Meet Tiffany Carpenter

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tiffany Carpenter. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tiffany below.

Hi Tiffany, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

I obtained my resilience through the journey of life. Once I began self reflecting, I realized that I needed to shift my perspective. Adversity isn’t 100% bad. There are many silver linings one could take from it. I started finding something positive in what I perceived as being negative. For example, during my entrepreneurial journey there were many instances where I would get several no’s. At first I would become frustrated or a little angry because I felt like I deserved the opportunity, however as I began to grow and seek understanding, I finally understood that no means next opportunity or not yet. Perhaps I reached some of these opportunities prematurely and I had not yet gained the capacity to receive it. There was still much work to do and I’m always willing to learn. I’ve fought so many battles privately and the mere fact that I am STILL thriving and reaching goals is a testament of my resilience. I believe in certain instances, knowing is greater than believing and I know my vision I have for my life WILL come to fruition. In my last article, I spoke briefly about a devastating house fire me and my family endured. To add more context, there were 13 oxygen tanks in the room where the fire originated. All of my serveware was also in the same room. When we were allowed to enter the house afterwards, I observed the fire had “skipped” around the room and damaged certain things. My serveware was still intact and spared and thankfully none of the oxygen tanks exploded. It was at that moment that I knew I had to keep going no matter what. I had a second chance at life after coming so close to my demise and it instilled so much perseverance in me that is a reflection of where I am today. Moving forward, when I didn’t get the job or felt like I was passed over, I didn’t get upset. I knew that door was ultimately not for me. If it isn’t my door, it will not open and I am content with that. I desire to be aligned with all things conducive to my success! If lemons are thrown at me, I’m going to make the sweetest lemonade. If bricks are hurled at me, I’m going to catch them one by one and lay a firm foundation. Lastly, I know that life will have moments where I feel like I’m being crushed but diamonds form under pressure and I will continue to shine brightly!

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

My name is Tiffany and I created Esculent Arrangements, LLC with my love for serving others. I saw an opportunity to use my creativity, compassion, and knowledge to create aesthetically pleasing spreads you can eat with your eyes! I feel the most exciting and special thing about my company is how innovative my unique skill set and God given talent is to create stunning tablescapes, customized food menus, and decorative fruit and vegetable displays that others will enjoy. We have recently created two new products that will be launching soon and sure to do great! One is our Blooms, Bites, and Bubbles spread which is a light continental breakfast that consists of pastry, yogurt, fresh fruit, and signature flavored mimosas either virgin or non virgin. We also have our gourmet water that consists of pebble ice, fresh herbs, fresh cut fruits/veggies infused in spring or purified water.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I think the three qualities that are most impactful on my journey would be patience, compassion, and perseverance. Well I would like to add one more, adaptability. These four qualities definitely shaped my growth as an entrepreneur. My newly developed mind set, me honing my craft by studying and practicing my knife skills and arranging displays can all be attributed to my qualities. It just comes so natural to me. My advice to an entrepreneur in their early stages would be it’s okay to pause when necessary but never stop and give up when it is seemingly difficult. Understand that your journey is uniquely tailored to you. Don’t compare your year two to someone else’s year five. As long as you stay true to your mission, vision, and core values, you will make your dreams come true!

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

There have been so many individuals and organizations that have been instrumental in building and developing my skills and knowledge. I would first like to thank Start ME Spartanburg. They are a free 14 week intensive training program for aspiring entrepreneurs with access to two mentors for support and guidance. Julius Tolbert of Tolbert Consulting Group and Brian Brady of The George Dean Johnson of Business College served as my two mentors and I learned a wealth of knowledge from them. I participated in the inaugural Empower Pitch Speechcraft class in 2019 that assisted aspiring entrepreneurs with public speaking and was a partnership through the Chamber of Commerce, Denny’s, and Northside Development Group. I also participated in Creativity and Entrepreneurship in 2019 which explored the creative side of entrepreneurship and was a partnership with Community College and Bars Academy. Most recently, I became a participant in Power Up which is an initiative to provide resources to help build and grow small and minority businesses and the BWOC class sponsored by Carolina Foothills Federal Credit Union that provided essential information and resources to build and grow our businesses. Lekesa Whitner, Liberty Canzater, Phillip Hagood, Scott Mcham, Chico Mckennedy, Nikeema Lee, the subject matter experts in BWOC Class, Dianna Haywood who hired me to cater my first 325 guest wedding, Tia Brown, Kay Bishop, Edris Tucker, and Ashley Williams are all individuals who impacted my journey to be successful. I appreciate you all from the bottom of my heart!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @Earrangements_21

Image Credits

Alana Miller

Pontheolla Mack-Abernathy