February 23, 2025 • 20 mins
Uncover the transformative journey of Da'Onne Bolden, founder of Tru Elevated Events, as she turns the challenges of postpartum depression into a thriving, creative business. From her beginnings in Oklahoma to becoming a leader in the balloon decor industry, Da'Onne shares her inspiring story marked by creativity, resilience, and community-building. Tune in to explore how she crafted a successful business model that emphasizes memorable client experiences, strategic branding, and continuous learning. Da'Onne's approach is a blueprint for anyone looking to turn personal struggles into entrepreneurial triumphs while building a supportive network that values memorable moments.
Dive deep into the art of creating an unforgettable customer experience with Da'Onne as your guide. Learn how Tru Elevated Events goes beyond traditional customer service by ensuring a stress-free and seamless planning process for clients, all while nurturing trust and reliability. Da'Onne also reflects on the importance of self-care and mental health in achieving business success, and shares how these values are imparted to her children as part of their generational legacy. Discover the power of collaborations and the endless opportunities they bring, as Da'Onne’s story is filled with empowering strategies and personal insights from a true innovator in the event industry.
Thank you for listening! YouTube - @3KeysforYourJourney -Tune in for a new episode every Sunday. Connect with us at www.ocfo.info
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Greg Jones (00:00):
Da'Onne Bolden, entrepreneur.
Mom, I mean extraordinary.
Next, on Three Keys for yourJourney, we get a chance to take
an in-depth look at TrueElevated Events and the founder
that started it all.
Join us next.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Are you ready to unlock your potential?
Tune in to Three Keys for yourJourney podcast, where business
owners share invaluable insightsand empowering strategies to
guide you towards success.
Based in Oklahoma City, ourhost, greg T Jones, will inspire
and motivate you every week.
Get ready to join ourconversation as we build
(00:46):
community together.
Greg Jones (00:50):
All right, hello, Da'Onne Bolden, hello, hello.
Oh man, this is a cool, cool,cool experience.
Look at you just flowing andshining over there.
You know, oh my gosh, how areyou doing?
Da'Onne (01:01):
today I'm doing great.
Greg Jones (01:03):
Fantastic.
Thank you so very much forbeing on our podcast.
This is our inaugural season ofepisodes and I am extremely
privileged that I have theopportunity to chop it up with
you.
Da'Onne (01:17):
Yes, and I'm honored to be here.
Greg Jones (01:19):
Well, I tell you what.
Let's just jump right in Nowyou know, Tru Elevated Events.
You do balloon decor events,man, you've done classes where
you've actually taught and spokeand your business continues to
grow and I'm just excited.
But our listening audienceprobably doesn't know you.
(01:41):
And so what do you want ourlistening audience to know about
Dayan?
Da'Onne (01:46):
Okay, well, first off, I am born in Oklahoma, mother of
five children, beautifulchildren ages 12, 6, 4, 3, and a
newborn.
Greg Jones (02:00):
Okay, hold on, you don't look that old.
Da'Onne (02:03):
No, you say I'm not that old.
I'm not that old.
That's awesome.
Greg Jones (02:07):
You've got a beautiful family, I do.
Da'Onne (02:10):
Fantastic Soon to be husband.
Greg Jones (02:12):
So you're engaged as well.
Da'Onne (02:15):
We're speaking into existence, okay.
It's in existence by the timethis podcast airs, it will be in
existence there we go.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
That is awesome, yes.
Greg Jones (02:23):
Okay, so tell us about?
Okay, that's a little bit aboutyour family.
What else do you want us toknow?
Da'Onne (02:27):
I'm a very hardworking woman.
I put my best at everythingthat I do.
I love what I do and I justhonestly enjoy making memorable
moments, being able to becreative and create with other
people, bringing their visionsto life and create with other
people bringing their visions tolife.
Greg Jones (02:45):
I think it might be worth sharing.
How did you get into thisbusiness and you started this
business back in 22?
Da'Onne (02:59):
I started my business in 2020, due to postpartum
depression, I started doing mychildren's birthday parties and
every event, almost everyonecame up and asked you know, do I
do this as a job?
Do I have a way of booking me?
And I was like, no.
I think the last event that Ihad did was at an event space
and the manager came up to meand asked me if he could book me
(03:20):
for a service.
