With her company Kids Party Planner, Rachel Pietersma has a fairy-tale factory that enchants every birthday – or other occasion – with the craziest surprises. Nothing is too crazy. In fact: the crazier, the better.
I can arrange anything‘. Let’s start from the beginning. Pietersma studied social pedagogy and worked at a children’s day care centre for eight years. ‘But I wanted to be more creative. In America it is quite normal for busy parents to hire a party planner to organise a party for their children. That idea appealed to me. I didn’t know anything about business, but I just started.‘
She started six years ago with parties for friends and family, and thanks to a fast-growing network and word-of-mouth advertising, her phone is now ringing off the hook. From baby showers to sweet-sixteen parties: we come up with the best concepts. In the Netherlands, girls often want a princess theme and boys do something with superheroes. That is fun, but we can do so much more. Examples? A fair with merry-go-rounds, a candyfloss stall and candy girls. Or a thousand-and-one-night party with camels, belly dancers and fortune tellers. We can also book artists. And if you need a helicopter or super yacht tomorrow, we can arrange it too. That may well cost something? Pietersma laughs. Ah, some parents buy a car, others prefer to give a good party for their child because they themselves also enjoy it enormously. Now you want to know which Quote 500 members call me? Well, plenty, but I do not mention names.’ Pietersma is involved in every scenario and prefers to attend all parties herself – about twelve a month – but also started a high-end nanny service. That idea came from Kids Party Planner. I now work with ninety qualified nannies who look after children in luxury hotels such as the Okura or the Amstel, take them to the Artis Zoo or on other outings. This is going so well that I am thinking about a franchise model for the whole of the Netherlands and abroad’. So there is still plenty to work on. For her ultimate dream, we return for a moment to the glamorous party scene. Radiant smile: ‘A children’s party for Beyoncé would be really cool. Right, that’s how we like it: a healthy dose of ambition and the courage to dream out loud. Fairy tales are best when you believe in them!
ENTREPRENEURIAL TIP FROM RACHEL PIETERSMA:
The customer deserves the best version of you. So always be honest, nice and involved, because then people will give you the best.
– Styling Jeroen Kamphorst, hair and make-up Liselotte van Saarloos – EE Agency for MAC Cosmetics, Kevin Murphy & TUSH Brushes, suit Baum und Pferdgarten, shoes Gucci –