Today we’d like to introduce you to Kiondrius Perkins.
Hi Kiondrius, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I began my balloon journey in January of 2022 after falling in love with a setup done for my mom back in December 2020 by a company called Pinay Creations & Décor. We were in the middle of COVID, and I wanted to celebrate her but still wanted it to be nice. I told this company the vision I had in mind, and they executed that vision to perfection. I remember thinking, “wow, I had no idea you could kreate something so beautiful with just balloons!” That install ended up being the highlight of the party! After booking with them, I looked into the industry briefly but did not pursue anything further at that time.
Towards the end of 2021, I was determined to kreate an additional source of income for myself to support my children. I am a single mother of two boys and the future I aspire to provide for my children cannot suffice on just one source of income. If COVID taught me anything, it taught me that multiple streams of income should always be the goal. I started looking into the industry again towards the end of 2021, watching YouTube and Tik Tok videos of how certain balloon artist constructed their displays and decided I would give it a try. Having little knowledge on quality balloons at the time, I ordered multiple Amazon packages and practiced working with those balloons. After much trial and error, I was able to get the hang of the balloon technique itself but quickly learned the quality of balloons was key to a lavish install. I was spending so much money ordering bad-quality packages from amazon that I decided I would focus strictly on learning the business before diving back into hands-on practice. For the first two months of 2022, I did nothing but watch webinars, YouTube tutorials and take extensive notes on what to do and not do in the industry. Every single night I dedicated 2 hours solely to this routine. I learned what worked for artists and what did not work as well as tips for starting and kreating a lucrative balloon business. Once I felt confident that I was a bit more knowledgeable than before, I ordered quality balloons and began practicing hands-on again. My, the difference that made! See, like most people, I was under the impression that balloons are just balloons, but this industry is so much more than that.
The time, effort, patience, creativity and overall skill set that goes into creating those extravagant displays you see cannot be done with inexpensive balloons. The quality of your materials is a major key! I practiced every single night, often getting frustrated that my setups were not coming out like the ones I was seeing online. I contemplated giving up a few times, but I realized practice makes perfect and with the money, I had already invested in learning and buying quality materials, quitting was no longer an option. The determination I had to be successful took over and by the end of February, I was creating some nice setups. I was sending my work to family and friends for feedback, and they were like “You got this!” and “Your work looks amazing!” but me being the perfectionist I am, I still felt as if I wasn’t ready. (We are our biggest critics) My mom started sending her friends pictures of work I was doing around the house and her soror reached out and booked me for my first event on March 11, 2022. After completing that install, I felt confident but knew that I wanted to keep practicing before going public with my business. I knew once I went mainstream, there would be no turning back and although I was doing good, I wanted to be doing great; so I continued to practice. A few weeks later, a close friend booked me to create and install for her sister’s baby shower. I made the commitment then that if this install went well, I would go public with my business. April 30, 2022, I successfully created a beautiful butterfly-themed shower for my client. Designing this event gave me that extra boost of confidence I was lacking to solidify my decision with embarking on this journey. On May 1st, the birth of kreations by Ke, LLC was introduced to the world and the rest is history.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The journey of building a business from ground up, solely funded by you is far from easy. I was so determined to be able to compete with local artists that I was spending and spending with no profit in sight. I know with any business you must spend money to make money, but I quickly became consumed with making sure I had everything I needed to compete with the market and the cost began to add up. Lumber to make props, quality balloons in different sizes and colors, materials needed to create these displays, everything adds up ..and fast. I began to doubt myself as if maybe I was becoming to invested in a dream that I wasn’t even sure would take off. I started thinking about all the money I would be losing if this failed or wasn’t successful and it truly began to consume me, creating doubt in everything that I was so confident about weeks before.
I also struggled and still struggle with pricing my setups. Before deciding on prices, I shopped local artists near me and some further away to get an idea of how they were pricing their installs. I wanted to be reasonable, as everyone cannot afford these lavish displays, but I also needed to be profitable as I have invested continuous time, energy and money into perfecting this craft and being able to bring every customer’s vision to life. Even though I am aware that my prices are still lower than they should be today, I still get customers who complain that I am too expensive. I used to offer discounts just to book a customer because I wanted the business, but quickly I realized that every customer isn’t going to be MY customer. I have had to learn to be firm and stick to my pricing as it reflects not only my work but the industry itself. If I charge unrealistic prices making no profit, and the customer is shopping the market but books with me due to price, is that a customer I truly want? Do I want someone who is booking with me because I was priced the lowest or do I want a customer who has numerous offers around the same price but chooses my services because of quality work and customer service? These were the questions I was asking myself, and ultimately, I would rather a customer book with me because they truly value the work I create. With each artist who chooses to underprice their competition in order to book clients, they are only teaching customers to not value the art of the balloon industry. “Quality Is the best business plan!”
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Kreations by Ke?
Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Kiondrius Perkins, owner, founder, and Kreative Visionary of Kreations by Ke. We specialize in luxury balloon décor and setups for all your party needs, servicing Katy, TX and Houston surrounding areas. Birthday parties, baby showers, gender reveals, graduation parties, weddings, corporate events, you name it we do it all. Before coming into this industry, I knew the competition was insane. I have seen the work of many local artists and knew that I had to do something to differ me from others. The creativity I possess is quite unique, in my opinion, which already makes my brand distinct. With every install, I am always trying to see how I can add my own personal twist to deviate from the traditional setup of whatever theme I am working with. Whether that means throwing in a random pop of color or adding some décor pieces into the garland, I am a stickler on details. “It’s Always the Details for Ke.”This is a slogan I came up with to distinguish my work, but this is extremely important, you must cater to the minor details of every install, or it will just appear as balloons when I am creating art. I am always asking; how can I spice this install up?
In all my work you will see minor but major details that go hand and hand with the theme itself. However, the most important characteristic that I strive to provide with my business is exceptional customer service. I used to be in the automobile industry, and we were taught that you can turn any prospective client into a buying customer solely on the customer service you provide. Sometimes it’s not what you’re selling but how you sell it that a customer remembers. You can come across someone who has a strict budget of $300 but the customer service you provide has the customer booking a $600 install, despite their premeditated budget. When a customer trusts you, they will spend money with you. Then they will refer their friends, who will refer their friends and it’s all based on the customer service you gave them. Ultimately, if I can turn a first-time customer into a lifelong customer, that is considered a win in my eyes.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
The balloon industry is one that I see flourishing continuously over time. People will continue to throw parties, host events, have baby showers, etc. which will always create a demand for this industry. The balloon world has limitless opportunities for anyone interested in venturing into this business. I believe it’s important to stay current with trends as technology is always introducing us to something new every single day, so you must evolve as the times are evolving. Once you create and establish a name for yourself in this industry, then your focus should always be on growing your brand. How can you take your brand to the next level? What can you offer to make your business stand out? How can you evolve from not just doing balloon installs but taking on full events? The sky is truly the limit. With this type of mindset, it will be hard to fail.
Pricing:
- Organic Balloon – $23/ft
- Additional balloon garlands to Wooden Chiara Panels (6ft backdrop and 10ft garland) – $355
- 6×6 wall (450-500 balloons) – $550
Contact Info:
- Instagram: kreationsby_ke
- Facebook: kreations by Ke
- Other: Tik Tok: kreations by ke
