a personal letter from jessica
Hi! Welcome to Zimmerman! I cannot believe the launch date is finally here. I’m so excited that after over four months of work I can finally share with you my heart on why I decided to rebrand my beloved business.
When I started on this journey, I was in a place where even though I loved what I was doing I felt stuck. I felt like I wasn’t moving forward, which for a dreamer like me is a very confining state. I knew where I wanted my business to go, but I didn’t know how to get there. I knew the end result I wanted, but didn’t have a plan in place or steps on how to achieve my dream. I knew if I continued to do things the way I had been doing things, I was going to continue to get the same results. I decided I needed help. I couldn’t do it on my own. I made the best decision I've ever made and hired a business consultant; Shanna Skidmore.
The thing about change is you really have to be ready for it…and I was. I was ready to put in the work and dig deep to find out how to achieve my dreams. During our first month together I answered a series of questions not only about my business but about me – Jessica, the person behind the business. It was through this process that I learned what I like about my business (Floral! Photo shoots! My team! Design! Amazing clients!) and also learned what I don’t like about my business (Rentals! Accounting!). It was only after physically writing down, the good ol’ fashioned pen to paper way, that I learned what I truly want and what I’m ok to live without.
Leave Behind : The rentals. Ultimately we shouldn’t be spending our time on rentals. Even though rentals are a key element in the overall design of an event, It became clear to me that the rentals were not allowing me to service my clients the way I wanted to service them. Let's face it, we are a small team of strong and able women but loading, cleaning, delivering and setting up chairs isn’t our dream. Surprised?! During this time of digging deep, I wrote down, “I wish there was a way I could still offer rentals to my clients, but someone else could warehouse them, maintain them, deliver them, set them up. My team can then arrive, place the linens + floral, and style everything to look just right.”
When I saw that on paper, I knew I had to do everything I could to make that happen. This would free up so much time which would allow me to spend more time with my husband and daughter. The truth is... I love my job, I know I need something that is mine and I want a career; but I also want to pick up my daughter from school, attend recitals, ball games and be home in time to actually make dinner for my family. I want to be home in the evening to give my daughter a bath, to rock her to bed and place her in her crib. I know this is such a precious time that I will never get back. In order to have both my career and be a present mommy, I had to focus on what it is I truly enjoy about my business and delegate the rest.
“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Result : Our rentals are now located in the Party Time Rental and Events warehouse in Little Rock, AR. I had all of them professionally photographed and anyone can come in and see all our rental options digitally. This frees up our showroom space (which we are now renting out for events and also using ourselves when we have floral work to do because we needed more space to work). You can still get all the rentals through ZIMMERMAN – it’s just now they will be delivered by Party Time, who has an entire warehouse team and is much better equipped to deliver the items to you. Exciting news, huh?!
We still do everything we’ve always done - we still create beautiful florals, we still design and execute the overall look and feel of your event, we still source and advise on rental needs. Our process just looks a little different! After scheduling an appointment with us, I’ll sit down with you, hear your thoughts and dreams, and design a beautiful event alongside you! If rentals are needed, I’ll show you those options on our new digital screen. I’ll show you the flowers and the whole design. We now have a beautiful studio where we can have these meetings rather than a cluttered room full of rental items. A fresh new start!
I hope you will support me on this decision to eliminate in-house rentals in order to have a better quality of life with my family and a better design process for our clients. I’m really excited about the future and I’m so appreciative to the great town of Conway for your support! I’m so proud to be a part of it’s historic downtown!
Leave Behind #2 : A Southern Tradition. We are so thankful for our company journey and the story of A Southern Tradition. But, it was time for a face-lift! Over the past four years of business we have grown as a company, we have evolved, we have discovered more about ourselves. So why the name change? Well, with no longer having in-house rentals (which is what A Southern Tradition was essentially known for) it seemed like the logical thing to do. Also, if you’ll look at my latest work, it’s not necessarily southern or traditional – so it seemed like a no brainer. ZIMMERMAN just felt right. I’m not sure how else to explain it.
The Result : ZIMMERMAN. Event, Floral and Design. Please take some time to click around our new site. I’m so very proud of it!
Lastly, I could not end without saying a huge thanks to my team. Have you met them yet?! Check out our team page for more on each of these lovely ladies! They have worked tirelessly. They have never questioned me in this process. They have stood by my side and I’ve never been more proud to be a member of anything more than I am of this team. They are awesome. I hope you’ll make an appointment with us soon and you can see just how fabulous they are!
With love,
Jessica
