Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jolee Kissinger. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi JoLee, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Our mission as an entertainment company is to provide a magical experience for all of the children and adults at our events and celebrations. We believe that the families that book us deserve more than a pretty girl in a dress, which is why Wichita Princesses is a group of women-led entertainers, dancers, actors, teachers, and entrepreneurs. We make it our purpose to spread joy, enkindle confidence, and fuel the imagination. Children are the biggest believers in fairytales, which drives our passion to suspend their disbelief and create these magical memories with them.

JoLee, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Wichita Princesses was founded in September of 2020, at the height of the pandemic, the perfect time to start an entertainment business! We travel to various public and private festivals, events, birthday parties, weddings, and graduations. Our performers transform themselves into characters from popular fairytales, as well as original mermaids, fairies, and other magical creatures to spread pixie dust and magic wherever they perform. Our performers are professionally trained singers and dancers, most of whom also have backgrounds in child development or teaching. From my personal perspective as the owner and manager, I have always been heavily involved in theater. I have endeavored to perform in every school and community production available, and even spent a season performing in our local professional opera. I began character performing work when I was in college, working for various companies and freelancing as opportunies arose. I poured passion into every event I was involved with, but was not always happy with how these events were managed and structured. I wanted more creative control on scripts and event structuring, which is why I founded Wichita Princesses.

As an entertainment business, our individuality is what sets us apart from others. If you do not have passion for performing in this industry, it shows. It takes a lot of work to upkeep the number of wigs and ballgowns in fairy godmother’s closet, so my nearly perfectionist drive towards keeping our outfits in top condition helps to set us apart from many other companies. I am a bit of a “DIY til’ I die” type of person, so as I’ve grown as a business owner, I’ve learned to wear many hats (in addition to the many, many wigs). I’ve learned to sew immaculate ballgowns, and style perfectly curled wigs, which help immensely in selling the magic in our performances. Ultimately, I want to ensure that the kids see their favorite characters brought to life in the way that they have always envisioned them. What I most want our fans/clients/followers to know is that I care deeply about providing even the tiniest of magical details, and have worked hard to become the fairy godmother I am today in order to keep that magic alive.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

The most significant boost in building my business comes from my incredible, talented, and passionate performers. They are literally the magic behind everything. We are a small team of about 14 performers, with experience varying from teachers, professional dancers and singers, theater enthusiasts, and theater professionals, and I believe that we have built up our reputation of professionalism thanks to our cast’s amazing efforts. They are true professionals and the heroes of this endeavor.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

I’m truly not sure if I’m a professional at this, but I have maintained an incredibly low turnover rate, only losing two performers in nearly four years of operating this business. This success stems from having created an environment where my performers feel heard, valued, and well compensated. I do have very high standards for my performers, which they almost always exceed because of how much they love what they do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.wichitaprincesses.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wichitaprincessesks
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WichitaPrincesses
• Other: TikTok: https://www.facebook.com/WichitaPrincesses