We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Madison Price. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Madison below.

Madison, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you manage your own social media?

I manage my own social media for Beachin’ Picnics. Managing my socials wasn’t exactly a choice, but more of a financial necessity. The reality of being a small business owner is that we find ourselves wearing many hats, even it the hat doesn’t fit, because we can’t afford to pay a professional.

Luckily for me, I enjoy keeping up with trends and creating my own content most of the time. The biggest challenge in managing my own social media is staying consistent. It’s easy to let social media get away from me as I focus on other aspects of my life and business. However, I can’t deny the obvious correlation between my social media habits and booking inquiries. The more I post, the more my business grows. This helps me stay motivated to keep posting and interacting online.

I can see a point in the future where I hire someone to assist with managing Beachin’ Picnics online presence, but for now I’m content learning as much as I can about social media management. The main takeaway I have so far is that consistency is key.

Madison, 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?

For me, it’s all about how clients react when they see their picnic for the first time. Maybe its because I thrive exclusively on validation from others, but hearing the oohs, ahhs, and oh my gods from guests as they arrive is one of my favorite things ever.

I’m pretty much game for anything when it comes to the services I offer. Putting what we do in a box makes me feel claustrophobic, but the core of Beachin’ Picnics is in the name- BEACH PICNICS. I think there is a universal nostalgia when it comes to picnics. They tend to bring you back to your childhood and help you feel connected to the world and people around you. Bringing the beach into the equation elevates everything to a new level.

Planning events has been my primary source of income for around two years now. I specialize in beach and backyard events, and am excited to be shifting into event styling for large scale events. I generally host picnics for bachelorette parties, weddings, proposals, business launches, paint parties, and anything else our client thinks is worth celebrating.

My perfectionism fused with my love for hosting is the foundation of my brand. I also have an overwhelming need to do things differently and more efficiently than everyone else. These qualities are what helped me navigate my business in the beginning when I had basically no idea what I was doing. It’s funny to look back at that time and remember how nervous I was about every aspect of business ownership.

I acquired Beachin’ Picnics after an opportunity to take over the business from my employer came my way. It was something that I was terrified to take the leap and do, but knew that I would regret if I didn’t. I had always toyed with the idea of starting some sort of event company, especially since I grew up helping my mom with catering events and my grandmother with event styling. With the help of them both, I was able to purchase the business and make things official. Since then, I’ve taken every ounce of professional experience and rules of design that my brain could dredge up and applied it to my business practice.

I learn something new with each event, sometimes the hard way. I’ve lost cupcakes to seagulls, forgotten all the cutlery, broken umbrellas on site, spilled flowers all over the car, and had dozens of other mishaps that linger in my brain as a reminder for next time. I don’t mind taking my mistakes to heart, even if some things still make me cringe in the middle of the night. My main goal is to improve consistently and to stand out.

Every time I set up a picnic or event, I try to create something totally unique. I don’t think I’ve ever had a picnic that was completely identical to one before it. I also love a challenge and I adore my clients that have a specific vision in mind. I’m always secretly hoping that someone will approach me with an absurd party idea that they want to bring to life – like a dog birthday picnic or a Just Divorced party. I’m open for anything that gets thrown my way. I want to have just as much fun planning events as my clients have experiencing them!

Let’s move on to buying businesses – can you talk to us about your experience with business acquisitions?

I bought Beachin’ Picnics from my former employer in 2021. With a work history in events and a fresh interest in beach picnics, I had already been considering starting my own company of the same nature. When I learned my employer was selling the business and moving cross country, I kind of knew that that was my best shot. There was a rapid influx of picnic companies sprouting up around San Diego, and I knew it would be easier to run a business that was already established than build one from the ground up. I was able to take out a bank loan and a personal loan from family in order to complete the purchase.

The acquisition process was fairly simple because the company is a sole proprietorship, so we only had to make a few adjustments so that I could be the legal owner. We drew up a contract without involving lawyers and came to a purchase agreement fairly easily. Looking back, there are probably a few things I would have added and clarified in the contract, but both parties were very happy with the agreement in the end.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

My biggest life pivot to date was my transition from managing a private farm animal sanctuary in Texas, to owning an event company in California. I was raised on a ranch and have always adored animals. I grew up owning and caring for a wide range of furry friends – horses, pigs, goats, hedgehogs, opossums, and a multitude of others. I bounced around jobs through college and found my ranch management job when my fiance and I moved to Texas. It was my dream job in a lot of ways. I was in charge of the day-to-day care of over 70 animals, ranging from typical farm animals, to kangaroos and geriatric tortoises. I spent hours at night bottle feeding baby animals, many days doing manual labor is 100+ degree heat, and building incredible bonds that I’ll never forget.

Moving away from that life was difficult, and I still miss the animals at the farm every day. But my life is better now since pivoting from barns to beaches. I’m happier in San Diego than anywhere I’ve ever lived, I finally get to be my own boss, and I still get to care for animals with my two dogs, cat, and rabbit. Moving here is a decision I would make over and over again, especially knowing that I get to run my own business and exercise my creativity for a living.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.beachinpicnics.com
• Instagram: @beachinpicnics