Although many businesses have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, Absolutely Yours Public Relations and Event Coordinators has seen an increase in its revenue stream as it has attracted lots of clients in need of help operating in a business landscape that is becoming more virtual.
Absolutely Yours was established in 2012 to provide services in event coordination and décor.
The business was founded and is run by Yasmin Bowman and her team. Bowman has over 25 years of experience in content creation, sales, marketing and public relations while the three members of her team specialize in other areas. They take care of preparing promotional campaigns, website design and management, mobile app development, managing social media accounts for businesses and organizations, and creating brochures, posters, and flyers. Coordinating and public relations services aside, Absolutely Yours decorates events as well.
Among its clients are UNICEF, Guyana; Organization of American States (OAS), Guyana; Caribbean Union Conference, WCAM in Trinidad; Davis Memorial Hospital, and Flatbush Seventh-Day Adventist Church in the US.
When Absolutely Yours started, it coordinated events such as weddings, church events, corporate dinners and anniversaries. A large percentage of clients came through referrals. Bowman explained that initially it was just coordinating events but then clients began requesting décor.
Bowman shared that being a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church provided her with numerous opportunities when it came to coordinating events. Up until last year, her business remained
part-time while she was employed at various organizations, her last job being a Communications Specialist in the Office of Climate Change at the Ministry of the Presidency under the previous administration. She also worked at the Guyana Telephone & Telegraph company, as Head of Marketing and Public Relations Officer at GTM Group of Insurance Companies, and in consultancy with UNICEF. These jobs helped her gain the necessary skills she now provides in her services.
While she has a host of local clients, the majority are Guyanese living in the Diaspora.
During October/November last year, Bowman coordinated an evangelical series for her church called ‘The Bible Speaks’ which was aired on the church’s Facebook page. Many people were impressed by how well it was organized and began enquiring about the person responsible. It was through this series, Bowman noted, that the business blew up resulting in Absolutely Yours providing its services full time from December. Now even full time hours are not enough; Bowman works into the wee hours of the morning trying to meet her deadlines.
With the other members on her team employed elsewhere full time, they can only work at Absolutely Yours part-time. They assist with coordinating events and décor while public relations is handled solely by Bowman.
Her services also extend to training organizations in using the Zoom app, which is in demand now with the transitioning into online work, school, and play. Absolutely Yours has coordinated and used Zoom services for funerals, said Bowman, who pointed out that with COVID still rampant, people had reached to have funeral services of loved ones viewed on Zoom as only close family members were allowed in person.
Bowman had always wanted to own her own business and by the time she was at her last job last year, she was already working on her exit strategy.
“Thank God. He alone is the source because even though I would have lost that steady income I had, I am still able to sustain myself and pay my mortgage. I now have to be the one to bring the money in so I’m up to three and four in the morning pulling long hours. I no longer have an eight to four-thirty sign off,” said Bowman.
When it comes to deadlines, she usually tells clients that she will complete the assignment for a particular day with the intention of finishing a day or two prior. Most times she gets it done on the day before or day of the deadline. “I like to keep my word. If I say I’ll take care of this, I ensure that I get it done. One of my mantras: Promise good and deliver great,” she said.
According to Bowman, since she started, she has never had a dissatisfied client.
She shared that one of the challenges she faced was that the market here is very small and there are other businesses providing similar services, but she decided not to limit herself to the local market. Having realized this early, she learnt to provide her business to clients living abroad. Bowman said that with just about everything being available online, providing a business service is easier almost anywhere in the world as long as there is an internet connection.
Bowman explained that with the restrictions many organizations were stuck “between a rock and a hard place” as they did not provide their services online or just did not know how to manage their online presence. Absolutely Yours assisted them in managing their online services and adapting to this virtual era.
An advantage of operating her business online is being able to work from home or taking vacations whenever she likes, though she noted that they are often “working vacations” as work is always coming her way.
One of the most unique services she offers is video flyers. “Some time ago somebody from California made contact with me and asked me if I knew who was the person doing my church’s flyers and when I told them I was the person, they said they wanted a video wedding invitation as some persons would be joining on Zoom. I tried creating an invitation that was moving so that it will get a little bit more attention. Everybody was doing ‘still’ flyers and I told myself I needed to find a way for my flyers to stand out from the others which is how I decided to do the video flyers,” shared Bowman.
“At the stage of my life where I’m at, as I am 50, I don’t want a situation where people decide if they want to hire me or not based on my age. That’s something I thought about some months before I decided to do the business full time. I see my business growing. Of course, I’m qualified if I want to go back into a work environment but I want to give my business a fighting chance. I’m saying if it does not work out, it should not be because I didn’t try. So, I’m working hard, putting in the hours, burning the midnight oil, and tapping into the right sources.”
Absolutely Yours has a website: www.absolutelyyours.gy; email: itsabsolutelyyours@gmail.com and its telephone numbers are: 623-9820/622-1141.