Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Esther Kim. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Esther , thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
I owe every ounce of work ethic that I have to my mother. My mom is a first generation Korean American who immigrated to the US over 40 years ago with $20 to her name and the dream of providing a better world to her future children. She raised me and my two sisters as a single mother after my father passed away suddenly when I was only 8 months old. She lived her adult life sacrificing every minute, thought, and ounce of strength for the chance that we could be raised in a country that would provide us the education and the opportunity to follow our dreams and make a life for ourselves beyond anything that she could have imagined for herself. I owe everything I am and all that I will become to my mother – she taught me that hard work and having a heart of gratitude can carry you through the peaks and valleys and that no matter what, to never give up. And now that I am a mother to my own 3 daughters, I am dedicated to striving to be even half the incredible mother she was to me and raising my daughters to believe that in this life, anything is possible.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My husband and I have always loved celebrations – big or small. Whether it’s a major job promotion, a birthday, or even just a Friday after a long week, we are always down to celebrate all the moments that bring our life joy. I also love being organized and am a natural planner at heart. Put those things together, and our event planning business was born! Happy Party Co’s sole mission is to help you celebrate the happiest moments of your life without the stress and anxiety of planning and hosting. I have been a part of countless events where the host of the event is so preoccupied with hosting and making sure their guests have what they need, they aren’t able to enjoy the event at all and if anything, are just relieved that it’s over and they don’t have to plan anymore. We try to eliminate that as much as possible with our full-service event planning to where you simply can walk in to your event and your entire vision has come to life. You can also enjoy the event, catch up with your guests, actually eat the food and have an amazing time! Our hope is that as our client, you can look back on your event and reminisce about how much fun you had, have no regrets about celebrating whatever milestone you achieved, and ultimately want to do it all over again.
Our portfolio includes birthdays, baby showers, and more but one of our big specializations is Korean 1st Birthdays. My husband and I are both Korean-American and when our parents were growing up in Korea, many children unfortunately would not survive past their first birthday due to malnutrition, low resources, and lack of modern medicine. So when a baby would make it to his/her first birthday, their family would throw a big celebration that incorporated many traditional elements like fruit, rice cakes, and a doljabi ceremony. Those same traditions stay alive with us today and we’ve added a bit of a modern spin. In Korean, the event is called a Doljanchi and they are a big deal with people loving to go all out! I planned all three of my daughter’s 1st birthday’s and the stress I felt through the whole process and how it would have been so nice to work with a planner was how Happy Party Co was born. We are so proud to be an AAPI-owned business and our dream is to carry on these special traditions to our children and every generation after.
What I believe sets us apart is that we do our best to build a meaningful relationship with each of our clients – building trust and taking the time to understand what their vision and style is. Working with us is not a revolving door of cookie cutter services, but a tailored, customized experience to where we hope our clients feel like they can trust us to create something magical for them. Event planning is very much a people facing job, and we absolutely love meeting and working with our clients, some even flourishing into real friendships!
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 believe that my childhood and the different communities I’ve been a part of throughout my life have shaped me into who I am today. I am incredibly grateful to every single person that has made me feel supported, loved, and empowered in different seasons of life – I believe that life was never meant for someone to do alone, and standing shoulder to shoulder alongside those who you love and care about the most in this world is what carries us through the tough times and gives us the confidence to go for our dreams. The advice I would have for anyone who are early in their journey is to simply surround yourself with a community of people that you can trust, build you up, and who you can build up right back.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I don’t think any good thing comes out of trying to make quick decisions when you are in that headspace so I do a couple of the same things each time. I immediately take a step back and try to find the source of why I’m feeling overwhelmed – is it because of a deadline I’m up against and don’t know if I can get everything done on time? Is it because I’ve gotten into an argument with my spouse and feel too distracted to be productive? The list of possibilities can go on and on but once I feel like I’ve put my finger on the main source of stress, I brainstorm ways that I can either address the issue right then or make a plan to break up my issue into smaller tasks that feel more manageable. Compartmentalization is a huge thing for me and I instantly feel better when I can focus on one small task at a time, until I’ve gained enough confidence to chip away at the bigger picture and address it head on.
Another thing that really helps me is speaking my thoughts out loud to someone I can trust that is there to simply listen and be sounding board. I instantly feel better after vocalizing everything that is on my mind and can even brainstorm with that person on how I could maybe delegate out a few tasks or take a couple of things off my plate. The validation helps with the decision-making process and having someone co-sign your thoughts when you feel unsure feels great!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.happypartyco.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/happypartyco
Image Credits
BabyShu Photo Euntae Kim Photography YoungB Photography