And that's when I thought, okay, you know, if he's coming up
asking not just family andfriends, this could be something
serious.
So that's when I took theopportunity.
I did book that event at a verylow price and they loved it.
And so, as a way of gettinggoing through working through
(03:42):
what I was going through aspostpartum depression, of
getting going through workingthrough what I was going through
as postpartum depression, Itook the opportunity to start
booking events, small events,and from that point forward, it
was word of mouth and I grewlike in a blink of eye.
Greg Jones (03:54):
I think it's important to kind of point out,
as you were going through thatexperience of postpartum
depression, what was it aboutthis business that really helped
you navigate through it?
Da'Onne (04:07):
I think being able to have that outlet, that artistic
outlet that got me to expressmyself, got me to give me that
opportunity to have some alonetime but still be able to be
creative and again just bringingsomeone else's vision to life,
like letting them taking thestress off of someone else and
(04:28):
kind of just running with it.
Greg Jones (04:30):
You know, I think it's a special talent for people
to be able to do that and, bythe way, dan's business has done
a few events where I've seenthis in action and it really is
an artistic arena to kind ofgive someone an idea of what I'm
thinking about, what the eventis, maybe some ideas of colors
(04:52):
and schematics and for someonelike you, to come in and bring
it all to life, and not onlybring it to life but make it a
memorable experience.
And I know down through the lastnumber of years, you know I
would.
Everybody has their highs andlows, but I've seen you do some
events where I'm like wow.
(05:13):
And then I've seen other eventsthat were more smaller and
intimate because it was based onsomeone's party or special
event or anniversary and it wasalso a very memorable experience
or a special event oranniversary and it was also a
very memorable experience.
I know today our conversationis around keys, and so I know
you have probably more thanthree, but can you talk a little
(05:33):
bit about what are your keys?
What do you want to pass on toother entrepreneurs out there
that may be listening to thispodcast as your keys that have
really helped you along yourjourney?
Da'Onne (05:43):
So that's a great question.
I think, most importantly, mynumber one key is customer
experience and relationships.
It's really big to me to hitand build a relationship with my
clients.
That's really important to meCreate an exceptional service,
tailored designs and followingup with them.
The second thing would bebranding and marketing.
(06:04):
I know you know this by now andif you all follow me, I have a
very strong online presence.
I'm very in tune with contentcreating and being active on
social media networking,partnering with vendors,
photographers, especially withword-of-mouth referrals.
(06:26):
That's very valuable to mybusiness.
That's how I started before Ihad a website or any social
media platforms.
And operations and quality, soefficient processing, and then
continuous learning.
From every event.
I've learned something new thatI can do better for my next
event.
It's learning.
Greg Jones (06:44):
From every event.
I've learned something new thatI can do better for my next
event.
Okay, wow, that's.
That's a power pack, three keys, so let's, let's break those
down.
Okay, um, where do you want tostart?
Which one do you want to startwith?
You pick, let's start with thesocial media.
Da'Onne (06:58):
Okay, I just think the highlight of standing out
services for me, you know, umbeing able to showcase my work,
showcase what it looks likebecause it looks pretty, but
they don't see the back end ofwhat you have to do to create
that masterpiece.
I think staying consistent onsocial media, giving them the
(07:22):
good and the bad, because italways looks pretty.
But, as we all know, behindentrepreneurship there's bad
days and bad things that add up.
But what I take from that isyou take the good out of the bad
, and so I like to show thehighs and the lows.
So I just enjoy doing socialmedia.
I enjoy the engagement, I enjoynetworking with people.
(07:45):
It creates new opportunities.
You never know who's going tosee you on social media and
gravitate to your page.
I hear that all the time that Isee you on TikTok or Instagram
or Facebook and I have no ideawho these people are, but
they've seen me on social media.
So my brand speaks louder thanjust a logo.
You know it's who I am as anindividual.
(08:05):
I think establishing a brand isvery important because it helps
show who you are.
I started branding my businessbefore my business had a logo.
I started with professionalheadshots.
I started with just differentways to market my brand
investing in T-shirts, investingin hoodies, like trying to find
(08:29):
different ways to be seen andat that moment I never really
realized how important it was toactually brand and building the
business as I'm branding it, ifthat makes sense.
