Meet Ken Abrahams of Fun Enterprises in Stoughton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ken Abrahams.

Ken, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
We started almost by accident myself and my partner were working for another company many years ago that ran into financial trouble and had to close. Despite being out of work we believed the products that we offered were marketable. We started small working with corporations and colleges in New England offering primarily novelty and variety programs like Antique Photos and Caricature artists. When we started we offered less than 10 different programs as we grew so did our list of offerings. We currently operate regularly in 35 states and have a second office in Tacoma Washington.

Over the years we added additional programs many of them inspired or created by our clients like Spin Art Shutter Shades, Personalized License Plates and Airbrush Aprons. We also have added speakers and full event production services for our clients. Our office staff that started off at 4 has turned into 10, along with that we occupy at least 10 times the office space we did when we started.

There are 2 groups of people that we can attribute our success to our staff and our clients. Both groups have been with us through thick and thin. We are lucky that both of these groups have put up with our mistakes as we grew. More than 10 current staff members (both office and program) have been with us for at least 20 years. We have clients that are with us today that were there on day one. As I said we have been very lucky. When we started more than 25 years ago in my wildest dreams I couldn’t have predicted this. We are anxious to see what the future brings.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been as smooth as possible. We face the same obstacles that many other businesses face. If you are looking for a laundry list here it is:
Competition
Not pricing things correctly
Owners that are building the bike while riding it (in other words we really didn’t know what we were doing).
Having to learn how to manage a growing staff
The expense and headache of getting rid of a silent 3rd partner
Owners that fought and still do fight on occasion
Increased expenses
Not researching purchases correctly. We bought a new phone system from a company that went out of business 4 days after we purchased it Unfortunately they were a third party seller and we still had to pay for the equipment even though we couldn’t use it without the technology from the company that folded.
A changing buyer profile
Several economic downturns
Learning how to manage a company at different growth levels
Opening offices in different parts of the country
Spending time and effort to develop new programs only to have them imitated or copied exactly by your competitors
People no longer wanting to do business in person or on the phone and instead trying to do everything electronically

In almost 30 years you are bound to have a few challenges.

Please tell us about FUN Enterprises.
What we provide are novelty, variety programs, speakers and event production. What we are really known for is an outstanding client experience. There is no client more important than the one we are working with and for at that particular minute. Regardless of your budget we provide the same level of service. That isn’t just lip service our staff believes this as well. We are innovators. Many people in the New England area want to book things from New York because that is what is hot and trendy. We have New York companies looking at us to see what we are doing.

When we started out we were very unique there weren’t too many companies that sold the entertainment programs that they owned. There were agents and there were service providers but rarely were they one in the same. Now it is very common. Our clients look at us as a resource and they know that if they are looking for something unusual we can often locate it for them or find someone that can point them in the right direction. Another differentiator is that we are very low pressure. We are not for everybody and everyone is not for us.

One of the things that sets us apart isn’t the what or the how but the why. We do what we do and the way we do it because we believe that planning the types of events we work on should be fun. You as a client should be able to enjoy your event and have a good time with your friends, family, business associates, classmates or peers. Some of the best days of people’s lives are what we are a part of and the person or persons hiring us should enjoy those times.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
There are so many it is tough to pick one. Walking into Disneyland the first time would have to be one. As a child my family travelled a lot and some of those vacations were terrible but yet they were also some of the best laughs I have ever had. All you have to do is mention the Buffalo Bend Motel to my sisters, the reaction is priceless. Seeing OJ Simpson when he was a running back at USC was very special. Going to Notre Dame Football games as a kid in general was a great time and I have wonderful memories of that.

Contact Info:

• Address: 63 Tosca Drive Stoughton MA 02072
• Website: www.funent.com
• Phone: 7814363187
• Email: ken@funent.com, ac@ funent.com for corporate events, sam@funent.com for private events
• Facebook: @FUNenterprises
• Twitter: @FUNEnterprises
• Other: www.michaelmillerspeaks.com, www.ammamarfo.com, https://joelchristiangill.wordpress.com/