In Izzy’s words…

“Then I discovered some unique ink cartridge products which cut ink costs by about 75%. My sales started going up and the sideline began to take all my spare time. I started to seriously consider giving up my job and doing the business full time. Massive layoffs at the company took the decision out of my hands. With more free time, I studied search engine optimization (SEO) and brought my site to the top of the search engines in a matter of weeks.

Today I am much happier and wishing I had done this sooner. I am also helping others build their own online businesses. Unemployment may not be a disaster but an opportunity.”

What were the obstacles to starting your business (educational requirements, certifications, licensing, insurance, etc.)?

Since it was a home-based sideline, I didn’t need anything other than time, money and knowledge. the only obstacle was that I started it when I still had a full-time job and there were occasions when it interfered with my family life.

How did you find suppliers/services you needed to get started?

I first Googled suppliers in the US. As I started to sell in large quantities, I went to Chinese boards. That’s how I discovered a unique product which no one else in the US has. Sales took off from there.

How did you finance your start up?

I spent less than $500 to start. I probably should have spent a little more – like $1000 – to have a professional website. An article I wrote brought thousands of visitors, some of whom emailed to say the article was professional but the site was disappointing. You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.

Is this a full time business or a supplemental income?

It started out part time but it is now full time

What advise would you give others?

To those sitting on the sidelines, particularly if they’re unemployed or underemployed: It is always a good time to start an online business. Stop whining about your situation and do something about it. To those thinking they can throw up a website (and some of those sites look like they were thrown up) and sales will come rolling in: if you want to make a serious income, you have to run a serious business.

What was your biggest mistake or failure?

My biggest failure was in trying to cut starting costs too much by throwing together an amateurish website. An article I wrote brought thousands of visitors to my site, many of whom emailed to say the professional article didn’t match the poor site. I learned that your website is the first impression you make and it had better be polished before it is released to the public.

What organizations do you belong to? organizations?

This is the Internet age and I’m a member of many LinkedIn and other groups.

How has your lifestyle changed from being an employee to becoming a business owner?

Absolutely. I work from home. No 3 hour commute. No incompetent VP making mistakes and blaming them on his underlings. No unplanned overtime. My family has commented on how much my disposition has improved.

Tell us about your company

I have lived all my live in the Pennsylvania Amish Country. A life-long passion of mine has been digging and collecting antique glass and bottles reclaimed from the beautiful wooded habitats and rural farmlands where I live. These old dump sites are simply what people did with their used and broken glass back then, and are now a treasure trove for collectors. I have always thrilled at finding a pretty treasure to put in my window and add to my collection. After I had children, I would take them and tell them about the old glass and the history behind the pieces.

One thing that has always bothered my is how as collectors we take away the pretty whole pieces but leave the broken behind for the environment and wildlife to deal with. After seeing a baby fawn laying among some broken pieces one day I set out on a new mission with this glass. Now reclaiming the broken remains, what followed was a huge amount of trial and error, patience, and old fashioned hard work, and emerged into a remarkable line of recycled antique glass jewelry, Bottled Up Designs. Realizing that people loved the history, I developed a system to include with every piece “The Story of the Glass”, detailing what the glass was originally and the approx. age.

Within one year I was making more that I was at my job of 15 years as an advertising manager for a magazine, and in my mid 40′s said goodbye to the world of ad deadlines, budgets to hit, and ad sales, and now work full time on my business. Wow, what I have learned about internet marketing, and what makes a successful entrepreneur in the last few years!

What were the obstacles to starting your business (educational requirements, certifications, licensing, insurance, etc.)?

I had no equipment, and no idea of what I needed. I had never worked with glass before, and am completely self taught. After purchasing a few hobby level pieces of glass working equipment, my husband and I decided what we really needed couldn’t be found. So, my husband, a machinist and a genius with working with his hands invented the machinery for me. We had in our garage several vintage World War II era pieces of machinery for wood and metal working. He took them apart, and re-designed into my own custom shop to do exactly what I needed them to do.

How did you find suppliers/services you needed to get started?

I did a huge amount of looking around on-line, and having started out with a shop on Etsy.com, got involved in the forums and gleaned a huge amount of information from other artists there.

Is this a full time business or a supplemental income?

When I started what I was doing, (and honestly I never was setting out to start a company, more of a hobby), I was an Adversiting Manager for a magazine. Within the first year of my business I made more off my “hobby” then my long time job of 15 years. So, I made the difficult decision at the height of a recession to walk away and devote 100% to my new business.

What advise would you give others?

OMG, where would I even start! You hear lots of things like “go for it”, “reach for your dreams” etc, and that’s all great, but probably my best advise would be, if your business is at all ecommerce based, take some time to study SEO before creating a website. Just having a site doesn’t mean sales or success, there’s a ton of work that has to go into making it valid and thriving.

