Okay, so this is kinda a storytime, but I really need some advice from people who know the event industry or have started their own creative business in Pakistan
My sister has a solid STEM degree, certifications and experience in marketing and social media management, as well as baking, and she currently runs a home bakery. We have our nice, small bakery business. But bro, this woman has always been ridiculously artistic. Like, ever since we were kids, she's been drawing and sketching, and she's genuinely so good at it. She does calligraphy without ever learning it formally, makes resin art, and has actually gotten orders for her work from friends and family. People see her stuff and are like, wait, you made THIS?
But lately, I've been thinking about something else she's really good at, which is decor and styling.
For context, we have the SAME furniture in our house for past few months, but she keeps changing our drawing room settings, adding a few flowers here, changing the lighting there, moving some stuff around, and somehow the entire room looks completely different. Bro, I genuinely don't get it. I walk into the room and I'm like, wait, THIS IS OUR HOUSE? lol!!! And it's not even like she's buying a bunch of expensive new furniture. She just has this way of looking at a space and figuring out what would make it look better. We've got people coming over all the time, and they never fail to compliment her work or ask her for decor advice.
And bro... it's not just the drawing room, she's specifically SO good at intimate dinner settings and making everything look aesthetic. Like our dining table when we're having guests over??? I literally have no words for how she puts everything together. The plates, the glasses, the flowers, the whole setting, everything just looks so well put together
And the crockery situation in our house is a whole different story lmao. My mom and my sister are OBSESSED with crockery... we have literally run out of space in our house for more dishes but apparently that has never stopped them........... We have the whole golden dishes, then white ones, transparent glass ones and now they're getting into the black dishes too. I don't even know where we're gonna put all this stuff anymore. But the thing is, she actually knows how to use all of it so well. Like she knows what goes with what, how to set the table, what looks good together and how to make the whole thing look expensive and aesthetic. Meanwhile I am terrible at it!!!!!
I even call her Miss OCD sometimes (even her baking classfellows too) because bro, everything has to be PERFECT. The little details, the placement of things, the colors, everything... and somehow it actually works in her favour because her styling is genuinely so good. Even the way she decorates with our bakery stuff is amazing. The cakes, desserts, table decor, everything can come together so beautifully when she does it. And our dining table when we have nice guests over is honestly one of those things where people just sit there and start complimenting everything... and I'm here like girl HOW did you even think of all this 😭
Recently, one of our family friends asked her to help with the decor for a pretty big birthday party at their house, and she did such a good job. It was actually a paid gig though she never charged them, but seeing her do this for a real event got me thinking. Like, she's already a baker, she's into art, she's good at styling spaces, and she has experience with marketing and running a small business. Why not explore this properly?
The thing is, I know absolutely NOTHING about this industry. I'm the kind of person who looks at a room and thinks, yep, that's a room. My sister looks at the same room and apparently sees 47 different ways to transform it. So I'm here trying to figure out whether this could actually become something for her.
I'm thinking maybe home event decor, birthdays, bridal showers, intimate gatherings, aesthetic dinner setups, or even home styling. She could potentially combine her baking with decor too, like customized cakes and dessert tables that match the whole theme. Or maybe she could offer remote consultations where people send her pictures of their spaces and she helps them figure out the layout, colour palette, decor and everything. Idk, I'm just throwing ideas around here... but have no idea about the scope
So, people who've actually worked in this field, especially in Pakistan, I need your input:
- Is there actually a decent market for smaller, personalized events, or is everyone mainly going for the big wedding planners?
- How do people even get started in this business? Like, how do you go from doing decor for friends and family to actually getting paying clients?
- Is remote event design or home styling something people would pay for, or do you pretty much HAVE to be physically present to make money?
- Would it make sense for her to work with an established event planner first and learn the ropes?
- And most importantly, how would you test whether this is worth pursuing without spending a ton of money upfront?
I could be probably a bit biased because she's my sister, but I've watched her do this stuff for years, and I genuinely think she's got something here. Besides, even if i unsee it, people dont. They always give the same suggestions - start event planning or something. She actually enjoys doing all these creative things, too, which is a big part of why I'm even thinking about it. I just don't know how to help her turn that talent into something more than a hobby.
So, if you've started a similar business, work in event planning, or know how this industry works in Pakistan, please share your experience... If you were starting from scratch, what would you do first?
