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

Paula, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?

I think the trend to decorate with balloons continues to grow, each time the decorations with balloons are bigger and more artistic.

Paula, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Paula Valencia, I am a mother of two children, six year old and two years old, wife of a wonderful man who supports me and accompanies me every day and I’m a balloon event decorator.

This story started with a short vacation that turned into a sudden total change of life. With my husband and my oldest son we planned a short vacation to visit some friends, we arrived in the United States in February 2020 without knowing that a month later we would be trapped in this country because of the pandemic, at that time I was pregnant and my delivery was early so my second son was born in Charlotte.

The uncertainty of the pandemic, closed borders, no return tickets to my country and a newborn at home, it was too much to handle, but nothing a mom can’t overcome for her children! After a silent postpartum depression and waiting for the world to return to normal, I decided to start making small balloon arrangements at home; that’s how this story began and little by little among acquaintances and referrals the business was taking off because it was very well accepted by people.

It has not been easy, but it can be done! Can you imagine starting a business without speaking English? It is a total challenge, many bet that I would not make it! Entering the local market where there are so many good balloon artists is another big challenge, creating an innovative and interesting product for your customers and getting them to pay you what you ask for is not an easy task either.

I feel very proud that even though I felt the paralyzing fear I felt, I kept going, I didn’t throw in the towel in those moments of frustration, I feel very proud to have found my talent and made it my profession!

I work from the heart and I’m sure my clients know it! Each installation is designed and installed in a creative, professional and organized manner. We continue to grow and prepare ourselves to do our job better and better every day.

We are very motivated by the fact that our clients year after year, celebration after celebration continue with us. If you are thinking about starting a business, do it! There is nothing more rewarding than getting up every day to fight for your own business, whatever it may be!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Leaving behind your country, a whole life, family, great friends, your business, etc.

There have been many sleepless nights, working from home with the kids running after you all day is not an easy task so the only option is to work when they go to sleep.

When I started I had to work in the garage of my house and it was not air conditioned so the heat and cold were unbearable, but it was the only place where I could work at that hour.

To run this business I have had to study English, really make an effort so that my clients don’t notice my lack of knowledge in the language. Google translator has been my best friend during this venture!

Learning how to handle tools such as the saw, jig saw, paint gun, automatic hammer, sander, etc., has led me to high levels of frustration.

Overcoming the anxiety that social media generates today and overcoming social media has been liberating! You can’t live a life based on the “likes” you get, but that’s not easy to understand at first.

I think all this has tested my resilience, my faith in God and my willpower!

How did you build your audience on social media?

The biggest window through which we sell is Instagram, so I have put a lot of effort into building on that social network as an album where the customer can get a very clear idea of our product.

When I started I contacted the most recognized local influencers and made an exchange of services with them, I would give them balloon decorations and they would make mentions about my work on their profiles.

I asked my son’s teacher for the list of birthdays of all the classmates in his class, so when one of them had a birthday I would send him a personalized balloon with a label of our business.

We have made donations in churches, shopping malls, food banks, foundations and schools, so every day we become more known in different market niches.

I did a lot of decorations at home to generate content and catch the audience. Generating content is important because it is a way to sell without selling, to show your product without the customer knowing that you are selling.

Social networks generated me a lot of anxiety at the beginning and I am still overcoming it, social networks are important but they do not define the quality of your product, this was very hard for me to understand, since there are very good works with very few “likes” and not so good works with many “likes” so that does not define your work!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sayitwithballoonsnc.com
• Instagram: sayit_withballoons
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/saywithloveSayitwithballoons/