Rising Stars: Meet Bria James-Hall of Raleigh

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bria James-Hall.

Hi Bria, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Well, I’ve been an event planner for over 10 years. I work for a company called Dream Weddings & Events. We are a group of event planners who all have our own businesses and we come together to do larger events. All the ladies of DWE are silver foxes and i’m the youngest on the team. I really enjoy soaking up all the wisdom I can get from these ladies on everything they have to offer me in the event industry and in life. It’s such a blessing to learn from my mentor Kimberly Stancil the owner. She is a such a influential person in my life. I started loving balloons from a member on our team Paula, one day I was studying her technique; she motivated me to start my own & it just caught on like wildfire & took on from there. I started doing my research on balloons and wanting to learn more and grow in the industry. I love the fact that there is nothing in this world that captivates a child’s attention more than a balloon. Its fascinating to them and so fun. So it allows me to be creative and incorporate colors to transform spaces into works of art. In today’s time balloons are more than just kids parties and I love to show people that. I love the luxury side of balloons and decor. Being a event planner allows me to bring my my vision and my clients vision to life beyond just a idea. Im able to give my clients an experience and they deserve that. My clients love me because I listen to what they want and I deliver.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I am a serial entrepreneur! I run several businesses. However with time it does come a little easier. Nothing is smooth. My nerves are always torn up! What can I say, i’m an artist. I am always over obsessing about everything, wanting everything to go perfecting. Entrepreneurship is literally flying by the seat of your pants. You have to come up with a back up plan on the fly, you cant let people see you sweat. Even when your back up plan fails, then what? You have to come up with something else. What do I do? I have faith. Faith in God keeps me going. I know that God gave me a gift and that is what I hold onto. Many times I want to give up because I am completely worn out and tired but then i’m reminded that what i’m doing God is using me to bless somebody, but also he is blessing me in the process. and I thank him for it! Daily! There are some days where I have a list of things I have to get done and I have no idea how I can fit it all in or how i’m going to pay for something and literally God will send me a client and i’m amazed every single time. All I can do is lift my hands and say Lord I Thank You! Some days I wonder how I even have the energy to continue to keep going, its God that keeps me going. I struggle with saying No, with taking a break, taking care of myself before I take care of everyone else. Thankfully I have a wonderful husband who helps to lead me to selfcare. He is a wonderful helpmate, a true partner and I could not do half the stuff I set out to do. I truly appreciate him.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Most of my clients call me “The Balloon Lady”. I am a Balloon Artist & Event Planner here in Raleigh NC. I make balloon garlands and balloon art decor for events. I am known for being an Jack of all trades. I am very skilled at many things which I love. Balloons came natural to me, I started my business during the pandemic. Balloon really became huge in that timeframe because folks really wanted to celebrate life and come out of such a dark cloud over everyones head. So balloons are always a great way to celebrate, balloons became popular and I started to research ways to make garlands and sell them and incorporate them into parties. A balloon garland is a cluster of balloons bundled together in different sizes stacked to make one big design of your choosing. they come in many different colors and brands. As a balloon artist one of our biggest goals is making sure that when we step back from our work and look it over it looks like the vision we had in our heads. That every part of the install has been touched by our hands and inspected by what we call our “balloon eyes”. We see things that nobody else sees. For example we will take photos of our work and study it to see what we could have done better for the next install but to the normal person it looks perfect. My husband is always telling me to leave it alone it looks good, but there’s always that part of me that wants to keep fixing it and adjusting it. (Me over obsessing again) One thing I love is that my clients can recognize my work from others. They call it “The Bria Effect” That really makes me happy. The biggest thing that has made me proud, my mother bought me a balloon van for my business. Which is so amazing I absolutely love it! I was even able to wrap it in my business logo and everything it makes me so proud and i’m still in disbelief when I see it to this day that that’s me on the side of that truck. But it is! And as my business is steadily growing I have already just about outgrown it now, i’m in need of a box truck now. So i’m really excited for what the future holds. I believe what sets my business apart from the rest is customer service & transparency. You would be surprised how many customers I connect with and the first thing they say to me is “Wow your fast” or ” thank you for contacting me back”. I think to myself well i’m running a business so of course i’m going to contact you back. Growing up my mother ran a business so I learned so much about how to run a business. I saw that kindness goes a long way. I believe that people will remember the way you treated them especially when it comes to how they spend their money. Showing your trustworthy is truly crucial in today’s times. People want professionalism.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Yes! Take a class! Always be teachable, be eager to learn! Practice in your living room! Take pictures of everything. Everything is content! Find someone else in the industry and learn from them. Do your research. Make sure you know your worth and add tax. Always remember that if you don’t charge your worth people will pay someone else. Make a wish list of what you want to create or do & do it!

Pricing:

• Balloons start at $25 per foot
• Install minimum $450

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.briasballoonboutique.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briasballoonboutique?igsh=MWM2djc3NHlzdzU5bA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bballoonboutique?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/bria-k-james-hall-4b02b7b2
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@briasballoonboutique?si=U8Bew2drsaKIi5sO
• Other: https://popl.co/card/xwmKtoYt/2/s