What has cybersecurity, computer science and technology got to do with balloons? Absolutely nothing – Yousra's passion now is balloon art; creating beautiful decorations for every occasion.
As a computer science graduate with a M.Sc. degree in cyber security, Yousra Aboualmagd taught computer science for undergraduate students at several universities in both Egypt and Australia. But when she started to make decorations for her children's birthday parties, her focus shifted to balloon art.
When friends asked Yousra to create decorations for their own celebrations, she realised how much happiness her craft could bring to any occasion and saw the potential for starting her own business.
It wasn't an easy decision for Yousra to turn her hobby into a profession in a new country. Originally from Egypt, she moved to Australia in late 2017 with her family and when she started Loli’s Art Balloons in 2018, she faced many challenges. Learning market dynamics, understanding legal requirements and adapting to cultural differences were all factors she had to address. But what she loved about Melbourne – and Victorians in general – was the diversity.
“You can feel the appetite to try. Starting up with rough ideas, getting into the market and trying to get yourself known is not easy, but I loved the help I received from people in the industry.”
Through workshops and classes, Yousra honed her skills to provide a quality service and high level of professionalism to her clients. It took time to grow the business but by Christmas 2019, orders were increasing – until COVID-19 hit in March 2020.
"Every coin has two faces, the same applies for COVID-19. You need to adapt and focus on your goal. It was time for new ideas to emerge to adapt to the new pandemic."
Driven by her slogan 'Putting a joyful smile on your face – that's our aspiration', Yousra knew she had to diversify her product range to help people celebrate their special occasions or to send out messages of love and support during isolation.
She created three categories of boxes: the Surprise Box, MiniBox and MaxiBox to match different budgets as well as a Grand Balloon Bouquet to use as a background for virtual parties. To keep her clients safe, a fully-documented COVID-safe plan was implemented as well as contactless deliveries and continual cleaning of all materials and tools used.
While business is slow and earnings are down, Yousra is still keeping a positive outlook. "The smiles and joy I saw in the mum's eyes when they received a Surprise Box on Mothers Day, or our Grand Balloon Bouquets for birthdays saying loud and clear 'we can’t be with you but we care' is worth it."
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Loli's Art Balloons 0406 266 628
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