So branding is very importantjust because when they see your
brand, they see you.
(08:49):
When they see what you'reputting out there if it's
high-quality photos, if it'shigh-quality videos they're
going to see all of that, theysee what you're investing in
your business.
I have a hot pink and lightpink as my branding colors.
Pink every woman loves, everygirl loves pink.
Pink is very it's a verypopular color.
(09:13):
When I see pink, I get happy.
It brings out my happiness, andso anytime I put on my brand
which I learned from you you puton your brand, and anytime I
put on my brand, I get so manycompliments on my hoodies, on my
shirts.
People want to know where theycan purchase it, how they can
(09:33):
support me.
So it's just a different way oflike a walking billboard, of
how I can show them who I amoutside of balloons.
I think it also builds trustand credibility, staying
consistent with your socialmedia.
Definitely a polished brandmakes clients feel confident in
your ability.
It also sets me apart from mycompetitors.
(09:54):
I'm very competitive.
I like to be the best ateverything that I do, so logos,
colors, designs, tone of voicekeeps it more recognizable and
definitely highlights my uniqueservices to my balloon garlands
or ensuring my clients of theirevent.
That is going to be top notch.
(10:15):
So True Elevated Events actuallyis from.
It comes from my third childthat I had during COVID.
His name is Zaheer True Sandersand so I took his middle name
just because that was my babyduring COVID, where I was going
through the postpartum.
That really helped me get thatdrive back, give me that
(10:40):
motivation to get it going.
I wanted to do something.
I just didn't know what Iwanted to do, and so I took his
middle name and when I thoughtabout the events that I was
doing, I was like everything'selevating in my life.
So I took the true elevated andthen the events and then just
ran with it.
Greg Jones (10:57):
Wow, Boy, that just hits home, man, and you've been
elevating ever since.
Da'Onne (11:03):
Elevating ever since.
It also helps me withattracting the right clients.
I think that's very importantwith branding.
I'm not looking to be foreveryone, so it helps me be
intentional with the branding,with my style and my values, and
it helps also align the clientswith my vision as well as their
(11:24):
vision.
Greg Jones (11:27):
All of that coalesced in, it feels like and
I guess we'll get back to thisat the end, man, you ought to
teach a class on that.
Da'Onne (11:33):
Absolutely, it's coming .
Greg Jones (11:35):
Now people say customer experience versus
customer service.
Do you see?
There's a difference betweenthe two Absolutely.
Tell me what customerexperience means for True
Elevated Events.
Da'Onne (11:46):
Customer experience is definitely like responding
promptly to inquiries, providingclear communication and going
above and beyond for all theirneeds.
Going above and beyond for myclients means providing them
with whatever service they needfrom me, making it as less
stressful as possible, whetherthat's going to the balloon
(12:06):
store and picking out all yourballoon colors.
If you have an idea, I'll goahead and search the idea on
Pinterest or Google.
I'm going to take thatinitiative to go do those things
for you.
Florals I'll go pick out theflorals and send you pictures.
Whatever it is that you'reneeding to be met for your event
, I'm going to take the extrastep and take whatever that
(12:29):
responsibility is off your plateso that you don't have to worry
about that.
I think, honestly, it's justlike my love and passion of like
okay, you tell me you want this, I'm going to give you this and
more and like.
Every time that I give themmore than what they're asking
for, it might be more work forme, but in the end it's worth it
(12:52):
.
They are overly pleased at theballoon arch.
That, to me, is like oh, it'snot that bad, or it's not that
big, but it's over the top forthem, and they see that with the
visuals.
So efficient processing,scheduling the payment, making
sure everything is organized.
You don't have to ask meseveral questions about hey, did
(13:15):
we get this taken care of?
Absolutely, it's already beentaken care of.
I'll see you there.
I just want you to show up foryour event.
You walk in and enjoy yourevent.
You don't have to worry about.
You know, is this taken care of?
Has this person been here?
Like operation manager is here.
I'm here.
I'm running everything, makingit as easy and less stressful as
(13:36):
possible.
Greg Jones (13:39):
I?
You know I'm taking a deepbreath because when you say that
, what I felt immediately was asense of relief, like I don't
have to worry about all of theX's and the O's.
