We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lela Hinds a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Lela, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?
I started looking for a location for a Wedding and Event Venue in July 2019. I knew that I wanted a central location with outdoor space for weddings and garden photos. I never thought it would take me 3 months to find something that I liked. It was in rough shape, lacked parking and the building was smaller than I wanted but the 100 year old oak trees and yard space was great. The list price not so great. After going back and forth with the seller they accepted another offer and I was back looking. Two months later the other buyers backed out and I saw that the property was back on the market. I submitted another offer and it was accepted and I closed on March 5, 2020. The construction was to start the following week but Covid hit and I had to wait 3 months before the crew could start the renovations. Unfortunately I had quit my job to focus on Lela’s Place Venue and Event Planning so I had no income coming in and I didn’t qualify for Covid business loans or Grants. I used the opportunity to learn how to do things at the venue. I did the landscaping, painted the walls, tore down old structures, burned leaves, clear trees, built benches and wood walls. I became my own handyman. Starting a business during Covid was bad timing, more expensive and no one was having parties. Three established venues went out of business but I focused in on the small events and was able to turn my Lemons into lemonade. I just celebrated my 4th year anniversary of Lela’s Place Venue and Event Planning. I love my job and my clients. I am so blessed to get paid for doing what I love!
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?
Lela’s Place Venue and Event Planning is located in beautiful Peachtree City GA in Fayette County 25 minutes from Atlanta airport. Lela’s Place is the only venue in Peachtree City GA with 112 year old oak trees, fountain, covered Pavilion, indoor and outdoor event space. The greatest thing that sets Lela’s Place apart is that we are responsibly price $600- $3,200, we allow outside vendors at no additional cost, we offer all inclusive packages or you can create your own package. I am a black female owned business. I have a masters in Business Administration and Emergency Management. So I stay calm in all situations and come up a solution to any problem. A one of my events last year there was a medical emergency and I was able to stabilize the guests until the paramedics arrived.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I don’t advertise so my clients are my business partners. I go above and beyond with my clients to make sure that they have a beautiful and stree free event. My clients tell their friends and family about Lela’s Place Venue and Event Planning and those referrals keep my calendar full. My clients become part of my family and I keep in touch with most of them and have gone out to lunch with them to catch up after the wedding.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
I started saving for my venue 10 years before I bought it. I knew how difficult it is to get a small business loan so invested in real estate and mutual funds to save up to buy the venue with cash.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lelasplace.com
- Instagram: Instagram@lelasplace
- Facebook: Facebook@lelasplacebandb
Image Credits
Leticia Andrade did the photos of me. I took all of the other photos.