Here we are 608 days post Pandemic shut down. Hawaii stopped in time on March 25, 2020. For professional eventiers, this was the catalyst that either shot them like a cannonball into another direction, or lit a raging fire that refused to die. I felt real, mind numbing, deafening, painful depression, for the first time in my life. Therapy is always a good idea,
but I am a stubborn soul and basically  
R E F U S E D
to give give up. With no choice but to meet our present need (ie. debt), I spent an insane amount of time researching, experimenting and working my a** off to make what we have BETTER, a still small voice kept saying "you already have what you need" TYJ.

WHAT I POSESSED
DETERMINATION
TENACITY
PURPOSE
SKILL
INVENTORY

WHAT I WAS LACKING 
FOCUS
Because I was paying attention to everything but my business 

FUNDS
Yah sure, we took advantage of the PPP, PPP2 and the EIDL. Who are we kidding....

DIRECTION
Where do I start?

Taking a step back to honestly audit my business was the first step. John and I spent many late nights talking about what we "wished" our business would look like if we could
"live our best life"

We wanted to be AUTHENTIC 
Not to be moved to act/change because its what others needed/wanted. Being authentic means you don't have to compromise your worth, your vision or desire for your business
to stay in business
Solution: Do it our way, in a good way. It might not be what everyone wants, but it WILL be right for the right client

We wanted to offer something DIFFERENT
Unfortunately different is short lived and anything successful will be repeated.
We chose the be the success, that others followed
Solution: Don't look backwards, because we're not there

We wanted to HAVE REACH
Not just to be reached by the public, but to reach our ideal client
But advertising is expensive.
Solution: Up our promotion game and really put ourselves out there with honest information

We wanted to be VALUED
We were the first to do that and now it's being marketed as someone else's design. 
Well Sh**!
Solution: Don't compromise our integrity to "get the business. Clients will see us"  
​
We wanted to be HAPPY
Such a simple concept, yet so ridiculously difficult to achieve in this business
Solution: If we are not representing our true self in our business, we will be chasing the proverbial carrot for the rest of our lives. Time to do what we love, not just act like we love what they want. 

Maybe you're not quite there. Business is very personal, it's not just a way to make money. Preventing business burn out is simply doing what you love, not pretending to love what you do. Re-invent yourself and your business regularly. Attract the right people and happiness will follow.

I'm happy today
And I love my clients

What goes  IN to your event is what you get out of it.

Event service providers are springing up everywhere these days. How do you know what or who is right for you? This is where doing your due diligence is key. It IS a lot of work but you'll be thankful you did it.
Anyone can look good on paper (regardless of the atrocious spelling and deplorable grammar...sorry a pet peeve of mine), their reviews can even be glowing, but are they prepared and armed with a good plan, insured against mishaps or even seasoned enough to be a good source of knowledge? 

-How long have they been in business?
This should not be the deciding factor, as there are some vendors who are the      
epitome of professionalism and have only just opened their doors. While the
other side of the pendulum is a polar opposite.
-Insured?
This IS the deal breaker. You'll want to be certain the business you use, is insured,          but even more importantly is their staff or sub-contractors insured? Putting up              lights is not just a plug and play responsibility. YOU could be faced with a major 
liability if something goes wrong.
Most venues don't permit uninsured vendors on site. To discover the day of your           event that you have hired an uninsured vendor, and they won't be given access to         your site  is already too late to do anything about it.
-Familiar with venues?
 Knowing the power need and areas that require special attention or preparation, is      vital to the health of your event. It's not in your best interest to hire a vendor with a      just wing it attitude.
-Are they educated/experienced?
 There is more than one way to skin a cat, so to speak. While traditional education        means going to school, there are other ways of learning and perfecting a trade. Pay    close attention to the continuing efforts of the vendor.

• Do they know it all or seem jaded? .
• Do you suspect they may be exaggerating their capabilities or                     experience? Don't be    shy...ask for proof
• Can they produce certificates or evidence of said education?

-Bad Reviews?
Any business who's been around long enough, has had their fair share of bad reviews. In my best Abe Lincoln voice "You can please some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time". THEN there is the time when a business really DID mess up. YES it happens to the best...ALL of them. No single business is immune. The question here, would be how did they handle it. 

​Ask the tough questions, your event (although kind of cliche) is a once in a lifetime event. You don't have the luxury of lessons learned. Paying close attention from the get go will help you find and TRUST the right professionals for you.