Money bouquets to custom party favors — Brockton woman turns side hustle into dream job
BROCKTON — A custom creation business was born after one Brockton High School alumni helped decorate a family member's party, leading her to reach for the stars and chase a dream she never knew was possible — entrepreneurship.
Kianna Marques was like your average woman working a retail job she loved and exploring the world with her creativity and curiosity.
One particular occasion gave her the boost to pursue a new venture, Key Kreations, a personalized item business.
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How did Key Kreations start?
Since attending BHS, Marques has had an eye for entrepreneurship, and finding a new side hustle to make more money was always on her radar.
"I posted some of the things I do on Instagram, and my followers started contacting me for the services," Marques said.
The entrepreneur instantly had a bustling business by word of mouth and social media alone.
"Some of my most popular party favors are custom lighters, couples photos, chip bags, juice boxes, cake toppers, goodie bags, acrylic signs, and memorial pins and accessories,' Marques said.
Instagram helped the business take off
This Valentine's Day, Marques used social media to her advantage and created trendy dollar bill bouquets, which, of course, went viral, gathering over 100k views and gaining 14k followers.
"For every holiday, I try to do something fun and new, and this year, I created one-of-a-kind money bouquets and hat flower bouquets for customers," Marques said.
Marques is usually booked every year for hotel set-ups on Valentine's Day, but this time around, she wanted to add a unique service that will have anyone's significant other's jaw drop to the floor once they see their arrangement.
Now that her business page is booming with engagement, Marques is learning to understand the Instagram algorithm and wants to help others grow their business pages.
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The entrepreneur was also able to quit her job and pursue Keys Kreations full-time without having to worry while letting her imagination run wild.
"I would say I get my creativity from my mom. She's been very creative ever since I was a child. I'm always interested in learning new things and being inspired by art and life," Marques said.
The best part about owning a custom design business is seeing customers' reactions to the final product.
The downside to owning a small business sometimes can be dealing with the "public." Still, Marques knows this is her passion, and she won't let negativity from the city get in her way, especially in the "generation of cancel culture."
"For everybody starting a small business there's going to be a lot of mistakes you're going to make minor or big and I take full accountability for any mistakes I've made, and I keep pushing harder. I've been through a lot being a business owner, and many people want to see me fail, but I will never stop chasing my dreams," Marques said.
How to book
To book her services, please visit www.keykreationsbykm.com and follow her on Instagram @keykreationsbykm_
Contact staff reporter Alisha Saint-Ciel at stciela@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Brockton woman launches custom gift and party business Key Kreations
