Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Shanti Grossman, owner of A Brighter Year and Party At Your Door, located in Austin, TX, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
My story is a bit unique in that I own two very different small businesses!
In 2015 a friend and I created a handmade custom party decor business, Party At Your Door. Here we are nine years later, and the business is booming and continues to grow every year. We now have a studio space to create all the custom creations for everyone's party decor needs, and we have a full staff that works alongside us every day to get the decor out the door and to our customer's doorsteps so they have it on time for their celebrations! We have a wide range of clients with that business because everyone celebrates something at some point in their lives, but the bulk of our items are created for parents celebrating their children's birthdays, along with friends and family members who are hosting baby showers, bachelorette parties, bridal showers, and more!
The other business I launched in 2020 for a very selfish reason. I wanted a coloring book with simple illustrations that I could color in just a few moments. I loved coloring, but all the coloring books that I found targeting adults had such detailed pages I always felt overwhelmed not only choosing the page I wanted to color but then also finding the time to finish it. This is why I created A Brighter Year, to deliver coloring books with bite-size pieces of coloring to help the busy adult have just a few moments of creative mindfulness and relaxation in their busy day!
Tell us about yourself
I remember talking to many different mentors and career advisors in my junior and senior years of high school, and I just kept telling them, "I just don't want to work in an office!" To this day, that desire runs deep in my veins and honestly has only become more true since having kids. I love to work, and I work hard, but I want to also be flexible around my schedule instead of my life being run around my job. That flexibility of being able to live my life on my terms was definitely the motivation to start the business, but as both businesses grew, I've seen how much we can provide our customers, and that brings me great joy.
At Party At Your Door, I love working with a tired and exhausted mother who hasn't slept through the night in a whole year and who is trying to make her vision for her child's first birthday party come to fruition. I loved seeing those photos on the party day with all the decor, just as she envisioned the smiles on everyone's faces. I love knowing that those memories and photos will be cherished for years and that I had a small part in making that day come to life for those parents!
At A Brighter Year, I have met so many exhausted and burnt-out people who have found great joy in the little bits of coloring they squeeze in between zoom calls and car lines!
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
For Party At Your Door, my biggest accomplishment as a business owner is being able to employ a group of women who are often overlooked in the workforce, mothers who are primary caregivers! I LOVE that we are provided a workplace with a flexible work schedule that allows moms to drop their kids off in the morning, pick them up after school, attend all the field trips, and school parties, run to all the doctor's appointments, and be home for all the sick days...all while giving them a place to come and craft away the days that aren't full of kid obligations!
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
One of the hardest things for me with being a business owner is trying to turn off my business brain. When you love what you do, it is hard not to do it 24/7, but I have also learned through the years that I need to take breaks to not burn out, so setting those boundaries is key!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
My top 3 tips I'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today are:
- Keep going, even when it is hard. I've been at this for nine years, and there are still days I want to throw in the towel because it is so dang hard, but the highs always outweigh the lows eventually!
- Find a support system of fellow small business owners to help prop you up when things are hard and, more importantly, help you celebrate the wins, no matter how small they are!
- Be patient. It just takes time, but if you keep working on your business, tweaking your processes, your marketing, your products, your SEO, etc., you will eventually gain traction, and amazing things will start to happen!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website(Decor): https://partyatyourdoor.com/
Website(Coloring Book): https://abrighteryear.com/
Instagram(Decor): https://www.instagram.com/party_at_your_door/
Instagram(Coloring Book): https://www.instagram.com/abrighteryear/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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