I can literally plan my event,know that I have somebody that
is operationally going to helpme execute it, cover all of the
(14:01):
dot and the I's and the crossand the T's and make sure it's a
wonderful event.
Yes, for somebody listening outthere, why is that so important
?
Da'Onne (14:16):
I feel like it's important because it lets your
client know that you can trustme for doing the job.
I think that things alwaysdon't go as planned and, as we
know, things always happen, buthaving that security, having
(14:37):
that trust in someone that youcan trust, is going to get the
job done.
I come in and I make sureeverything is set up correctly.
You don't even have to tell meI'm going to make sure it's
going to be that moment.
This needs to go there.
I'm going to be fixing things.
You may not even ask me to dothat, but I'm going to go over
(14:57):
and above for you to make sureit's the perfect setup, the
perfect moment for you.
I feel like self-care impactsbusiness and I'm really big on
mental health.
So taking that time to justmake sure you're right, checking
on your people, um, and makingsure you take time to recharge,
(15:18):
setting boundaries to maintainthe creative, the creativity and
focus for your work isimportant, and then also having
those people to pour back intoyou when you're not, when your
cup may be a little empty.
You know you have your strongsand you have your weaknesses, so
be able to identify yourweaknesses and then make sure
(15:40):
you're giving those off to thepeople that you can trust within
your business to help you allowthat help.
Greg Jones (15:46):
What are some things that you do or you recommend in
your given week, month or yearto give yourself a mental break?
Da'Onne (15:55):
That's a great question .
I go to yoga and I stretch alot.
I also take my children onoutings just to kind of heal
that inner child for me.
You know whether it's a librarydate, park date, ice cream date
, we have a lot of dates.
Greg Jones (16:13):
I love it, but it gives you a chance to step away.
Da'Onne (16:16):
Absolutely Also reflect .
It gives me time to reflect onwhat I could do better.
How am I handling them?
How am I handling myself duringthese times?
You know, a lot of times we areso busy with our business that
we have to remember.
That's where that balance comesin for our family because you
(16:38):
know, they're the ones who we'redoing this for there's the one
that mattered the most.
So, as much time as I'm puttingout, I got to make sure I'm
putting that time back in.
Greg Jones (16:48):
So, when you said that I have to ask this question
, we're doing this for ourfamily.
What is the legacy?
Da'Onne (16:54):
that you want to leave for your children.
Generational wealth.
I want them to see that mommy,no matter how heavy that load
was, she never stopped going andshe made sure during the time
to make sure they were nurturedand cared for, but also that
nothing's going to be given toyou.
(17:14):
You're going to work hard foreverything that you have.
I also want them to be littlehuman beings that know how to
survive on their own and alsohelp people along the way.
Don't just look to see ifyou're finishing the race.
Make sure that you're doingeverything that you can to help
the next person too, becauseit's enough room for everybody
(17:38):
around us to eat and be takencare of.
Two things.
The first thing is going to bedon't be scared to ask with
whatever opportunity comes yourway.
Don't be scared to ask aquestion if you want to know
more, if you want to collaboratewith someone, if you're looking
to see how they're doingsomething that you like.
Ask, I mean, what's the worstthing that can happen?
(18:01):
I find that often that peopleare so scared to ask that
question or ask someonesomething.
Ask you never.
Never know they might want towork with you just as much as
you want to work with them, orthey may be so willing to give
you that information.
So don't be ever, don't ever be, scared to ask love it okay.
(18:21):
The second thing is is stopprocrastinating.
You don't need it on thatvision board, you don't need it
in your notes, you don't need iton hanging up on your wall, go
do it.
And if you need, if you needthe resources to go, do it like
find there's so many resources,that resources that we have
available to us right now.
(18:41):
Like you just said, you knowour phones, the people we're
talking to reach out to me likego do it, record that content,
post that content, post thatstatus.
Stop waiting for the moment tobe perfect for you to do it.
Like step out on a leap offaith of God and do it.
(19:03):
Stop holding back.
Greg Jones (19:06):
So how does someone get in contact with you to
potentially utilize yourservices?
Da'Onne (19:13):
So the first thing you're going to do is go to my
website,wwwtrueelevatedeventscom.
