I decided to join Cheeki Monkeys after having my 5th Child in November 2015 as prior to that I worked in Digital Media Recruitment firstly in Central London and then freelancing from home. The life of a recruiter no longer suited me and it became super stressful trying to manage client demands, phone calls and 2 toddlers (2yrs and 3yrs) and now throwing a newborn into the mix!!! Clients don't seem to appreciate a screaming baby or toddler tantrums whilst trying to conference call...
I still wanted to keep busy and work but needed something more child friendly then I saw an ad for Cheeki Monkeys and thought the concept sounded great! I signed up for one area to begin with and quickly signed up for another a couple of weeks later as I decided that I definitely wanted to make this my full time job.
My first event in January 2016 was a BIG learning curve and I was no way near prepared as I should of been - I was so nervous - I thought I was going to faint on the day of the sale! I did actually enjoy it in the end and had around 200 adults through the door. My second event in March 2016 was a HUGE success - I had over 500 adults through the door and took almost £2000! This is without doing goody bags or selling advertising - I didn't even do flyers for this event and literally just advertised for free as per the manual.
My third event is almost a week away and I am also expecting a huge turnout and a similar amount of takings if not more on the day and I have sold almost £200 worth of advertising just for this event - very exciting stuff considering I had no event experience at all prior to Cheeki Monkeys and this has happened all within 6 months.
I have now planned out my events in both areas for the rest of the year and have sold stalls for events up to 4 months away with many repeat bookings and if things continue as they are - I am hoping at expanding into 2 more areas next year.
The manual is very easy to read and super extensive - it literally covers everything and puts everything into simplified terms and language. Gemma and Craig are the backbone of Cheeki Monkeys and I am so glad to be working alongside them - they are so friendly, helpful and SUPER organised! They are working 7 days a week - all hours of the day and are always on call to help - I couldn't ask for more from them.
The forum is also a very good place to exchange ideas, solve problems and just chat - everyone is friendly and you can contribute as little or as much as you want!
Cheeki Monkeys has lived up to all of what I expected and more.
Kirsty Higgins
Cheeki Monkeys Event Organiser (Sevenoaks and Romford)
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