We were lucky to catch up with Hannah Pettefer recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Hannah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

I own a specialty event planning business focusing currently on character parties and styled picnics. That’s fancy terms for I do princess parties and bougie picnics. Since the beginning, I have been keenly aware that the success of my business is not in the number of bookings, the perfection of the service, or the money that I make. My value is measured in memories. I am blessed to create moments for a living. When training cast members to perform as a character, I teach them over and over again how to love on kids, notice them, and be patient with them. The rest- the accent, makeup, phrases, and mannerisms- will come. The family will not remember how Cinderella made the perfect little comment about mice. They won’t remember if her eyeshadow was perfect. They will remember, however, if Cinderella recalled the names of every child at the party or how she took time to make the birthday princes feel comfortable.

In the service industry, I have found that I am successful only so much as I create a frame for my clients to view their own magic. It’s not my services that make the moment special; I only highlight what is already there. Learning to value, respect, and serve my clients in that way has made me book many repeat gigs, and more importantly, develop a strong relationship with my community.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I will never be bored in life.

I own Magical Moments, a specialty event planning business, focusing on character parties and styled picnics. I like to say I create events people didn’t know they needed. I love celebrating life and have done so for as long as I can remember. It felt natural to start Magical Moments in college, after returning from an internship with Walt Disney World. Being a part of hundreds of family’s celebrations a year makes my heart so glad. I pride myself in being able to provide a total experience for my clients. My characters don’t just show up and take pictures. As long as they’re at the party, they have games, crafts, stories, and more to entertain the kids. These games and activities are tailored to the character and to the kid. A picnic isn’t just an Instagram photo. I provide conversation starters, card games, and local recommendations to round out the evening. Creating these memories is a dream come true for me.

Additionally, I am publishing a book! Through the Lord’s grace and prodding, I accidentally wrote a book about how to have rooted and specific trust in God, and I am overjoyed to share it with the world shortly. The book is for anyone who says “just trust God” but doesn’t really know what that means. I’ve been there, and after much searching, I found some wisdom on how to hold our dreams, desires, and disappointments in an open-handed posture to the Lord. “Open Hands” will be available this spring.

I also teach ballet, and I love to see my students grow and mature. Ballet has taught me so much through its grace and grit, and passing that along to the next generation is my favorite pastime.

As if I needed more things going on, I work for my Dad’s two small businesses, a restaurant called Paul’s Rib Shack Barbecue, and a state-wide laundromat, Laundry World. Working alongside him and his dreams has been an honor. I run all of his marketing, events, and occasionally make Blackberry Rum Sauce Bread Pudding. That dessert might be the best thing you’ll ever eat, but I am biased.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

I have always been a saver. Throughout my babysitting days of high school, I saved my money with the intent to either go to Europe or start a business. Little did I know that I would do both in the same year. First, I studied abroad for the summer, spending a month training for ballet in NYC and then spending six weeks traveling Europe. Then, I was broke.

I worked my little booty off all fall until I had saved up enough to buy two sets of professional-level costumes, a website, and some business cards. Then, I was broke. Again.

Thankfully, I have never been broke since. I am a firm believer in taking a risk to both do something you love (like travel) or invest in an idea/business. I continually spend more money than perhaps a budget would advise, but I am still investing in my business and passions. I doubled my inventory last year and now have over 20 professional costumes as well as picnic supplies for up to 40 people.

Remember how I said that I have always been a saver? Well, now I’m a spender. You gotta spend money to make money, baby. It is okay to have a weird budget as a small business owner. It’s okay to take regular risks. As a business owner, a huge part of my value to society is my ability to take risks. One of those was to learn to spend money.

Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?

In 2022, Magical Moments almost died. After a couple of years of struggle (COVID made parties particularly challenging), I anticipated 2022 to finally be MY year. It was time. I had quit my full-time job in order to focus on the business. My schedule was clear, and my heart was ready.

God had other plans. 2022 was marked by the Lord halting my plans and instead giving me time to write. I booked very few parties and struggled to make business work. Little did I know that this time of instability and questions would give birth to my newest venture: writing and publishing a book. I see this time of slowness, this time of struggle, as an intentional time that the Lord used to make way for this book.

In 2023, I was straight with the Lord. I asked Him to provide business or lead me in another way. Although the year of writing was fun and instrumental in my life, it also made no money. I was dependent on the Lord.

2023 more than doubled 2022’s bookings. The Lord came through again and again, even in the “slow” seasons. What I love about the unpredictability of my career, is that it makes me so thankful for what I do have. Everyone is equally dependent on the Lord’s provision, but I am in a position to see that clearly and give thanks for it often.

Contact Info:

• Website: magicalmoments.us
• Instagram: @princesshannahwrites
• Facebook: facebook.com/magicalmomentsprincesses
• Other: TikTok: @magicalmomentsprincesses Blog/book site: graceineverything.com MM Insta: @magicalmomentsprincesses AND @magicalmomentspicnics Dad’s Restaurant: paulsribshack.com Dad’s laundry: laundryworld.com

Image Credits
Maggie Bradshaw Photo