Prior to starting Celebelle, I spent the majority of my professional life as a C-Suite Executive Assistant and Administrative Manager for family-run businesses. A Nashville native, I moved to Texas to spread my wings in the late 90s. When I lived in Texas, I was fortunate to fall in with and work for a serial entrepreneur who owned a commercial paint company, five restaurants/bars, and a large parcel of real estate in the Riviera Maya in Mexico, upon which he built an ecological subdivision. Working as his Administrative Manager for 13 years allowed me to hone my administrative skills across a broad range of industries as well as pick up a number of complementary skills such as graphic design, event planning, employee management, and bookkeeping. And needless to say, the variety of tasks that fell on my plate on a daily basis perfectly prepared me to juggle the demands of my own business.
"It's pronounced, "Cell-ee-belle."
When it came time to pick a name for the new business, I wanted something that made me feel happy, was unique, and that could stand the test of time. My Mom's nickname for me growing up was "Celebelle," and not only did that name give me all the feels, but since my mom was one of the hardest working, smartest, and most organized women, I knew it felt like having my Mom's voice in my head reminding me to always work hard and give it my best. Some of my first clients were people who knew me through working with my Mom!
I started Celebelle in 2010 with the aim of providing top-notch administrative and creative support to other entrepreneurs and small businesses. It was fantastic! Nashville is such a great place for entrepreneurs, and there are so many opportunities to connect with possible clients and, in turn, make referrals. The thing I love about the Celebelle business model is that most of our clients are able to utilize multiple services. They may start as a creative services client and then add on admin support or vice versa. Some clients are project-driven, and some are daily. The main thing is finding the right fit and doing our best to provide great service.
Once Celebelle had a handful of established clients and I had a moment to come up for air, I realized that the logo and branding I'd thrown together to get started didn't really reflect the identity I wanted. I turned again to my Mom (whose unique handwriting I'd always admired) and asked her to write out the company name so that it could be scanned and digitized. The early brand colors were dropped in favor of a crisp and clean look with black, white, and Celebelle teal blue.
A couple of years in, Celebelle turned a new page when I partnered with my sister-in-law, Janin Otwell, who brought artistic skills galore to the table. Joining forces allowed us to grow professionally and also allowed us both the freedom to give our children (who were little at the time) the attention and care they needed. The kids grew, and happily, so did Celebelle. Celebelle’s tagline is Creative Services || Better Business. Our mission is to be a one-stop-shop for entrepreneurs and small to medium size businesses. Having Janin, a Savannah College of Art and Design graduate, as head of our Creative Services, and me with 30 years of executive administrative/bookkeeping services as head of our Business Services is a perfect pairing.
Since Janin came on board, we have steadily grown and built a wonderful group of clients from a variety of industries. We've learned a ton about being entrepreneurs and embraced the boutique nature of the customized services we provide. And we've expanded our team with some terrific staff. After retiring as the most bad-ass legal secretary in Nashville, my Mom actually helped out a bit with Celebelle. It was a joy to work with her and to realize how much we viewed organizational tasks and professional work in the same way. In 2010, when I chose the name Celebelle, I knew I wanted that little piece of my Mom to be a part of this venture, but I couldn't have predicted that we would lose her to cancer just six years later. There'd be no Celebelle without Patti Snow, and I'm thankful to have been able to share part of the creative process with her.