The second thing you can do isfind me on all social media
platforms, mostly and mainlyFacebook and Instagram, at true
elevated eventscom or trueelevated events, I'm sorry,
notcom.
Greg Jones (19:34):
Fantastic.
So all social channels.
She's on there, primarilyFacebook and Instagram, and then
she also has a website.
We'll post all that informationin the chat.
Dan, thank you so much forbeing here.
Um, I am very much excited tosee this next chapter, where it
takes you personally, with yourfamily, as well as with your
(19:54):
business.
Da'Onne (19:55):
Yes, thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
Thanks for joining Three Keys for your Journey.
Tune in next time for anotherepisode.
Da'Onne Bolden, entrepreneur.
Mom, I mean extraordinary.
Next, on Three Keys for yourJourney, we get a chance to take
an in-depth look at TrueElevated Events and the founder
that started it all.
Join us next.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Are you ready to unlock your potential?
Tune in to Three Keys for yourJourney podcast, where business
owners share invaluable insightsand empowering strategies to
guide you towards success.
Based in Oklahoma City, ourhost, greg T Jones, will inspire
and motivate you every week.
Get ready to join ourconversation as we build
(00:46):
community together.
Greg Jones (00:50):
All right, hello, Da'Onne Bolden, hello, hello.
Oh man, this is a cool, cool,cool experience.
Look at you just flowing andshining over there.
You know, oh my gosh, how areyou doing?
Da'Onne (01:01):
today I'm doing great.
Greg Jones (01:03):
Fantastic.
Thank you so very much forbeing on our podcast.
This is our inaugural season ofepisodes and I am extremely
privileged that I have theopportunity to chop it up with
you.
Da'Onne (01:17):
Yes, and I'm honored to be here.
Greg Jones (01:19):
Well, I tell you what.
Let's just jump right in Nowyou know, Tru Elevated Events.
You do balloon decor events,man, you've done classes where
you've actually taught and spokeand your business continues to
grow and I'm just excited.
But our listening audienceprobably doesn't know you.
(01:41):
And so what do you want ourlistening audience to know about
Dayan?
Da'Onne (01:46):
Okay, well, first off, I am born in Oklahoma, mother of
five children, beautifulchildren ages 12, 6, 4, 3, and a
newborn.
Greg Jones (02:00):
Okay, hold on, you don't look that old.
Da'Onne (02:03):
No, you say I'm not that old.
I'm not that old.
That's awesome.
Greg Jones (02:07):
You've got a beautiful family, I do.
Da'Onne (02:10):
Fantastic Soon to be husband.
Greg Jones (02:12):
So you're engaged as well.
Da'Onne (02:15):
We're speaking into existence, okay.
It's in existence by the timethis podcast airs, it will be in
existence there we go.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
That is awesome, yes.
Greg Jones (02:23):
Okay, so tell us about?
Okay, that's a little bit aboutyour family.
What else do you want us toknow?
Da'Onne (02:27):
I'm a very hardworking woman.
I put my best at everythingthat I do.
I love what I do and I justhonestly enjoy making memorable
moments, being able to becreative and create with other
people, bringing their visionsto life and create with other
people bringing their visions tolife.
Greg Jones (02:45):
I think it might be worth sharing.
How did you get into thisbusiness and you started this
business back in 22?
Da'Onne (02:59):
I started my business in 2020, due to postpartum
depression, I started doing mychildren's birthday parties and
every event, almost everyonecame up and asked you know, do I
do this as a job?
Do I have a way of booking me?
And I was like, no.
I think the last event that Ihad did was at an event space
and the manager came up to meand asked me if he could book me
(03:20):
for a service.
And that's when I thought, okay, you know, if he's coming up
asking not just family andfriends, this could be something
serious.
So that's when I took theopportunity.
I did book that event at a verylow price and they loved it.
And so, as a way of gettinggoing through working through
(03:42):
what I was going through aspostpartum depression, of
getting going through workingthrough what I was going through
as postpartum depression, Itook the opportunity to start
booking events, small events,and from that point forward, it
was word of mouth and I grewlike in a blink of eye.
Greg Jones (03:54):
I think it's important to kind of point out,
as you were going through thatexperience of postpartum
depression, what was it aboutthis business that really helped
you navigate through it?
