Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Cavallo & Danielle Chao
Kate Cavallo & Danielle Chao, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
We met several years ago while dropping our sons off at school. We quickly connected after discovering we had both recently moved to Austin from New York City. We love hosting events, celebrating special moments, and creating memories with our friends and families, so we soon became the default party planners of our mom group; we organized and decorated numerous kids and adult events. After much encouragement from our community, and many discussions between the two of us, we decided to turn our hobby into a business.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Neither of us had ever started a business prior to Whim & Proper, so there were many administrative processes that we needed to research and understand, such as how to form an LLC, submit business taxes, and set up an accounting system. Understanding social media best practices is an ongoing learning opportunity. When we had questions or needed advice, we met with other small business owners, attended networking events, and sat in on panel discussions. We adjust our business practices often and implement our learnings in every new event we book.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Whim & Proper?
We are a boutique event styling and planning business. We offer full-service planning and design services for a range of events, including milestone celebrations, dinner parties, children’s birthdays, styled shoots, and brand launches. We love the big picture and we obsess over the finer details; we thrive on creating meaningful, and sometimes unexpected, moments. We really dedicate a lot of thought into what we do, so that each design or event is a true reflection of our brand, blended with our client’s vision. We are listeners, brainstormers, designers, over-thinkers, problem solvers, and sometimes therapists; how can we not be when we get the privilege of becoming such intimate parts of our clients’ lives, if not only for one brief moment?
Danielle’s background is in Architecture and mine is in Fashion Merchandising, so we share a passion for thoughtful design and creative problem solving. With Danielle’s rendering and artistic skills, we are proud of our ability to customize even the tiniest details to each client’s wishes. While we throw ourselves fully into every event, we also know our own limitations, so we do collaborate with excellent vendors; we care deeply about fostering a trusting and transparent partnership with our clients.
When we first started this business, we thought it would be fun to throw a good party, but it has become so much more than that. Clients often turn to us during busy, important, or stressful times in their lives – they want to be present and create something special for their family and friends but do not have the bandwidth to put together an event. We help take away the logistical stress for our clients while still involving them, as much as they would like, in the fun parts of the planning process.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Our close friend Caitlin Rourk has been instrumental in helping us get Whim & Proper off the ground. With a graduate school business degree from UT Austin, she has been a knowledgeable resource for helping us navigate small business formation. She has connected us to people in her network and consistently offers sage advice whenever we need it. She has also hired us several times to style and organize parties for her so that we could gain experience, grow our customer base, and create content for social media.
Starting a business while raising young children is not an easy task! And because it’s just the two of us, this business touches every other part of our lives too. We are grateful to our immediate and extended families for being so supportive and understanding, even as our homes have become storage units and party planning workshops. Our husbands often get recruited involuntarily and get tasked with thankless jobs like lifting heavy things, building props, breaking down events, running errands, and holding down the fort at home. It takes a village!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @whimandproper_
- Other: whimandproperco@gmail.com
