Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria Biffle.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Maria. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Before Soirée came to, I worked for a large retail chain for 15 years. I call it the accidental career because I started as a part-time seasonal associate, working through college. Eventually, I moved up to working in our corporate marketing department, which was the last position I held. When I graduated from college with my English/Spanish degrees, I did not anticipate that retail business would be the direction I would go for a job. However it just kind of naturally came together that way. Working for this company taught me a lot about people, service, business, marketing and more importantly building relationships. All the things that I felt that I became good at.
While still working, I wanted to further sharpen my business skills, so I attended graduate school. I received my Masters in Business Administration with a specialization in International Business from the University of Phoenix. Our capstone final project was to create an entire plan for a business that we would like to have one day, thus Soirée was born. A couple of years ago, I decided to move on from working at the retail chain and pursue building that business that I one day dreamt of having.
Soirée was created from the love of celebrating life and creating moments. Ever since I was a little girl, I loved helping put together parties with my family. From setting up decorations to helping put the last details on the desserts, I knew I wanted to be a party boss one day. Soirée started as an online party shop. It has now grown into a full party planning + design company, with an online party shop!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Building a business is a tough job in itself. I spent a lot of time in the past few years educating myself on how to start, build and maintain a business. Each year I have found that these efforts have forced me to decide what I want Soirée to stand for as well as further growing as an entrepreneur. This year, for example, my goal was to network and build relationships with like vendors in my industry. After working for a large company, it would seem that this would be easy for me to do, right? Not so much. I found myself being quite the introvert entering a new world where there were so many unfamiliarities. To get over this, I challenged myself to attend events and introduce myself to people. I also wanted to collaborate with other businesses to further my networking and skillset. Now, as the year is coming to a close, I can confidently say that I have exceeded my personal goal of meeting other entrepreneurs and local business owners. To add, I have also orchestrated and participated in several collaborations, hence meeting some of the best in the business. Most importantly, I have grown.
Please tell us about your business.
Soirée is a party planning company + online party shop. We style and design all types of events from birthday parties to conferences and even wedding proposals! With our expanding growth, we are now building a team that includes stylists, graphic designers and party associates. Soirée is known for creating custom designs for any type of celebration, providing decor + tableware in our online shop and building balloon installations. We offer event styling and delivery to San Diego, Palm Springs and Las Vegas. Soirée also ships custom party kits all over the world. Going into 2020, our prospective clients will see some upgraded changes to our website, party shop and services. I aiming for Soirée to be more streamlined and, of course, include new products and services.
It has been such a rewarding year in 2019, and I can’t wait to show you what’s next! Above all, we have the clients interest at heart and hope to make hosting a celebration, no matter the size, fun and simple experience no matter where you live. If you have an event coming up that you’d like us to help with, start with completing the party form found on the contact page on our website.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I would define success as the result that comes when you provide consistent attention to all aspects of your business. Much easier said than done, but it absolutely can be done. If it is your goal to grow your business, then it comes with the idea that you have to have input in every detail, whether you like it or not. I find this to be most important because your business will always be a representation of YOU. Control what you can control, educate yourself, delegate where appropriate and surrounded yourself with a team of support that you can trust. Sometimes you will have to let things go. Sometimes you will have to sacrifice more than you want. Sometimes things will not go your way and for sure you will make mistakes. It’s how you grow and get better, so do it!
Pricing:
- Holiday Party Styling – $100+
- Balloon Installations – $75+
- Custom Party Kits – $30+
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.soireebyria.com
- Phone: 858-598-3220
- Email: soireebyria@gmail.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/soireebyria
- Facebook: Facebook.com/soireebyria
- Other: Pinterest.com/soireebyria
Image Credit:
Alex Clark Photography
Soirée by Ria
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