R2RB Podcast - Women Entrepreneurs and Indie Artists Series

Kathy Nicholson: Juggling Life, Music, and the Party Kween Business

• Debra LaMotta

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Ever wondered how the Party Kween herself, Kathy Nicholson, turned her passion for event styling into a thriving business in Delaware? Join us as Kathy gets candid about her entrepreneurial journey, the challenges she faced, and how she overcame them by validating herself and focusing on her successes.

Throughout the episode, Kathy takes us behind the scenes of her event planning process, sharing everything from managing client requests to handling unexpected issues on the day. We also hear about how mentors have played a crucial role in her growth, as well as the support she receives from the business owners in Milford. Kathy's favorite event designs and parties are sure to spark your creativity and make you want to plan your own!

But how does Kathy find the perfect balance between work, home life, and chasing her dreams? She opens up about juggling her day job, Party Kween, and being married to a musician. We even explore her aspirations for taking her business full-time and the invaluable lessons she's learned along the way. Tune in for this insightful and motivating conversation with Kathy Nicholson, and get inspired to unleash your own inner Party Kween!

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to Women Entrepreneur Spotlight Podcast Series, where we interview women entrepreneurs and share their story or their journey. Why did they choose to become an entrepreneur, What obstacles were there to work through, What kept them from giving up, and so much more. I'm Deb Lamotta. I'm your host for Women Entrepreneur Spotlight. We'll talk about what the future looks like for these women and what advice they would give the next woman entrepreneur. So sit back, relax and enjoy Women Entrepreneur Spotlight Podcast Series. Hi and welcome to Women Entrepreneur Spotlight. I am so excited to have today with me to party queen herself, Kathy Nicholson. Kathy is an event stylist designer here in Delaware. Kathy, make sure that she takes all your thoughts and ideas and spins them all together to create the best experience for you. Kathy, how are you doing?

Speaker 2:

I'm doing well. How are you?

Speaker 1:

I'm good, thanks. I'm enjoying this nice weather. That's what I'm doing.

Speaker 2:

Oh, yes, absolutely.

Speaker 1:

So two questions that I like to ask to get warmed up. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Speaker 2:

You know I like where I'm at. We live right outside of Felton in the country and we have a little Cape Cod and we have beautiful property that we inherited from my mother-in-law who basically dedicated her life to making this cozy space. So I'm really happy where we're at, so I'm fine here.

Speaker 1:

That's awesome. I love Delaware as well. My parents retired here and I've been coming here for years and now I call it home. All right, all right. So what's your favorite app on your?

Speaker 2:

phone, and why? Probably Facebook, without a doubt, facebook. I'm just a very social person and I just like seeing what people are doing and what they're feeling and what they're thinking, and I have friends and family all over the world, so I just like to keep up with them and show them what we're doing. Also Awesome That's great, all right.

Speaker 1:

So tell us what an event stylist and designer is and or does.

Speaker 2:

So an event stylist is essentially a creative director of your event. So I'm responsible for designing this aesthetic that you're hoping to achieve using decor design especially rental items, colors and just setting this tone and ambience that you're wanting for your vision.

Speaker 1:

And what made you decide that you wanted to be an event stylist designer.

Speaker 2:

So I've always liked hosting parties. I get that from my mother and I just like different social gatherings and experiencing just cool things, just doing cool things. I've always just enjoyed just being around people in cool settings. And then my son was born and I think Pinterest was starting to come out And I was seeing all these ideas for birthday parties and just different parties And I've always been a crafty person So I just wanted to make his birthdays special because he was special to me.

Speaker 1:

Oh, I like that. And how old is he now 13.

Speaker 2:

And I'm still throwing him extra parties 13.

Speaker 1:

Oh, my goodness, gracious. Okay, at what point did you decide that you wanted to transition your passion, hobby, into a business?

Speaker 2:

And I couldn't stop thinking about it. Somebody told me, somebody very close to me said if you wake up every day and you are thinking about it, you need to pursue your passion. Oh my gosh, i just never thought it was a thing. you know, i just I have an affinity for making people happy. probably to a fault, but doing these parties and creating these special events that bring joy to people bring me joy, and so, you know, i just decided to go ahead and pursue it.

