How one bounce house led Downers Grove woman to start event planning business
Aimèe Tyler is a Downers Grove entrepreneur who always is looking for ways to fill the needs of others, whether that means discovering a need by chance or receiving a direct request. That drive is how her business venture, Bounce with the Brices, began.
Four years ago, Aimèe and her husband, George Tyler, were on the hunt for something to do with their two young sons amid the COVID-19 lockdown. The two thought it would be fun to rent a bounce house for the day but were shocked to find how expensive such a rental would be. It would have been so expensive, in fact, that they decided to just outright buy a bounce house for Camden, 6, and Chiylo, 4, to enjoy for the entirety of their childhoods.
"We just wanted to have something fun to do with our kids, and then after we bought it we started lending it to friends and so on," Aimèe Tyler said. "I have always been an entrepreneurial spirit, but this just naturally happened, and I've found I really love the management and ownership role."
Since Bounce with the Brices began four years ago, Aimèe has added services, employees and partnerships to the business. Today, the business not only rents bounce houses, but also does large-scale balloon installations, event rentals like champagne walls, custom signage, on-site cotton candy services and on-site glitter tattoos.
The services the business provides, however, continue to expand based on community needs, Aimèe Tyler said.
Recently, a mom posted on a Downers Grove Facebook page seeking someone to make friendship bracelets for the upcoming Taylor Swift film release, and Aimèe Tyler was happy to offer the service.
"I've just always made bracelets as a hobby, so I volunteered to help her, and she ended up posting that we did it and it turned into a ton of orders," Aimèe Tyler said.
In addition to expanding its services, Bounce with the Brices also has expanded its reach by partnering with other woman-owned small businesses in the area. After the COVID shutdowns ended, Aimèe Tyler reached out to Kimmy McKinney-Falzone, owner of Dazzling Divas, 5225 Main St., Downers Grove.
Dazzling Divas, a private spa experience for kids and teens, opened just before the pandemic struck, and when Aimèe Tyler initially approached McKinney-Falzone, the two saw the relationship as a chance to expand their businesses' revenue. Now, the women are great friends and have helped each other expand their services.
"Our relationship went from strictly business to friends, and it's been so enjoyable to work together," McKinney-Falzone said. "Aimèe is the most honest and transparent person as both a friend and a business partner, and I admire her because she's real all the way around."
Together, Aimèe Tyler and McKinney-Falzone hope to show other female entrepreneurs what is possible through support and teamwork. McKinney-Falzone said she always wants everyone to know about her partnership with Aimèe Tyler because she feels their relationship can encourage other women to support each other in business.
Aimèe Tyler, who once was nervous to even approach McKinney-Falzone, said the relationship has not only supported her business, but also has encouraged her to step outside her comfort zone and take chances on people and opportunities. She said she hopes to empower women who want to start their own business ventures.
"(McKinney-Falzone) and I have similar mindsets of wanting to be a mentor and empower our employees, clients and other women in general," Aimèe Tyler said. "I think owning a business is the American dream because you are representing yourself, and seeing other women as entrepreneurs is so exciting for me because we can encourage one another to continue to pursue that dream."