Today we’d like to introduce you to Charity Atkins.
Charity, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started working at the age of 10 years old as a babysitter. I moved into the door to door sales at 12 years old with an after school program. I went back to babysitting and then into fast food. In high school, I learned to braid hair and started doing hair every weekend while working my fast-food jobs and maintaining Honors status. At 17 years old, I got pregnant with my daughter and chose to graduate high school early, move out on my own and work up until I delivered. I always wanted to make sure I provided for my daughter and a fear of being broke is what drove my ambitions to be successful. I unofficially became an event planner when I put together my 21st birthday party and it went from 30 people to 300. It also helped that I’m a little OCD and love staying busy, creating new things and the result of being happy clients that their event went well is the bonus. Event planning was something that I did on the side and didn’t charge for it, while I chased my seven streams:
Corporate
Real Estate
Bartending
Accounting/Taxes
Hair
Photography
I started my own business officially in 2010. The main focus was on Bartending and Photography. When I was doing more and booking more, I had to enlist staff. In 2014, I hired independent contractors and I trained them to be a replica of me when they are at events. In 2017 we branched out into the DMV (DC, MD, VA). We keep a small staff in the area for bartending and waitstaff. September 2019, we opened up our Savannah location currently providing Event Planning, Bartending and Photobooth services. Since 2014 we have staffed over 1300 events in Metro Atlanta and beyond. We’ve set a new standard for event staffing and planning. From the first phone call or email until after the end of your event, we take personal care and provide those little details you never thought about. In a world of competitors, it is our goal to stand out from the rest and we don’t mind taking our time to perfect it and turning each client into a forever client.
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?
It’s never easy to venture into the unknown so we are always concerned about the these things:
How do we get new clients?
How do we compete with individuals that are charging less for our services?
How do we keep afloat during the slow season?
How do we keep staff?
But the answer is simple to all of those, Provide quality service and work with integrity and those become a non issue.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
INDNGRL Entertainment is a powerhouse!
We are a one-stop-shop for all event needs:
Event Planning
Event Decor
Bartending
Waitstaff
Catering
Photobooth Rental
Photography
DJ’s
Makeup Artist
Event Rentals
Promotional Models and Talent
Venue Rental
Event Promotion
I’m proud of my clients and how they trust me and what I do and continue to come back for all of their event needs. We are different because we are hands-on with our clients and we care about building forever relationships, not just a one time event.
What were you like growing up?
I am the middle child but took the role as the oldest. I am the caregiver, I go to and the big empath. My parents divorced when I was ten and my brother and I stayed with my dad for a while, while my sister went with my mom. So in a house with two guys, I became more of a big brother than a big sister and looked out for my brother. When we were all back with my mom, I worked, saved money and helped my mom with bills. When things wouldn’t go well, I would learn how to do it with myself and help others. So hair braiding was the first fiasco I encountered and I told my sister before she pays money for someone to mess up, let me try to do it! I was told I had too much energy. I know it all and very talkative!! I had an eagerness to know everything about everything—a need to save the world at any cost.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.itsyourdreamevent.com
- Phone: 678.680.8481
- Email: plan@itsyourdreamevent.com
- Instagram: @indngrlentertainment
- Facebook: facebook.com/indngrlentertainment
- Twitter: @indngrl_ent
Image Credit:
INDNGRL Photography (part of the empire )
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