Speaker 1:

And we've chatted a little bit before tonight, and so you not only were doing the extra parties for your son, you were also doing them for family and friends.

Speaker 2:

Yes, Yup, I was doing like retirement parties for my mother-in-law. I did my brother's wedding. Yeah, I was just doing all the events.

Speaker 1:

So you were preparing yourself. Little did you know.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and you know everybody would just say you need to do this, you need to do this. And I really didn't think that it. You know it was a thing. I wasn't sure if it was just, if it was just a hobby, that kind of thing.

Speaker 1:

So Yeah, absolutely. But, like you had said, when you're thinking about it, 24, seven, dreaming and waking up, and yeah, it was time to take that over the line, that's oh, that's great, i love it. All right. So, before we go any further, where can everybody get in touch with you?

Speaker 2:

So my website is partyqueencom and it's KWENcom. I'm on Facebook and I'm on Instagram at the party queen And I also have a TikTok which is the party queen DE Oh okay, All right.

Speaker 1:

So was it hard? was it a hard thing to come up with the name? and you put the twist on it with the KW.

Speaker 2:

I have a close knit group of friends and we call each other queens. I don't know, it just fit the party queen, it was just perfect.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely, I agree, And it's easy to remember and it's easy to find out. When you go to Google it it comes up very quickly at the top. So I like that absolutely. Did you have a lot of doubts, Any doubts about starting your business?

Speaker 2:

Oh for sure, I still do, I still do. And so how do you get through the doubts? You know, I just have to remind myself there's a reason why people want me to do their events, There's a reason why I keep getting inquiries, There's a reason why I'm getting booked and just kind of have to validate that for myself, Because that's the main thing. I'm just you know what. Is it? Imposter syndrome, I think. A lot of us suffer from that, so me for sure.

Speaker 1:

So is it something that you just have to work through? Is it always like right there on your shoulder talking to you?

Speaker 2:

Yes, And I think because I don't exactly. I don't have formal training, I don't have formal education, but that doesn't matter because I'm booking.

Speaker 1:

So Absolutely, And I happen to be the wedding officiant at one of your good friends, Sarah's wedding, And we had not met before, but I had known your name and when we got introduced it was like oh my God, you're party queen, But you did a phenomenal job. A phenomenal job in transforming, forming that barn, the barn, into this magical venue that I was driving down the road thinking where am I going? Thank you.

Speaker 2:

And when you recognized me, that just made all that validation like even better.

Speaker 1:

Yes, absolutely. Oh my gosh, that's a moment that I'm gonna remember All right. so how do you obtain all the items that you use for your events, your parties, do you have an inventory supply, and how do you keep track of it all?

Speaker 2:

I don't. So a lot of items are rentals that I have, especially vendors that I rent from, and then other things I just buy outright and then I rent them to my client. I am running out of space very quickly. I have a storage unit, i have a shop behind my house, i have an office that I'm currently in that's full of stuff And I'm taking over some of my husband's garage, which he's not very happy about Hoping. I try to keep track of everything in a spreadsheet And when I go to design I look at that to see what I already have to utilize. But I'm hoping to hire somebody actually to help me get organized because there's a lot of stuff.

Speaker 1:

And I just don't have time. I can't imagine two people so loved, so loved decor. She's in Connecticut and she does total rental And I know that it can get overwhelming at times with the spreadsheets and everything else And then posh vintage rentals in Pennsylvania. the same with her. she started out small and now has grown to the point where she needs the help also. So it just has to be just mind boggling trying to keep all that inventory straight.

Speaker 2:

Definitely.

Speaker 1:

Do your clients obtain some of the items themselves for you? No, so you procure everything.

Speaker 2:

Yes, I like to keep it that way, just so it stays within my vision and my direction.

Speaker 1:

So did you prepare a business plan for Party Queen?

