We were lucky to catch up with Kiara James recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kiara, thanks for joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

In 2018, my parents had an intimate vowel renewal celebrating 38 years. I took on that task of creating a balloon arch for the alter. I ordered the materials and with the help of YouTube, I created my first arch. To my surprise, I received multiple compliments from guest.

Let’s rewind a little! Back in 2014 I received my degree in Human Resources Management. A year later I married my first love. My career was thriving and I was well on my way to climbing the corporate ladder.

Now let’s fast forward to 2020, 2 years after my parents vowel renewal, I had recently accepted a new position as a Human Resources Generalist with an amazing company. By this time I am a wife, full-time employee and a mother of 4. At this time my handsome bonus son was 10 and we had a 4, 2 and 1 year old. I love my family beyond words.

I experienced anxiety for the first time and the job that I once enjoyed, I completely dreaded. It was time for a change. I quit my job to be a SAHM. The problem was that I love fashion and shopping so I needed to find a way to make money on the side.

After many Youtube tutorials, I began offering balloon serviced on Facebook Marketplace. FB allowed me room to grow without lingering embarrassment in the case I failed. My personal motto is “If I can envision it, I can try it. If I can try it, I can perfect it”.

What you see now is the product of me just trying new designs. Within 1 year, my summers were completely booked. This journey has been far from easy but with God it is all possible.

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

My name is Kiara. I was born and raised in the city of Detroit. I am the owner of Orchid Creative Hub (Orchid Balloons).

Orchid Creative Hub specializes in making bold and beautiful statements through event decorations.. Our most popular services is our focal point backdrops and stage designs. Our designs are ideal for photo opportunities, grand openings, corporate events, conferences, weddings and more.

If you are looking for a team to come in and do it all, we offer full service creative options where we ideate concepts, fabricate stage designs, interactive designs and photo backdrops. This options is less stress on the clients and give them room to focus on more important task.

We also offer options where we come along side of our clients and bring their visions to life. If you already have a vision and just need help executing, we can help with that too.

Our team is known for their bold and bright colors and attention to details.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The lesson I had to learn is that every shortcoming is nothing more than an opportunity to grow and get better. I came into the industry and within one year I was working with more experienced designers. It was a joy gleaning from the more seasoned professionals but it can also be intimidating. There was a time where all I could see was my short comings. I had to quickly snapped out of that mindset. As a self taught designer, I now count it all joy in every opportunity to just be better.

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

When I started Orchid Creative Hub, my dad and I would spend hours cutting wood and building backdrops. It was very time consuming and with an ever changing market it surely wasn’t my strong suit. One of my best decision was to outsource. Outsourcing not only made my job much easier but it opened Orchid Creative Hub to another audience. When you outsource as a small business owner it allows a better work-life balance, increased productivity and healthier version of yourself and employees. I love to support other local and small business owners.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.orchidcreativehub.com
• Instagram: @orchidcreativehub
• Facebook: Facebook.com/orchidballoons

Image Credits
The Hubble Media @thehubblemedia