We recently connected with Rachel Johnson and have shared our conversation below.
Rachel , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
I learned my craft by just starting out as a DIY party planner for my kids birthdays and friends baby showers. I have always loved to be crafty but I didn’t have the time or true confidence to start a business until people started to seek my help for their events and paid me. Once I realized the people loved my craft I started to seek out information on how to become greater. I would stay up alll night on YouTube and sometimes just watch YouTube videos as I cooked my family meals or cleaned my home. Soon I realized that YouTube was not teaching me everything I needed to know so I found some classes from other professional balloon artist that helped me so much. Time was the best tool to learning my craft. The more time went by the more setups I did and the better I got.
Rachel , 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 Rachel Johnson and I am the owner and creative director behind AAA Balloons LLC, A balloon design company I founded after years of decorating for my family and friend’s parties. I am a wife and mother to 3 sons and one on the way. My 3 boys are where the name A A A Balloons came from.
Here at AAA Balloons, I believe luxury can come simple whether you are celebrating a 1st or 90th birthday, having a store grand opening, or wanting to add a pop to your space. AAA Balloons is here to curate luxury balloon installations to meet your needs. Our luxury balloon styling services offer clients a range of personalized designs to enhance any event décor. Kindness and quality are at the core of every design.
I love to be able to provide my clients with the ease of knowing decor will be setup and cleaned up for them with no worry. They will either have a space to take photos that will last forever in front of and/or decor to bring a nice ambiance to a room. I pride my business on being a luxury business that provides high quality designs. I provide my clients with the best of the best brands of balloons that are also biodegradable and safe for our environment. Every install is thought out and uniquely made special for each client (no install is the same).
I am most proud that I took the leap on following a passion I didn’t even know I had. I found something for me. I am proud I was able to successfully start a business and keep it running all while being a full-time mother and wife. (it’s not easy BUT GOD!)
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I think for me the most rewarding aspect of being a balloon artist would have to be being able to express myself through my craft. There are so many balloon artist around the world, and I think we all have our own style and ways we run our business. I love being able to make my own rules and being able to make my own schedule so that my children have more access to me than they did before.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A lesson I had to unlearn would be not being able to say no. I learned every client is not the client for me. I had to learn how to properly price my work and be paid what I’m worth for my time and my craft. For almost a year I was completely undercharging causing me to burn out and not be happy with my work. Over time I had to slowly raise my prices and I had to build a new clientele that was cohesive to my brand and that understood my worth. I heard a lot of whispers “She charges too much.” and to be honest that made me feel bad but I had to learn to know my own worth and stand firm and proud of what I know is right.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tripleaballoons.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/triplea.balloons
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/triplea.balloon/
Image Credits
Erica Daniels Emazing Photography