We were lucky to catch up with Tiffany Jones recently and have shared our conversation below.

Tiffany, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

I believe that we all have a different idea or description of what success looks like. We need to identify what that is in order to attain being successful in any area of our lives, whether it be personal or professional. For myself, it takes time and consistency to be successful. When I started Events by Tiffany J, I invested many hours researching ideas and information on how to have a successful business. I always considered myself talented, so the creative side and actual work in my business would be the easy part, in my opinion. I literally would spend hours watching videos, reading topics related to the event and wedding industry, and visiting different businesses that were already established. I needed to understand what it would take to sustain and grow my business. I never stopped learning in my business. You have to be consistent and flexible. We are in ever-changing times and trends are what leads the way in the event industry. I have been around a long time because I personally grew with my business. By incorporating the time and being consistent, we have been able to maintain in this tough environment. It’s definitely not for the faint at heart.

Tiffany, 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?

I was born in Key West, Florida. A small island city, known for its natural beauty and where you’re pretty much free to be as expressive as you want. I was always a very creative and sociable young girl. I would plan my own birthday parties with my entire dance team, classmates, or neighbor friends and family. I did all this from as young as 5. Imagine being my parent and a group of young people showing up with your daughter for a party you had no idea was happening. I did this repeatedly, so I guess you can say it was in the cards to throw celebrations. I always loved to decorate and party, as far as I can remember. In fact, I still do! I was very passionate early in with interior decorating. In fact, give me a room, any room, and I will go crazy transforming the space. I love it and find a sense of peace doing so. I get a kick out of the result and seeing the reaction of people. I am the CEO of Events by Tiffany J. I am an Event Designer and Planner. In my profession I plan, design, and install weddings and all genres of events for our clients. I recently jumped into the event rental, and it’s been a great addition to my business. I specialize in unique, once in a lifetime, event design for the everyday person. That means, a person may have been waiting on a very special occasion to invest in their event. It’s not something they get to do often, so it’s an investment and they get an experience that will become a core memory in their lives. I believe what sets me apart from others is my ability to connect with people. I make them feel safe and that they can trust me. I am good at understanding and listening to what the client wants and how we can deliver that vision to them. Customer service is a BIG deal to me. I’m a people person and want to give them a level of service they won’t forget. In my opinion, your work is only as good as the service level behind it. We’re all good at what we do, but how the client feels is what matters the most.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

I always love to decorate and design, so starting a side hustle doing just that was second nature. I got started with Events by Tiffany J after being laid off from my career job. I knew I wanted to be a business owner at some point in my life but wasn’t expecting it to happen this way. A co-worker introduced me to a friend of hers who was planning a party for her daughter. All she wanted was some 4 x 6 postcard invitations. She knew I was creative and asked me if I could meet with her to discuss it. Of course, I said yes. This was the door I needed to open to just pitch my decorating idea. I prepared an entire spread for this “invitation” meeting. I had hors d’oeuvres and champagne. I dressed my dining table with cocktail plates, dinner napkins, flatware, and champagne glasses. Once they entered my home, she was so impressed by the presentation and the hospitality, not to mention the fact that she loved the food. After that initial meeting, we went from invitations to me designing her daughters sweet 16 party. It was my 1st real client that was about to pay me. I had no idea what to even charge her. Long story short, we ended up doing the party, her wedding, and her other daughters sweet 16 a couple years later. We also received several clients after her events that she referred or were just in the room. Now, here we are. I operate my showroom full time. This is my first brick and mortar location, which happens to be inside a mall. Since being here we have learned a lot and have grown tremendously. I’m looking forward to our future and showing our future clients our expansion.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Some of the resources I wish I knew earlier in my creative journey would have been finances and credit. I literally funded my business out of pocket for many years, and still do for some things. Business funding and business credit is imperative to the growth of your business. Now, I will say this as well. Be smart when obtaining credit for your business. Those loans have to be paid back. I’ve been in so many networking events and meetings speaking about business funding, but not so much emphasis put on repayment, It has to make sense for your situation. Are you profitable? Are you even making money at all? Do you see a return on the investment you’re about to take on? These are major questions to think about prior to jumping on the business credit wave. The same way you can get this money can be the same way your business easily tanks. However, if you’re responsible and your business is actually functioning profitably, these resources will definitely be an asset.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.eventsbytiffanyj.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/eventsbytiffanyj_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eventsbytiffanyj

Image Credits
RL Photography