Uguanda Simpson with Picture That Houston

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Houston, Texas. It’s time for Houston Business Radio. Now, here’s your host.

Trisha Stetzel: Hello, Houston. Trisha Stetzel here bringing you another episode of Houston Business Radio Beyond the Uniform series. I’m so excited to have this guest on with me this week. We were introduced through, I know you might be surprised that Houston Regional Veterans Chamber of Commerce and probably Dave Weaver. Specifically, I have Uguanda Simpson on with me today who is a retired Army veteran with over 28 years of military service. She is also an adjunct professor and a full time serial entrepreneur. She’s the owner, founder and CEO of Picture That Houston, Uguanda, welcome to the show.

Uguanda Simpson: Thank you. Thank you for having me, Trisha.

Trisha Stetzel: Absolutely. I’m so excited to have you. Now, if any of your clients are listening, they might know you as Wanda.

Uguanda Simpson: Absolutely, yeah.

Trisha Stetzel: So you want to tell us a little bit more about you and how you got into business after the military?

Uguanda Simpson: Yes. So I actually started my business while I was in the military, and it kind of happened on happenstance. I was planning my daughter’s sweet 16 birthday party, and, um, it started with a photo booth, believe it or not. Um, our our business is events and entertainment, but it started all about a photo booth, and we couldn’t find one within 250 miles. And, um, my husband, he actually, uh, came back to me, I think the next day he said he was going to, you know, check it out, see what he can find. And I’m like, wow. I looked everywhere, like in three different cities. I could not find one. And the next day he came back and he was like, I found one. And I’m like, where? And then so we we got this photo booth because that was the one thing that my daughter wanted, you know, to have as entertainment for her guests at her sweet 16 party. And, um, the DJ that I hired for her event, he actually, he he loved it so much. And he asked us, hey, um, I’m having a I think it was a New Year’s Eve masquerade ball. And her ironically, her theme for her sweet 16 was a masquerade, um, gala for her. And so he asked us how much would we charge? And like, oh, we don’t know.

Uguanda Simpson: You know, we’re just doing this for our daughter. And it’s like, oh, no, I think you guys would love this. You should do it. You can make a lot of money. And I’m like, well, yeah, we’re just doing this for this. And I said, well, you know what? He said, well, if you don’t want to charge me because we were like, no, we won’t charge you. He said, well, if you don’t want to charge me, just charge the guest. And I was like, oh, okay, that sounds doable because we have no idea what we’re doing right now, but I always knew that I wanted my business to be more than about photobooths, because I’ve always had a passion for pretty things and creative thought and putting things into, you know, making a beautiful masterpiece. So and when I think back about it, I’ve actually planned a lot, a lot of things. Instead of having a wet and court wedding coordinator or planner for our wedding, I actually planned the entire wedding, and I planned several events leading up to that. While I was in the military, I was on the protocol team where we the planning team for, um, a lot of the a lot of the dining outs, dining ins and, um, all of that.

Trisha Stetzel: Wow. Very cool. You know, it’s we’ll just blame it on your 16 year old daughter back in the day, right? That got all of this started. So it started with a photo booth And as things started to come together for you, you do full event planning. So how did you get from just the photo booth to full event planning with picture that Houston?

Uguanda Simpson: Trust me, it was not something that happened easily overnight. It took a little bit of time and a lot of thought. And how was I going to make this transition? Because initially, all of the client base that we had was reaching out to us for photo booths. So I started sharing more of with social media, explaining that, hey, we’re more than just a photo booth company. And it was one of those things, how do I win someone over as a client to do event planning versus someone just calling me to do, um, event entertainment? And, um, what I did was I’ve taken a lot of courses. I’ve been in the I’m not sure if you’re familiar with Ivmf. Through Syracuse University, the um, for military families and veterans. I’ve been through that. I’ve been through the VA wise, which is a veteran women ignite uh, a series through Ivmf. I’ve also been through the entrepreneur veteran boot camp and all of these things in the beginning, started turning the wheels to get me to the place where, you know, I really want to transition to something more. So when we were going through those particular courses, we did the pitch competitions, and that’s where I started incorporating how do I pitch this business as an events and entertainment company versus just an entertainment company? And after I did that, I went through a course at the University of Houston called the Shaw Program.