What organizations do you belong to?

I am a member of Green America

How has your lifestyle changed from being an employee to becoming a business owner?

I have never worked harder, or longer hours, but have never been so satisfied with my work. There is something completely therapeutic to simply making something. Which, by the way, is a feeling that is being lost in this country.

Steve, tell us in your own words about Fatpacking and why you got started

Backpacking is my passion. For years, my vacations consisted of backpacking and hiking. Whenever I’d return to my corporate job, I noticed that my pants were looser, I felt fit, and was stress-free. After doing this long enough, I began thinking that others would like to reap the fitness benefits of backpacking, not to mention enjoy the incredible beauty of the wilderness backcountry that few ever get to see.

So about 5 years ago, I assembled a group and took them on a backpacking vacation. Metrics were taken to see if hiking really did affect weight and body composition. After a 2 week trip, it became clear that there was a causal relationship between backpacking and fat percentage. So I left my corporate position and started taking people Fatpacking (http://www.fatpacking.com) to get in shape and lose weight.

Like most businesses, there were struggles in the early years. Any time weight loss is involved, there is extreme competition for clients from leviathan weight loss companies. Even generating awareness and reaching potential clients is like hanging a small sign out in a sea of fog (analogies are not my long suit).

Business improved for the first few years, but the recession hit and almost closed the doors. Things began to improve again in 2010, but they’ve never quite turned the corner. However, Fitpacking is about to enter into an option situation with a production company for a reality show which will hopefully come to fruition and solve all the awareness problems we now suffer.

Fatpacking has provided me (and my guides) with an incredible quality of life, but is unfortunately no way to begin an invincible financial empire.

What were the obstacles to starting your business (educational requirements, certifications, licensing, insurance, etc.)?

The biggest obstacle was (and is) the naysayers. It’s just amazing how many unsupportive people you run into. I don’t think they all mean to be that way, but finding potential problems makes people think they’re helping out, when they’re actually being discouraging. I am a certified Wilderness First Responder, certified in CPR and Basic Life Support, certified Leave No Trace Trainer, and certified Food Handler. I also must obtain permits for each National Park or Forest in which we operate. I don’t find these to be big obstacles.

How did you find suppliers/services you needed to get started?

I’ve been backpacking for many years, so I already knew where to find suppliers and services. However, I have found a wealth of useful information from the fine people of the backpacker.com message boards.

How did you finance your start up?

Everything came out of my savings.

Is this a full time business or a supplemental income?

It’s full time in-season, March-October. During the other months, I supplement the business by software contracting, although I continue to work on the business during those times as well.

What advise would you give others?

Sell, sell, sell. Or find someone who can sell. It’s vital. You can figure out the rest.

How has your lifestyle changed from being an employee to becoming a business owner?

I have much less money now, which means I don’t go out as frequently or to the nicer places I used to go to. Plus, I’m traveling all the time so maintenance around my house suffers. Friendships are more difficult too. On the other hand, I’m in much better shape given that I’m always hiking. My quality of life is also much richer.

For the first few years, as far as he knew, he was the only person doing this. He utilized his strengths in sales & photography to create his business framework and had to teach himself the rest, usually learning through trial-and-error. Within a few years he had moved from his sales job to pursue his aerial photography business full-time and was making well over six figures annually.

When we asked him about his success he replied “not only have I been successful financially, surviving in the worst economy since the Great Depression, but I have gained international acclaim from my hobbies/job. In 2009, one of my images placed 2nd in the World Press Photo Annual Contest and received an honorable mention in Pictures of the Year International (two of the three biggest photojournalism contests in the world). My business is still small (I’m technically a MicroBusiness), but I have brought my son on board and he has been working for me, full-time, for the past few years. I am so fortunate and lucky that I have been able to make a living doing things I love to do.”

What was your main obstacle?

The main obstacle was me: having the guts to go out on my own. It’s not an easy to leave a secured job, even if it is a dead-end one. I was a pilot & had been into photography since I was little. My last job gave me experience in sales which was very important.

How did you find suppliers/services you needed to get started? How did you finance your start up?

I started with a camera I owned and I did own an airplane, which helped. However, finding clients did take some time, as I had no business model or was not even aware that this was a viable business.

Is this a full time business or a supplemental income?

This had been a full time job for me for about five years & for my son for over two years. I started this job while working with my former employer, shooting on the weekends & marketing at night. Slowly, this business began to grow & I became more proficient.

What advise would you give others?

The advice I would give is to follow you dreams and your passion. You can start slow but don’t give up. It is not easy starting your own business and it is scary. It is much easier to take your secure paycheck, but not anywhere near as rewarding.