Da'Onne (04:07):
I think being able to have that outlet, that artistic
outlet that got me to expressmyself, got me to give me that
opportunity to have some alonetime but still be able to be
creative and again just bringingsomeone else's vision to life,
like letting them taking thestress off of someone else and
(04:28):
kind of just running with it.
Greg Jones (04:30):
You know, I think it's a special talent for people
to be able to do that and, bythe way, dan's business has done
a few events where I've seenthis in action and it really is
an artistic arena to kind ofgive someone an idea of what I'm
thinking about, what the eventis, maybe some ideas of colors
(04:52):
and schematics and for someonelike you, to come in and bring
it all to life, and not onlybring it to life but make it a
memorable experience.
And I know down through the lastnumber of years, you know I
would.
Everybody has their highs andlows, but I've seen you do some
events where I'm like wow.
(05:13):
And then I've seen other eventsthat were more smaller and
intimate because it was based onsomeone's party or special
event or anniversary and it wasalso a very memorable experience
or a special event oranniversary and it was also a
very memorable experience.
I know today our conversationis around keys, and so I know
you have probably more thanthree, but can you talk a little
(05:33):
bit about what are your keys?
What do you want to pass on toother entrepreneurs out there
that may be listening to thispodcast as your keys that have
really helped you along yourjourney?
Da'Onne (05:43):
So that's a great question.
I think, most importantly, mynumber one key is customer
experience and relationships.
It's really big to me to hitand build a relationship with my
clients.
That's really important to meCreate an exceptional service,
tailored designs and followingup with them.
The second thing would bebranding and marketing.
(06:04):
I know you know this by now andif you all follow me, I have a
very strong online presence.
I'm very in tune with contentcreating and being active on
social media networking,partnering with vendors,
photographers, especially withword-of-mouth referrals.
(06:26):
That's very valuable to mybusiness.
That's how I started before Ihad a website or any social
media platforms.
And operations and quality, soefficient processing, and then
continuous learning.
From every event.
I've learned something new thatI can do better for my next
event.
It's learning.
Greg Jones (06:44):
From every event.
I've learned something new thatI can do better for my next
event.
Okay, wow, that's.
That's a power pack, three keys, so let's, let's break those
down.
Okay, um, where do you want tostart?
Which one do you want to startwith?
You pick, let's start with thesocial media.
Da'Onne (06:58):
Okay, I just think the highlight of standing out
services for me, you know, umbeing able to showcase my work,
showcase what it looks likebecause it looks pretty, but
they don't see the back end ofwhat you have to do to create
that masterpiece.
I think staying consistent onsocial media, giving them the
(07:22):
good and the bad, because italways looks pretty.
But, as we all know, behindentrepreneurship there's bad
days and bad things that add up.
But what I take from that isyou take the good out of the bad
, and so I like to show thehighs and the lows.
So I just enjoy doing socialmedia.
I enjoy the engagement, I enjoynetworking with people.
(07:45):
It creates new opportunities.
You never know who's going tosee you on social media and
gravitate to your page.
I hear that all the time that Isee you on TikTok or Instagram
or Facebook and I have no ideawho these people are, but
they've seen me on social media.
So my brand speaks louder thanjust a logo.
You know it's who I am as anindividual.
(08:05):
I think establishing a brand isvery important because it helps
show who you are.
I started branding my businessbefore my business had a logo.
I started with professionalheadshots.
I started with just differentways to market my brand
investing in T-shirts, investingin hoodies, like trying to find
(08:29):
different ways to be seen andat that moment I never really
realized how important it was toactually brand and building the
business as I'm branding it, ifthat makes sense.
So branding is very importantjust because when they see your
brand, they see you.
(08:49):
When they see what you'reputting out there if it's
high-quality photos, if it'shigh-quality videos they're
going to see all of that, theysee what you're investing in
your business.
I have a hot pink and lightpink as my branding colors.
Pink every woman loves, everygirl loves pink.
Pink is very it's a verypopular color.
(09:13):
When I see pink, I get happy.
It brings out my happiness, andso anytime I put on my brand
which I learned from you you puton your brand, and anytime I
put on my brand, I get so manycompliments on my hoodies, on my
shirts.
