Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenna Baugus.
Jenna, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started in the events industry in 2013. I was fresh home from college and working at a restaurant I had worked at since I was 16 feeling very stuck and unfulfilled. I had always liked decorating spaces and organizing things (people, school events, etc.), so I mentioned to my parents that I wanted to try being an event planner. Ironically, my dad’s childhood friend’s daughter owned her own event design company, Event Bliss, in Fort Lauderdale (my hometown) and I started interning with her. The internship pretty quickly turned to a paid position and in six years, I had worked my way up to lead designer.
Within that six years, I also quickly learned that I liked being an event DESIGNER not an event PLANNER (haha) and have never looked back.
For personal reasons, my husband and I decided to move north in search of a more affordable lifestyle and I started BAUGhaus. When we first got up here and settled in to our new house, I wrestled with the idea of getting a brick and mortar location or working from home and ultimately decided to convert my garage into a studio (which if you follow me on Instagram, you can see that whole process on my studio highlight, from demo to drywall to painting – the whole thing… and I did it all myself). My studio is my sanctuary and a very happy place to retreat to.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not a smooth road at all, but one I am very grateful for. For starters, making the decision to leave the company I had been working for six years was challenging. Fort Lauderdale and Event Bliss were home and it was an income and lifestyle I was comfortable in. I also felt a lot of guilt for leaving a company that had bred and nurtured what is now my greatest passion, floral design. If not for Event Bliss, there would be no BAUGhaus and I didn’t want anyone to feel like I took that for granted. So I wrestled with that guilt for about two years before really deciding to leave.
Then when I first started BAUGhaus, I had found the most perfect storefront in downtown Eustis and tried for months to secure it. Unfortunately, a larger company was also in the mix and ultimately ended up getting it over me, which was discouraging, but in hindsight a blessing because six months later, the pandemic hit and I would have lost the storefront anyways.
There was also the time my first ever contracted client fired me… and I thought my world would end. I had done it, I started my business, I contracted clients… I was really doing it – and then a month before my first event, the client fired me for “difference of personalities.”
I had left a secure job and my whole life in Fort Lauderdale to chase a dream that maybe I wasn’t cut out for. Looking back that was just a tiny blip on the radar — a much needed reality check and a humbling experience. It taught me how to deal with rejection in the workplace, how to conduct myself professionally in the face of adversity with a client and most importantly, how to pick myself up and keep going.
And then COVID-19 came when BAUGhaus was just four months young. I only had about nine events under my belt at the time, with loans and a mortgage to maintain and my income completely stopped. Being a new business, without established financials, I didn’t qualify for any government aid and I was genuinely unsure how I would keep afloat. But with help from a very supportive family and the most amazing community here in Central Florida, I kept my head above water. I made and sold fabric masks, started an online store to be able to ship dried floral arrangements, and just did what I could to keep creating in such uncertain times. Now, a year later, business is picking up and I am very hopeful for the future.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a floral designer specializing in events, weddings mostly. I am most proud of my drive to continue to evolve in the design world. Floral design and event trends are ever-changing and it requires an open mind and an insatiable hunger to learn and do more – I am always trying new techniques, researching new or unique flowers types and trying to stay one step ahead. As far as what sets me apart, I am still trying to figure that out. People tell me all the time they recognize my work before they know it’s actually mine like I leave some kind of signature mark but I am not exactly sure what it is. I am constantly feeling like an imposter or a copycat to people who I admire, but I guess with all creative jobs each individual does it just a tad different and it sets them apart. I guess I would say I am known for using lots of texture.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
I feel like my whole business is one giant lesson due to COVID-19. It was a huge part of the beginning of BAUGhaus. What I would say are the three most powerful lessons:
1. As a creative, I was given two hands and the ability to make things people want. SO DO THAT. If you can’t do flowers for events because of a pandemic, figure out how you can get your creations in people’s hands in other ways. For me, that meant dried arrangements. I started my online store and sold dried flowers that I was able to ship nationwide. It kept me active in my craft and kept my name in people’s mouths and that way, when everything started to open up, I was still relevant and at the forefront of people’s minds.
2. IT TAKES A VILLAGE. I am nothing without my family, my friends and the support from my clients and colleagues. From emotional support to client referrals, I rely on my people so much to keep this dream going.
3. Being a small business owner TAKES EVERYTHING YOU’VE GOT. It is emotional, it is physically taxing, it’s financially stressful and if you don’t have the will to make the dream work no matter what, if you don’t put everything you have in to it – it won’t work.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@baug-haus.com
- Website: www.baug-haus.com
- Instagram: @baughausshop
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BAUGhausShop/
Image Credits
Molliner Photography Casie Marie Photography
