Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sylvia McDonald. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Sylvia, appreciate you joining us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

After spending a lot of time planning, discerning, and praying, we knew it was time to take the big leap and begin this small business adventure. We wanted to live on the same property as the venue, so first thing was putting our house on the market and finding the perfect property where we could build our small events venue. We found our little piece of property that instantly felt like home. We began drawing up the building plans, interviewing builders, and created what seemed like hundreds of mood/dream/vision boards. In February of 2021, we poured the foundation, hired a metal building construction company to create the shell of the venue, then Ben built out the inside for the next several months. It was really difficult to navigate this all on our own and staying within budget as this was the time building supply costs were spiking and there were several supply shortages. It was a lot of physical work with incredible amounts of challenges. In October of 2021, we held our first “soft launch party” — luckily it was for a family friend. We still didn’t have power in the restrooms and had to plug in lamps… Humble beginnings… After 6 months of what seemed like endless punch list items, working behind the scenes on marketing material, consulting people on our prices etc., we finally launched and had our first paying customer in March 2022. It was nothing short of a sweet moment of success.

Sylvia, 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?

Southern hospitality has always been my love language. I grew up having the most one of a kind, creative, beautiful birthday parties. My mom was extremely creative in planning our birthday parties and my father always executed in helping her make them come to life. My grandmother use to fly in from Mexico with a giant Piñata from for each event — this was 30+ years ago, pre social media, pre Pinterest boards. Event & party planning has been in my blood since then. These traditions and love continued once I got married. My husband, Ben, and I have enjoyed hosting our family and friends for all of life’s celebrations. When we came up with the business idea of a small events venue, we essentially wanted it to be an extension of our very own home. We wanted the welcoming and loving atmosphere of our house to continue within the venue. Our mission was to create a beautiful yet simple space where people could gather to celebrate life’s special moments. We wanted this space to be an experience for everyone that walks through the doors.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

We take a large amount of pride in our customer service. We truly find joy in making each customer feel special, assisting in anyway possible to make their event come to life, and simply just being kind to each client. We have been extremely blessed that to this day we haven’t put a penny into marketing and with the simple customer care we carry out with our clients, we’ve been able to remain fully booked through referrals. We love concentrating on grassroots growth.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Our business completely changed when I learned our worth. I’m sure like many first time business owners, I was very anxious to put everything on the line and launch what felt like our business baby. When we first started, I quickly began to run myself to the ground. We were undercharging for our events, I was taking on a lot of the planning for renters and was going above over the top to accommodate clients, knowing it would soon break me if we didn’t make a change. Once I gained some experience, built up my confidence and quickly began to learn the demand for our service was there, it was time to create clear expectations/boundaries from renters, rethink our rental package pricing, and put myself in a mindset that this is a business and not just a hobby. This was key for the success of our business and we haven’t looked a day back.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.micasamc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/micasa_mc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/micasasucasamc/

Image Credits
Elle Belle Photography: https://www.instagram.com/elle_belle_photography/ Willow Birth Photography: https://www.instagram.com/willowbirchphotography/ Cameryn Wilkins Photo: https://www.instagram.com/camerynwilkinsphoto/