How do you combine a love of gardening, singing, cooking, and entertaining to create a venture, and add a 4 year old to the mix and a baby on the way. That’s what Deb Golden was trying to figure out after she moved to Connecticut from Australia three years ago. She had run two restaurants that included catering services “down-under” from the time she was 21.
Starting a restaurant in the states would take her away from her young son so she didn’t see that as an option. Deb looked at her skills and the needs of moms around her and decided to combine her likes and talents to offer kids birthday parties. And with a love of fairies, that became her theme.
Christening herself, “Fairy Deb”, she creates a magical experience for girls and boys turning ages 3 – 7. Complete with wings for everyone, a fairy ring of flowers and sparkle dust, the kids learn from Fairy Deb where fairies come from, how they live in the garden and what their mission is. The kids get to experience being fairies themselves, using their wands to pop bubbles and cast special spells. The fairy dance lead b y Fairy Deb gets all the kids involved in the experience.
Then it’s on to the Fairy tea party, complete with small porcelain tea cups filled with honeysuckle syrup (pink lemonade) and to eat – fairy tea cakes. These are oatmeal raisin cookies homemade by Deb using organic ingredients. “To see the kids’ faces as they experience all things ‘fairy’ is so divine.” Taking the newly christened fairies into the garden for a nature hunt, Fairy Deb leads the search for fairy treasures. “My mission is to spark imaginative outdoor play with nature games and crafts all centered around fairies and their magical talents.”
Customizing each fairy gathering to the needs and desires of the birthday fairy, Deb offers a party generally an hour and half in length for 10 – 20 children. Hoping to run 2 parties a day on weekends and additional parties during the week, Fairy Deb is finding her schedule with two children quite magical. And she says, “Now that I have my own little fairy – Elizabeth, I’m all into the pink.”
Deb feels so lucky that she was able to combine the things that she likes, gardens and parties, with the things that she does well, cooking and entertaining, to create a profitable venture. Possible performances for this Mother Nature Fairy may be local libraries, nursery schools and community organizations. With Deb’s magical talent you never know where you may spot this creative fairy.
Contact: [email protected]
VentureMom Tip
Rather than offering a broad array of choices, brand yourself within a particular service. For example, rather than offer general birthday parties, Deb has become the only mom to go to for Fairy Parties.
