Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Courtney Morris. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Courtney, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I have always been a creative type of person. At a very young age, I was drawn to art and painting and I actually wanted to be an oil painter for years. Throughout high school my goal was to become a well-known artist, and paint portraits for a living.
It wasn’t until I was graduating from high school that I began to contemplate if art was a good career path. I’m sure I would’ve enjoyed it and sharpened my skills, but I didn’t know if an Art major would pay off in the long run for me. So when I moved to Miami to start school at Florida International University, I decided on to with a Journalism & Communications major. Honestly, I don’t know why I chose this major, maybe I thought it was a safer choice. Outside of Art, I had no idea what else was suited for me.
While on campus, I was introduced to Hospitality & Tourism Management. FIU has an amazing Hospitality program and I was invited to a meeting where students could work as event staff at this huge art showcase called Art Basel and get paid. As a broke college student, I jumped at the opportunity! I was also thrilled to have the opportunity to be immersed in the art industry again.
Art Basel exceeded my expectations. I felt transported into this grand world of luxury, art, and culture. Immediately after working the show that year, I decided to change my major and ever since then, I’ve worked in the hospitality industry. From being an event staff, to hostess, to waiter, I fell in love with the service industry. Throughout my time working in various luxury hotels, restaurants, and events, I was hooked on everything involved in the behind-the-scenes side of hospitality. I began to have dreams of making my own large-scale event business.
Upon graduating from college and moving back to Houston, I realized that I of course needed a job. Luckily for me, my mom hired me at her interior design firm. While working for her, I learned the ins and outs of running a business. But I had a strong desire to start my own business doing something I loved. I attempted to go back to art and painting portraits, but honestly, I didn’t have the patience for art anymore. So, I continued to search for ideas on what to do and what business I could start.
One day, I was scrolling on Instagram—aimlessly of course—when I came across something amazing that I have never seen before. It was a luxury picnic set up. Now that was an idea! I instantly knew that this was the perfect way to start a business. After doing some research, I discovered that a luxury picnic is essentially an elevated picnic experience that is turn-key, all-inclusive, and beautifully decorated on a client’s behalf. I immediately planned to do my first mock up of this service to test on social media. I had such a good reception to that service, and received my first 2 bookings from that post!
My company has now grown to include all kinds of events and weddings and I am so lucky to be doing what I love! Though my story may have sounded smooth, there were many challenges and adversities that I faced. I was able to overcome them because I knew everything would work out in the end if I stayed persistent. Through working all of those odd jobs with very long hours, I was able to develop the skills that equipped me to become as successful as I am today.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am Courtney Morris, owner of Courtney Morris Collective, an event planning and design company based in Houston. I started my event business to help people create memorable and unique experiences through my turn-key, professional services.
I have always loved the celebration aspect of an event. It’s the feeling of being swept away by an experience, the excitement of anticipation, the joy of seeing loved ones, and all of the festivities. I became a wedding & event professional because I believe everyone deserves to have these feelings and more on their event day. Every celebration has its own story to tell, and I am here to make sure their story is told beautifully by exactly capturing their dream event—no matter how big or small, extravagant or simple.
I truly believe in the power of moments, and my purpose is to help my clients create them—any time, any place, with any occasion. My brand is all about creating events that my clients will never forget. In my work, every detail is carefully considered and tailored to my client’s every request. I always put my client’s needs first because I have a passion for hospitality.
I am so happy to be expanding my brand with my wedding planning and design services. I feel so lucky to have couples who allow me to be by their side at such an important milestone in their lives.
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?
The most impactful qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that help me along my journey are:
Creativity. In my industry, it is important to innovate and develop new ideas for every event. Each client has different needs and desires. So it is my job to understand their vision and deliver an experience that uniquely showcases who they are and what they wanted to accomplish with their event.
Calculated risks. It takes money to make money! To move my business forward in any way I could, I invested my own savings into it. I know the feeling of spending your paycheck on something that won’t be rewarding until later down the line—but that short-term sacrifice may be the decision that pushes your business forward. You have to take risks and be confident that it will contribute to your overall success.
Anticipating your clients needs! I always put myself in other people’s shoes before every decision. My goal is to always take care of my clients needs, even the small details that they haven’t thought about. It’s an honor to have clients choose your expertise, and I aim to exceed their expectations.
My advice to those who are early in their journey is to try everything. Try networking events, try Google/fakebook/Instagram ads, try getting a certification in your industry, try finding a mentor, try trade shows, try anything and everything! This will show you what works for your business and what doesn’t. I’ve tried and I’m still trying so many different avenues and that’s how I got to where I am.
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
As I previously mentioned, I wanted to be a successful portrait artist. I’ve been great at that my whole life and I invested so much time, energy, and money into painting, but I wasn’t getting the results I desired because I was comfortable. I didn’t know how to do anything else, except paint a face on a canvas. I thought it was enough to just be good at something. It wasn’t until I stepped outside of my comfort zone, by working in hospitality and starting an event business that I began to learn new skills. This helped me to finally see success in my endeavors. I think it is best to be well rounded, so you don’t become shortsighted or frustrated with being stagnant.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.courtneymorriscollective.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/courtneymorriscollective/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/CourtneyMorrisCollective/
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@courtneymorriscollective
- Other: Email: [email protected] Phone: 8324581312
Image Credits
Courtney Morris Diego Ramirez Chino Angles
