We were lucky to catch up with Keisha Henson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Keisha , appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

My name is Keisha and I am the founder of CreativeKei, a party rental company based in Kansas City,Mo.

I’ve always been creative; I use to make small crafts items for my family and friends. During the pandemic, like many of us, I had nothing but time on my hands. I joined an event planner group called EZPZ party planning. They offered different tutorials, so I challenge myself and start making items. I start making mosaic balloons foam letters for my local event planner friends and my business has blossom from there.

I now offer a variety of 5ft wood marquee letters/numbers . We also have a variety of selection of prop rentals as well.

The majority of my customers base is our local event planners or anyone that’s interested in elevating their next event in unique party rentals.

I believe it’s important to let our generations know, we can also have the same successful business as the bigger chain companies.

I try to provide different and unique experiences by offering one-of-a-kind rentals. It’s important to always go above and beyond for your business.

Keisha , 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?

I’m a self-taught woodworker and creator. I started making my own inventory because It’s much easier to provide and elevate your inventory if you’re your own supplier, but it’s a huge challenge as well!

In the beginning, it was really hard. I had to learn how to use machinery and tools I didn’t know existed, but eventually, with trial and error, I mastered the art of designing and building beautiful custom props.

Nowadays, most people are surprised that everything in my shop is handmade by me! It’s true—I built all of this on my own: From going to Home Depot and pulling pieces of wood off the shelf with a shopping cart (and yes, cutting them with a jigsaw), sanding those pieces down with an orbital sander until they were smooth as butter (which was also fun!), painting them with brushes and rollers until they looked exactly how I wanted them to look… you get the idea!

My husband will occasionally help me paint when asked or small tasks like that, but otherwise he just sits back and watches me work (which is pretty cute). He always tells me how proud he is whenever I build new inventory.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

While still operating my rental company, I still maintain my corporate job as well. Recently I demoted myself to focus on my business. I think it’s important at times we step back and follow your dreams. This is our 3 year anniversary and I’m truly proud of myself. For the last two years, I was able to support other small businesses with different and unique inventory to add to my business. Hopefully we can continue to support with the growth of our business.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

I’ve always been passionate about turning my passions into businesses. As a serial entrepreneur, I’m always looking for ways to turn my passion into a business.

In 2020, I fell in love with waist beads—those little strings of beads you can wear around your waist that monitor your weight loss and gain. Waist beads are a great way to track your progress, but they also provide an even greater purpose: confidence.

Recently, I had weight loss surgery in June 2022 and had to cut them off for surgery. That’s when the bright idea of Kei Essentials came about—I realized again that I can be my own supplier! Starting any business requires research of vendors. I ordered supplies from several different companies until I found the quality supplies that would help me make Kei Essential products.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creative_kei/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063690782941
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/kei_essentials_/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084275502286&mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits
Five Fifty Five Event Onceuponaparty_KC Life of the party KC Glitz by Brit Ronni Grand Photography Shawn Riddle- Book Riddle