Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tiffany Trotter Morris. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Tiffany thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea
My husband and I had been thinking about starting a business for a while. We have a five-year-old daughter named Leah and noticed how much she loves getting dressed up, doing her hair, and playing with makeup! This inspired us and made us want to do something that would help kids and parents celebrate their special memories and have an impact on the community. We decided we would create a spa bus for kids, where kids could celebrate birthdays and other special occasions on the spa bus!
Going from idea to execution was definitely a process that required a lot of researching, planning, and brainstorming. In the end, we just had to dive right into the work we needed to do to bring our business to life.
Over the next six months, we started putting together our business plan, including the build-out of the spa bus, marketing and operation plan.
We first purchased a bus, and we found a custom builder who could build out the interior of the bus to bring our vision to life. While the bus was being renovated, we started to fine-tune our messaging and marketing strategy, and we started to get active on social media. We also used that time to get the needed inventory for the birthday spa packages we offer.
The bus build-out took a little longer than expected due to supply and demand issues, but we had it ready just in time for our launch in August for our daughter’s 5th birthday party, which was a hit!
As a local business serving parents and kids, it was important for us to create the ultimate spa experience for kids and a hassle-free experience for parents who want to celebrate their kids.
Tiffany, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Luxe Gather helps parents make birthday celebrations the most special and memorable with hassle-free birthday experiences their kids will remember forever. Our flagship product is our Luxe Gathe Spa Bus, which is the ultimate spa party experience. Our spa bus comes fully equipped with everything needed for a relaxing and glammed experience. Plus, we provide all of the games and activities so the birthday crew can sit back, relax, and enjoy the party, while our party hosts will make sure every child has a wonderful time.
All our spa party packages include manicures, singing, dancing, activities, party hosts, entertainment, and fun to create unforgettable memories to make your girl feel truly special.
Our mission is to ensure all children feel special and confident while having fun celebrating life’s most special moments. Our mission is embodied in our values which are:
1. Have fun – Kids have a blast. Parents love it.
2. Gather together- Celebrate and have fun
3. Hassle-free celebrations – We bring the party to you to create unforgettable memories
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
One thing I had to learn quickly as a business owner is that you can’t be afraid to put yourself out there and promote yourself. For a while, I had social media anxiety. I was afraid to post on social media because I thought no one would care about what I had to say.
As a business owner, I realized that I had to set that fear aside, create a plan and start executing. When it comes to marketing your product or service, you have to stay top of mind and relevant to your audience. That means showing up on social media daily to make sure your business is getting visibility.
Especially with a product like Luxe Gather, which is focused on helping parents celebrate their kid’s birthdays, we have to show up online often because the birthday might be in September, but parents start planning a few months out. So staying top of mind and visible is important.
I also had to dismiss certain vanity metrics associated with social media, including how many likes a post or video receives. Sometimes I would feel discouraged if only a few people engaged with a piece of content, but I soon realized that it doesn’t matter how many people liked or engaged. What matters is that at least one person saw your content and learned something about your business. They may not have taken the desired action, but they saw it, and if you keep showing up consistently, more people will see it and eventually purchase one of your services.
I ultimately decided that I would post one reel on Instagram every day from Monday through Friday, and using that strategy, I’ve seen tremendous growth and reach of our content, followers, and website visits.
Have you ever had to pivot?
In order to focus 100 percent on Luxe Gather, I decided to walk away from my corporate job as a Senior Content Marketing Manager at a local fintech company. It was a tough decision because I was walking into the unknown, but I knew I was ready for a new opportunity, and I knew as a wife and mom, it would be challenging to balance running a business and my commitment to my full-time job. So I made the decision to resign to focus on Luxe Gather.
It was quite a pivot for me since I had been in the corporate world for the last 10 years, and I wouldn’t have that stable income I was used to, but after discussing it with my husband and analyzing our financial situation, we both decided we could make it work, while we continue to grow Luxe Gather.
The journey as a business owner uninspired me to start a YouTube channel called BraveSelfStarter to help other entrepreneurs. My video on how to start an LLC in Flordia shows one of the first things I had to do as a new business owner: https://www.youtube.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://luxegather.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luxegather/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/luxegather/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBPfdyyNaplvNX_V8l00FXA
Image Credits
rogerbstillz