Meet Danielle Matheson | 1st Grade Para & Entrepreneur

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

Hi Danielle, how does your business help the community?
The Fun Jays is a family business in every sense of the word. We always cater to families and ensure they are not only having fun but happy. We also do a school giveback each year at an annual water party we have, we give away school supplies at this event. We also have donated clothes, shoes, food and services as ways to give back to our community.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve been a 1st Grade Para for about 3 years now. Before that I’ve worked in daycares with young children. Since I love kids so much it’s only right to gear the business towards toddlers.

Everything I do is for my kids. One Summer I randomly threw them a water party which turned out to be nothing but fun for the children and adults. I’ve purchased a water slide a few years back and never even took it out the box. So a year later, a friend asked if she can rent my water slide that she had saw my kids on. I didn’t even think of renting one at the time but it came to me, wouldn’t it be cool and more affordable if parents can rent these items at a fraction of the cost? And from then I decided to rent the slide for profit and add more. Then once the summer season ended I started thinking of creative ways to keep the fun going throughout the seasons. This expanded the inventory and my reach and I started getting event planners as clients and also families. The business wouldn’t have grown the way it is today without my kids asking me for a water slide. It’s funny how things happen, but this was destined before it was even written.

It was a complete risk to buy inventory and start a business, but this has proven to be the best risk to take of all. There are times when I try to expand our inventory with new items and it doesn’t get any response or bookings and those risks hurt the business, but it’s something we are willing to do to provide more options to our clients and continue bringing the fun to their families.

The most important thing I’ve done as a parent is shown my children the ins and outs of the business and how things are not always perfect, but no matter what we must continue to serve and work hard because that is what we have committed to do by starting a business like this. In my adult years, I’ve always shown my kids what independence looks like and for that they strive to want that for themselves one day. They don’t fear hard work and they value what rewards come with working hard.

Having a website has made it easier to book clients and organize your events. Pricing has been a challenge because people have sometimes complained about my prices but it is not as much as people who appreciate the prices. Just Overcoming client issues in general has been a challenge during the booking process but you overcame it by streamlining your inquiry and invoice process.

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.
I love to have fun & so do my friends. We also love a good hookah & food. We’ll probably head over to The Goodz and end the night with a lit karaoke spot.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My mom. She’s been by my side since day 1. Stepping in when I need her and overall being a big help to our business.

Also to everyone that shared my post, told someone about it & booked with us. We thank them so much!

Website: Thefunjays.co/

Instagram: Thefunjays