We recently connected with Tim and Vanessa Shively and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Tim and Vanessa, thanks for joining us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?
We have realized that your level of success is dependent on your mindset. You must be willing to take risks. It’s knowing that there will be challenges along the way and being mentally prepared to overcome them. We have also learned that success requires flexibility because customer and community needs are always changing. Find a need in your community that you can be passionate about. This helps with motivation while you invest your time and resources into growing your business. When you’re having fun while being successful, you know you’re doing it right!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
We are Tim and Vanessa Shively. We are a local Queen Creek family of 5 and are proud to own and operate The Slumber Shacks, LLC. We are excited to bring this unique party concept to the East Valley. We have 3 modified “Shacks” customers use to host the best sleepover party ever! In addition to elevating your slumber party, our services have also expanded to glamping trips, long-term rentals for out-of-town guests, bachelorette parties, and kids’ hangout spots for outdoor weddings. What our customers love most is having the party delivered and set-up while your home remains clean and quiet during the celebration. Our campers are enjoyed by both kids and adults. Each trailer has been fully remodeled to be a fun hangout with a flat screen TV, DVD player, Bluetooth stereo, karaoke system, and party lights. We are proud to offer mobile accommodations for whatever you are celebrating!
What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?
Before purchasing The Slumber Shack, I (Vanessa) was an elementary school teacher. As many teachers often do, I was looking for ways to supplement my income during the weekends when we noticed The Slumber Shack was for sale. We shadowed the previous owners for a few weeks and were drawn to the business model. After all, how could you not look forward to parties and glamping? We quickly realized how much time and effort running a small business actually takes. Although most of our events are held throughout the weekends, the weekdays also require a lot of our attention. This made me realize I had a difficult decision to make with balancing my teaching and Slumber Shack responsibilities. I am happy to still be helping the school in a different capacity, but The Slumber Shack is now where I am focusing more of my efforts. Taking the time we needed to reflect on what was working and not working, allowing ourselves the time and grace to make adjustments, and setting goals was a big part of scaling up our small business.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
The first major pivot our family experienced was moving to Arizona in 2010. We are both originally from the East Coast and had settled our family in Ohio after getting married. We were wanting to relocate to a warmer climate, hoping for somewhere in the Carolinas. When our opportunity finally came, it wasn’t what we were expecting. It required us to move across the country to Arizona. We laughed about getting exactly what we wished for with a warmer climate! We had never been anywhere west of Ohio but decided to take a giant leap of faith. We started to research the beautiful state of Arizona as we packed everything we owned into boxes. The transition period was tough for all 5 of us, but so worth it. I can say that moving to Arizona was one of the best decisions we ever made for our family!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theslumbershack.com/
- Instagram: the_slumber_shack
- Facebook: theslumbershackaz