Meet Courtney Morris | Event Planner & Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Courtney Morris and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Courtney, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I decided to start my own business in hopes of following in the footsteps of my lovely mother. From a very young age, I saw how hard my mom worked to start her business from the ground up. As a single-widowed mother, who was laid off from her job during the Great Recession, she had no other choice than to make her passions profitable. Even though I was young, I understood the pressure on her to create a successful business. After years of hard work, she has become one of the most well known designers in Houston. And I’m so proud! Her actions have inspired me to follow my own path to success. I have always wanted to work for myself and be just like her.

After graduating from the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Florida International University, I began working in the hospitality and event industry. I fell in love with events and decided to pursue my dreams of being an event planner. The thought process behind starting my own business ultimately was that I knew if I stayed consistent and produced quality work I would be able to run a recognizable and successful small business.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

The goal in my event planning business is to create memorable, unique, and turnkey experiences for my clients. I created my business with the idea of limitless creativity because my expression of art through events transforms into outside of the box ideas. I want the world and my audience to know that I pride myself in providing creative direction, expert execution, and phenomenal outcomes to any project or event I do. I make sure to work with my clients to bring their vision to life.

Getting to this point in my business really took consistency, quality work, and determination. I’d say the only easy part for me was the creative side of event planning. I am also an artist and I grew up with an interior designer as mother, so the event design part of my business came naturally to me. I knew I could use my creativity and artistic skills to make quality work and content, but as an entrepreneur you must figure out how to do everything else for yourself. That includes learning to build your website, marketing and SEO, and even bookkeeping. Any challenges I faced, I had to overcome them on my own through research or trial and error. A lesson I learned about determination in creating a successful business is that you will do whatever it takes to find solutions to any problems or challenges.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My favorite spots in the city start with Buffalo Bayou Park. The Eleanor Tinsley side of the part is where I hold most of my Perfect Picnics events. I love taking nice walks and seeing the Houston skyline, then setting up a picnic to enjoy the view.

As for going out to eat or getting drinks, the River Oaks area has all my favorite places. Restaurants like RA Sushi, Le Colonial, or Toulouse are my go to for yummy food. Also, definitely check out Hidden Omakase for a unique experiential chef’s tasting led by Chef Niki Vongthong. I am a foodie, so eating out is where I have most of my fun!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to give a shoutout to Kifer Goodluck at Keif’s Catering. He caters all of my events and has the most delicious food! He is very professional and responsive, I love working with him and his team for my events.

Website: www.courtneymorriscollective.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneymorriscollective/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CourtneyMorrisCollective

Image Credits
Chino Angles