We were lucky to catch up with Gianna Prestol recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Gianna thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?
I would say I am much happier as a business owner. Although it has its downsides, there are many more positives it adds to my life. Up until 2022, I had worked multiple “regular” jobs. I spent 6 years of my life working for a dine in restaurant and worked my way up to management. I have worked for Walmart, been a nanny, spent some time unemployed due to covid, and I’ve even been an event coordinator on a railroad. Absolutely nothing even comes close to bringing me the joy that owning Gia’s Balloon Buddies does. When I was 20, I was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, followed later by Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, Fibromyagia, and all the mental and physical co-morbidities that come along with those diagnoses. With new limitations, employers were suddenly not so understanding and unwilling to accommodate my disabilities. My work days were feeling longer and I was extremely depressed. I was in an unimaginable amount of pain day in and day out and nobody seemed to understand or let me catch a break.
I opened Gia’s in 2022 when I decided enough was enough. I wanted to be in charge of my health, happiness, and prosperity. If I needed a day off, I would give it to myself. If I needed water, I would bring it. If I needed to sit down, I would let myself sit. I felt my happiness slowly returning because I took the power back.
There are times I wonder what it would be like to go back to a traditional job. It’s often when I put my blood, sweat, and tears into an event and get little in return. For example; a client booked the balloon twisting princess package and asked for the Glass Slipper Buddy. My day was already very booked and I was running pretty low on energy but I made it work. In between events, I changed makeup, got into costume, had a character attendant join me, and we were on our way to the party. We drove 40 minutes to get there and nobody was home. I called, left a voicemail, sent emails and invoices (which they’ve viewed), left a business card at their door, and still to this day, I’ve heard nothing from them. I checked the booking form and it was in fact the correct date and time. I felt like mine and my team members time had been disrespected and it was an extremely disappointing day. Sometimes, I do wish I could make issues like that other people’s problems and not have to deal with them. Especially if I’m having a high pain day or do not have the energy to deal with it. That is a downside of owning your own business, especially while chronically ill.
Overall, I would say I am much happier owning a business compared to working a traditional job. Stressed in different ways, yes, but definitely happier because I know I’m able to provide myself what I need to be healthy.
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?
A little over 5 years ago, I began working for my first character company who also twisted balloons. I quickly became interested in the art and fell down a YouTube rabbit hole of balloon artists. My apartment floors were piled high with balloon animals and I swear my cats grew to hate me with every loud “POP” I sent off on a failed balloon (Probably a monkey, they took me two weeks to learn). That character company eventually closed it’s doors and after covid, party companies and balloon artists in general were pretty sparse. That, paired with worsening chronic illnesses that made it difficult to work in a traditional job setting, it just felt like my time. In April of 2022, I opened Gia’s Balloon Buddies. At first, it was just two packages and myself. Within one year, we have grown to 9 packages, (with two partners: shoutout Dino Buddies LLC and Luvable and Stuffable LLC) and 12 team members! We do line work style balloon animals, simple, 1-4 balloon animals that are meant to be made fairly quick. While we do make your classic balloon animals such as the dog and sword, we also create wearables such as my personal favorite, the flower bracelet! Overall, our menu is extensive and has over 25 options to choose from. We are used to long lines and lots of smiling faces.
I’m incredibly proud of the brand I’ve built – an accessible, inclusive, fun-for-all-ages service that is guaranteed to make you smile. I’ve made Gia’s Balloon Buddies everything I’ve always wanted to experience in a work environment and because of that, it doesn’t feel like work.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
A million different stories go through my head. The one time my manager sent me home to put on makeup, the abuse I experienced as a child, the time my friend stole money from my company, the nonstop medical diagnosis coming one after the other.. but one story stands out the most. When I was partnering with a business that has since closed, a client was interested in booking a balloon twisting princess (The Glass Slipper Princess) and upon receiving my picture, opted out of balloons and chose to go with a different performer because she was white. The wording in the email was offensive and the situation was all around racist and uncomfortable. Part of me wanted to never offer myself as that princess ever again. Part of me wanted to take down the princess packages. Another part of me wanted to book as many princess packages as I could to show that mom that people really do want POC princesses and she missed out on quality entertainment. I was sad, I was disappointed in humanity for a little bit, I mean, come on it’s 2023. But like Maya Angelou says, “and still, I rise.” Since then, I’ve really been focusing on pushing our princess package a little more so people know it’s an option!
Any advice for managing a team?
Be accommodating and adaptable. My team is comprised of almost entirely neurodivergent and/or disabled people. If you see a need that can be met, address it. If your team has success, you have success. It’s not an “everyone fend for themselves” situation. A while back, I noticed that some of my team members were having issues either overstaying or understaying events. I know that timeliness and object permanence is an issue with ADHD (I have an issue with it myself) so I decided to invest in magnetic timers. They can attach to our balloon carts and now we can visually see how much time we have left at an event. Many of us also can not stand on our feet for very long, so we carry bag chairs with us if none are provided. As far as maintaining high morale, making sure I pay everyone a livable wage has been the #1 key factor. Furthermore, having things to look forward to like fun group outings. A big group of us went to a local cat cafe and then dinner recently and it was such a good bonding experience. Everyone brought their significant others and we had a blast. My company also holds a lot of volunteer events. When my team members choose to volunteer their time for my company, I give them free dinners at Texas Roadhouse. I feel like because of these things, my team knows I have their back and they have mine.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.giasballoonbuds.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giasballoonbuds/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GiasBalloonBuds