Speaker 2:

No, how long have you been doing Party Queen now. So this is my second year. I kind of just hit the ground running and just thought I'd worry about the business stuff later, which, now that I'm established, i have started to go back and I am working on my business plan and I'm trying to do the admin things correctly and set up goals and things like that.

Speaker 1:

If you had that to change, would you have started it earlier in the game plan?

Speaker 2:

I don't know, because I think I kept waiting to be ready, and I kept waiting to be ready, and I kept waiting to be ready, and I think that would have just held me up even more. Yeah, so I just really just had to go for it.

Speaker 1:

I agree. What is the process? when somebody is ready to contact you for services, how do they go about it? and then, how do you run with it?

Speaker 2:

I do prefer that they reach out via my website. I have a submission form on there to get some initial details about who you are in your event and what it's for, and then I reply with my questionnaire and that gets more details like what you're looking for, what you're wanting, what your budget is, that kind of thing. So then I just kind of take, and then I also ask for any inspo pictures. If they have a Pinterest board that they can add me to, because a lot of times people already know what they're wanting. I don't think I've had an event that somebody's given me full creative control yet, although I'd be open to that. Yeah, so then I will just take their ideas and their budget and kind of my ideas of what I can do with what they have.

Speaker 1:

So do you sit down with them and then go over everything that they have submitted to you and then come up with a final design with them?

Speaker 2:

Yes, so I'll send them an initial proposal, my direction and my vision, and if they're good with it, then I'll create the formal proposal And we can have a phone call usually, or we'll do a meeting.

Speaker 1:

Have you had a design where you just weren't able to find the right pieces for it and that you've had to change it to the point where it might have changed the whole feeling of it?

Speaker 2:

No, No, that's good.

Speaker 1:

Did you encounter any obstacles when you're first putting your business together?

Speaker 2:

I think the main one was just and I still struggle with it is knowing my worth Again, just not thinking that, what am I doing Like I'm not good enough? What am I doing Like, how am I expecting people to pay me for this? You know, just that whole thing, the self confidence.

Speaker 1:

But you're doing it again and your clients are coming to you. Anybody needs to, you know, has any doubts, they can call me and they can go to your website and see, because you have your gallery right. You have a gallery on your website and find you on Facebook And every time I see one of your pictures like ah, ah.

Speaker 2:

Thank you, welcome, and knowing what to charge that was, that's a big struggle too.

Speaker 1:

Do you, do you reach out to anybody about that? And I know one of the questions I was going to ask you is about a mentor, so I know you did reach out to a mentor, correct?

Speaker 2:

Yes, desiree May, she owns. Leave It To May events. She does beautiful work, beautiful work. When I decided that I was going to pursue this, i thought a good stepping stone would be for me to find to mentor under somebody or shadow under them. I had just Googled event planners in Dover, delaware, and she came up and I reached out to her and I had like a little portfolio and I just showed her some of my past events And instantly she was like you have an eye for detail. I would love, i would love for you to help me and I can help you. And so I started working events with her. Then COVID hit, but people were still having events, so we were out there in mass setting up these events and she exposed me to this whole industry and these vendors like I never knew existed. Yes, she really, she really taught me a lot and she really helped steer me in the right direction.

Speaker 1:

That is really awesome, because not everybody is so forthcoming and wanting to share what they, their knowledge and what they've learned and building their own business up with somebody else to desert right. Absolutely, especially in this industry, especially in that industry Absolutely. And has she helped you with your price setting?

Speaker 2:

Yes And yes, And she's usually like that's not enough. You know, know your worth. Another event planner moments by Bella Monroe. She is killing it. She's up in Middletown, She does all the baking, all the styling. Like she I don't know she doesn't sleep, but she is amazing and she has been nothing but supportive to me this whole time. Like she is a big cheerleader. Anytime I have questions or anything, she really does not hesitate to ask or help, rather Yeah.

Speaker 1:

No, that is so great because again, not everybody wants to help. Somebody else is getting into the same ring as you did So yeah, absolutely. I mean that is only a testament to yourself. When you, when you help somebody else, they're comfortable with who they are and they're comfortable with what they've built up. So everybody has such a different style.