People want to know where theycan purchase it, how they can
(09:33):
support me.
So it's just a different way oflike a walking billboard, of
how I can show them who I amoutside of balloons.
I think it also builds trustand credibility, staying
consistent with your socialmedia.
Definitely a polished brandmakes clients feel confident in
your ability.
It also sets me apart from mycompetitors.
(09:54):
I'm very competitive.
I like to be the best ateverything that I do, so logos,
colors, designs, tone of voicekeeps it more recognizable and
definitely highlights my uniqueservices to my balloon garlands
or ensuring my clients of theirevent.
That is going to be top notch.
(10:15):
So True Elevated Events actuallyis from.
It comes from my third childthat I had during COVID.
His name is Zaheer True Sandersand so I took his middle name
just because that was my babyduring COVID, where I was going
through the postpartum.
That really helped me get thatdrive back, give me that
(10:40):
motivation to get it going.
I wanted to do something.
I just didn't know what Iwanted to do, and so I took his
middle name and when I thoughtabout the events that I was
doing, I was like everything'selevating in my life.
So I took the true elevated andthen the events and then just
ran with it.
Greg Jones (10:57):
Wow, Boy, that just hits home, man, and you've been
elevating ever since.
Da'Onne (11:03):
Elevating ever since.
It also helps me withattracting the right clients.
I think that's very importantwith branding.
I'm not looking to be foreveryone, so it helps me be
intentional with the branding,with my style and my values, and
it helps also align the clientswith my vision as well as their
(11:24):
vision.
Greg Jones (11:27):
All of that coalesced in, it feels like and
I guess we'll get back to thisat the end, man, you ought to
teach a class on that.
Da'Onne (11:33):
Absolutely, it's coming .
Greg Jones (11:35):
Now people say customer experience versus
customer service.
Do you see?
There's a difference betweenthe two Absolutely.
Tell me what customerexperience means for True
Elevated Events.
Da'Onne (11:46):
Customer experience is definitely like responding
promptly to inquiries, providingclear communication and going
above and beyond for all theirneeds.
Going above and beyond for myclients means providing them
with whatever service they needfrom me, making it as less
stressful as possible, whetherthat's going to the balloon
(12:06):
store and picking out all yourballoon colors.
If you have an idea, I'll goahead and search the idea on
Pinterest or Google.
I'm going to take thatinitiative to go do those things
for you.
Florals I'll go pick out theflorals and send you pictures.
Whatever it is that you'reneeding to be met for your event
, I'm going to take the extrastep and take whatever that
(12:29):
responsibility is off your plateso that you don't have to worry
about that.
I think, honestly, it's justlike my love and passion of like
okay, you tell me you want this, I'm going to give you this and
more and like.
Every time that I give themmore than what they're asking
for, it might be more work forme, but in the end it's worth it
(12:52):
.
They are overly pleased at theballoon arch.
That, to me, is like oh, it'snot that bad, or it's not that
big, but it's over the top forthem, and they see that with the
visuals.
So efficient processing,scheduling the payment, making
sure everything is organized.
You don't have to ask meseveral questions about hey, did
(13:15):
we get this taken care of?
Absolutely, it's already beentaken care of.
I'll see you there.
I just want you to show up foryour event.
You walk in and enjoy yourevent.
You don't have to worry about.
You know, is this taken care of?
Has this person been here?
Like operation manager is here.
I'm here.
I'm running everything, makingit as easy and less stressful as
(13:36):
possible.
Greg Jones (13:39):
I?
You know I'm taking a deepbreath because when you say that
, what I felt immediately was asense of relief, like I don't
have to worry about all of theX's and the O's.
I can literally plan my event,know that I have somebody that
is operationally going to helpme execute it, cover all of the
(14:01):
dot and the I's and the crossand the T's and make sure it's a
wonderful event.
Yes, for somebody listening outthere, why is that so important
?
Da'Onne (14:16):
I feel like it's important because it lets your
client know that you can trustme for doing the job.
I think that things alwaysdon't go as planned and, as we
know, things always happen, buthaving that security, having
(14:37):
that trust in someone that youcan trust, is going to get the
job done.
I come in and I make sureeverything is set up correctly.
You don't even have to tell meI'm going to make sure it's
going to be that moment.
