Meet Denise Patterson of CreatiVisuals and Events in Metro Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Denise Patterson.

Denise, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
CreatiVisuals and Events started as a Facebook Album I created called “Spare Time” back in 2015. In my spare time, I would create anything custom and party related and put it in this album to share my creativity with others. At my day job, I would work on client-based events that required themed decor and personalized touches, which allowed me to further exercise my talents. With many close friends who are parents, I was soon asked to decorate their children’s parties. Children’s parties led to baby showers. Baby showers led to birthdays. Birthday parties led to birthday dinners and brunches…these led to brand launches, anniversaries and more. Upon gaining so much experience, a close friend of mine, Allie Friday (@iam_alliefriday), asked me when I planned to take this hobby to this next level. I jokingly said to her, “What, like start a business?” She responds, “Denise, Yes! It’s time to monetize your passion!”

Since a young adult, starting at the age of 15, I have always worked two jobs and kept busy so that I can hustle as much money as possible. Money was literally the motive for me. Even through college, I worked two full-time jobs and became a full-time student. I never dreamed of opening a business, I was strictly focused on working as many hours as I can, sometimes 80 a week! to simply stay ahead and climb the corporate ladder. Never did I think I would learn to put my time, energy and those same 80+ hour resources into starting a company. With Allie as my mentor and having opened several businesses herself, she explained the importance of creating a brand, reaching your target market, building your website, creating your social media and so forth. From working in corporate America and service jobs for 15+ years, it has certainly helped me as a business owner and taught me the foundation on how to run a successful business. With both experience and knowledge hand in hand, I was able to launch my company in June of 2016.

I started small but wanted my brand to speak volumes. I created all of my brand marketing material, my website, my business cards, my packages, my policies, and my budget-friendly price list 🙂 Once I started to build my clientele and they fell in love with my services, I quickly decided that I needed to learn more and offer more. I taught myself how to make customized liquor bottles with personalized labels, which at the time, was not trending as much as it is today. This became one of my most popular products and reached clients all over the country. I was humbled to know that someone believed in my craft and would pay for something I created! It was mind-blowing to me that this hobby turned business, was taking off so quickly. Word of mouth became my best friend. Everyone passed my information to their families and friends and I began to become the “family event planner” for most of my clients.

It became very real to me when I was asked to travel out of town to do events. Without knowing how I would make this happen at the same level that I could in my hometown, I always leaped at the rare opportunity. I have now done events in New York, Connecticut, South Carolina, and Florida. I am still in a daze most days, thinking that I could actually make event planning my full-time career. Watching and following the other phenomenal event stylists all over the world motivates and inspires me daily. I am so thankful for everyone who supports me and roots for me, mostly people that have never even met me! There is nothing else I would rather do than create unforgettable moments for people and celebrate the milestones in their lives. I am grateful for the opportunity to live in my purpose and hope to help others reach their potential.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The biggest challenge in starting a business for me was not the logistics, but more so the business capital. I started off with absolutely no inventory! I was not charging astronomical prices so I could not afford to rent party supplies, so I made most of mine from scratch. As I saved money along the way, I started to invest back into my business. I realized how important this was after I actually started making profit! Lol, can you believe I was so consumed with just allowing people to see my creativity that I did not make any money my first year and a half of business? For example, I would set a budget for a client and use the entire payment to execute the event!! I was more concerned with the finished product than the actual income. Sometime’s this is still a struggle for me, I’ll admit, but in the beginning, this was definitely my growing pain! Also, time management, It’s a personal and professional struggle I have battled since the beginning, but with a laser focus on change, I have managed to turn this around completely in my business. The personal still needs a bit of work 🙂

We’d love to hear more about your business.
CreatiVisuals and Events LLC, is a boutique event planning company based in Atlanta, GA but will travel upon request. I use the term boutique when describing my company because it is just me! Literally a one-woman team 🙂 I also like the term boutique because it allows me to focus on the small details, that is what my clients rave most about. I create custom partyware and style event spaces tailored to your theme or vision. I specialize in “all things party + design” including balloon styling (balloon garlands are my current obsession), sweets table displays, custom liquor labels, backdrops, snapchat filters, invitation & flyer design, custom centerpieces, theme curation and much more. I am most proud of how much CreatiVisuals and Events has grown and how many people have believed in the company since it first launched. What sets CreatiVisuals and Events apart from others is the level of creativity and detail in execution. Every idea is welcomed at CreatiVisuals and Events. I styled an IHOP inspired brunch for a client last year that by far was one of the cutest themes to date! #LetsPartyTogether

What were you like growing up?
I was born in Mount Vernon, New York and moved to Atlanta, Georgia at the age of three. I visited New York in the summers for years onward, but Atlanta quickly became “home”, but rooted with a Caribbean upbringing. Growing up I was always the rambunctious, tom-boy, creative-artsy, talkative, but extremely smart student. A mouthful, I know lol. In my younger years, I thought my passion was to be a Physician’s Assistant until I realized I could not stand the sight of blood! In high school, I was popular, but for being the smart, cool, nerdy girl who liked drafting houses in a CAD program and creating the yearbook content. I took these interests to college and majored in Art to become an Interior Designer. This quickly changed to something more practical like Business Administration with a focus in Hospitality Management. This was where the money was for me at the time, so I followed. Money always drove me, until I found something I was more passionate about than money at the age of 27, events! Three years later, I am thankful for all the experiences from grade school to now, it has shaped who I am and what I am capable of. I still have plans of exploring my interior design career, one day.

Pricing:

• Package Pricing: This is the perfect option if you know your guest count and want to have a full service event that includes all the bells and whistles, leaving you only 1-2 things to manage for the event. Package pricing ranges on average from $475-1500+ dependent upon numerous factors. Each package is customized towards your needs.
• A La Carte Pricing: This option works well for single services or custom created party items to enhance your event without booking a full service package. These a la carte items can be delivered and installed on or before the event and is also available for pick up in the local Atlanta area. Alternatively, most a la carte items can be shipped domestically for out of state customers.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.creativisuals.co
• Email: creativisualsandevents@gmail.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/_creativisuals
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/CreatiVisuals

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.