Speaker 2:

Definitely Right. Yeah, absolutely Me and Desiree. We have similar, but we're deaf. We have distinct styles, we have different styles, so, but we just we're still, we still just support each other. I do appreciate her very much, that's great, that is really great.

Speaker 1:

So can you share maybe one or two things that might have gone wrong with one or two events? no-transcript. If not, maybe you didn't Stuff goes wrong all the time.

Speaker 2:

All the time Vendors maybe forget Essential rentals are things that you need. People are not on time, guests arrive early, but main things that have gone wrong are, just like other vendors, probably not being on time or forgetting things. And then you just have to improvise. You have to be on the spot. I stress, i freak out for about two minutes And I pull myself together and say, ok, what is plan B, what can we do?

Speaker 1:

And sometimes, I'm sure nobody even knows that you have forgotten something. not that you have forgotten, but somebody hasn't shown up with something. An item isn't what you ordered, It just goes on and nobody you know.

Speaker 2:

Yes, oh, i've definitely forgotten things, but yes, And then, like I said, i just freak out and I stress for a couple of minutes and then I pull myself together and improvise, see what I can do with what I have. Do you have a team? Do you have a team that helps you out? So, my queens that I mentioned earlier, my very best friends, they are my go-tos And they usually help me with all my events, whether it's working them or if they're making things for me. They have been so supportive from day one, like I'm so grateful for them. They're so supportive. They hype me up Like they're the best girlfriends And I'm really thankful that they work for me. But I'm probably going to start paying them soon.

Speaker 1:

Well, that's a good thing, because that just means that you're growing and that Party Queen is just flying. So that is great. That is great. And there has to be so much that you have to bring to each event that I can't even imagine.

Speaker 2:

Yes, so much My goal. One of my goals is to eventually have a vehicle. I would love to have my own cargo van So I don't have to rent the U-Hauls anymore and just have my own vehicle instead of using mine, And I could fit everything in my van instead of having two, three vehicles sometimes.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely, absolutely. If there was one thing that you could change or would change from the start of your business when you first opened the door, what would it be?

Speaker 2:

I said no to weddings initially, did you? Yeah, i did not want to do them. They seemed like a lot, they seemed daunting And as much as I have an affinity for making people happy, i was scared to deal with bride zillas. I was like I don't know if I'm built for that.

Speaker 1:

But true, that's true. Definitely because it's just such a stressful time for the bride Yeah, though it should be always a happy time. They're always stressing Absolutely. So what changed your mind to go and start doing weddings?

Speaker 2:

I did a wedding last October at Causie Nantian. This bride had reached out to me, she's from the DC area And she literally had three months to plan this wedding And I said yes And I took it on And I just, i surprised myself. I just think it came out really beautiful. But Causie mansion is so beautiful Anyway, i don't know if you've ever been there. No, where is it In Milford? Oh, is it Right down to Milford? Yes, my car's the avenue. Oh my goodness. It's a bed and breakfast. I believe they do let people stay there. It's so beautiful. The decor inside, oh my goodness.

Speaker 1:

Oh, my goodness.

Speaker 2:

The grounds are gorgeous, so it was just a perfect setting.

Speaker 1:

Wow, yeah, i love Milford. I go down to Milford quite often to a lot of the little retail stores down there Stone and Sage and Not Too Shabby and Jewel.

Speaker 2:

Hook. I love Milford, The way the business owners support each other, Oh my gosh. And they even support me And I don't live in Milford but support me And they're always sharing my stuff And I'm so grateful to them. Not too shabby Stone and Sage Love them Easy speak.

Speaker 1:

Love them, oh my gosh. Yeah, and their new restaurant Fondue Fondue yes, i've not been there yet. Oh I have. Oh my God, you got to go. But it's true, it is so true because even with me they support me. They share West Side Restaurant and Stacey from Phoebe's Distillery.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, ok, yeah, yeah, so anyway, yes, my little second home, all right. So how do you balance your work life, home life, including being married to a musician? And, for those of you who don't know, kathy is married to Dave Nicholson, the vocalist guitarist of the Mad Dabbers, and with you being party queen. Do you see each other?

