We recently connected with Patricia Cardoso and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Patricia, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
When I decided to start Crowned Events and Rentals back in 2020, I was about 7 months pregnant with my daughter, Ava while working a full-time job that became temporarily remotely due to the pandemic. While home, I had so many ideas but didn’t know how to effectively start a new business. The idea first came to me when I used a peacock chair to take my maternity pictures; so, I told my husband that we should buy one and start renting them out to other moms/couples. We started with just one chair and it worked well especially because drive-by baby showers were a huge thing then. With time, we slowly started to add new chairs and other boho items to our inventory that paired well with what we already had. Later in 2021, I started incorporating small balloon work and event styling by learning from YouTube but also my peers. My daughter is now 2 years old and looking back, I am so happy that I took that leap of faith. For some reason, I was excited for the new beginnings. I was getting ready to become a new mom and business owner. I wasn’t sure how I was going to balance it all while still working a 9-5 but I felt extremely optimistic and it has been a blessing ever since.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I migrated to the USA at the age of 9 from the Cape Verde Islands with my mother and sisters. We didn’t have much but I saw my mother work multiple jobs including overnight shifts to make sure we had everything we “needed”. We lived in different shelters for a few years until we were able to obtain permanent housing. From being homeless and now owning 2 homes, my mother has been my inspiration and the reason why I so work hard to give my daughter, family and clients my all. She taught us the value of going after our dreams while trusting God for guidance. With our business, we take pride in providing great customer service, unforgettable memories and quality, unique pieces while working closely with our clients to make sure their event is exactly how they pictured it. Our brand was built on integrity and symbolizes hope and the American dream because we came to this country with nothing but decided to pursue our dreams despite the obstacles.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
My husband, Kemar is my business partner and a great asset to our business. He is the strong arm of it all; he assists with carrying, lifting, organizing, building, loading and setting up. We met on Instagram (he slid in my DMs LOL) We dated long distance and got married within 9 months and we just celebrated 5 years of marriage this past June. We have a beautiful babygirl named Ava who will be 3 soon and I am blessed that I get to share this journey with him in both our personal and business life.
We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.
I am big on social media presence by interacting with my followers, whether that’s new potential clients or people I’ve known for a while. I make sure when I am thinking of adding new products to our inventory that I take their input by doing polls or just asking them questions. I believe when you treat people well and do great work, people value that and they would want to come back again. Over the last 3 years, I’ve build solid friendships with some of my clients and I show my appreciation by offering discounts to my loyal clients as a way of thanking them for coming back multiple times for our services. I also make sure that I reach out to my clients after every booking/events just to thank them for their business and make sure they know that it meant a lot to us because it’s their money that they decided to spend with us.
Contact Info:
- Website: crownedrentalsatl.com
- Instagram: @crowned_rentals
- Facebook: Crowned Rentals
Image Credits
Photos taken by: @dr8nn (Drayton McJunkins)