Meet Holly Young with Yard Love Tangi!
When did you start your Yard Love business?
I was lucky enough to start with Yard Love Greetings in May of this year. I started seeing signs around here and there, and I was very curious how to start it. Of course, I looked online to start my own business by buying graphics individually and it just wasn’t adding up. I looked at a few different companies, but I felt extremely comfortable with my conversation with Carrie and Yard Love. You know how when something is right and you have a good feeling about it, it’s probably the right choice!
What did you do before starting your Yard Love business or what do you do along with your business?
I’ve owned a coupon magazine called Lucky Bucks Coupon Book for the past 10 years and I have been a nail technician for 33 years. The magazine is well-known magazine here and I was lucky enough to buy it from the previous owner. LuckybucksLa.com
Do you work your business full time or part time?
I consider myself part-time but on my way to full-time hopefully soon!
What’s the best part of owning your Yard Love business?
There are so many “best parts” to being an affiliate of Yard Love Greetings. Of course, the best part is making people happy and spreading joy and laughter! I love seeing people smiling every single time I do a sign. I also love the gratitude they have when I’m setting up a greeting. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve left a setup in tears because of how happy and grateful they are! I also love the creativity and color of the greetings. It’s my therapy and creative outlet. It’s almost as if I zone out when I’m making these signs! I also like the freedom of riding around to new subdivisions and areas that I’ve never seen before and soaking in the sights.
What is your favorite trick of the trade that’s made your job easier?
My favorite trick of the trade is when I’m setting up my letters, I have a handy tool that my husband made me. He put string on two very large nails and that’s how I lineup the Happy Birthday signs. I also learned from another affiliate to barely touch/overlap the sides of each letter and it helps to align them a lot better. That was really a lifesaver for me!
Do you have a special response you’ve gotten from setting up a sign that you can share?
The best response I’ve gotten from a greeting was when I did a sign for a 10-year-old little girl named Adlyn. Her mom filmed her coming down the street in the car and when they got there she did flips to the sign! She was a gymnast. It was the funniest thing ever! When she got to the sign she just stood there and stared! It was so cute!
What is your favorite graphic?
There are so many, but the ones that really stand out are the “It’s a Boy” and “It’s a Girl” setup! I also like doing gender reveals.
Have you ever been caught-in-the-act of setting up a surprise greeting for someone? Tell us about it.
I have most certainly been caught in the act while putting up a greeting! I was doing a sweet 16 for a girl and she spent the night out at a friend’s house, however she came home earlier than they expected. She drove up and put her hands over her mouth and started crying when she saw the sign. Well, of course I started crying too because the fact that something so simple can mean the world to someone is just so amazing! After I composed myself, I got in my car and drove the block and saw her still standing by the sign with her hands over her mouth in disbelief! It was awesome!
What is your favorite custom or unique sign you’ve done?
My favorite custom or unique sign was for a young man coming home from the Army and I did a Welcome Home soldier sign right on Main Street in Hammond. It was very simple yet meant so much. He was only 17, still in high school, and finished basic training. His family was so proud of him!
What is one idea that helped you grow your business?
The one idea that helped me grow my business is to always, always, always post on social media! I believe in advertising 100%, rather it be free or $500! You must advertise! You have to get yourself out there. I also leave a thank you note and some of my coupon magazines on customer’s doorsteps when I pick up. I have an ad in the magazine for Yard Love with a $10 off your next greeting. This has helped on a few occasions with people rebooking. Also, you never know who will be at a person’s party. I always leave cards so that they can set them out on the counter to get picked up by possible customers.
What advice would you provide to someone getting started?
My advice to someone getting started is, before even receiving your starter graphics, go on social media and blast it all over! “COMING SOON TO YOUR AREA!” Another piece of advice is to always respond to all phone calls and emails very quickly. There’s a ton of competition out there that’s just a phone call away. People are impatient and want to know info right away especially if they’re planning something soon.
Tell us something that people may not know about you.
Something that people may not know about me is that I am a die-hard New Orleanian! I was raised there, even though I live on the outskirts now, I am a true Who Dat and love everything about the Big Easy! Our diverse culture, food, accent, ambiance, friendliness, architecture and so much more! I also used to live right-on the world-famous Bourbon Street on top of one of my four nightclubs that I owned. I oversaw parties and sales at our biggest nightclub. This gave me the experience I needed in sales today and dealing with public and many situations. I learned how to work in an all man’s world, and I could probably overcome any situation now.
Tell us about your family.
I’ve been married to my husband Marc for 8 years. Neither one of us had children previously so we decided to become foster parents to adopt children. It took us about 5 years to finally get two siblings that are brothers. I became a mom at 50! We got them three years ago at ages 9 and 11. Their names are Dylan and Ethan and are in the 7th and 8th grades. In December of 2017 we got a call that their biological mom had another baby, and it was also a boy. We fought hard to get him and didn’t get him until November of 2018 when he was almost a year old. It took us a year to adopt him. His name is George Grey and is now almost 3 years old. Our family is surrounded by a lot of sports activities. If we’re not watching it on TV, we’re attending different games at the local university, recreation park for the boys’ games, and hopefully soon we can take them to a New Orleans Saints game.
