And here we go...

Hey all! This is my first blog post for Small Grand Things, so pardon my awkward introduction. It kind of feels like the first day of class: say your name, your major, and one interesting fact. I’m Danielle Neaves, co-owner and operator for Small Grand Things, and this is my first time opening a business! Ok, now that all of that is out of the way, Hi!

So, as I said, I’m managing the operations and coordination for Small Grand Things, a new pavilion and event center opening in West Point, Iowa. This has been a long time coming, but has also been fast and furious. If you have never opened your own business before, I have some advice. It is exhilarating and terrifying and completely impossible without the love and support of family and friends.

This process began back in June and has been a whirlwind ever since. I am still working full time at my job based in Washington, D.C., as well as running all of the behind the scenes operations to make sure Small Grand Things opens in 2019. I recently moved back into our family house on the site of Small Grand Things in West Point from Arlington, Virginia, with tremendous help from my parents. Working a full-time job, building a business, moving across the country, and staying sane all the same time is tricky, but doable when you have family and friends behind you backing you.

On Nov. 2, we launched our business and went live on the web and social media. It was one of the most amazing and scary things I have ever done. Being able to share my vision and my dream with my family and to work to make it possible and share it with all of you is an adrenaline rush for sure. But now that we are live, the pressure comes to make sure it stays positive and successful and continues to grow. I’m constantly thinking back to communication and social media courses from university to make sure I’m doing everything possible to ensure the success of our new family business.

This is where family and friends come into play again. My family is from the Lee County area, and it is where I grew up until middle school. I then moved to Texas where my parents still live. Still having family and friends in the area is power for social media, as every like, comment, and share they give promotes Small Grand Things to more and more viewers I would not have been able to reach otherwise. So thank you to everyone who has boosted and promoted Small Grand Things and to those who will be able to do so in the future!

When most people launch their companies or businesses, they have an established product. They are a travel blogger, sell a specific item in the market, or have a store you can go visit. That is not the case with Small Grand Things… YET. We are building the event center and landscaping the grounds to have them picture-perfect-ready for 2019. But there are no photos of our “product.” There is no store you can come in and visit. It is extremely difficult to sell an idea or an image of what will be.

Challenge accepted! We will continue to post on Facebook and Instagram all our progress and updates at Small Grand Things, as well as grow our website as we can. If you’re curious about the grounds or want to tour what is soon to come, we welcome that! Just know, it is still a work in progress and not finished. All you need is a little imagination, and pixie dust, and you can see what we are building and how grand it will be.

Be on the look-out for more updates here in the news page of the website, as well as on social media. We will keep you all up-to-date and we look forward to hosting your next grand event!

DN