Speaker 2:

We do Barely, but we do. Yeah, it's. It's a lot, my day job. When I'm at my day job I really try to focus on those priorities and getting that stuff. That's my main focus. Of course things will overlap and I'll have to answer messages or e-mails with Party Queen, but luckily my day job is very supportive of my business venture. I'm very grateful for that. They're super supportive. Then, as far as my family time, i try to carve out an hour or two to work on Party Queen a day. It doesn't always happen. I do try to schedule myself to balance both. Now that my son is older, he's very athletic so he has all kinds of sports things going on and I've got to run him to ABC and D. Sometimes I'm in the parking lot of the baseball field doing work. Then I run my husband's band's social media and their booking calendar, which I've tried to get fired several times. Let me go If anybody has time to run their social media and maintain their calendar.

Speaker 2:

Please reach out to me. It's a lot to balance. Do you sleep? Yeah, barely. My good friend was like does your brain ever turn off? I was like no, it doesn't.

Speaker 1:

No, I know that feeling Absolutely. It's like buzz, buzz, buzz. Okay, just shut it off. Eventually it does So. thoughts on doing Party Queen full time.

Speaker 2:

I would love to. I would love to. I think what's holding me back is guaranteed income. Yeah, because if I don't book parties, I don't make money. Yeah, I hear you, I would love to definitely.

Speaker 1:

I believe in you Absolutely. I see it happening.

Speaker 2:

Oh, thank you. I would really love to have my own venue. I would really love to have my own venue, So somewhere I can house all my inventory in one space so I could still do on-site events. but I also have a space to offer for people to rent and design their events at my space.

Speaker 1:

I would love to do that. That would be awesome. Oh my gosh, let me know I'll be helping you. I would love that. Do you have a favorite event that you've done? Is there one that sticks out in your mind?

Speaker 2:

I have my worst critic, and I don't think there's ever been one that I was like. I slayed that, you know. Yeah, it's hard.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

You know, the first birthday I just did with the swimming pool and all the pinks, So cute, Oh my gosh. Yeah That one. I was like, oh yeah, that's really nice. But they had a beautiful property so I just enhanced it.

Speaker 1:

There you go. Oh my gosh, yeah, that helps. That definitely helps, and I did see the pictures. I loved that one too. How about you have a favorite event design that you like to do the most, or a party that you like over the others?

Speaker 2:

The Boho parties are more my style. That's how I am at home. I'm like what do I call it? Boho Eclectic, i guess. Okay, yeah, so the Boho parties, definitely like. They're where I'm more comfortable, most comfortable.

Speaker 1:

And have you ever had a client give you all their ideas and inspirations and you have thought, no way, this is not going to work. And yet somehow it did.

Speaker 2:

Yes, Yes. And there are times where I should probably say no and say I don't think I'm a good fit. But then there's that little person on my shoulder saying challenge accepted And she usually wins, So and then if it doesn't work out, then it wasn't meant to be. Okay, All right.

Speaker 1:

I like that Absolutely. What has been one of the most valuable lessons you have learned? running your own business?

Speaker 2:

That I can say no and still be a kind person, that I can be firm and still be a good person. That's probably one of the most valuable things.

Speaker 1:

Nice, i like that. And having your mentor, do you still reach out to your mentors? Oh yeah, all the time, all the time, good, good, good. What advice would you give to another woman entrepreneur just starting their?

Speaker 2:

own business.

Speaker 2:

Just like I said earlier, don't wait till you're ready. You're till you're quote unquote ready. So you have all your ducks in a road, You know, just go for it. Just go for it. And then, when you do the Delaware, the Delaware has a small business association that is full of free resources. It's super helpful. I was shocked to find out that all this was available And that nobody, like really told me about it. But you can get you can get me assigned a free business advisor who will find you grants, who will help you with your business plan, who will help you apply for these grants. And then there's also like free webinars and like courses. There's just so much free resources out there for you to start your business and help you maintain your business. So I definitely would recommend that to somebody starting out, And I'm currently in the program.

