Meet Kristen Miller | Founder

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

Hi Kristen, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Since my youth, I knew that I wanted to find a career that complimented my friendly and magnetic personality.

Upon obtaining a degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management, I worked at the world-class Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa in Sonoma, California. This assignment confirmed that the hospitality industry was the perfect fit for me.

Flash forward a few years in the sales and events department, I moved on to a local event planning company, So Eventful, where my focus was on the planning and execution of events, including weddings, celebrations, corporate events, and more. It was with this employer that I gained my experience in servicing Indian weddings and events. With a focus in Hindu and Sikh ceremonies, I quickly found my love for working with our Indian clientele who, upon taking me under their wings, have taught me so much about their culture and family traditions.

During my successful career as a wedding and event planner in California, I noticed a shortage of cultural event rental companies in the California region, finding that there were limited Indian rental companies to service my clients’ cultural needs.

This is why my company Cultural Event Rentals was founded.

My friends and family thought I was nuts, but, ready to embark on my own business venture, I made the leap in 2018 and purchased my first order from India! And, I have not looked back!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My previous career involved engaging with clients in high-end hospitality establishments, consistently exceeding standards of excellence, and creating lifetime memories for my clients.

With over a decade of experience as an event planner, I understand the need for quality rentals, the process involved in preparing an event, the relationship between all of the vendors, and, most importantly, how to make the clients dream become a reality.

So… in 2018, I was literally in a garage with one of my friends and thought about… how can I create a niche? I can’t’ keep on doing 30-40 weddings a year, being an event planner… that will run me out of steam.

So, I thought about the fact that I specialize in Indian weddings… and, thought about how hard it is for me to source cultural items locally in California.

Which brought me to my next thought… Why not try and import the furniture my clients need, and I can rent items to my clients?

My mom has a warehouse on her property?

It all seemed like it could work… as crazy as my idea was.

So, I thought about a name, created a logo, and never looked back. I approached my mom about the warehouse, I went online and emailed a million vendors in India, and took the next 3 – 5 months looking for my first vendor who would create my first order. And I did. My vendor was amazing and in another 6 months, I had my first shipping container show up at my warehouse.

It all lined up.

I never thought about the WHAT IF’s… I never thought about WHAT IF this doesn’t work. I just did it.

That would be my biggest advice to others starting a company… just do it. Obviously, you have to think about the company itself, but, WHAT IF IT DOES WORK!

There was no guide book, and I honestly have never even been to India, so the idea of creating an Indian furniture rental company seemed so far out of my league, I wanted a challenge and it seemed exciting.

It hasn’t been easy, but I wake up every day, feeling proud of myself for creating such a unique company. There are a lot of ups and downs, so many lessons to be learned, when owning a company, especially when importing furniture. There are a lot of hoops to jump through, but it is all worth it. Finding, creating and maintaining relationships with my vendors who are overseas in India takes work and I am here to put in the work. It takes a team and I have found the best of the best, learning how to import furniture along the way.

There is no dream too big… mine was just a dream, and I turned it into a reality.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would take my friend to the river and enjoy an afternoon in the sun. We would pack a cooler, pick up sandwiches and enjoy each other’s company.
I would bring yoga mats and we would practice some yoga outside, while laughing and catching up on life.
We would have a speaker, playing all of our favorite tunes.
I would bring my dog and we would have him swim in the river, throwing sticks and balls for him.
I would then take her back to my house and we would have a BBQ dinner with more friends.
If she didn’t want to cook at home, I would bring her to sushi or ramen!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My mom had/has so much faith in me. I would not be here today if she didn’t believe me. So, I want to thank my mother, who always believes in me, no matter how crazy of an idea I have.

Website: https://www.culturaleventrentals.com/index.php

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/culturaleventrentals/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristen-miller-70522022/

Other: Catalog: https://www.culturaleventrentals.com/rentals.php

Image Credits
Holly D Photos www.HollyDPhotos.com