We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kendra Altemeyer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kendra below.
Kendra, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?
I have been working in the Event and Hospitality Industry since graduating with a Degree in Resort and Hospitality from Florida Gulf Coast University. I have enjoyed working in various roles in restaurants, country clubs, catering, and event design. I have enjoyed learning from all of these different positions but felt like something was missing. I finally took the risk to open up my own business. This was a huge step for me and I could not have done it without all the support of my family and friends. The biggest fear I had would be going from a steady paycheck to becoming my own boss and making the financials work. It hasn’t been easy, but so far it has been worth it! I have a small but growing clientele base and continue to strive to be unique in the field of events and balloon decoration.
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?
I fell in love with the industry of Hospitality while I was in college. I was originally an accounting major but had always dreamed of being a wedding planner since I was a little girl. I decided to take an extra class and fell in love! I decided to switch from an accounting major to a Resort and Hospitality major and it was one of the best decisions for me.
I have worked several different roles from, serving, to managing, to ultimately leading in the events world. I enjoy getting to be hands on with clients and really making their vision come to life. I pride myself in being transparent and honest with clients and realistic with their vision to get them their desired dreams.
I want potential brides to feel confident that their wedding day will go as smooth as it can. Hiccups always happen, but the mark of a great coordinator is that the guests never even notice. I also want my event clients to feel confident that when they hire me, they will get the top tier service that is Party in Paradise!
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
As part of my growth, I learned from other leaders in the industry. However, sometimes a leader is born out of misfortunate moments. Years ago, I was running the Front of House staff with a local caterer. The event was a child’s Bat mitzvah, which meant there were lots of children in attendance. We were using disposable plates, cups, napkins etc. During clean up, a server cleaned up one of the tables. Unfortunately, one of the young girls had put her retainer in a napkin next to her cup. By the time she had finally noticed, she was in tears and her fathers was adamantly upset, not with us but at his little girl. This broke my heart and I decided we could fix this. I gloved up and went through every single trash bag, including jumping in the dumpster until we found the little girls retainer. We made sure they washed it before she used it again, but I will never forget that kindness and determination can really make someone’s day and make them smile.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
I believed I could, so I did. To start my operations, I saved for years knowing one day I would take the leap and start my own company. I worked a salaried position while picking up any side gigs I could, so that I could afford to jump out on my own. It wasn’t always easy, and some days I really wanted to call off, but I always put myself in the owners position and how I would feel if an employee did this to me. I think that helped changed my mindset from employee to owner. The big picture was worth the small sacrifices.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @partyinparadisenaples
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090893268690
Image Credits
Veronica Peterson Photography