We had the good fortune of connecting with Racael Monroe and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Racael, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
Born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana (a small city), I knew I wanted more than the normal! 13 years ago I literally heard God say go!! I didn’t know anyone in Houston and all of my family were very close and located in Shreveport. Raised with my grandfather the pastor of our home church and I was the musician, moving stung a bit, but I heard God’s voice clearly! Obedience is always better than SACRIFICE! Getting settled into Houston I begin to wear many hats and had to come out of my shell! I was now having to rely on my own Faith and prayers which made my relationship with God more intimate!! I renewed my vows with my husband and had a horrible experience with our wedding planner and photographer, which caused me to want to get involved with doing weddings! I started off making floral arrangements then renting linen to catering, then a freelance photographer! I absolutely loved it all and just the experience of serving others makes me genuinely happy!! I get so warm and tingly inside when I know a person is getting served well and we are going above and beyond with our customer service to make sure everything is perfect for each client.
After being told I couldn’t have kids I found out I was pregnant in 2013 with my second child! And the pregnancy slowed me down with events so I became a teacher! After teaching a few years I wasn’t truly happy doing what I love anymore! When Covid hit, I had just started working as a catering coordinator and absolutely LOVED my job! It was back on track to serving and doing events! Covid laid me off and I literally played around with my cricut machine and began making matching mask and shirts! My parents were both struck with Covid severely so immediately we headed to Louisiana to live for some months temporarily to take care of them! There was no income coming in but I heard God say sow a seed! My seed wasn’t financially because I didn’t have the finances but a friend had blessed me with shirts and materials to learn and practice making shirts and mask! I sown a seed of a t-shirt to one beautiful teacher in Louisiana, she wore that shirt and the entire school wanted it as well as the softball team, the JR ROTC, the staff and more! That one school was my family’s source of income for two years! All from obedience and sowing! It allowed me to take care of my home and my parents as well! God is so faithful! April 2021 I heard God’s voice so clear said start a ministry! I heard that before in 2014, however I never acted on it because I wasn’t yet delivered from PEOPLE! The what will people think, and the FEAR. I had to spiritually mature more and grow tougher skin.
So this time when God spoke again I immediately obeyed! God gave us the name Sacrifice Now Ministries, which the NOW was an acronym for Night Of Worship, so we thought! God had more plans! We started worshiping once a month just pure prophetic worship! Out of that came deliverance and the need to teach spiritual warfare , weekly warfare classes, Bible study, and more. I remember having a meeting with the team telling them how it would be amazing if we had our own private space and we could open it to the community to do whatever! From Events, to baby showers, weddings, quinces, worship services, pop ups, video shoots, fashion shows you name it ! And I literally spoke, how cool it would be if it was on the one year anniversary! Well GOD did just THAT!!! In April 2 weeks after being laid off we were driving by a space that was a gym (the old spring fitness FM 2920) and we were calling asking about the old gym equipment for our friends and the conversation changed to asking lease information. It happened all so fast, weeks from that moment I was signing a lease to Sacrifice Event Space! And on May 27, we had our worship night in our new space without the team knowing it was ours! We were able to surprise them with Sacrifice Event Space!
I always loved doing events and weddings and now to have a very unique space to offer that to our community was a complete dream! I never complained when I got laid off, in fact Some will tell you I rejoiced because I trusted the God we serve to do exceedingly and in a major way of abundance!
Sacrifice Event Space offers over 3200 of square feet of space with high ceilings for your bouncy houses, tables and chairs included, WiFi, office/private suite, food prep area, (microwave, fridge, and sink) Bluetooth speaker, 65 inch tv, 2 restrooms , plenty parking, amazing customer service, CLEAN RESTROOMS, amazing atmosphere and ridiculously low prices!!!!
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I always loved doing events and weddings and now to have a very unique space to offer that to our community was a complete dream! I never complained when I got laid off, in fact Some will tell you I rejoiced because I trusted the God we serve to do exceedingly and in a major way of abundance!
Sacrifice Event Space offers over 3200 of square feet of space with high ceilings for your bouncy houses, tables and chairs included, WiFi, office/private suite, food prep area, (microwave, fridge, and sink) Bluetooth speaker, 65 inch tv, 2 restrooms , plenty parking, amazing customer service, CLEAN RESTROOMS, amazing atmosphere and ridiculously low prices!!!!
It HAS DEFINITELY NOT been easy at all! I have no rich parents, no rich uncle, none of which that could have helped with the funding! I literally had to do things on my own!!!! When I got laid off in April 2022, God told me to write the vision and make it plain! He encouraged me to write a business plan for our event space as if we had the money along with the space and I had two Buffalo nickels to rub together!!! But again I obeyed! I stayed up for weeks til 4am writing a business plan and very detailed writing how I wanted high ceilings and surround sound and etc. I HAD FAITH!I applied for several startup funding and kept being denied because a startup grant/loan wants you in business, and filing taxes for two years plus. That to me is NOT a startup. I applied for tons of grants and loans and everything and kept being denied! Then I started studying YouTube and learning different information on building my credit and in those couple of months I personally had raised my own credit score and applied for business credit. It wasn’t much at all, but along with my savings and the small business credit,this started the ball moving.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love to eat so definitely going to Shoguns would be top of my list along with bowling definitely the movies and we would eat at Woodsons Grill as well! Maybe catch a fun comedy show at the Improv! And take some time to get an awesome day of pampering!!!
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Our Ministry Sacrifice Now Ministries
Website: twhllc.org
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sacrificeeventspace/
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085343495895
Youtube: https://youtu.be/9xLvC2WQH_8
Other: Sacrificenowministries.com