Starting a business bringing baby showers and luxury events to Belfast, Ciara Scullion's name is now known across the globe.
The West Belfast woman owns an events business transforming weddings, parties and restaurants. She has worked for Superdrug and BPerfect - and opened up about her journey and how she started with nothing, working her way to the top of her game.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Ciara says she opened her own store on the Falls Road 12 years ago, but with little in the bank, she relied on upfront payments to survive.
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"After I graduated, I went into fashion and retail in Belfast, Dublin and across the UK," she said.
"I have always had an eye for anything visual but I didn't want to be in Belfast so moved to New York. I lived there for four and a half years, working in a bar and restaurant setting up events. Any time I went into a bar I would have taken a photo of its interiors, so I had a big interest in it. When I moved home again I decided to open up a shop on the Falls Road called Love to Party. I thought I would just bring all my ideas home with me.
"That was 12 years ago and there was no such thing as a baby shower in Belfast, so I was one of the first ones to bring that kind of party local. I had the shop for three years and I had a wee room out the back which I decided to turn into a wedding room.
"Using the inspiration I had from other weddings I had been to, I called it Weddings at Tiffany's. I had a mood board of everything that I wanted, but I had no money.
"I bought chair covers from eBay and one centre piece. I decorated the room and it was gorgeous. Someone came in and asked for 100 chair covers and 10 centre pieces, but I asked them to pay upfront and I used that to buy the stock. That is how my business really started. I never had any investment or any money.
"From there, I gave up the shop and went out on a freelance basis and advertise through Instagram - that is when Brendan from BPerfect got a hold of me and asked me to do his first ever event in The Merchant for LMD."
Things spiralled from this point for Ciara, who is now working across the UK and Ireland and has been flown to Spain to work on nightclubs and other businesses.
"I have been working in Ibiza, decorating Irish bars, and also decorated the BPerfect shop out there," Ciara added.
"The business keeps on growing and growing, it is just so enjoyable. Because I have been doing this for over 10 years, I know the industry I know the best suppliers, and have worked with bad ones too. I have narrowed down my team, and when I am doing an event, I give it my all, and put all my attention into that one event.
"I find that if you go out and look for the work, that is better than waiting for it to come to you. I was sitting in my shop every day 9-5 waiting for a customer to come through my door. When I moved home, I fell pregnant with my daughter Sophia, and I had nobody to look after her.
"I would have brought her to the shop with me when I was working but when she got up a wee bit my mummy looked after her for me. She stepped in and let me continue to work and graft. My mummy is amazing, she has helped me with so much.
"For me, I think that if you put your heart and soul into your business, that will come back on your three times better."
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