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Meet Jordan Ochoa-Stevens of Pop Weds in Tucson

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan Ochoa-Stevens.

Jordan, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My life started rather interesting. I was born on the 4th of July during a huge monsoon storm. I attribute my stormy beginning to my strong personality. During my childhood, I was unfortunately subjected to lots of abuse from my father.

I saw things a child should never see, but at a very early age knew I was going to have a better life. I didn’t know how I just knew. My parents divorced when I was five, which was for the better. We left with barely anything on our backs and lived with family and random apartments here and there. I cannot tell you how much children crave stability at this young of an age.

My biggest wish was to live in a house where I knew I was able to go home safe daily. We grew up poor, attributed to having a dead beat father while my mom worked as much as she possibly could supporting two young kids on her own. We were on every type of welfare system she could find, but even that wasn’t much. I very clearly remember this drive to take care of my family. I felt like if I was only a grownup, I could help my mom take care of us.

After seeing my father go to prison, I was scared of the world. I had it in my head that “my dad was bad, I was going to end up bad too.” I constantly had an inner struggle about being good and doing the right thing, and God helped me with that. I knew I didn’t want to end up like him. I didn’t want to hurt people. I wanted to help people.

My hurt and struggles would pave the way. I just knew one day it would all work out. My thirst for becoming an entrepreneur came faster than most. I saw an opportunity with the maintenance men in our apartment complex working in the hot Arizona sun.

Lemonade and taquitos were absolutely the answer. I would charge then $2 for a lemonade and taquito and never have changed because what eight years old understand this concept?

Other opportunities came along, like a dog washing service after I bought a kit from the Discovery store, a trash service with unheard of rates .25 cents a bag. We lived in an apartment complex, and there was a lot of older people. This was a true convenience for them. I tried everything to make a buck.

At 15, I was able to work at a family car wash and asked if I could do detail work. You see, tips were given if you did a great job, and believe me I made sure I got vehicles looking very nice. I did that for about a year until I turned 16. At 16 I realized I could work as a waitress so multiple tips while waiting tables in AC was a lot better than sweating for tips in the sun.

I worked 2-3 jobs at a time. Retail, serving, etc. Then I spent time helping special needs kids at my high school which gave me the experience to break into behavioral health. I worked in behavioral health in serval jobs, Homes, schools, and was even a crisis responder for Chandler Fire. Which I was very proud of and loved every second of it.

During this time of helping others, I put on a brave face. You see, what happened to me is I became a statistic. I was found in an abusive relationship with an alcoholic for over five years. If you met him, you’d probably never guess. Charming, handsome, aerospace engineer, former Air Force officer (who later on was discharged due to assault on military police and DUI) but man, he hid it well and there I was wanting the perfect life with him.

It was his goal to come across as perfect, and I was his minion to make sure he did, no matter how bad I was hurting — happy face 24/7. So, I got a corporate job. My first office job. I felt like I was in a better position to leave and I did. Not without some people being treacherous. Making it seem like they were going to help and instead of telling him I was leaving. If they only knew how dangerous life was for me, but that is what they have to live with.

I found myself finally thriving again. My entrupanuer lifestyle was creeping back into my head. My confidence was slowly getting better, and I wasn’t so broken all the time. I was finally living. The Strom was starting. In some time, I felt like my life in the East Valley was missing something. I wanted to move home. I felt like if I moved home greater things would be there, plus I moved up here on false promises and for other people. This wasn’t my life. I needed to fly.

I moved back home, and my best friend Lindsey let me live with her while I search for a house. I didn’t know how, but I knew I needed to buy a home. My childhood fear of not feeling at home and safe kept creeping in. I knew if I purchased a home I could live there indefinitely. I needed the foundation for my new life.

In August 2016, I purchased my first home. I finally felt relieved. I had something that was mine. Then it was the next phase of my life, building an empire. Empires don’t happen overnight, I had to learn that quickly. But business ideas can happen in an instant. I started Bombshell Lucy Design Co., and I had NO customers. I felt defeated but learned from my business mistakes.

Luckily, in that time I had met Ron, and he blessed me with the most amazing daughter and later became my wonderful husband. It’s incredible when you find your true person, they make you feel invincible even when others try to take you down. When Ron and I got married, that was the gust of wind that made the storm grow even bigger.

Pop Weds was born later that month, and it’s been a year of struggles, determination, and dreams. It’s the best thing to look back on all the craziness of my life and think I could have had the worst choices in life, but the storm inside pushed me for bigger and better things.

Our Tucson location is thriving. We’re in the works of adding a Phoenix option within the year, we’re opening a huge retail wedding location later this year in Tucson, and in three years I’ll guarantee you’ll see Pop Weds in every major city in the US.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
People want to fund tech companies not wedding planners. I applied for grants, loans, asked for investors. Slowly I started to realized I don’t need them. This last year was so bumpy. I made almost nothing our first ten months in business then bam! I made more money in a month then in a whole year. That was my turning point. I wanted to give up so many times, but I refused. It paid off.

Please tell us about Pop Weds.
We started as a company that specialized in quick small wedding coin phrased “Pop Weddings.” I’m always one to get customer feedback. I kept getting told they wished they didn’t have to plan, wished weddings were less expensive and wished they could be easy. I thought why weren’t they?

So January I launched All-Inclusive Weddings. These weddings host up to 150 people for $10,000 or less. I also provide 0% payment plans, a free honeymoon, and six venues they can choose from. This project took nine months to create and negotiate rates for.

Any predictions for the industry over the next few years?
I see us expanding into Phoenix by the end of the year, Rickey Point Option within the next year and a half, and within the next three years, we are on track to expand into every major US city.

Pricing:

  • All-inclusive- $10,000 or less up to 150 people
  • Pop Weddings starting at $2000 up to 25 people
  • Poppy Elopement Package $600
  • Officiant Service $150
  • Traditional Wedding Planning – 15% of whatever you spend on the wedding
  • Partial Planning 7.5% of whatever you spend on your wedding
  • Day of Options – Varies
  • 10,000 or less
  • Wedding starts at $600

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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