Today we’d like to introduce you to Anetta Paver.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in an immigrant household. In fact, I myself was born in Poland in 1983, but the credit of leaving the (at the time) communist country goes to my dad, who spent a year concocting a plan to permanently escape.
I mention this because I realize now just how much it is part of my story. I grew up in a family that was highly disciplined in work and education but also rigid. There was not much room or opportunity for creativity – my parents, as most immigrants, played by the rules.
A major moment occurred in my life when I was working on my MBA at Thunderbird (known for its International Business and Entrepreneurship program). In my entrepreneurship class, our professor had us “draw a picture of a house”. I did as I was told: I drew a picture of a house.
“Who do you know has a house that looks even slightly like the house you drew?” he finally asked. I looked around – not my drawing or anyone’s around me looked like a picture of a house that anyone actually lived in.
He continued on to say, “You learned how to draw a picture of a house when you were five years old, and how you draw that photo has not changed, because the school system, in order to get as many students through the system as it needs to, prohibits creativity. You may be creative… but thanks to the way the world functions, you may not know it.”
I have this picture framed because it was a life-altering moment. I knew I was determined, crafty and hard-working, but I never thought of myself as “creative”. At that moment, I understood that, perhaps, I didn’t know what I was capable of.
Life took turns here and there – I explored entrepreneurship by becoming a Research Assistant, I started a website – Cultural Confusions, I invented a product for babies – the Drop Stop… I spent a decade in Corporate America… But what I am most proud of is Enchantment Events.
One day, I realized I was spending (literally) thousands of dollars on my little kid’s birthday parties. It was crazy, but it was important to me: I wanted my children to feel like they were PART of Sesame Street (or whatever theme I was working on). It occurred to me that everyone wants the same thing for their children… but the reality was that most people couldn’t spend countless hours and money creating a temporary setup for a party. “What if I build this decor set once, make it high-quality so it can be used again and again, and rent it out?”
And so, Enchantment Events was born.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No way.
First – though I am now (fairly) newly divorced, and though my ex-husband was supportive, I worked full-time at a corporate job while bearing and raising three children. I was exhausted, but this was my fourth baby, and I couldn’t stop working on it.
I also didn’t have the confidence I have now. I took jobs I lost thousands of dollars on, I wanted it so bad, I didn’t see my value and didn’t ask difficult questions up-front (ex. “What is your budget?”)
I was trying to manage it all and dropped balls. I remember the day Yelp unexpectedly charged me $300 because I misunderstood their guidelines.
Legal, website, marketing… where do I advertise, how do I start… wait, I needed storage space, insurance and a lawyer to draw up a contract??
I felt like every problem I was able to solve created three new problems. For instance – I had a bounce-house I included in my rentals, but I needed a way to transport it. I finally secured an old van… I thought I had solved my transportation problem until I realized now I needed a large dolly AND a ramp to get the bounce house into the van. Everything was difficult, especially at the beginning.
The problems felt never-ending at the beginning.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in event decor and design.
I feel that what separates me is my dedication to EVERY event. I’m known to solve problems – where other event rental companies can’t help, I have been able to come up with a solution.
I’m proud of the fact that I’ve been able to establish a credible company – find good people to help, set up the administrative aspect, add in the business necessities while using my creativity and skills to fill a gap of making important events unforgettable.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Someone once told me: “Successful people believe they are lucky”. I couldn’t agree more.
Not because they necessarily are, but because they create their own luck.
I think it’s more about identifying opportunities… I’ve found myself lucky to have an opportunity around me, and I believe it was skill, hard work and dedication that helped me identify the opportunity, pursue it, put my butt on the line, and work hard.
I believe it’s your attitude – the law of attraction. If you believe you are lucky, you will find yourself in many lucky situations.
Contact Info:
- Email: anetta@enchantmenteventdecor.com
- Website: enchantmenteventdecor.com
- Instagram: enchantmenteventdecor
- Facebook: enchantmenteventdecor
Image Credits
The one of myself in front of the champagne cart – Angel Conesa All the others – Krista Miller
