started receiving a couple of comments of people who were interested in booking us- this is how everything started.
The holiday that was closest to us was Father’s Day so I think the first clients we ever served happened on Father’s Day 2021.
The first year was CRAZY busy. Probably because luxury picnics were really the new trendy thing to do during COVID. Every Spring and Summer weekend we were booked. It kept going on for the next year as well until I kind of began questioning if I was still passionate about this. My sister had found her dream job, and so DreamyPicnic was fully handed to me. There was a period where I began doubting myself, seeing how other companies kept popping up and I lost motivation. I think the second half of the second year in business is where this discouragement began. I kind of took a break. I didn’t really post much at all on social media therefore didn’t get as many clients as the first year, however, the growth of the business was always in the back of my mind. I always had a big vision for it and I knew there was potential to turn this little picnic business into something bigger. I wanted our business to become the DMV’s one-stop shop for all your event needs! So I started listening to what my clients were asking for the most- which was: balloons & backdrops – and I saw this as an opportunity. I began watching balloon tutorials on YouTube, and started building backdrops in our garage alongside my amazing husband (by the way, I wouldn’t have been able to be where we are now without him. He’s the best partner I could have ever asked for.) Then we introduced Balloons and backdrop displays as an “add-on” to our client’s luxury picnic experience, making it even easier to turn the party of your dreams into a reality! You no longer have to worry about reaching out to multiple vendors and coordinate- our team can do all of this for you.
At the beginning of this year 2024, I realized that I had to be more involved in the community and that in order to grow the business to where I wanted it to, I am going to have to show my face a little more often on social media, as people nowadays like to follow and see who the person behind the brand is so they feel more connected. And so I did. I had to learn how to dress better, I had to learn to carry that tripod with me everywhere and record the things that I did for my events. I even assisted networking events just to get to know other small business owners and possibly network with them. I wasn’t happy with how my website looked so I looked into rebranding. I designed our logo, our website, I had to make sure the booking process was seamless for our clients, I had to learn to edit pictures so that they reflect the personality of the brand, etc. So many things I had to take into my own hands because I saw the potential in this and I believed in it. As of today, all the followers we have on instagram and the amazing clients have been acquired organically- I have not run any ads although I tried but for some reason, setting up the ads seems a bit daunting to me. I feel like I am now much more closer to what I wanted DreamyPicnic to be. I feel like we are approaching the vision that I had for it ever since we started and I am thankful for the amazing community we have here in the DMV for taking a chance on us and for allowing us to be a part of their special events.
None of what we are would have been possible without the support we received from our amazing community and Jesus. I am so very blessed to be able to do what I do for a living.
For folks who may not have read about you before, can you please tell our readers about yourself, how you got into your industry / business / discipline / craft etc, what type of products/services/creative works you provide, what problems you solve for your clients and/or what you think sets you apart from others. What are you most proud of and what are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc.
My sister brought to me the idea of doing luxury picnics – we started setting up picnics for families at public parks here in the DMV. We started only offering the picnic setups which included the tableware, cushions, picnic table, picnic blanket, and then as we kept on growing, I added more services to our website such as balloons, backdrops, and even event rentals! Added these services because these were the ones our clients were asking for the most so we just had to listen to them and give it to them.
The problem that we solve for our clients is: We take over planning, designing and bringing their dream event to life. Have a birthday coming up? When you hire our services we can take care of planning and coordinating with any vendors you may need so you don’t have to stress and do all the research yourself. Where to find tables? What about the theme of the event? Where to find a bartender? What about balloons? We do all the research for you and take care of everything. (Shall you let us!) And if you only need a few decor pieces, we’ve rented out our low-lying picnic tables with colored cushions for kids’ birthdays, as well as our pink bar, backdrops, balloons, and umbrellas for bridal showers, baby showers, etc. We offer rental delivery and pick-up services as well- and even though our inventory is not the biggest, we do have the perfect ESSENTIALS to bring insta-worthy rentals to your party.
What sets us apart I would say is our style and approach to having the event of your dreams- we don’t send extensive questionnaires, hop on multiple calls/zoom calls, or meet in person with our clients until the day of their event! We’ve created a straight-forward booking form where you get to tell us about your vision for your event, you get to choose if you want any “add-ons” such as balloons, flower bars, backdrops, even a mini photo session if you wanted. Prices and price ranges are also displayed right on our website so you don’t have to wonder how much something will be. You also get to share the event location, start time, end time, and any special requests you’d like us to know about.
