We recently connected with Martia Hernandez and have shared our conversation below.

Martia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you as a business owner?

To be the best employee in order to be the best boss. I used to look at past employers as just a job. Once i realised my leadership and work ethic at the job would mold me into the type of entrepreneur that would be successful, i started taking the jobs and experiences at the job more seriously.

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

i started my business in January of 2015 when my fiance at the time was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. I had to take him an hour away for treatment 5 days a week so working had become non existent. I was my first client, i did my own baby shower and a lady asked me for a business card so I started my journey that following Monday with registering Touch Of Class. I decorate, plan, coordinate as well as cater events. I’m most proud that as of Monday January 15th, my business will be celebrating 9 years in operation, and I am the only employee. My main goal is always to give my customers the best experience and service possible. We are all human and may fall short sometime, i thrive on keeping my customers happy and when there is a short coming or issue resolve it so that all parties involved are happy. I am the happiest knowing that my creativity and skills have blossomed and continue to grow as time goes on.

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

I had to learn that being the cheapest was not going to grow my business. I had started lowering my prices so that i could get more bookings , but i wasn’t charging enough to even cover the materials needed for there events. Once i started charging what my services were worth my business started to thrive because the overall quality of everything going into each event was better.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Funding my business has always come from working a full time or part time job while doing my business during the weekends. Didn’t have a savings or business partner so i had to take a leap of faith and just start. I prayed and I haven’t looked back. As the years go on, i make more with my business and i put my earnings back into my business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tocpartyplanningllc.com
• Instagram: @touchofclass1983