This needs to go there.
I'm going to be fixing things.
You may not even ask me to dothat, but I'm going to go over
(14:57):
and above for you to make sureit's the perfect setup, the
perfect moment for you.
I feel like self-care impactsbusiness and I'm really big on
mental health.
So taking that time to justmake sure you're right, checking
on your people, um, and makingsure you take time to recharge,
(15:18):
setting boundaries to maintainthe creative, the creativity and
focus for your work isimportant, and then also having
those people to pour back intoyou when you're not, when your
cup may be a little empty.
You know you have your strongsand you have your weaknesses, so
be able to identify yourweaknesses and then make sure
(15:40):
you're giving those off to thepeople that you can trust within
your business to help you allowthat help.
Greg Jones (15:46):
What are some things that you do or you recommend in
your given week, month or yearto give yourself a mental break?
Da'Onne (15:55):
That's a great question .
I go to yoga and I stretch alot.
I also take my children onoutings just to kind of heal
that inner child for me.
You know whether it's a librarydate, park date, ice cream date
, we have a lot of dates.
Greg Jones (16:13):
I love it, but it gives you a chance to step away.
Da'Onne (16:16):
Absolutely Also reflect .
It gives me time to reflect onwhat I could do better.
How am I handling them?
How am I handling myself duringthese times?
You know, a lot of times we areso busy with our business that
we have to remember.
That's where that balance comesin for our family because you
(16:38):
know, they're the ones who we'redoing this for there's the one
that mattered the most.
So, as much time as I'm puttingout, I got to make sure I'm
putting that time back in.
Greg Jones (16:48):
So, when you said that I have to ask this question
, we're doing this for ourfamily.
What is the legacy?
Da'Onne (16:54):
that you want to leave for your children.
Generational wealth.
I want them to see that mommy,no matter how heavy that load
was, she never stopped going andshe made sure during the time
to make sure they were nurturedand cared for, but also that
nothing's going to be given toyou.
(17:14):
You're going to work hard foreverything that you have.
I also want them to be littlehuman beings that know how to
survive on their own and alsohelp people along the way.
Don't just look to see ifyou're finishing the race.
Make sure that you're doingeverything that you can to help
the next person too, becauseit's enough room for everybody
(17:38):
around us to eat and be takencare of.
Two things.
The first thing is going to bedon't be scared to ask with
whatever opportunity comes yourway.
Don't be scared to ask aquestion if you want to know
more, if you want to collaboratewith someone, if you're looking
to see how they're doingsomething that you like.
Ask, I mean, what's the worstthing that can happen?
(18:01):
I find that often that peopleare so scared to ask that
question or ask someonesomething.
Ask you never.
Never know they might want towork with you just as much as
you want to work with them, orthey may be so willing to give
you that information.
So don't be ever, don't ever be, scared to ask love it okay.
(18:21):
The second thing is is stopprocrastinating.
You don't need it on thatvision board, you don't need it
in your notes, you don't need iton hanging up on your wall, go
do it.
And if you need, if you needthe resources to go, do it like
find there's so many resources,that resources that we have
available to us right now.
(18:41):
Like you just said, you knowour phones, the people we're
talking to reach out to me likego do it, record that content,
post that content, post thatstatus.
Stop waiting for the moment tobe perfect for you to do it.
Like step out on a leap offaith of God and do it.
(19:03):
Stop holding back.
Greg Jones (19:06):
So how does someone get in contact with you to
potentially utilize yourservices?
Da'Onne (19:13):
So the first thing you're going to do is go to my
website,wwwtrueelevatedeventscom.
The second thing you can do isfind me on all social media
platforms, mostly and mainlyFacebook and Instagram, at true
elevated eventscom or trueelevated events, I'm sorry,
notcom.
Greg Jones (19:34):
Fantastic.
So all social channels.
She's on there, primarilyFacebook and Instagram, and then
she also has a website.
We'll post all that informationin the chat.
Dan, thank you so much forbeing here.
Um, I am very much excited tosee this next chapter, where it
takes you personally, with yourfamily, as well as with your
(19:54):
business.
Da'Onne (19:55):
Yes, thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
Thanks for joining Three Keys for your Journey.
Tune in next time for anotherepisode.
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