Meet Cecilia Martinez | Balloon Artist & Event Planner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cecilia Martinez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cecilia, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
From my family I’ve always been the one to be excited for holidays & birthday parties. Many can say I’m a little EXTRA when it comes to decorations. Which I am I can’t deny that , the only reason why I’m like this is because I didn’t have that opportunity growing up I didn’t have big parties or a quince like many girls, my birthdays were simple and small. Some say it’s crazy to say but I always told my self the day I have my children I want to give them everything I didn’t have. But let’s fast forward to 2019 when the pandemic hit, we had planned a huge event for my sons baptism and unfortunately due to Covid we had to cancel our entire event. Invitations were thrown away calls were made to cancel venue and music . I was so depressed I needed something to keep my mind busy, I started off with making “masks” it lasted a few weeks , then everyone started making masks. I sat with my husband asking him how can I help what can I do to stay busy then I started seeing people post about “drive by birthday parties” I was like “HEY! How hard can it be to blow up some balloons ?” But let me tell you Ohhhh it was hard , specially being a rookie, I didn’t know what brands were good I asked other small businesses for help , I was brushed off because I was a no body. I then said fine don’t help me. I’ll check YouTube, YouTube was my teacher for my do’s and don’t method’s. I then created my Instagram i remember laying in bed at 1am , thinking what am I doing ? What am I going to name it? But what if ?… my name is Cecilia which is were “Lia” comes in play for “Lias.Balloons” I started posting picture of past “family” events i did for my nephew and son. I then started getting clients for balloon garlands which was a complete success I didn’t know how to price at first because Mr.YouTube didn’t show me or tell me how to price my items. But any who, I started to master this new item that was trending the famous “balloon bouquets” ….& from there I never looked back

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Wow! Where do I start ? Was it easy ? Nothing in life is easy, but it is fun! From laying in bed creating an Instagram late at night to now almost having 5K followers !! I’m proud to say that all my followers are real followers. I’m this industry I’ve learned that not everyone is going to help you many keep the way they work a secret but I didn’t I took time to help overs start their own business gave them the tools to be a small business owner , I gave a balloon class I want to say maybe 8 people & omg that was so much fun! I was still learning the tricks and building my own business but I said to my self “Girl why not ? No one helped me let me help You!”

Something that sets me apart from others can be the way I treat my clients , I don’t see my clients as a money sign I see them as a friend many as family (who pay you obviously) Im blessed to be part of every single event from gender reveals to baby showers to first birthdays even baptism! Lias Balloons will forever be honored to be part of your events !

I started off with simple “setups” my husband and I made our backdrops our selfs at that time we didn’t have the funds to buy backdrops or anything expensive (for my business) so we winged it we made it not knowing what we were doing. I paid close attention to was he did when creating my backdrops, until one day I needed some backdrops made and he was stuck at work I needed them for an upcoming event so I said “if he did it so can I” & now I make my own backdrops (I’m proud of me)

If I can say a lesson I’ve learned is always mark your mock ups because other people will steal your ideas and claim them as their own ! Ohhhh it’s happened to me with this “popular small balloon business” she literally posted my MOCK UP on her page , gave that client a cheaper price and recreated my mock-up brought it to life and said “this is all done by me” LESSON LEARNED

We BELIVE in Quality over Quantity!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Im a foodie ! I love trying out new places and if I had a friend or family coming out to visit I would take them to @Ave26familynightmarket , so many small businesses, food , vendors and entertainment!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First off I would like to shoutout my husband , my parents , sister , aunt & in laws. Everyone who has been there since day one. From friends to family.

Here are some small businesses who have had my back throughout my journey ,

Shoutout to @alehhmadeit (ale) for being there by my side since day one, she’s been such a huge support as a friend and also as a small business she helped me when I was in my “balloon bouquet chapter” she made all my crazy ideas come to life.

Shoutout to @that_wood_be_cool (Claudia) for being such a good friend , this friendship started through Instagram. She is now my GO TO GIRL! I’ll be like “Amigaaa , I have this idea” & if it wasn’t for her my set ups now wouldnt be the quality they are.

& last but not least my husband , my right hand. He has been there to put my crown back on my head when I cry and get frustrated (yes being a small business owner is stressful) he has helped me become the successful business woman I am now. If he sees me stressed or sad/crying at the moment he will tell me “babe you are a bad as* b**** you got this!” Gracias amor por estar a mi lado en las buenas y las malas. He plays a huge role in my business from handy man to my driver to my balloon sprayer lol .

Instagram: @Lias.Balloons

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063638193831&mibextid=LQQJ4d