Once we review the form, we get started on your invoice which displays everything you’ve selected and we send it over for your review. Once you review it and confirm everything looks great, you make your initial security deposit (which is 50%) and then we get to sourcing everything we will need for your event! It’s really THAT easy. That was my vision for DreamyPicnic from the beginning: to make our client’s Event Planning Experience as STRESS-FREE and seamless as possible, and I believe after almost 3 years, we’ve finally found what works best for us and for our ideal client.
It is crazy to think about how this little project has grown into so much more and how it’s become my full time job. I am extremely blessed and thankful to God for this opportunity that has allowed me to explore and discover/learn new skills. Prior to DreamyPicnic, I had zero background in styling, decorating, coordinating, networking, etc. Thanks to my clients I’ve explored and mastered skills such as: event photography, floral arranging, event styling, graphic design, web design (yep, I even designed our own website which can be checked out at DreamyPicnic.com) and of course, my communication skills have improved so much too- I used to be so awkward and was always so anxious about meeting with my clients for the first time. Literally haha. I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone and met other business owners in a similar path to mine and their journeys have inspired me to keep going.
We’ve evolved A LOT from when we first started back in 2021, not only did our logo go through multiple changes, but we now have branding in place, we’ve discovered our brand’s personality, tone of voice, our mission, and with all these essentials in place, we now are reaching our target audience which is pretty cool. I am so grateful of where we are now and everything I had to go through to get us here. As of this year, 2024, we’ve finally hired our first official employee, Monica, and she is the sweetest person with a TON of potential. She’s very hard working and has that eye for detail that I’ve been looking for in a potential employee. We’re looking to hire one more pair of hands by the end of this year. It is very exciting! And none of this would be possible if our client’s hadn’t given us the chance to decorate their events!! We truly have the BEST clients in the DMV.
Something else that I would like to share with all of my fellow entrepreneurs is a quote. A quote that is very straight to the point and that I always keep coming back to: Get Going and Get Better – when I think about this quote, I think about all the times in which I had no motivation, but I kept on pushing. I kept on learning; and then I got better at it. The entrepreneurship journey is tough (and it can get lonely), however, you must get started with what you have. You don’t need the fanciest of equipments, trust me, you don’t. you just need to get going. and then get better. (hope that makes sense.)
How did you build your audience on social media?
Initially, we acquired our very first social media followers because of a couple of posts I had made on Facebook. In the posts, I introduced myself and the business and I shared about what luxury picnics are, shared about what is included in the packages, and what occasions these would be perfect for! I was blessed that the ladies in the community saw my post and shared encouraging words in the comment section which attracted more eyes to the post. Eventually someone would type in the comments “how can I book with you?” or “I need this for my upcoming event!” and then I would share more info with them on what the process is. We also did a giveaway with another local vendor in order to get a couple of more instagram followers and to expand awareness about our small business. Giveaways are definitely something to look into when you are new-ish to get new followers on instagram- I would make sure that the person that you’re collaborating with is in some way related to your industry.
After the posts on Facebook, we kept on sharing our work on instagram and using hashtags. Most of our clients used to come from Facebook, and nowadays, most of them come from Instagram posts as well as Google. I’d say it’s 50% instagram and 50% google. If you don’t have a website yet, get to work on it. You don’t need the fanciest design, the best logo, however, you must put effort into the content that you will put on your website. Do some research about what keywords are working best for your industry and use them throughout your copy. Do not underestimate the power of Google – while it may take a long time to set-up, it is 1000% worth it.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
I feel like being consistent, authentic, and transparent on social media helped us build that trust with potential clients. as well as collaborating with local entrepreneurs.
I started sharing about the business on Facebook groups where whenever I had a question or needed recommendations for my clients, I asked questions and I received suggestions from people in the DMV community. I feel like interacting with local folks via social media definitely helped with increasing brand awareness and building a reputation locally. I wish to be even more involved in the community this year!
Also, working together with other small business owners and sharing each other’s work on instagram and tagging each other is very important to get the word out about our businesses to the people who already follow us. Always making sure that the content that we share is related to what we do and not sharing things that don’t fit with the brand.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dreamypicnic.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/dreamypicnicva
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dreamypicnicva
- Youtube: https://YouTube.com/dreamypicnicva
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@dreamypicnicva
