Dominique Surabian, San Diego State, was preparing for her internship in wealth management with Wells Fargo when COVID-19 began wreaking havoc. What started as excitement to build upon her experience with Merrill Lynch the prior year, turned to uncertainty after the internship was unable to be completed virtually, due to the privacy concerns in wealth management.

With classes at San Diego State going virtual, her lacrosse season over and moving back home to Simi Valley (40 miles from downtown Los Angeles), Dominique was faced with not only trying to make up for valuable internship experience she would be missing, but paying for her apartment in San Diego three hours away.

“I didn’t want this time to be something that went to waste,” says Dominique. “I knew I was going to miss out on key business educational experience, and at the same time I wanted to bring back joy.”

Enter flocking.

“Flocking in the traditional sense is placing a large quantity of plastic lawn flamingos on somebody’s lawn before they’re awake,” says Surabian. A tradition passed down each year at her high school, students turned the prank into a fundraiser, with the ability to buy “flocking insurance.” Surabian, with the help of her family, re-branded the tradition not only as a celebration, but a profitable business venture as well – starting Let’s Get Flocking.

First beginning with pink flamingos, Let’s Get Flocking offered an affordable opportunity for people to cheer up a friend or family member with a creative lawn display. However, it became apparent how much the community loved the service, and in a matter of six months, $500 worth of inventory grew to $10,000, with custom sign-making, floral and baked good options as well.

Offering lawn flockings seven days a week, averaging three to five houses per day, it’s safe to say business is booming. It takes Dominique and her family approximately four hours each day to complete the flockings.

Recently, Let’s Get Flocking has been exploring franchising arrangements, with interest stemming all the way to Texas and even Rhode Island. “Initially it was something to pay rent and bring happiness,” she says. “What it ended up being is an idea that has become so widely accepted, and people are wanting to open branches. The response of the community has allowed its potential to grow into something big.”

Not only does Dominique take classes full-time virtually, work part-time, maintain her spot on the lacrosse team,  and lead the Iota Pi chapter as president, she manages everything at Let’s Get Flocking from custom sign-making, social media, all management of the company’s finances, coding and analytics, supply chain management, business relationships management, marketing and graphic design. There is no avenue of business it seems she hasn’t touched. And what began as an uncertain time for her continued professional experience outside of the classroom, turned into an incredible learning opportunity. “There are jobs that you can love, that don’t feel like work,” says Dominique.

This dynamic brother has some great advice for fellow collegians with a lot on their plates. “You have to find the ability to pivot. It’s about realizing when change is coming, and proactively trying to better your experience. It’s so important to keep going and make something out of nothing.” For more information, visit: letsgetflocking.com. ▲