Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer & Erick Estrada.
Hi Jennifer & Erick, please start by introducing yourself. We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Our story began as educators and evolved into the venue entertainment business. We are the Estradas, and we met on the job in the field of education 13 years ago. We are the parents of two teenagers and two pups. Never in a million years had we thought we would become business owners. We both have a quirky way of entertaining people for long hours. For years I’ve wanted to build a hobby in event planning, and Erick has been a pro-bono DJ for every school event at every school of our employment. We joked about capitalizing on these abilities we are great at but never made time for it. I was beyond frustrated with working long hours as I was scrolling on Social Media and came across an inflatable venue with multiple uses. I immediately pitched my ideas to Erick, who added additional business options. InflataLuxe was created; something inside me said, “just go for it”! Within three weeks, we ordered the inflatable venue and immediately started a marketing campaign that led to bookings before the item arrived. Our goals are to bring a unique, affordable, and luxurious experience to all. The idea is to provide a venue with entertainment services from the comfort of your home or your business location. Customers can customize the services based on what they want and can afford. We also want to build a brand that focuses on “we bring the venue to you”! Planning an event or celebration is a tasking process, and comfortability with affordability usually is the deal maker or breaker. You no longer have to focus on the distance your guests have to travel, parking, decorations, etc. With the InflataLuxe Lounge Rental, you can entertain from your home or set up somewhere else that’s easy for your guests to arrive. What makes this unique is the venue can be for daytime or evening events. DJ service and lighting can be upgraded without spending a fortune.
Please talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned. Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
This risk has been challenging due to the stable nature of our jobs in education and parenting our boys; It’s been relatively smooth. We did not anticipate rolling out this idea in a month. The most we’ve struggled with is promoting the business, which is new and uncommon.
Thanks for sharing that. So, you could tell us a bit more about your work.
Our careers in education began as Substitute Teachers and evolved to become Administrators. We are both recipients of the Leaders as Learners Grant that provides a free Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership, working for underserved communities. We taught multiple subjects in the K-8 world but spent most of our career in Technology Instruction. Opening our business combined the best skills we’ve learned in tandem with our passion. We have creative minds and have integrated the skills we’ve learned through teaching into a business venture. Education comes with challenges but prepares you with specific skills transferable to other professions. Time management, organizational skills, attention to detail, customer service, audience engagement, and contingency plans are examples of how we use our training beyond the classroom. The greatest challenge is to leave what’s stable for what’s unknown. Our proudest moments have been being selected for the grant and completing the program, what we’ve learned from creating InflataLuxe, and taking the risk to reshape our family’s future.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Due to the unique type of business we offer, networking is limited because of our uncommon business type. However, some of our colleagues with their businesses gave us invaluable advice and pointed us in the right direction to ensure we complied with state regulations. As a startup, research has been our mentor. Social media is our best friend and has provided us with tools to analyze trends, marketing & advertising strategies, and increase our audience. Many apps are available to help streamline this process, and most are free. We look forward to connecting with a mentor shortly.
Pricing:
- Packages start from $275
Contact Info:
- Website: https://inflataluxelounger.wixsite.com/inflataluxe
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/inflataluxelounge_rentals?r=nametag
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086057859621
