During COVID-19, many people lost motivation while staying at home, but alumna Jerica Fletcher used this time to watch TikTok and learned how to make balloon garlands. 

Fletcher made her first piece for a Christmas party. She opened her business, The Social Butterfly Balloons, in Oct. 2020 and has made 81 orders in one year, nine of which were for businesses.

The business name was inspired by her grandfather because he was a sociable person, according to Fletcher.

“My parents picked at me because they are homebodies and they called me his mini-me. They called us the ‘social butterflies,’” Fletcher explained.  

Her first paying customer was on Jan. 20, 2021, and her business gained popularity through social media. On Nov. 11, 2021, she was an official LLC (Limited Liability Company). 

TSB staff member Hallie Laine said, “Balancing two jobs plus home life is tough, but I also love it because I need to stay busy. My full-time job is at Hammond Veterinary Services as a practice manager.”

Working two jobs can be stressful, not to mention all of the work that goes into a business which is hard to balance in itself.

“We use a scheduling web page that we have people put their inquiries through so that when they pay their deposit it helps us to help the flow of things. Before, we were doing all of it through text message and Venmo, but it just got so overwhelming as we grew. That’s actually when I brought in my wife’s cousin Hallie because she is an office manager at a vet’s office,” Fletcher said. 

Laine helped create inventory spreadsheets and a streamlined communication system to ensure no customer is forgotten. 

The ladies also achieve balance in the business by prepping for an event the night before in spare rooms of their houses. 

“I wait until the baby is asleep for the night and then I start blowing up the balloons and making the clusters. I can fit about ten feet of balloons in my car between the trunk, backseat and passenger seat,” Laine said.

Although Laine, Fletcher and Stephanie Neff have this system in place, problems can still occur.

“I believe it is a very high-stress situation because nothing goes according to plan, ever,” Fletcher said. 

An example of this is when they had to set up outside in the grass and it was a windy day. Laine explained the grass where they were going to set up was dry, so they had to improvise. 

“It was two columns, which normally takes about one hour. Every time I put the balloons on the bottom of the column they would all pop. Thankfully the lady that I was doing the install for had some paper tablecloths I was able to lay down first, but that was just the start. It had to be the windiest day of the year that day. I had to use sticks pushed down into the ground and a fishing line tied to the column to hold them in place. Needless to say, this install took two hours,” Laine said.

Some of TSB’s latest work was shown at The First Guaranty Bank, Cena and The Mariner’s Inn. Their work has also been showcased at Southeastern alumni events.

Chelsea Kessenich, daughter of the owner of The Mariner’s Inn, said the service from TSB was fabulous. Kessenich noted she has hired them twice now. She said her most recent request was last minute on her part, but TSB stepped in and did exactly what was asked of them. 

While the project was announced with short notice, both Kessenich and the team were happy with the display. 

Within the past two months, the team has had new group goals due to surpassing their original objectives. Laine said they have a goal of hitting 200 orders for this year and said they are well on their way to reaching that goal. 

Fletcher said she loves socializing with clients, but there is something special about working with local companies. 

“I’d have to say my new thing is I love restaurants and local businesses because I am meeting people and networking. I find it so intriguing because my question to them is ‘How did you get started?’ or ‘How did you take that leap and dive in?’ because that is where I am right now,” Fletcher said. 

Chance Kinchen, owner of Cena and one of TSB’s biggest customers, said, “We really appreciate The Social Butterfly. Everything they do for our restaurant helps bring enthusiasm to our clientele. We really enjoy everything they do for us and we highly recommend using their services to highlight your business experience.”

To order balloon art from TSB click here to access their Linktree and click “Price Guide & Info Sheet” or “Contact TSB.”

For more pictures, check out their Facebook @The Social Butterfly Balloons or Instagram page @thesocialbutterfly_balloons.