Today we’d like to introduce you to Cindy Dervech.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Breezin Entertainment was started out of the necessity for childcare. Yes, you heard it right, childcare, not because of some great entrepreneurial spirit or desire for building a successful business empire, but a plain and simple need to find a reasonable solution for lack of good quality, flexible child care for a working mother. After Cindy Dervech got pregnant and had her children, the successful catering director left the office at 5:30 p.m. to resent other employees. The poor schedule of her children’s childcare center gave her no choice. Her infant son continually got sick, picking up various illnesses from exposure to the other children at the facility. After shuttling him to and from the doctors and trying to balance her duties at work versus her motherhood responsibilities and concerns, she eventually quit her job at the Sheraton Grand Hotel (Currently The Westshore Grand). She started Breezin Entertainment out of her South Tampa home. It was a perfect fit. She could take care of her family and continue to work without having to give up her career. The only Dilemma was what kind of business to start. The perfect marriage two-fold; as husband and wife Steve and Cindy Dervech created a wonderful family, then again as partners in life, they combined their careers and created their business Breezin Entertainment. With Cindy’s background in catering, hotel management of talent, they could create a business that they could operate from home and earn a living at. That was 1988 and now it is 2020, Over 30 years later and we are not working from home anymore. We now have a 3,500 square foot corporate office located off Swann Avenue in the heart of South Tampa. We currently employ two full-time employees and one part-time as well as over 1,000 independent contractors.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Some of the adversity that we have faced are those that most businesses face with growth. However, three issues have been our greatest hurdles to overcome. First, there was the fallout from the attacks of 9/11. As a nation dealt with the tragedy that existed, the hospitality industry in Florida came to a halt, and the results were business cancelations and loss of sales. However, we adjusted, and Breezin Entertainment went on sale. We had to work harder and do more volume, but we were able to keep our heads above water and ride out the aftermath of 9/11 while helping to lift our clients’ spirits and provide a service of fun. Our Motto here at Breezin is “We Sell Fun.” We are so fortunate to provide such positive, uplifting services to our community, and we are grateful for the opportunity each day. Our second major adversity faced was in 2004, after the four hurricanes came through the state of Florida. Once again, this situation’s ripple effect was the mass cancellation of events and sales loss. Breezin Entertainment had to adjust one more time and work a little bit harder to keep our employees on board and fulfill our financial responsibilities while refunding clients involved in the canceled events. It was a tough time, but we overcame. Another Major Adversity face has been an ongoing problem. That of hiring the right staff. We have had to take a good look at our recruiting and hiring practices and re-evaluate the way we did, employ, and retain our staff., First, there are no more spontaneous purchases or job offers. WE have sat down without management staff and realized that we are experts at entertainment and novices at hiring, so we spent six months taking classes to improve our management and hiring skills and learn how to recruit and retain your staff properly.
We have learned that it is better to wait for the right, qualified person to make things work. When you force a square peg in a round hole, you get a misfit, and we cannot afford to keep making bad hiring choices. It costs the company financially and hurts your reputation and credibility. We have made such progress in this area that our current staff has been with us for at least two years or more, and all new hires are a result of our recent growth, filing positive newly created, not replacing staff. Another Adversity faced was in dealing with the economic downturn of early 2008. Like most businesses today, we saw a decrease in sales due to the outward market conditions. As a business that depends on a consumer’s discretionary income source, we had to come up with an idea of diversification that did not continue to focus on the same market. However, we also wanted to be able to utilize those relationships and connections that we built over the last 30 years. We looked at a few different business ventures. Some were good and some not so good, but we were not willing to give up. This economy was not going to be the downfall of Breezin’ Entertainment. We had faith that with time, the market would rebound to the days of the past, allowing people to spend more of the discretionary income. Until then, we had to find an additional income source to replace those sales lost and create future business growth.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Breezin Entertainment and Productions is a Full-Service Entertainment Agency and Wedding Planning Company. We are dedicated to being your ambassadors of fun and helping you create a memorable experience through entertainment and helping brides and grooms make their dream weddings a reality. Our Entertainment Agency is licensed, bonded, and insured with over 30 years of experience in the Tampa Bay Area. Whether you are an event planner or personally coordinating your first event, we will provide you with professional services and premier entertainment. Our many years of experience and professional expertise can help take the pressure off you! With thousands of acts to choose from, we are dedicated to finding the perfect entertainment for your function, budget, and demographics. Our roster of entertainers includes D.J.’s, bands, individual musicians, National Acts, Children’s entertainment such as clowns, face painters, and caricature artist, Comedians, Novelty acts, Fire Eaters, dancers and much more.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
The Advise I have for people just starting their career or business is to keep trying. Nothing is going to be easy and the process is going to take long days and nights but if you never try you are never going to know if something you are doing is worth it. When you find out what you love and are passionate about, then grab it by the horns and hold on to it. As Stevie Jobs said, “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.”
Pricing:
- DJ Services $750
- Interactive Performers $325+
- Cigar Roller 700+
Contact Info:
- Address: 3711 W. Swann Ave
- Email: Cindyd@breezin.com
- Website: www.Breezin.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breezinentertainment/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breezinentertainment
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/home
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHN-ofx_tX3tqc0rvbfxXzw?view_as=subscriber
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