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It’s a process that has served the mother She credits Giovanny, who continues “My biggest goal is seeing the impression
of two well since she and husband, to work in the security business and that person will have while they enjoy
Giovanny, started the business out part time with Majestic Balloons, for my balloons,” she says. “They’re going to
of their east end-Cambridge home in encouraging her to take the leap toward have an emotional reaction and then they
2019, four years after moving here from entrepreneurship and start her own start taking pictures and sharing them;
Toronto where they had held down business. it’s going to make the celebration even a
different careers. “I always told her, ‘You are so talented, little better and create good memories.”
“I went to university for culinary and you can do this, and you have the Another one of Ana’s goals is to be able
management and used to be a chef,” says right taste’,” he says. “She always had to share her knowledge surrounding the
Ana, who immigrated to Canada in the that special vision to create something.” art of balloon design - which continues
early 2000s from Colombia to live with Her professional balloon journey to grow in popularity in the U.S. - with
her father in Toronto and immediately began with a trip to Miami where she others. She hopes to be able to provide
began to learn English. She admits it participated in a certification course them with the basic skills needed to
wasn’t easy and found herself at 18 in under the guidance of a Venezuelan party create eye-catching balloon installations
class with Grade 10 students. “It was decorator extraordinaire who specializes to enhance any function, whether it’s
tough because back home, I was in in balloons, topping that off with online work-related or a family event.
university, but I didn’t know any English.” guidance during the pandemic from “Instead of paying someone like me to
It wasn’t long before she met Giovanny, a variety of successful designers she do it, I can teach them to make small
who had been living in Canada for some follows on social media. arrangements,” says Ana, referring to
time after an uncle in Toronto had “They all spoke Spanish, which was perhaps mothers looking to elevate a
encouraged his family – who initially easy for me to understand, and I liked child’s birthday party. “I just love the
had moved from Colombia to the U.S. all their techniques,” says Ana, who has expression of it and love what I do.”
when Giovanny was young – to move transformed what should be the couple’s While passion has been essential for
farther north for more opportunities. The living room into a busy workspace, her and Giovanny as Majestic Balloons
pair married in 2008 and Ana became a featuring a shelving unit lining one wall continues to gain traction, the couple
chef at a Marriott Hotel, while Giovanny filled with containers of multi-coloured says there is much more to being
worked in logistics before joining his balloons of varying sizes. Depending entrepreneurs.
brother in business and became an alarm on the size of the project, the couple
technician. sometimes utilizes their rec-room and “You want to be successful, and people
“But I’ve never been far from balloons,” garage for additional space. sometimes just measure success in
business by how much money they
she says, explaining her mother also “To be honest, I would like to have a store make,” says Giovanny. “But it’s more
loves crafting and while growing up in so I could have a place where people than that. You have to keep in mind that
Colombia had introduced her to a woman can find me,” admits Ana, adding how whatever is you’re doing, you’re trying to
who taught Ana how to create balloon distracting it can be sometimes working make it the best business possible, so
arches. from home. “But it’s also good because your customers receive an experience or
It wasn’t long before she began creating you have less responsibilities and less service that is unforgettable.”
colourful decorations for various family stress because if you open a store, you’re Ana, who has obtained a
celebrations, including her brother-in- going to have employees, and everything
law’s First Communion and her mother- is going to be more expensive.” Professional Balloon Designer
in-law’s 60th birthday party in 2018. By While clients sometimes pick up their diploma, says knowledge is
this time, she had been working as a installations, quite often Ana and also crucial and encourages any
chef at a friend’s Italian restaurant in Giovanny use a U-Haul – depending on would-be entrepreneurs with a
downtown Toronto after leaving the the size of the order – to deliver the great business idea to educate
Marriott and didn’t relish the idea of balloons and assemble them onsite. themselves.
returning to work in the city facing a long “Sometimes you may have to pay for that
commute after the birth of the couple’s “We’ve been to Oakville and Milton and knowledge, or you can go to someone
second child. Burlington, but it’s not a matter of ‘pay else who is already in that business,”
“I didn’t want to go back because it was us and we go’,” says Giovanny. “The job she says. “But you need to obtain that
has to make sense for us.”
too much work and I would be away knowledge from somebody else because
from my family,” says Ana. “That’s when For Ana, seeing the positive reaction of if you try to do it yourself, you’re going
I started doing research because balloon clients continues to be a big reward since to make a lot of mistakes.” For more, visit
designs were starting to be a big hit on she began doing this full time. www.majesticballoons.ca.
Instagram and Facebook.”
www.cambridgechamber.com Fall 2025 29