Speaker 1:

So that's great, and I have had others recommend the same thing, and I have to remember to also put that out there more often, because people don't know I can't tell you how many other entrepreneurs I've spoken with and, like you know, i don't quite know where to go. It's like the small business association here in Delaware has, you know, just a list of things that are available to you, and I try to tell all my, my vendors, my frienders, i like to call them, i like that.

Speaker 2:

All of them about it, you know, and just just to utilize it because it's so helpful.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so let everybody know one more time where they can reach out to you.

Speaker 2:

Party Queencom And that's KWENcom, and then Facebook the party queen, and Instagram is at the party queen And TikTok is the party queen DE.

Speaker 1:

And one of the things that I'm doing with my woman entrepreneur spotlight series is that I'm trying to build my network of women entrepreneurs to help each other, and I would love to add your name to that list.

Speaker 2:

Oh, okay, i would love that. Thank you.

Speaker 1:

Awesome, awesome. Is there anything else that you'd like to share? Just one quick question Do you have, like a minimum maximum of people that you set up for?

Speaker 2:

No, i don't have a minimum. The largest event I did was almost 200 people And that was for a baby shower, and that was one of my, one of my first events And I still am like, oh my God, i can't believe I did that. How many people, how many people? Almost 200. At the baby shower. Yeah, wow, yeah.

Speaker 1:

They're very popular couple, my goodness gracious, that is awesome, wow, so are you busy?

Speaker 2:

all summer. I have a couple of things. So the summer is a busy time for my day job, So I learned last year not to overwhelm myself, Yeah. So and then my son has stuff going on, but I do. I have a couple of events coming up that I'm super excited about. I don't know if I can talk about. You can talk about it. Stone and sage Go right ahead. Okay Yes, Having her her anniversary party, her first year celebrating her first year in business, and she's asked me to do that event. So I'm actually meeting with her on Thursday So we can go over logistics and everything and design ideas. So I'm really excited about that because I love Kat Absolutely.

Speaker 1:

And that is Kat, prophetic of stone and sage in Milford. So is the mad dabbers making an X? Are they going to be at the anniversary? Yes, they are.

Speaker 2:

They will be playing cat loves them. So yeah, oh my gosh, so a quick story. I think I told you.

Speaker 1:

I'm only here about a year and a half And when I came down and I am a wedding officiant, so last year I started to part of my segments and my radio show was to go out and about and find all the different things here in Delaware And I happened to be at one of the Dover day festivals that they shut down the streets over there And they just, and the mad dabbers happened to be playing And I was like I kind of like that, I love that, i love that. They're great.

Speaker 2:

You guys should check them out Mad dabbers Their own Facebook. They're on Spotify. They're on Facebook. They're on Facebook. They're on Spotify. They're reggae rock band.

Speaker 1:

And I played their music on the radio So it was like, oh, now I really know them. That's so great, we do have a.

Speaker 2:

They do have a new album coming out this year, so hopefully that'll be out maybe late summer, but I'm really excited about that. Dave has written a lot of new goods.

Speaker 1:

So Well, maybe they'll give me an interview for the radio show.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, i mean I can hook you up with their manager. I appreciate it, but it's a good word.

Speaker 1:

We could do it just before the release. Oh my gosh, absolutely. Oh my gosh. Well, kathy, thank you so much. I appreciate you. I'm so glad that we met at Sarah and Jimmy's wedding And here we are talking about you. I like it, and we will have to do this again. I love to do follow up, so I will mark my calendar. Please tell the mad dabbers. I said hello, i'm sure we'll thank you for having me.

Speaker 1:

You are welcome. Thank you for listening to the women entrepreneur spotlight podcast series. You can listen to the podcast on wwwwomanentrepreneurspotlightbuzzbrowcom or wherever you listen to your podcast. You can find us on Facebook at womanentrepreneurspotlight And you can email us at womanentrepreneurspotlightgmailcom. Until next time, keep being awesome.

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Debra LaMotta

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