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

Alright, Lamar thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of the toughest things about entrepreneurship is that there is almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

COVID 19 caused challenges for many businesses that bled into both 2020 and 2021. However, it is those challenges that propelled LaMarvelous to financially thrive today. When the pandemic was declared, nearly 80% of the events that were on LaMarvelous’ books were canceled by clients, resulting in a large financial toll in the first two months of the pandemic. As a creative expert, I strategically kept an eye out for event trends that developed during the pandemic, and developed a strategy to make LaMarvelous’ adaptable. It was here, where I developed LaMarvelous’ Lawn Expressions, a line of balloon “celebration poles” and marquees that could be installed in clients’ yards to celebrate a loved one’s birthday, the arrival of a newborn, etc. I also conducted research and sought advice from other balloon professionals on how to refine LaMarvelous’ current decor offerings with efforts to make them wind and heat resistant, and more suitable for outdoor conditions. When LaMarvelous unveiled Lawn Expressions and other outdoor balloon decor options, bookings increased tremendously week over week, allowing LaMarvelous to gain momentum, and help Nashville residents celebrate during a horrific time. As a result, outdoor decor is now a LaMarvelous staple, and LaMarvelous can now properly accommodate clients with multiple offerings for indoor and outdoor events.

Lamar, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

It all started with “The Spark” I felt as a child when my grandmother, Deborah, brought me a blue gift bag filled with candies that had blue star balloons attached. You’d think I’d be excited about the candy. My eyes were on the real prize – the balloons. A toddler, I was so amazed, intrigued by what I saw.

Every time my brothers and I visited a party/dollar store with my grandmother, she’d always purchase each of us a toy to take home, and play with. I never left with an actual playing toy – rather a bag of latex balloons. I’d blow them up, tie strings to them, and play with them. That same spark of excitement I felt when I saw those blue star balloons as a toddler, never escaped. It still resides inside of me, today.

Back home in Detroit, my great-auntie Gloria was known for doing balloon decor and floral for the majority of our family events. An early teen, I found it fun to help her decorate, and see her artistry come to life. During high school, I worked for a party store named ‘Party On Us”, a black-owned retail party store that was a one-stop party shop for all party needs. Here, I learned tons about the party retail business, event planning, and of course, balloon artistry.

I moved from Detroit to Nashville in 2013 to attend Fisk University. It was here, that I realized that there was an opportunity to show the campus how balloon artistry could enhance campus events, add morale, and excitement. During my first Christmas break in Detroit, I packed my electric balloon pump and leftover balloons from my graduation party. I took them to campus and started offering simple, classic balloon decor (balloon columns, string of pearl arches).

After securing decor contracts for a few campus events, balloon decor instantly became popular on campus. It was a “must-have” for campus pageants and parties. LaMarvelous Balloons Designs, later shortened to LaMarvelous Balloons, was born. Graduating from Fisk in 2017 with a business management degree, I secured a full-time career offer in finance here in Nashville. Although I almost lost sight of my college business venture, I kept LaMarvelous Balloons in business as a side income generator. Post-grad, I began to invest more time into the business by learning new artistry techniques, beefing up the marketing and online presence, and networking with other professionals in the balloon industry.

I earned my CBA® (Certified Balloon Artist) in 2019, and also joined “The Academy” (powered by Corner to Corner), where I learned how to grow and scale my business. Through overcoming many challenges and obstacles as a creative, I resigned from my career in finance to pursue a full-time career with LaMarvelous Balloons in October of 2021. Today, LaMarvelous Balloons has exponentially grown in services offered, counting numerous colleges/universities, businesses, and private clients around metropolitan Nashville.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I am a huge fan of the Social Proof Podcast – a podcast specifically catered to entrepreneurs. Hosts David Shands and Donni Wiggins do a phenomenal job of exploring multiple topics involving entrepreneurial challenges, inspiration, and tips and tricks to help advance entrepreneurs in their respective fields. One of my favorite episodes is a recent episode titled, “Consistency is the only cheat-code”, where both Donni and David share the importance and validity of consistency (processes, reputation, etc), as it truly is the cheat-code for successful entrepreneurship.

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

Honestly, having a very unique business name that is coined with my actual name (LaMarvelous Balloons), and providing quality and unique balloon artistry has helped build a very solid reputation. When friends of the business or stakeholders in general see LaMarvelous’ work, it’s quite often that we’ll hear, “Yep, we know LaMarvelous created that!” When our clients work with us, they know that they will receive top notch decor that is absolutely memorable, created with thought, and full of quality.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lamarvelousballoons.com
• Instagram: @lamarvelousballoons
• Facebook: Lamar M. Allen
• Linkedin: Lamar Allen

Image Credits
Images taken by LaMarvelous Balloons, LLC