Daily Inspiration: Meet Wendy Elesia Cummings

Today we’d like to introduce you to Wendy Elesia Cummings.

Hi Wendy, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
How it started was out of the blue, kind of. I love decorating and creating so much I would decorate my children’s birthday party all by myself, from decor to favors, even the food. I remember being at home one day and I thought to myself I could be an Event Planner/Decorator. I quickly went online to read up about what it would take to do that. I gathered all the info and made notes, lol. I still have that book I wrote everything in. I didn’t have the money at the time to get things done, but it was close to tax time and I was anticipating utilizing my refund to get my business established the right way. What I did while I was waiting for the funds was decide on my business name and the cost for everything I would initially need to get started. I decided to go with Elesia’s Event Planning and Decor as my event planning name.

Once I got the funds, I got everything I needed, like registering with the state, getting a domain; I bought a Cricut machine as I use to hand cut all my crafts. I build my website by myself; it took me some time as I was not a designer lol but I didn’t have the extra money to pay someone to do so. Funny thing about me launching my event business is I barely got hired for events when I started. I was working my Cricut and made shadow boxes, t-shirts, gift boxes and mostly I got sales for those. When I got hired for my first wedding, I was excited as soon as the event business picked up some, I realized that it was confusing to post craft-related stuff on my social media’s and also my events. I didn’t want to confuse anyone so I wanted to separate them. This is how Elesia Kustum Designz got it’s own platform. I got into graphic designing and was seeking to learn more on that and one day on Facebook I saw a post with custom chip bags and I was very intrigued. I found a group where all they did was custom treats that they recreated in photoshop and I wanted to learn that too. I subscribed to photoshop and got to work.

We offer custom party favors for all kinds of events. We customized to match a theme and color scheme with the guest of honor in mind. I was doing vinyl shirts when I started but my first big order for shirts had me thinking I’m definitely not doing this forever lol. It was a lot of work. I started seeking better ways to efficiently print great quality shirts. I stumbled on Sublimation. I wanted to get a sublimation printer but that was also a cost I couldn’t afford at the time. I continued to research until one day on YouTube I found a person who converted a regular eco tank to a sublimation printer and boom I thought I hit the jackpot, which I did. It was much cheaper getting the eco tank than the sublimation printer. I was gifted the eco tank, thanks to the people who believe in my vision. I got it converted and started printing shirts, the process was faster and I already knew it was my new way for shirts. The only thing is sublimation only adheres to high count polyester and cannot be printed on all colors because of its limited capabilities. this is how I started doing bleached t-shirts. I added all things Sublimation to my website like tumbler, mugs, keychains all customizable. I am now offering heat transfers for t-shirts to expand the business.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely was not a smooth road. I work a full time job at the hospital and care for two children. Finances was always a factor. I financed my entire business from my regular income, so you know it was a slow build as I was not able to do big purchases and had to be very strategic when I did make a purchase. The best thing about financing yourself is in the end you only owe yourself. I can rest easy at nights if I didn’t make a dollar lol. The pitfall is building at a slower pace especially when it comes to equipment that I have to save to purchase.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a Certified Event Designer and a self-taught Graphic Designer. I say self-taught graphic designer because I taught myself most of what I’m able to do. I specialize in customization. I believe having things created with a personalized touch makes it unique to that person. I see it no different from how God created us all with finger prints but we all have that one detail that is unique to us. I believe a gift means so much more when its created with thought of the receiver. Funny thing is I’m not a fan of impersonal gifts. Even if its just a card from hallmark I want it to be chosen like it was written for me. This may be the reason I am big on personalized gift.

I’m most proud of how far I’ve come from just an idea of doing something to actually making it happen even with obstacles that could have stopped me. I’m proud of myself for always pushing for more. What sets me apart is my drive and determination. If you ask anyone who knows me they would say I’m a very persistent person and I would have to agree. There is no mountain too high for me to climb and as long as I decide on something I go straight for it. I also love to educate myself. knowledge is indeed power when you seek and utilize it.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
The Adobe Creative Suite is definitely my favorite app. As for books my kindle app is perfect for my on the go lifestyle. I love to read mostly spiritual books. I’m always seeking information on how to be a better steward and eager to grow in my spiritual life.

Contact Info:

• Email: elesiakustumdesignz@gmail.com
• Website: www.elesiakustumdesignz.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/elesiakustumdesignz
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/elesiakustumdesignz