What organizations do you belong to?

There are not a lot of aerial photography organizations but there are a lot of groups that use my services and that is where I put my time.

How has your lifestyle changed from being an employee to becoming a business owner?

My lifestyle has changed dramatically in that I work out of my house (and the airport) so there is no commute time. I put in a lot more hours now but can take breaks throughout the day as needed. I call my own shots, try my own marketing, make my own rules and hopefully every works out. So far it has been great and we have been able to move with the times. Things are great!!

He released a CD in 2006 which failed, but in hindsight that helped him learn about publishing, distribution.

What were the obstacles to starting your business (educational requirements, certifications, licensing, insurance, etc.)?

The only obstacle I had to overcome was understanding the licensing issues with all the pieces. When you get started it’s difficult to understand exactly what to do, and it’s too costly to consult with lawyers. So I had to pick up a few books, talk to a few people, ask my community for help along the way, and simply learn as I go. Overall, the music business is incredibly complex when it comes to licensing – most of this stuf is a big mystery to most people.

I made the decision to do it all myself – the production, marketing, distribution, and even the artwork. My thinking was that if I became dependent on others than that would lead to many problems – which I’ve seen in the music business very often. So I do al the arrangements, licensing, and production myself. The way I decided to do the distribution myself is by relying only on digital sales because I want to stay efficient and not worry about inventory. This has minimized the amount of suppliers I’m dependent upon, and was very cost efficient as a startup. When you’re on unemployment trying to get an idea started you don’t have the luxury of making big startup costs and investments – so that was actually a good thing for me.

My unemployment checks helped out a lot. I was also previously in the Youtube Partner Program – so there was a little bit of money still coming in from that, but nearly enough to survive. I also had some money saved up over the few years with the thought that I would give this idea a second shot if the opportunity ever came up again. My first attempt at this was back in 2006 when I released a CD of my original music, it was an expensive undertaking that failed miserably. I then thought about orchestrating the music of Lady Gaga, Bon Jovi, Aha, and more for orchestra – but I needed more money first. I never liked the idea of raising money via Venture Capital because that usually involves giving up part ownership – and when it comes to music licensing I knew that path would eventually lead to some serious licensing and publishing issues down the line.

Stop waiting for the ‘perfect moment’ to launch something or tackle an idea. The perfect time is right now – the only way you’ll learn what to do or how to perfect something is by getting your feet wet. Just get it out there and crowd source how to make it better, and pay attention.

• American Association of Independent Music (A2IM)
• American Composer’s Forum (ACF)
• Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP)
• College Orchestra Directors Association (CODA)
• League of American Orchestras (LOAO)
• Music Publishers Association (MPA)
• National Music Publisher’s Association (NMPA)
• Songwriter’s Guild of America (SGA)

I hated being an employee. I never liked the idea of someone having the power to end your career. Not only am I happier, but I’m tackling a dream of mine – and that’s much more fulfilling. I’m not getting paid as much, but that was never the desire – the passion is about changing the world.

What were the obstacles to starting your business (educational requirements, certifications, licensing, insurance, etc.)?

Since crowdfunding is a new arena, there aren’t any educational or certification requirements but it definitely required a certain leap of faith to get started. Probably the biggest obstacle to getting started was getting the courage to start. Creating a company in a new industry with very little experience and few resources can be daunting, but it can also be liberating, because you don’t yet know what you don’t know.

How did you find suppliers/services you needed to get started?

We were lucky enough to have access to a lot of great free/affordable tools. But now, there are so many resources both online and in person for entrepreneurs. From Google Apps to FeeFighters to multitude of tech and start-up blogs, there has never been a better time to start a company with just a little bit of capital.

How did you finance your start up?

We each brought some financing to the table. To fund the first wave of the web design, Desiree took out a $10K loan from Prosper.com and put the rest on her credit cards. Ethan’s father left him a little bit of money when he passed away from cancer that Ethan was able to invest in the company. That money lasted the first 6 months, so they bootstrapped GF for two years, waiting tables and doing freelance writing to make ends meet. In Feb 2011 GiveForward closed a $500k seed funding round led by Tim Krauskopf (founder of Spyglass) New World Ventures (Chicago venture capital firm run by JB Pritzker) Social Leverage (Venture Capital firm run by Howard Lindzon), and David Cohen (founder and CEO of TechStars) among others.

Is this a full time business or a supplemental income?

Full time.

What advice would you give others?

Don’t be scared of what you don’t know. Be excited about finding the answers. Don’t shy away from an idea because you don’t think you’re an expert in every aspect of the project. Instead, be open to learning.

What organizations do you belong to?