Uguanda Simpson: And that’s an excellent program. It’s free. Um, it helps small businesses, um, to it really helps to set you up for success. And I went through that and that really started the wheels turning on when we had all of the different speakers come in and speak to us. Um, I saw this lady that that spoke with us that had all of these credentials and I’m like, wow, what does this mean? And she when she started talking, she said, don’t worry, guys, I’m going to explain to you what all of these credentials are. And when I saw it, I was like, oh, I want all of that. And, um, they, they brought people, uh, in from the local government as well. Sba, um, just the mayor’s office, just a whole lot of different people that actually started, uh, we also had, um, business, uh, coaches in the through the University of Houston that would, uh, give us, you know, ideas to help pull the information out. And what it did was when I initially started, I had my, um, my plan in process of, you know, in progress of how I wanted things to go. But when I went through there, it really defined everything for me how to actually construct a business plan, how to, you know, go from this to this, and how are you going to transition? How are you going to win clients over? And after that, it actually gave me the courage to, uh, to go out and seek government, uh, from the local government.

Uguanda Simpson: And then I started thinking bigger, how do I get contracts from the federal government? So we ended up getting certified all all the way across. We are certified as a veteran owned business woman, business enterprise, minority business, enterprise, managed business enterprise, airport concessionaire, uh, business enterprise and persons with disabilities business enterprise. So it, um, after that, uh, we also got our first contract with the company that was actually coming into town. Um, they were bringing their entire company from different areas across the United States, and they had reached out to me, um, about planning their event. And that’s where it all started. And then after that, it was the next the next event, the next event. And then we also after, I think the third one, we the second one we did was with the US Army, and I was really happy to be a part of that. Um, it’s like, wow, you know, after serving 28.5 years in the military, now I’m actually working with the military on a different level, whereas I’m doing it from my business perspective, where, you know, from the beginning it was me, you know, serving in the military. And then after that, we won our first bid with the city of Houston.

Uguanda Simpson: and where we planned their active living summit.

Trisha Stetzel: That is amazing. And I, I know that you’re a lifelong learner, and you take advantage of all of the tools and resources that are out there, which is really catapulted you to where you are today, along with a lot of sweat equity and tears. I’m sure, getting this thing built and off the ground. How do you think your military service Uganda plays into getting from the beginning, buying a photo booth to where you are now?

Uguanda Simpson: Oh, wow.

Uguanda Simpson: You know, I think the military honestly, when I was in when I was serving and I had troops up under me, I always used to tell my, my soldiers, you know, let the military work for you. Don’t always look at it as the military is getting all these things out of you. What can you get out of the military? And I can say with all of the roles I’ve, I’ve had while in the military.

Uguanda Simpson: As a signal one officer. I’ve been in many leadership positions. I’ve been the, um, OIC, uh, and, you know, doing having to attend many meetings and, and one of the things I can say, well, I can say many things, but one of the things for sure, with the planning, the reconnaissance, the execution and doing the after action review, after you put something together, you have to come back and say, okay, what did we you know, what went right, what went wrong, how can we fix it? You know, I think it’s like the 5 or 3 that we have to get, you know, get three goods, three bads and all of that. And then another thing I can think of is like the FTC, um, where it’s mission. Well, we don’t have any enemies, but that’s what the E is for in metric terrain, troops, time and consideration. So all of those things plight into effect when I think about what I do in my business.

Uguanda Simpson: I always have to put the mission first. I know I’m speaking with the client. I’ll find out from that client what are the deliverables and how can we, you know, as a business, reach and exceed those deliverables to deliver a exceptional product that we can have those clients returning to us or even wanting to refer us to their friends and colleagues.

Trisha Stetzel: Absolutely. And I think about resilience and never giving up. Right. I think those are some really big ones that we don’t always think about. But but as military veterans, you know, how are in the military active military. You didn’t have a choice to not be resilient and never give up. Right. So, um, you have a beautiful business. I want to talk more about it. So, uh, first let’s insert here where folks can find out more information. I know that they can Google, um, picture that. Houston, do you want to give them the direct, um, URL to your website so they can learn more about you specifically and even the certifications that you named off?

