Today we’d like to introduce you to Tia McAlister.
Hi Tia, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started my wedding planning business in my one-bedroom apartment in 2008. I got my start doing coordination jobs for a local venue and I slowly built my business over the years. In the Spring of 2008, my Mom passed away of ovarian cancer. I was completely thrown for a loop and I spent some time discounting myself and not living to my full potential. That all changed one day later that Summer. I woke up one day and decided I wanted to chase my dreams.
After starting my business I worked really hard to fit the mold in the very traditional wedding market here in the Upstate. I realized I wanted more, but I could not quite grasp how to be influential enough to make a difference here in the wedding industry. I continued to work my full-time job while building my business. I was in Operations in a large home improvement company in the upstate. When they closed their doors I found myself unexpectedly on the job market and I wanted to see what was available to be in the wedding industry full time. I found an opportunity to buy an existing wedding business.
I was able to start in Sales in November of 2018 and by March of 2019, I had bought the business. Getting my start a couple of years sooner than planned, I took off running. we nearly doubled sales in the first year and a half and began building the business all over again. The previous management had been less than sought after here, so I definitely had my work cut out for me. We had some amazing existing team members and we built from there.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has had its huge hurdles. Upon recovering from the loss of operational funds from the previous owner in 2019, I had built back up to a comfortable level in the business only to arrive in March of 2020 when the Pandemic hit the hardest. This was deviating for business. We moved over 200 services in a matter of weeks. I was presented with the choice to ride out the Storm or to allow our team to become the storm. I chose the latter. I purchased the North Carolina markets in April of 2020 in the heat of the pandemic. We continued to advertise and to build throughout the devastating times. We continued to grow in sales and quality despite those hurdles and with the help of our vendor friends, we became even stronger. During this time, I was also able to hire Ernesto Zapata, DJ EZ as our full-time GM and that catapulted our success in the industry. We were able to make the best lemonade out of the 2020 lemons!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We offer DJ, Photography, Videography, Lighting/Effects, Photo Booth, and Coordination/Planning services in North and South Carolina. We have the largest team of our kind here full of amazing professionals who come together to make wedding and event magic happen each weekend. We have worked hard to build a solid team and we are so thankful for the positive impact they get to make in the industry and our community.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Our industry in this market is changing and shifting in a. huge way as we speak. We are moving out of the time when we are years behind the larger surrounding cities and seeing the shift to being not only on-trend, but setting trends in the Southeast and beyond. Not only are we breaking barriers in the way we do events, but in the progression of social issues that have held the industry back and caused a great division in years past. The next 5-10 years will have our city listed with Atlanta, Charlotte, NY, and beyond. We are so proud to be a part of the shift!
Contact Info:
- Email: tia@completecarolinas.com
- Website: www.completecarolinas.com
- Instagram: @completecarolinas
- Facebook: @completecarolinas
- Twitter: @completecarolinas
Image Credits:
That Girl Amy
Mack Photography
Complete Weddings + Events
