Meet Rasha Shammaa | Venue Manager & Business Development Consultant

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

Hi Rasha, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
Not everything we do in life whether in our personal life or career will be successful, however I don’t think we should ever give up. Instead, we can change our approach, and try something new or rewrite the story altogether. No one anticipated a global pandemic that would halt the economy and disrupt the events industry, but the stories emerging behind many individuals are nothing short of inspiring. In the case of the Bougainvilleas Event Venue, all our events between mid March and October were cancelled or rescheduled within a week. Don’t get me wrong, things looked very dark for a while until we decided to turn our commercial kitchen into a takeout kitchen. Our only goal was to retain our hardworking staff, and while it was very difficult not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, look how far we’ve come. It’s been seven months, and not one employee has been laid off. We worked harder than ever and kept trying new things. Some worked. Some didn’t, but we would’ve never known unless we stayed the course. Remember, there are no shortcuts to any place worth going.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My work ethic masters multitasking while giving every client that walks through our doors my undivided attention. Being a mother to three boys has been instrumental in making me fast and efficient. The Bougainvilleas punches above its weight, When people see the quality of our work they assume our staff is a large army, when in a fact we are a small business operated by five dedicated professionals. Of course, getting here was not easy and required many hours and long nights of tireless work. I skipped out on many outings with friends, and the family settled for many pizza nights. My husband took care of the kids most weekends so I could focus on my work. I’ve learned to be patient and that surrounding yourself with the right people is key to your success. I’ve also learned that no matter how much you plan, things are constantly changing and you have to make adjustments along the way. Lastly, sometimes focusing on your end goal can be overwhelming, so setting up smaller goals to get there might be a better approach to successfully reach your destination. Every team member at our business pours their heart and soul into perfecting their craft each day. And no matter how business is going we never fail to support our community. During the pandemic our business owner put her employees first. Currently I am most excited about the opening of our second location in Cypress, something we’ve dreamt about for years.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
NASA would definitely be on the list as a day trip, as well as Kemah. One of my favorite restaurants there is Pier 8, they serve fresh and delicious red snapper. We would probably catch brunch at Pecan Creek Grille on one of those days, and enjoy an evening strolling in City Centre. The 1940 Air Terminal Museum would probably be one of our stops as well as Discovery Green. Other restaurants we would include are Cafe Caspian and Thai Gourmet, but most importantly can’t forget about dessert at Tarrascos Ice Cream!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I wouldn’t have made it this far without the guidance of Badra Andrews, Owner of the Bougainvilleas Event Venue. I also couldn’t have gotten this far without the unwavering support of my husband, who never stopped encouraging me, or my family who are always there for me.

Website: TheBougainvilleas.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bougainvilleas_houston/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/3799764
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bougainvilleasr
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BougainvilleasHouston/
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-bougainvilleas-houston
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqKpI-n5I3GRkKXVUU5JtMw?view_as=subscriber
Other: Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/bougainvilleas/_created/ New Sister location ThousandOaksCypress.com

Image Credits
Ammar Selo Photography