Today we’d like to introduce you to Tanny Williams.
Tanny, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was raised out of Houston’s NW Side, Acres Homes(44) neighborhood. In that area having lack was the norm. My peers were mainly the oldest of their siblings, single-parent households, and talented in many ways like myself. We formed a crew called” Hollywood Clique” that stemmed from looking out for one another which made us La’familia in school and in the streets. We always saw ourselves in bright lights, bigger than the physical eye could see. I embodied myself as the “Sho’ Stoppa” by definition: a performance/item receiving prolonged applause from the audience, an obstacle to further progress. By age 12, a woman in a minivan would come to the hood after school hours and pick kids up to sell $1 box of candy for $5 in the suburbs. That was my first on the job training on how to make my own money and learning the Art of Persuasion. Always dressing Fly, I taught myself how to braid my own hair and later became the local “Braid Lady.” Every staircase, apt generator, or fold up a chair I would set up my shop.
Currently, it’s been 17+years, Sho’ Stoppaz Braids, have been in the hair industry specializing in braids and locs. Learning to pay myself 1st, for three years straight I saved $100 a wk, plus all $50 and $100 bills received from a client would go in my stash. One day I looked up and had $32,000 cash. Unbeknownst to what to do with the money, everywhere I drove in the city I saw buses for sale… like “HEY TANNNYYY!! An epiphany came to start a party bus service. A week later, I bought a bus: got the interior/exterior, credentials, commercial insurance, etc. and like that my baby was birthed. Chauffeuring clients seven months later Sho’ Stoppa Party Bus LLC said,” Get on the Bus with Us, to be the STAR you are!!” We have Successfully serviced Houston and surrounding areas for three years and counting. Grateful to be a small business and growing, we had the honor to shuttle the 2018 National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). Trailing behind the Black Student Union at Carl Wunsche Sr. H.S. in the 2019 MLK Parade and present-day being recognized with our 1st radio interview on Real Talk 100 Radio. Adding to the Brand we have a crotchet clothing line Sho’ Stoppa Stitches creating wearable art one loop at a time, cross country hauling with Sho’ Stoppa Transportation LLC and Sho’ Stoppa Golf Carts for courtesy rides.
Has it been a smooth road?
“It is better to aim high and miss than to aim low and hit.” Growing up in a Survival mode environment, it inadvertently taught me to depend on no one and excuses are for the weak. My struggles were not having the ability to reach out and have connections to capital, knowledge of financial literacy and how to stay positive during cloudy days. Believe it or not but I attended University of Youtube, lol, and Half price book stores to shape my future self in those areas. Being a self-employed worker already and then having to do everything for my party bus outside of driving was a strain. Money ran out just as quick as it came in, I told myself I am the one who carries the torch for those who came before and after me. Until I could be in the mix with like-minded people, I had to put myself in those environments no matter the cost. I attended Grant Cardone 10X seminars two years in a row or any professional that Dominated in the marketing sector. They spoke of how the small details matter and how to give your clients the Chick-Fil-A experience. I felt the momentum to crank back up and spark my flame again.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Sho’ Stoppa Party Bus – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Sho’ Stoppa Party Bus LLC is a transportation company owned by an African American woman whose motto for the business is catering to our client’s needs in anyway within reason. We pride ourselves on the Sho’ Stoppa experience: safety, cleanliness, courtesy while making memorable moments on our party bus. Our services are for shuttling, chauffeuring or simply a Turn Up session around town. For the year 2020, we will be offering preplanned events for customers once a month:: touring Houston’s must-see attractions, breweries and local restaurants, giving exposure to hidden gems the city offers.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Given that Houston is a big city, the nightlife is slow and limited. The combining of businesses are rare because everyone wants to do the same thing instead of the all eat mentality. In comparison to Vegas or Miami or even Atlanta, party buses and clubs work together to bring the people and it suits both parties. On the contrary, one doesn’t have to feel bound down to another business and have free range to do as they please. Which keeps the business creative and innovative with this type of Freedom. Sho’ Stoppa Party Bus says, ” Get on the Bus with Us, to be the STAR you Are!!
Contact Info:
- Address: 363 N Sam Houston Pkwy E Suite 1100
- Website: www.shostoppapartybus.com
- Phone: 8327817429
- Email: Sho.stoppa.partybus@gmail.com
- Facebook: Shostoppapartybus
- Other: Sho’ Stoppa Party Bus LLC on Google
Image Credit:
Jasmin Cotton, Kennon Studio, Promosbymiddy.com
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