Alisha Saint-Ciel
The Enterprise, Brockton, Mass.
WWR Article Summary (tl;dr) With the help of Youtube videos, entrepreneur Hyndra Tavares learned how to create unique and beautiful balloon displays. She quickly parlayed her newfound skills into a budding party planning business.
Brockton
Twenty-one-year-old Hyndra Tavares learned how to create balloon arches from a YouTube video to help with a friend’s party and flipped her knowledge into an event planning business Hyns Touch, that is booked every weekend.
The night before the celebration, Tavares spent hours filling balloons and creating symmetrical arches with an array of different colored balloons.
The décor came out so well Tavares was surprised yet proud at the same time.
Partygoers were impressed by the colorful and well-put-together décor and gave out several compliments. Tavares felt as if maybe she could do this for a living. Her imagination ran a mile a minute, and she had many visions for future events.
Tavares sat down and developed a business plan to elevate her ideas, and Hyns Touch was born. The business started in July 2020.
“I had no idea how to do balloons. I learned from YouTube and went with it,” Tavares, who lives in Brockton, said.
Before Hyns Touch, Tavares worked in a private daycare, and the mother of the child she took care of was a party planner. The mother was a mentor to Tavares and gave her the extra boost of confidence and supplies needed to lift her ideas off the ground.
The first year was challenging since Tavares is a one-person show and did not have a team of people to help her. In addition to being a single employee, she faced many issues with customers not valuing her prices and paying her for the work.
Despite these minor issues, Tavares continues to expand her business and brings the most creative ideas to her clients’ parties, she said.
A typical week for the business owner starts with responding to messages on Monday and letting clients know her availability. If the business is booked, she will send the client a referral to other prominent party planners in Brockton.
Tuesday and Wednesday are a little bit more hectic. Tavares spends those days sorting through ideas, going to the store, and buying flowers, plates utensils, and decorations. Her favorite store for party planning is Hobby Lobby due to the wide selection of items.
Thursday and Friday, it’s almost showtime. Tavares hand delivers items in advance so the day of the party, she is not overwhelmed.
“Transporting balloons and décor requires me to rent a U-Haul. I try to do this ahead of time,” Tavares said.
She also takes these two days to spray paint and design different items for the party to elevate the décor.
“I’m very creative. I’m always creating. Sometimes you will find me in the back of my aunt’s house spray painting things. It’s a lot of work people don’t see. Sometimes I’m up until three in the morning, and I’m putting things together. A lot is going on behind the scenes,” Tavares said.
So far, she has executed several themes, including bohemian chic, kids’ basketball, lion king, glitz and glam, and floral.
The services she provides are full set up, full table set up, and dinner set up.
The full setup includes a major cake area with a backdrop, balloon arch, cake pedestal, customized name, linens, centerpieces, table decorations and whatever details the client wants to include.
Tavares utilizes many vendors, and the client essentially does nothing.
“The client can sit back and relax while I handle everything,” Tavares said.
She will handle everything from the cake to food, décor, and balloons. Tavares works with several vendors in the Brockton area.
Private dinner set ups come with long tables seating 15-30 guests, upscale center pieces, arrangements, plates, cups, utensils, flowers and designed nameplates.
Full table set ups consist of chairs and tables delivered to the client, linens, centerpieces, covers and food. The client has an option to pick from a full table set up or a simple centerpiece, and the prices may vary.
Tavares currently does not have a team to help her but is looking vigorously for several employees to assist her creative vision. In addition, Tavares’s family, especially her mother, is a big help to her business.
“My mother is my biggest supporter. She comes with me to every event and helps me with everything I need,” Tavares said.
Her mother helps by folding and arranging linens, puting centerpieces together, gathering floral arrangements and keeping a checklist of tasks.
The 21-year-old entrepreneur was born in Cape Verde and came to America at 6 months old and is a 2018 Brockton High School graduate. The American Dream to Tavares is able to be her own boss and work for herself, she said.
“It’s an amazing feeling not having to depend on a weekly check anymore. I worked so hard to be financially stable and do what I want when I please,” Tavares said.
Moving forward, she hopes to acquire more upscale clients, bring in more vendors, service different demographics, build strong relationships with clients and become a reoccurring personal party planner for them.
“By the time I am 23 years old my goal is to oversee my business and create a team of people who are as dedicated as I am. My goal is to lead and design. I want to be able to accomplish five events a day without me even being at the event. So I’ll just design it, and my team will bring our client’s vision to life,” Tavares said.
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