Uguanda Simpson: Okay. Yes, sure.

Uguanda Simpson: So you can find us on the web at ww.picture@houston.com. We’re on all social media platforms as picture that Houston and we’re on LinkedIn as picture that Houston. And when I say we’re on all platforms that means Facebook Instagram TikTok YouTube LinkedIn. I think we reached all of the platforms we can thus far. We were on TikTok. Well, uh x well before they transitioned to X, we were on on X as well, but we we kind of went away from that one. But yes.

Trisha Stetzel: Okay. Fantastic. So let’s talk more about picture that Houston. Um, who are your clients? How do you serve them? You just take this wherever you want it to go. Because I want our listeners to really understand who it is that you serve and how you might be able to help them.

Uguanda Simpson: Oh, wow.

Uguanda Simpson: So the majority of our clients are corporate clients. Um, we do also, um, execute social events, but the majority of our clients are corporate. And that’s one of the things you have to think about when you’re starting a business. Who is your target audience? I really didn’t understand that when I initially started my business, when someone would ask, who is your target audience? And I was like, everybody’s my target audience. And after being in business for a while, you you truly learn who your target audience is and who you want to work with. And for me, that is, uh, corporate government, um, those type of entities.

Uguanda Simpson: And the way we go about with connecting with those type of clients are we’re part of many different organizations. Um, for one we are with uh, I think it’s called Houston first. Um, we’re, we’re we’re a member of that and the Houston hospitality. So we also get clients that come, you know, that go through Houston hospitality. That’s especially I think that’s how we actually got the one client. Well we’ve gotten a couple now, but the first one that came from out of state, um, that they came in and that one was the Nci’s, the National. Um, oh gosh, the surveyors, I can’t remember what the acronym stands for, but the surveyors, they brought all of their people in. And, um, so a lot of our client base come from those types of, um, connections being a part of those. And then we also being a part of the chamber. Um, when I initially joined the chamber, I didn’t know that we had a veterans chamber in this area. So when I found out about it, I was super excited to be a part of something because I always feel like whenever there’s a veteran involved, I feel like that’s my tribe. I feel comfortable around those people. And being a part of the Houston Veterans Chamber has been, um, outstanding for me. I’ve actually met clients through events through the um, Houston Veterans Chamber. As a matter of fact, I did an event earlier this year, uh, from a client that I met at the expo for the Houston Regional Veterans Chamber last year. Uh, I did a their their corporate 75th anniversary, um, gala, and that was a huge success. So we really we really enjoyed that. And from that, I actually got recognized by Congressman Al Green, who was in attendance, and that was really special and significant to me and my company.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, absolutely. That’s fantastic. I want to talk a little bit about the event that you just did, because I personally got to experience some of the work that you do. So you, um, brought part of what you do in a picture that Houston to the Houston Regional Veterans Chamber of Commerce. We sponsored the Veterans Business Awards luncheon. That’s a mouthful, right. Uh, just I it was just last week, I think, or maybe the week before. So you want to talk a little bit about the service that you provided for that luncheon. And then I’d like to make some personal comments around my experience.

Uguanda Simpson: Absolutely.

Uguanda Simpson: So I’ve been on the plane, I was on the planning team for the Houston Regional Veterans Chamber of Commerce, um, for this past event, which was the Veteran Business Awards as well as the Business Expo, and I’ve been a member. I shouldn’t bring it up. I’ve been a member. This is my second year as a member with the Houston Regional Veterans Chamber. Um, for that event, we did a, uh, the event planning. We were part of the planning where we did the full setup. We designed the concept for the room, the color coordination, the floral centerpieces. Um, we did some balloon artistry, and, um, it was it was wonderful. It was a really beautiful setup. We were we coordinated with all of the vendors that, you know, all of the veteran owned business vendors, I should say, because we we really have a lot of veteran owned businesses here in the Houston area. So I was able to coordinate, you know, everything with the deliveries and, um, the setup and arranging all that for the chamber. So that was part of the planning piece.

