How did you get the idea for your business?
For my 40th birthday, my husband told me not to make any plans. He said that we were going to do something with our mutual couple friends. We were right under the library, and all of our couple friends showed up. We were doing a guys vs girls scavenger hunt with a list of things all about Missy made by the ladies I work with. We had 2 hours to get the things on the list, and there wasn’t a winner, but we knew better.
Once we were done, my husband asked me if I enjoyed it. I loved it. I asked him if he enjoyed planning this. “Absolutely not,“ is what he said. I would have loved to plan something like this. My husband told me I should because a company in Nashville was going to charge him $500 for it.
So, the wheels got spinning, and I did my research. Most companies like this are national, with branches in all the major cities. I took my idea to the TSBDC, and they were all for it. They told me what I needed to do to get started.
My friend Kenzie was having a birthday soon, so I asked if I could plan a scavenger hunt for her, just to get one under my belt. I learned the many ways people cheat and how to make my adjustments. The police even gave me some guidelines to follow like not to time anyone because people will race.
Personalizing the scavenger hunt was really tricky, so the objective became finding a way to streamline it.
How did you get your first sale?
It was through Rutherford Cable and it was for a family reunion at Barfield Park. So, I walked around Barfield Park for a day trying to build a scavenger hunt, get a photo of a wildflower, find the name, etc. That was $100 for what became 6 hours of work. It started as a list of things to find and it moved to actual clue-solving.
I knew this woman would give me good feedback, both positive and negative, so I only charged her $100.
What is unique about running a business in Murfreesboro?
When I started, I dedicated myself to using my marketing degree to help others. I like driving people into small businesses like Oakland’s Mansion and Cannonsburg. I feel like the underlying benefit of my business is my ability to help people, which, I believe, is my purpose for being on this planet.
I like to say that I can ‘Mom’ anything. Rutherford Cable, the Art Crawl, a class of 3rd graders, I can ‘Mom’ them, and they will all feel so loved and appreciated.
I ‘Mom’ literally everything.
What’s one way you’ve had to pivot your business?
Virtual events. I took a deep dive into virtual and video events, Zoom, OBS, etc.
I figured how to manipulate Zoom for countless virtual events. I would let whoever I was working with do their thing while I kept the Zoom feed live.
If you could wave a magic wand and make one problem go away in your business, what would it be?
I guess it would be to get out of my own way. I tend to overthink a lot of things.
As an event planner, I plan for the worst-case scenario. This leads to me being a little pessimistic for my own necessity.
If you could travel back in time, what business advice would you give yourself?
Know your worth, know what your time is worth. Time is money.
Just because you love what you do, doesn’t mean you can’t be paid for it.
It’s not about whether people like you or not.
From a digital marketing perspective, what is something you’re doing to get more customers?
As much as I hate to say it, Facebook. I’m posting all the time. I don’t use Instagram as much as I should, and I’m not jumping onto Tik Tok just yet.
What’s one business lesson you’ve learned that you’d be willing to share?
Build your community. BUild the people you trust. Create your circle and stick to it.
What books or podcasts would you recommend to inspire people?
It’s not a business book, but I recommend a book called I’m that Girl, by Alexis Jones.
It’s all about breaking down the idea that, as women, we shouldn’t fight for ourselves, which we absolutely should.
What do you use for your to-do list?
I’m a list-maker, I love the feeling of crossing something off of my list. If I remember that I have something to do, I write it down and then cross it out immediately.
I make a list in my journal. If I don’t have my journal, I’ll use Samsung Notes.
Do you use any apps for posting or social media?
I use Canva and I do my own stuff with Photoshop.
