We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michaeleigh Ward a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Michaeleigh, thanks for joining us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?
CONFIDENCE
Having confidence is one of the things that I believe takes to be successful. By developing your self-confidence, you will be able to achieve your goals, take opportunities that come your way and also have the strength to overcome any obstacles. You are willing to startle and even upset people around you. When you set an ambitious goal, many or most of your friends and family members may scoff. People will try to get you to stay in your little box. however, you have to be willing & have the confidence within yourself to deal with negativity in people around you — or even walk away from relationships if necessary. When you lack self confidence, you end up looking to others to make decisions for you instead of looking within. Self- Confidence allows you to experience freedom from self-doubt and negative thoughts about yourself .Without confidence, we’re unable to achieve flow, the magical feeling when you’re “in the zone.” If you don’t believe in your skills, you’ll never be able to achieve that state of ultimate productivity.
Michaeleigh, 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?
My story began January 2021, I’m a naturally ambitious person, so I am constantly brainstorming on my next move. As my background heavily derives from the event planning and interior design industry, I began looking for something that aligned with my preexisting passions and talents, something that was tangible that I could start now and do now, and most importantly, something that people not only wanted but needed! I’ve seen others offering picnic set-ups in a few other states and said, why not bring this to sunny South Florida! After encouragement from family and friends, I took the leap and invested in myself by purchasing all of my supplies that week, starting my page, perfecting my branding, and launching soon after!
Lavish Picnics of South Florida is a luxury pop-up picnic company based in South Florida. Our team arrives and sets up a chic picnic set up at any location you desire, whether it’s indoors in your living room or your own backyard. Our luxury setups draw the attention of many, with our chic table setups, card games, gold-rim glassware and flatware laid out in a dining style, chilled sparkling water along with a delicious charcuterie board spread of meats and cheeses or pick from our fruit mixture bowl!
Our locations are preferred for Beach setups. If you don’t have a location in mind, we have a scenic space for you to enjoy! Once you arrive, the team leaves you to enjoy your picnic. Guests have the picnic for hours you scheduled and the team comes back to the location, breaks down and cleans up. We take care of delivery, setup and clean up! We cater to any request to make your picnic extra special! Many of our picnics are surprises for date nights, anniversaries, marriage proposals, and birthdays. We offer add-on services to help create a unique experience. Champagne choices are available to add-on as well as chocolate strawberries and other premium alcohol choices. What I’m most proud of brand-wise is that many of our setups are unique and to the guests liking and personality. Picnic guest sizes can range from 2 people up to 30 people. You are able to pick from an array of color schemes and themes that fit you and your guests.
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
What I thought would’ve been my side hustle when I first launched my company in January 2021 evolved to me having the opportunity to resign from my day job a couple of months later in July of 2021. When launching, I assumed that I would at least be booked maybe 1 to 2 times a month. Boy was I wrong! My very first official picnic was booked on Valentines Day, once it was shared through social media platforms & a well known youtuber with a large following, I was flooded with bookings in the month of March.. back to back days. With the magnitude of bookings that I was receiving lead me to decide on resigning due to the fact that I was accumulating more income with my picnics than my actual day job! With each booking I made sure to start building my portfolio on my social media platforms, connecting with my audience and clients in real life.
Being that I started and am fulfilling my wishes for my picnic company, I have decided to also move onto curating memorable events on a broader spectrum such as weddings and social events which I will be launching soon!
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
The most effective strategy for growing my clientele will have to be asking my clientele for their honest review on their experience at the end of their picnics and going above and beyond for their needs. I believe that “word of mouth” is very powerful so I prioritize my clients experience so that they are able to share it amongst their peers etc. I also believe that being yourself helps with growing your clientele, because at the end of the day you are the face of your business. Your personality and attitude with your clientele can make or break you.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lavishpicnicsofsouthflorida.com
- Instagram: lavishpicnicsfl
- Other: Tik Tok: Lavishpicnicsfl
Image Credits
@Domnificent – instagram