Today we’d like to introduce you to Isabella Lehmann.
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 am originally from a small town in Oregon called Molalla. (population 7,000 people) I grew up on a 50-acre farm, attended a high school with a graduating class of 120 people, and like most of my classmates, I dreamed of getting out of our tiny town and setting the world on fire in one way or another. While in high school I was an event coordinator in ASB. There I planned Homecoming, Prom, 5k runs, fundraisers, you name it. I had no idea those skills I learned were actually creating a foundation for a future career. After HS graduation I attended Oregon State University and like many students, I struggled not only academically, but parents and I really struggled paying for college. After two years, and exhausting every resource we had, any resources from FASFA, I knew I couldn’t afford to return for my Junior year of college. That really turned my world upside down and I had to rethink my life and what it would look like if no longer was going to get a Bachelor’s Degree. The devastation of not going to college was horrible, but it forced me to be creative and tap into an entrepreneurial mindset I never knew I had.
9 months later I visited San Diego for the first time. I fell in love with the people in this city, a local church called Awaken, the active lifestyle, and it was the first time I really experienced a faster-paced society than what we see in Oregon. I ended up packing up my entire life in a blue Mazda, drove away from my apartment and family in Oregon, and hoped for the best.
Once I moved to San Diego, I quickly started planning young adult events as a volunteer at our church. These events turned into 200 – 300 person events all throughout the year, and I had really stepped back into a similar role like ASB in High School without ever realizing it was a skill set of mine. Soon later I met my husband who is a successful entrepreneur through and through. He really taught me how to feed my mind with books and knowledge, and the power of who you allow to influence your world while determining the trajectory of your life. He started showing me resources like Daren Hardy, Jim Rohn, and other authors to read, and he was my number one encourager and supporter through launching a business. He allowed me to leave my 8-5 job and pursue what really made me happy and that’s not an opportunity a lot of 23-year-olds can say they have had.
In November of last year, the world was still shut down at the moment from Covid and weddings were being canceled and rescheduled, and beaches were packed but weren’t supposed to be, and most people didn’t have places to go for date nights, but an idea I kept hearing about was Pop up weddings. It was the idea that you could have a small 3-hour wedding outside with 20 people, and still have the most memorable wedding. I remember when I saw some pictures of one, I immediately thought, I want to create that for everyone. I was a little nervous to present the idea to my husband, even though he’s always encouraging, I think I was more afraid that he would tell me it was a good idea and I should do it. And that’s exactly what he said to me, he loved it and wanted me to go for it.
I’m very much an activator, so by the end of that day I had my business plan written up, expense sheet made, and contacted a lawyer to get all my licensing in order. My goal was to launch on Jan 1, 2021. (6 weeks from that day) and that’s exactly what we did. (“We” being my husband and I) We really had favor when it came to the launch of Ivory. I was lucky enough to have two good friends also launching business, Balloon Babes, and Made&Cherished Florals, that I ended up being able to offer as vendors while clients are booking so they really have an over the top experience with Ivory Picnic Co. We then did our company shoot which doubled as trail for our first picnic in early December. Then it really came down to the last wire, the final 48 hours of 2020 I spent on YouTube University learning how to create a website from scratch and managed building something I really loved and didn’t know I could ever do! January 1st, 2021 came around, we did a social media blitz with my website and in the first week, we were overflowing with bookings already!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Any company has moments when things go completely right and moments when things go completely not as expected. I think the biggest challenge if I got really authentic for a moment is that I was really stuck on what I thought Ivory Picnic Co was going to be, and who it was going to serve. When we launched, the market took us in a direction I was not intending, I wasn’t thrilled at first, and I can even label myself as a little ungrateful.
When we launched the intention was to primarily host larger group picnics, and I quickly noticed that we were primarily being booked for 2 person – Date Night Picnics. I expected to have occasional 2 person date night, anniversary, engagement picnics but from the moment we launched, I was FLOODED with men booking date nights. 91% of picnics booked in our first 3 months were date nights… But what really shook me, is that I had a friend say “Oh I didn’t know you did larger picnics.” and that’s when I spiraled in my mind, and pulled up the Instagram and showed lots of pictures and pricing, and immediately felt like the vision was completely missed.
