Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Estrada.
Ashley, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started my entrepreneurial journey around 10 years ago. I had this dream of owning a clothing boutique after watching the Selena movie as a little girl. Lol It was one of my favorite childhood movies. Something about seeing your idol come from similar backgrounds as you to achieving success and dreams. Growing up in my household I wasn’t taught how to have ambitions or to go after goals and dreams. So after seeing that movie it sparked something in me that I didnt know I had or even existed. So fast forward to my adult life I finally decided to go after my dream started an online boutique. My boutique ended up doing well enough that after about 1 or 2 years later I was able to open a brick and mortar for my business. It started out great I had so much support from the city and friends and family! Then Covid happened and we had to close down during that time with the rest of the world. So once we were able to open back up I had my boutique for another year but it was just not the same, people were still scared to shop publicly or be around other people so my business revenue went down as the pricing for rent and bills started to go up. I had to make the tough decision to close my doors because it just wasn’t financially smart anymore. It made me feel so defeated to watch my dream slip away. The only thing that kept me going was knowing if I accomplished one dream there’s nothing to hold me back from going after another. So fast forward I ended up getting pregnant with my first child. As you know along with that comes planning for baby showers, gender reveals and baby’s birthdays. So I would hire party planners to do all of that for me. And one day I was like you know what, I’m pretty creative and resourceful myself ..I should just start my own event planning company or somehow dip into the party/event planning entertainment business ..I mean I’m basically doing that already with my own family except paying money for someone else to execute it. So after doing a little research I launched my toddler bumper car business called MVP rentals. Then from there getting my feet wet into that industry came my second business of full on event planning Called gala girls which I co own with a good friend of mine! I told myself if God placed this idea/vision in your heart.. God will also provide the clientele for it. And Iv been so blessed thus far because most of my clientele today are the same clients/ supporters that I had from my old boutique business.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I feel as though any business is never gonna be a smooth road. But the bumps in the roads are what make the journey and success stories more impactful!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an event curator! I plan design and execute all types of events. From big scale like weddings and parties to smaller things like intimate dinners for two. One of the things I love most about what I do is the amount of attention I pay to the details for each client. From the color of the balloons down to the drink stirrers. lol Each client is different and the more detailed you can get the more special the event will be.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
To be really honest these past few years the only book Iv been reading is the Bible. The road to any success is literally written there in the scripture. God laid out the plans for us and it’s our Job to obey and follow the word to get there.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @_galagirls_ and @M_v_p_rentals_
