New business question for the MBAs and wannabes here.

[trof]

I can probably google some of these questions, but there ain't nuthin' like good ol' 'boots-on-the-ground' DU feedback.

Miz t. is a FANTASTIC dinner table/party decorator.
Just take that as a given.
Friends coming over for dinner have brought their cameras to take pictures of the table.
In our house, Christmas looks like Disney's Christmas World.
Not OVER done, but just bleeding MAGICAL?
Mardi Gras looks like Bourbon Street.

One Sunday she turned the great room (we don't have a 'living room'. Just a BIG living/dining/den/whatever central 'space'.) into an Italian trattoria. We borrowed the small, round 'bistro' tables from a friend who has a restaurant which is closed on Sunday. I (and some VERY good friends) hauled them and the chairs in, after closing, on Saturday night, and had them back in time for Monday lunch.
whew

I think she (and me as assistant) should go into the 'bidness'.
Do it for money for private dinner parties, company functions, etc.
For 'so much $$$' (per hour?) we'll come in and decorate for your function.

Any experience with anything like this?
Fees?
Pitfalls?

We are retired.
I'm 65, she is 62.
Obviously, if we were to become successful, I guess income level for S/S taxes and income tax exemptions wouldn't be much of a problem?

I understand that many of us are not faced with the 'problem' of decorating for social events.
But if you are...what would you pay to have, as they say, 'a person to take care of that for you'?
And businesses. That would probably be the prime market
:shrug:

[trof]

1. kick fer komment

[leftofthedial]

2. perhaps you should contact caterers in the area

and see if they have a subcontracting need for a talented event decorator

also, corporate marketing departments often have an event coordinator who might be a potential customer

pitfalls I can see would include pricing the service (labor, talent, materials), defining the deliverables (what if they don't think the Mardis Gras party looks ENOUGH like New Orleans?), scheduling, contract labor for large events . . .

sounds really cool!

[trof]

3. Thanks. Caterers is one idea we had.

We were hoping to start small (and maybe keep it that way).
Word of mouth, friends, etc.
Miz t. has tons of stuff for different themes she's collected over the years.
She just finished decorating our neighborhood clubhouse for Christmas and has already received two notes from folks complimenting her and thanking her.

In fact, we're headed for a party there right now, so I get to check it out.
Thanks for your suggestions.
Trying to come up with a cutesy, snappy name for the venture.
Miz t.'s name is Helen.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.