Uguanda Simpson: So we truly were excited to be a part of that and to make it such a huge hit and success, especially because it was the first the inaugural, you know, Veterans Business Awards, in which we’ll be going into annually now. So seeing the success of the overall event and how successful it was, the amount of people that, you know, the large turnout we had and most importantly, seeing the creation of my work after the setup, I was truly, like, amazed. And I was happy that members of the chamber could actually see what it is that we do, aside from just entertainment.

Trisha Stetzel: Absolutely. And I have to say that the room was just breathtaking. It was absolutely beautiful. And one of the things that I think is really important, Uganda, you and I talked about this before is that the the leadership of the chamber didn’t have to do the setup or the takedown. It was actually a service that you provided to us. And it took so much stress, stress and tension off of the pre and post event. By the way, we had 240 people at the luncheon, which is huge. Uh, and for those of you who are listening, if you haven’t seen the pictures that I posted, I put a really cool testimonial out for Uganda with some gorgeous pictures of the room. We had an overhead like catwalk where I was able to take a picture of the entire room, and it was gorgeous and we appreciate you giving us that setup so much. All right, so as we get to the end of our conversation today, I know you have a few other things that you might like to get out to the audience. So what else do you have for us? Uganda.

Uguanda Simpson: Well, I would like to say So, um, we we don’t service a lot of veterans. We would love to work more with veterans, create partnerships with veterans. Um, and I would love and welcome the opportunity to speak with, you know, more about what it is we do, how we can help them. And you touched on something that’s very important, how our business, we alleviate the stress. And that’s key. That’s very important when it comes to planning the event because it’s a lot and it can be a lot on a host. And we want to make sure that the host does not have to worry about all of the little things when we can do it for them. So I appreciate you touching on that, because I did not mention that that’s one of the key things that we we pride ourselves in doing, making sure that we alleviate the stress and make it a very seamless event you know.

Uguanda Simpson: All the way through, beginning to end.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, absolutely. And so I’m, I’m going to put all of the links to everywhere you can find Uganda in the show notes. So if you’re a veteran, if you have an event coming up, by the way, it’s the holidays. I know it’s hard to believe we’re already at the back end of this year. Uh, but it’s not just holidays that you want to is, um, where she serves her clients. It’s throughout the year. So if you have a conference or some kind of event where you need someone to take the stress out of getting it done and making it beautiful, Uganda is definitely the person you need to talk to. Picture that. Houston. So Uganda, how can people find you?

Uguanda Simpson: Yes. So you can find me on all social media platforms under Picture That Houston, as well as our website. Picture that www dot picture that houston.com as well.

Uguanda Simpson: And you can call us at (281) 819-0274, and you can also reach out to us via email. Hello at pictured@houston.com. I do go by Wanda because it’s hard for a lot of people to pronounce my first name, but I am not opposed to being called Uganda, which is my given name. And um, yeah. And even if you were to reach out on our website, we have a little chat box down there. You can chat with us through there. We’ll respond, um, within ten minutes or less. We try to respond expeditiously and, um. Yeah.

Trisha Stetzel: Fantastic. I’m so excited to have you, um, come and talk about your business today, Uganda. Is there anything else that you would like the audience to know before we finish up today?

Uguanda Simpson: The only thing I would like to say is that we’re waiting. We’re waiting to workwith you. We’re waiting to create a masterpiece. You give us your deliverables. We’re ready to deliver.

Trisha Stetzel: Fantastic. Uganda. Thanks so much for being on the show with me. For our listeners, just know you can just point and click to any of the links that we’ve put in the show notes to find Uganda. I would encourage all of you to at least have a conversation with her about your event, or even connect with her. If you know people who have a need for an event coordinator or planner because she is a phenomenal thank you for being on the show today.

Uguanda Simpson: Thank you.

Trisha Stetzel: And that’s all the time we have for today’s show. Join us next time for another exciting episode of Houston Business Radio. Until then, stay tuned, stay inspired, and keep thriving in the Houston business community.