Britney Hoskins launched The Top Pic Collective as a one-stop shop for all things event related during her senior year at Central Michigan University. Formerly known as Allure Limousine, Hoskins was the only African American female in Michigan to own and operate a multi-fleet limousine company. It wasn’t long after realizing how frustrated guests were with the party planning process that she sought to create a better way to accommodate them. Using a unique formula she created and dubbed the “Unicorn Method,” she searched for event industry artists that could help her birth a one-stop shop for event planners. It started with a photo booth, then a DJ, then a photographer, and a host of other affiliate companies that joined forces to “make people’s lives easier.”
The company rebranded and restructured as one collective company in early 2017, merging three companies into one brand. Thus, making The Top Pic Collective one of Michigan’s fastest-growing event management companies.
Rolling out recently spoke with Hoskins to gauge how she turned one company into a one-stop shop to meet all event-related needs.
Describe your role as CEO.
Everything at the Top Pic Collective stems from the end experience that the client has in mind. A client can literally spend six months to a year planning an event that will last eight hours. It’s not just decor, it’s not just pictures. It is my job to make sure that their dream experience is brought to fruition.
What skills are you looking for when hiring team members?
I am looking for people who are customer-oriented. I call our team the Unicorn Squad. They are all trained on our secret saying, “Our goal is to be the unicorn in a field full of ponies.”
Why do you refer to your team as the Unicorn Squad?
Society tried to force me to believe that I am not supposed to be where I am today because I got pregnant at 15. However, I still graduated top of my high school class at 17. I received my bachelor’s degree at 20 and received my master’s degree by 22. By the age of 25, I was making six figures. I am a unicorn and I empower others to be unicorns too.
How do you approach business challenges?
I try not to take business challenges personal. I ask myself “… what is the solution?” If I can understand what I’m supposed to take away from the challenge, then I grow through it.
How do you utilize technology to give yourself an advantage in business?
I automate everything. My core clientele base are millennials, so my processes need to match our desire to have instant gratification. Automation is a key component to our brand and lead conversion.
Why is legacy so important to you?
I want to break the cycle of generational poverty. We don’t hear enough about businesses being passed down from generation to generation in the Black community. I want my kids to have the option of running the family business and have everything that I didn’t.
