SEEDs of Success: Morgan Macleod
Morgan runs Party Pine Props, offering a diverse range of hand-crafted wooden props to make birthdays, weddings and other events unique, playful and personal.
Getting Started
“Starting the business was really daunting, but GrowBiz has been there with guidance and support throughout my journey. “
Morgan started her business in 2025, using her love of all types of events to help her organise unique parties and celebrations, and offering a collection of hand-crafted props, from stylish signage, to a pimp-your-prosecco station, to statement doughnut walls!
"I provide the warm and fuzzy feeling that comes from having options to tailor something exactly as you'd like — to make events extra special. It’s brilliant to see peoples reaction to this,” says Morgan.
The Enterprise Journey
Originally, Morgan envisaged her main clientele would be weddings, but the kids party elements have really taken off, with word of mouth resulting in her taking bookings for next year already.
She says: “I always put so much effort into each party, to make particularly kids parties extra special. I also love hearing from the kids and families how much they loved the event and how different it was to something they have been to before.”
Many of the current kids themes have kept Morgan busy, but her structured approach can be tweaked to a new theme easily. She is able to incorporate her experience of delivering a diverse range of events – from children's galas and all day occasions to smaller, quieter events for young people with ASN.
Morgan is still enjoying working with a blend of different clients too, and sometimes gets asked to include her kids party props in other events, such as an upcoming wedding ordering her dino wall—for the adults! She has also done hen parties, baby showers, and summer gala days.
The biggest challenges for Morgan can be potential customers not getting back to her, or having initial hesitation over whether they needed a party planner. However, she is building up a slew of reviews and testimonials from happy customers which highlight the value of what she does.
One things that’s frequently mentioned in reviews is her attention to detail, making everything bespoke to the person celebrating. For example, she says: “I’ll spend time understanding the children’s favourite songs, and hearing them say: 'that song is on my list… and that one, and that one' with such joy on their face is magical.
“What enjoy most about Party Pine Props is knowing that I get to make someone’s event extra special.”
Support Along the Way
As a GrowBiz SEED client, Morgan has benefitted from flexible support from SEED project lead Ang Laurie, who says: “We initially met Morgan through her excellent work with DYW and have been supporting her explore her own inspirational work plan as a party planner and organiser—it's evident that this is a niche perfect to Morgan, allowing her vibrant personality to match with her attention to detail and empathy for what people want. Her slogan is Event hire like no other and that's exactly what she provides.”
In the summer of 2025, Morgan was successful in being granted SEED funding to help her buy a business domain, website and laptop, and assist towards event costs.
Morgan says this about the support she’s received so far: “Starting the business was really daunting, but GrowBiz has been there with guidance and support throughout my journey.
“Having ad hoc check in meetings with Ang is great, as although the business started a year ago, there are still some challenging things that crop up. The meetings are also good just to have the reassurance that I am doing well and just the reminder to look after myself, which can be forgotten when trying to juggle so much.
“In terms of the funding this has really been integral to starting my business as I didn’t really have the capital I needed to start to buy essential things like a laptop and a website. By having these it’s really allows me to jump start my business and I hope in a year it will grow even more!”
Morgan has also enjoying meeting lots of people—clients and other suppliers—and finds the whole community very supportive, making useful connections.
Looking to the Future
Next year, Morgan plans to work with other small business suppliers, anticipating trends in the events sector, and already has a new partnership in place with Active Kids in Stanley, to expand their range of party options.
She really enjoys being able to work at something she loves, as well as the flexibility of being able to run it around her Monday to Friday employment. "I love events and really like that I can run my business in my own time,” she says.