Black Paris Profiles™: Kimberley Petyt

Kim Petyt is “living the life” in Paris! Originally from Chicago, she’s married to a Frenchman, has two children, and operates a successful wedding- and event-planning business called parisian events. She has become so well known because of her business that she was recently featured in the The New York Times Style Magazine. As you might imagine, her story is a unique one.

Kimberley Petyt
© One and Only Paris Photography
When Kim was small, she was inspired to move to Paris after seeing the film Le Ballon Rouge. She didn’t have the opportunity to visit the city until she was in her early 20s, but once she did, she found it to be everything that she had dreamt it would be. Due to her circumstances at that time, she thought that it would just have to be her favorite vacation spot. But years later, she met her husband-to-be while on vacation in Paris and eventually got married here, and then moved here when his job called for a transfer. They settled in the City of Light in 2001.

Kim planned her Parisian wedding with the help of her future mother-in-law and sister-in-law. Because she couldn’t speak French and was planning the event from San Francisco, she felt a great deal of frustration in relinquishing so much control over the event to others. Her experience in planning her own wedding from afar inspired her to create a planning service to help others do the same thing.

Because Kim worked as an event planner in the States, it was not a large stretch to shift her focus to wedding planning. She says that she loves the creativity and the energy of the business, and loves the fact that she gets to meet so many people and be such an important part of their lives. She is “into design,” “likes having things planned ‘just so,’ ” and is “really good at visualizing the final outcome.” But she has also worked hard to develop the people skills and organizational skills that are required for her profession. She attends trade shows in France and all over Europe to attend sessions by industry leaders to keep abreast of developments. She takes classes in related subjects such as floral arts and obtains advice from some of her “wedding heroes” via social media.

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I asked Kim some specific questions about being a solopreneur (a person operating a business alone) in France, and she gave the following responses:

What advice do you have for someone wanting to start a small business in Paris?

Try not to get TOO discouraged. If your idea is something that you feel passionate enough about, figure out a way to make it work. Going through the French bureaucracy seems Kafka-esque MOST of the time, you just need to have faith in what you’re doing and keep pressing on. You’ll be told that “it isn’t possible” in so many ways on so many topics – find a work-around, and keep going. (Think of the old Chumbawamba song, “I get knocked down! But I get up again…!’)

Do you interact with other women solopreneurs (solo-entrepreneurs) in Paris or do you find that you are able to operate your business with little to no support from other small business owners?

The nature of this business is that you’re ALWAYS interacting with other vendors – I do try to work with other small businesses here – especially other Anglophone businesses, to show support, but also it’s so much easier to communicate both verbally and on a design/taste-level with other Anglophones. There are certain elements of style that appeal to Americans and others that appeal more to French, and a lot of it is non-verbal. My job is to tap into those two styles and create something that appeals to both of my clients (the bride and groom, as well as their families). Many times it’s easier to work with small business owners because they are willing to take risks and still get excited about trying new things.

You started parisian events in 2005. What challenges have you faced as an entrepreneur in France?

For me, a major challenge is the inherent inflexibility of the French. When you’re working with a culture that is used to “anything goes” (America) in a culture where things are always pas possible (“not possible” – France), you can imagine the day-to-day frustrations.

You’ve recently launched a newsletter called “le monde according to parisianparty.” Tell us about this.

I just thought it was a fun way to compile my two loves: weddings and Paris. There are so many blogs and websites and tweet links out there, sometimes you just want to go to one place and have a quick skim of pretty eye candy or silly gossip. There’s nothing heavy about this newsletter – it’s like checking in with a good girlfriend once a day – just to see what’s up!

Kim’s avatar from the parisian party blog
Kim and her family spend a few weeks in the U.S. every summer. While it is purely a pleasure trip for the family, she tries to mix a little business in as well. Among other things, she checks out trade shows if any are in town and visits with vendors who have an interest in Paris. She says that the wedding and events industry is always evolving and that it is important to keep up with trends both in France and in the U.S.

As a parent, Kim definitely feels the differences between American and French culture. She says that in France, she is considered to be pretty strict (among both French and American parents), but that in the U.S., she is viewed as “almost a laid-back hippy-mom.” She says that her kids love the U.S., and that her son considers himself more American while her daughter considers herself more French.

To reinforce her children’s awareness of their African heritage, Kim concentrates on bringing strong, positive images of African-Americans into the books, films, DVDs etc. that she has at home. She looks for classic stories illustrated with African-American characters, such as those from the Jump at the Sun Fairytale Classics series. Now that her son is getting older, she thinks that he can handle more, so they talk about history in America and the civil rights struggle there.

Though Kim has lived in Paris for ten years, she thinks she’ll probably always feel like a foreigner here. In her opinion, France is not a very inclusive country. She says, “I think I could live here for 50 years, take my French citizenship, speak flawless French, etc., and I would always be considered l’américaine. I’m totally comfortable with that. It’s who I am. … That’s not to say that I don’t try to adapt to my environment! I don’t feel particularly French-minded, OR American-minded. I think I’m just ‘Kim-minded’!”

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