We recently connected with Torri Parmley and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Torri, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
I came up with the idea of starting a balloon business, from decorating my entire wall with balloons for my daughter’s second baby shower. I took bags of white balloons and covered my entire living wall. This wall was 10 feet wide and 10 feet tall. All the guests that attended were amazed at the balloon wall because I embedded string lights for a special effect at night. They also were amazed at all the extra decor I did in my home. Everyone that attended encouraged me to do more with balloons for other events and see where it takes me. They were used to me extra at every event I planned but they had never seen me do balloons before. Whenever I planned an event, people would say I did too much and always do too much for others. Therefore, I took everything they said and named my business “SHE DU2 MUCH!”.
Torri, 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?
Hi, my name is Torri C Parmley owner and operator of “She Du2 Much” Event Decor and Wedding Coordination. I started my business in June 2021. The name of the business “She Du2 Much” came from family and friends that always said I did too much when I decorated parties for the job and for family gatherings. I would decorate any and every event with passion, therefore, I would get ridiculed and discouraged for going all out for people. In my mind and how I work is to bless anybody that had a little faith in the gift that God granted me. When I started my business, I was only creating balloon installs only for all events. In August 2022 I was asked to be a Day of Coordinator for an outside wedding that had to be transferred inside due to rain. I started getting clients asking about my services in weddings. In 2022 I was booked for over half of the year with events. I thank God for all the support. I’m learning every day about having a business. I am learning how to price my services better and new technology to advertise. I can truly say there are many ideas out here on how you can run your business better and get your information out there, but I believe in taking your time and only do what you can do, and when you can do it. I am 52 years old now and I enjoy creating something special for my clients. I just love their smiles when they see the final results. I am learning that I need help decorating events, therefore I’m employing my family and friends to help me.
I am most proud of myself in staying focused and willing to do more for my clients.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I built my audience by using Facebook and Instagram. I started by showing a picture of the unfinished product and building their excitement and anticipation of the installation. Some of my supporters would even drive by to take pictures with me before I post the balloon install. Word-of-mouth works well too.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
The lesson I had to unlearn is that I needed to get a deposit down first before buying the client’s preferred balloon colors. I had to learn that some people are not really serious about the idea, they’re just dreaming of what they want. I tell them once they are serious about throwing the event, please call me with what they want and deposit.
Contact Info:
- Website: shedu2much.com
- Instagram: @shedu2much
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Shedu2Much/
- Other: Tik Tok – She Du2 Much