Shannel Aiken Owner and Creative Director of The Grand Event Design and Decor

Black Facts.com

by Taroue Brooks

Tell us about your business and services. 

The Grand Event is a full service event rental company that provides rental and decor elements for your wedding, corporate, or social event.  We want to provide to you the perfect pieces for your event. We offer a customer service based experience for our clients, in that we are not just renting you a chair or a table or draping, instead, we are helping our clients solve their event problems by offering solutions. Each piece we add to our collection is carefully selected based on the needs of our clients now and in the future. We are here to help make memories that will last a lifetime. 

What keeps you motivated in such a competitive industry? 

After a long day of consultations, an intense schedule of deliveries and set-ups, it’s the phone call or text, the emails, the handwritten cards, the shoutouts on social media where a client or even a family member thanks us for what we do. Knowing that we can be a part of someone’s moment in time that is now forever etched into the memories of so many people refills my cup. 

And when you think no one is watching, everyone is. The other part of my motivation is seeing my kids want to be a part of what we do. I built a business that includes my children. They see what we do and what it takes first hand and this has shaped their minds to also have little entrepreneurial spirits and want to help other people. They can’t wait to start their own little ventures one day soon. 

Tell us about your favorite event.

I really enjoy our multicultural weddings and events. Whether we are doing a Nigerian wedding or a 3 day Indian ceremony,  being a part of different cultures and seeing how they celebrate love always fascinates me. There is generally lots of color and vibrant patterns that we get to work with on top of learning new things about other cultures and religions. 

What advice would you give someone who seeks to become an entrepreneur? 

There is a lot of sacrifice involved in entrepreneurship. You will want some of everyone to be a part of what you are doing but the reality is, not everyone is supposed to be on the entrepreneurial journey with you. Your family may not understand it or support you right away. You might find more support and energy from perfect strangers. But holding firm to your why, your vision, and most importantly YOURSELF, you will ultimately find the success you so deserve. 

What is the secret to your success?

The secret to my success is there is no secret. I’m just taking one step at a time just like everyone else. The only difference is I haven’t stopped taking steps when it gets hard. The strides are shorter on some days, and some days I can take giant leaps, but I never stop taking steps. It’s not a magic formula, nor is it a secret. Just keep going. 

Where would you like to see your business in the next five years? 

In the next five years, we will have expanded our operations footprint to different areas in the southeast that can all support each other and increase our offerings. You’ll see a luxury rental spinoff that will support more of the high dollar clients that are looking for more unique custom items. It will all be under the same umbrella just marketed a little different. 

About

The Grand Event Design and Decor is full service event design and event rental boutique. We are your go to partner ensuring your event tells your story. Founded by Shannel Aiken in 2018, she brought her previous wedding and event planning and design expertise to the roots of what The Grand Event Design and Decor has to offer. 2 parts mompreneur, 1 part hype woman, and 1 part just plain go getter. Shannel usually sees the end goal first and works her way backwards to put the pieces together. Speaker and business strategist who can also speak fluent meme and gif. Firm believer that nothing is impossible if you are willing to work for it. 

Together with her team, Shannel has curated a collection of event rentals sure to help make your event stand out from the rest. Whether creating a design from scratch with one of our event designers or simply providing the elements that can pull off your epic look, we have what you need to make your next event GRAND. 

Social Media: 
Instagram.com/grandeventdesign
Facebook.com/thegrandeventdesign
Instagram.com/shannelrenae

info@grandeventdesign.com

Website: www.grandeventdesign.com

Black Facts.com