The Vault Member Spotlight: Ahzahdeh Neshat
We're so excited to introduce to you one of our amazing Vault Members: Ahzahdeh Neshat. She is a balloon stylist with her own business called Confetti and Sprinkles and creates luxurious balloon pieces that help bring events to life.
Ahzahdeh tells us she fell into this career completely by accident. She goes on to say, “After spending eight years in the admin field, I suddenly became a stay-at-home mom that needed some type of creative outlet. So when the time came for my little one’s first birthday, I turned into THAT extra mom and went completely over the top— which led to other mom’s asking if I could make party decor for their own parties. One day, someone asked if I worked with balloons and I completely lied and said yes, and after watching many YouTube videos and a lot of trial and error, I am now creating balloon pieces every single week.”
Confetti & Sprinkles creates balloon garlands, balloon arches, bouquets, and balloon walls. Ahzahdeh says, “We also supply party backdrops such as tassel walls, wooden arches, fabric backdrops, and are working on expanding our selections. We can also include florals, custom signage, tinsel tassels, and mosaics! The fun thing about the party business is that each setup is unique to the customer/occasion. Even if a customer wants to recreate an entire setup, there are always little tweaks here and there that make each one special. Whether it’s for a birthday, baby shower, milestone celebration— our decor will help make it even more memorable.”
Ahzahdeh also told us what she loves about her job and business: “My favorite part about balloons is that there is no right way to do it. Everyone has their own style, technique, aesthetic— and as you start to make connections in the industry, you can immediately identify someone’s work this way. It also allows us to put our own creative spin on each piece that we create, whether it’s using lots of huge balloons, creating our own custom balloon colors, or adding in fun details such as vinyl or tassels. We get to be creative and do something we love while also supporting ourselves/our families in the process.”
We asked Ahzahdeh for advice on staying balanced and she went into detail on some of her personal experiences with creating balance in her life. She says “In the beginning, a lot of people will make the mistake of sacrificing their relationships and social life in order to boost up their business. I definitely made that mistake, and it almost burnt me out to the point that I wanted to quit. The hustle mentality can scare you into thinking that if you don’t give 110% to your business, it won’t succeed, and that’s just not true. I kept comparing myself to other businesses, and thought if I just kept going and going, I’d reach their status— but I wasn’t happy in any aspect of my life. I have had to learn how to say 'no' to a job or customer that doesn’t fulfill me or make me happy. When a new order comes in, I ask myself if this order will be worth taking time away from my family or myself. I schedule one weekend each month where our family does something together, even if it’s just staying home to work on our garden or go see a movie. That little bit of balance keeps me refreshed and loving what I do, and allows me to fully appreciate the time with my family.”
Ahzahdeh also gave us insight on a big hurdle she faced in running her business. She tells us, “In February of 2020, I was on track to have the biggest month of my business. Our orders had gradually gotten bigger, and I was so excited to see our sales number the highest it had ever been. Of course, we all know the story— the entire world shut down. And since my business runs on people gathering and celebrating, I was definitely scared. A month into the pandemic, I talked to my partner about shutting down the business, because we obviously weren’t going to party for a while. But then I noticed a trend where people were delivering balloons to people’s doorsteps, decorating the outside of their houses for drive-by parades, etc. By the time Easter came, I spent the entire weekend delivering bouquets, decorating doorways, and had doubled the sales I was projected to make for February. If I had stuck to my old ways, I would never have survived the pandemic, but by allowing myself to adapt and constantly change as needed, I was able to not only stay afloat but continually grow in sales.”
It is amazing to see how Ahzahdeh was able to adapt her business to a conflict that was out of her control. We are glad to know that her business was able to do well in such a hard time and continue to wish her all the best moving forward! You can check out Confetti and Sprinkles on Instagram: @confettiandsprinkles.