To be completely transparent, I then questioned everything I did with Ivory leading up to that moment. “Why did the world see us as a date night picnic?” “Where did we go wrong?” ‘Are we too expensive?” “Are we too cheap?” “Are we too accessible for date nights?” “Is this the demographic I want for Ivory?” “How did they not know we did larger picnics, isn’t it shown on our Instagram enough?”
I didn’t see it at the time because the spiral in our minds can be real, but I had totally missed it! I had completely missed and forgotten that any business started is to improve the industry they are joining, and to fix a broken system. I completely missed how lucky we were that the Date Night Market quickly noticed us, took to us, and really labelled Ivory Picnic Co. as the best date night option! I was trying to fight what the industry was telling me they needed.
The “ah-ha moment” for me that I was in fact doing something special, was in the middle of a busy week, this particular day I had 3 date night picnics. I was setting up the second picnic at Hotel Del Coronado and there was another picnic company already there setting up a date night picnic as well. This company had 3 employees setting up this one small date night picnic, while I was by myself. I quickly got set up, my clients came, and I left to start my third picnic for that night. While I was leaving I said hi to the other company and they were all waiting in their truck while their picnic was happening.
After quickly chatting, I left to start my third picnic, then head back to clean up the first picnic, and finally came back to clean up the second picnic. When I drove back up to Hotel Del Coronado I quickly noticed the three employees were still sitting there, in the same spot, waiting on this one picnic. (by now it was dark and all picnics anywhere were ending) That’s when it hit me that I had done 3 picnics in the same night by myself with Ivory while this company had 1 picnic that three employees were splitting, and I remember feeling so grateful and realizing “Wow I’m so thankful that so many people are booking their date nights with me!! How lucky am I that I got to host 3 romantic dates tonight!!”
Ever since that evening, my mindset change to listening to what the current market of our industry is telling us and being open and available to hear them!
We’ve been impressed with Ivory Picnic, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Ivory Picnic exists to provide the ultimate luxury picnic experience by arranging the finest service, event planning, beautiful design, and fun experience.
Who is Ivory? Joy always follows the desires of the heart, because more often than not, that joy is when people are gathered; doing life together. This passion has lead me to over nine years of event planning for countless celebrations and fun for the multitude. Living in San Diego for the past four years has only ignited the fire by utilizing the beautiful landscape this city has to offer, with its incredibly welcoming, life-giving people.
Ivory was founded to provide the ultimate luxury experience by providing the finest service, event planning, beautiful design, and fun experience. I discovered my passion for events, yes, but also for excellence! Having an eye for greatness and expectation of world-class, combined with the opportunity to allow San Diego residents to commune together and create life-long memories, birthed Ivory Picnic Co.
“If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together.” I believe that we are meant to do life together and laugh along the way, which is the heart of this company; our love for the community is what Ivory is built off of.
What makes you happy?
What makes me happy is being out in beautiful San Diego, either hosting a picnic for someone to enjoy the city in a new and beautiful way, or spending quality time with my husband or friends here under the sun!
Pricing:
- Date Night Package: $235 (includes charcuterie board, Champagne, 2 hour picnic, bouquet of flowers)
- Groups of 3/4: $90 per person (includes charcuterie board, Champagne, 2 hour picnic)
- Groups of 5 – 12: $80 per person (includes 1/2 charcuterie boards, Dessert Board, Wine/Mimosa Bar, 2/3 hour picnic)
- Groups of 13 – 20: $70 per person (includes 3/4 charcuterie boards, Dessert Board, Wine/Mimosa Bar, 2/3 hour picnic)
Contact Info:
- Email: info@ivorypicnic.co
- Website: http://ivorypicnic.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivorypicnicco
Image Credits
Bella Burns
Michael Finn