We belong to a number of professional organizations, but more than just joining an organization, we suggest you really make an effort to get out there and talk with people in the industry. Attend tweetups, go to benefits for nonprofit organizations, you name it – if you look hard enough, you’ll find there are lots of great ways to network & meet people, you just have to do a bit of research.

How has your lifestyle changed from being an employee to becoming a business owner?

We became a lot poorer :) In the beginning, you almost don’t notice everything you’re missing out on because you’re working so hard. But after two years of working towards your vision without a paycheck, there are certainly times when you look enviously at a friend’s new clothes or allow yourself a few moments of self-pity when you have to skip an expensive trip with friends. That is why it’s so important to find other metrics besides money to motivate you through those tough years. At GiveForward, we measured success in thank you emails and cards from users. Having these moments of success to reflect on made the sacrifices seem small compared to the good we were doing.

I have.

I’m tired of it taking a week to open a brokerage account because they need to make sure I’m not a security risk. Really? You have my money transferred from an account under my name to be traded in an account under my name. How is this a security risk?

I’m tired of the TSA. I have a choice: either get sexually assaulted or have them take naked pictures of me. Never mind the invasion of my privacy or violation of my constitutional rights against unlawful search and seizure.

I’m tired of the attempts to infringe on my 2nd amendment rights (right to bear arms). All the regulations in the world won’t keep the guns away from criminals. The laws don’t prevent domestic violence. They just make it harder for law abiding citizens to defend themselves.

How about all the regulations that they put in our way when trying to do business? Are you tired of hundreds (or thousands) of rules and laws that you need to follow? How can you make sure you are compliant unless you have a “compliance department?” How much time and cost does this add, all without adding any value to your customers?

In the end, none of these things add to our security. Criminals and terrorists know how to easily circumvent the security measures. They only make our lives harder, and bit by bit we give away our rights and freedoms.

Is it hard to run a business at such a young age?

It hasn’t affected the way I run my business much.

 Do you use word of mouth advertising?

Word of mouth clients have been coming out of the “woods” requesting our services. This has been extremely encouraging for me.

What other unique forms of advertising do you use?

My firm starting to develop a “clothing line” branch, and anywhere from Italy, to the sunny central coast of California, you can see people (not necessarily clients) wearing Zangaroo shirts.

We also have several articles being written about Zangaroo and me.

What else has contributed to your success?

I believe hard work, honesty, and fun create the perfect work environment. And thanks to these standards, I am able to do what I love for a living and also help others with their needs as well!

What’s next?

With a whole lot to still learn about: business, design, and life; I look forward to every second and experience of it.

What were the obstacles to starting your business (educational requirements, certifications, licensing, insurance, etc.)?

How did you find suppliers/services you needed to get started?

How did you finance your start up?

Is this a full time business or a supplemental income?

What advise would you give others?

What organizations do you belong to?

How has your lifestyle changed from being an employee to becoming a business owner?

There are three basic elements that everyone who wants to use email marketing effectively must firmly grasp: whether to manage their campaigns manually or through email marketing software, how to design the emails that will be used and how to maximize the benefits of emails.

Managing Campaigns

There are two ways to manage email campaigns: manually or through dedicated software.

For companies just starting out, it might not make sense to spend money on specialized software when the waters of email marketing have not been thoroughly tested. In this case, crafting spreadsheets or finding templates offered by others online can help entrepreneurs get a good handle on a small email marketing campaign. They will have to track subscription lists, the campaign plan, conversions, and any other metrics required for the campaign.

If the campaign is likely to run more than a year or the amount of subscribers becomes unwieldy–a number that will vary depending on the business and available resources–it would be best to turn to dedicated email marketing tools that will remove the back-end work from the campaign, allowing the advertiser to focus on the design and content of the messages.

Designing Emails

Consistency is key when you’re creating a marketing email template. Simplicity is also a major boon.

Marketing emails should resemble the company’s website, physical design and other advertising initiatives as closely as possible, helping tie all marketing efforts together and solidifying the company and brand in the recipient’s mind. Having completely different visual styles, whether color schemes or fonts, can confuse subscribers and will result in lost subscriptions and deleted emails.

Likewise, overly complex designs can be difficult to read and will frustrate readers, leading to the same ends. Breaking up text into multiple small paragraphs increases readability and improves the flow of the text. Once the design hurdles are overcome, the focus can be shifted to content, which is where email marketing shines.

Maximizing Email Benefits

A 2011 email marketing census found that 72% of the responding companies felt that email marketing provided an ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ ROI.

Email marketing can provide many benefits to a company’s overall marketing campaign strategy. Regular emails help keep a brand in customers’ minds, continuously reminding them of a company’s services and products while providing them with valuable knowledge, solidifying that company in their minds as a valuable resource and thought leader.

By providing answers to customers’ questions and giving helpful tips and tricks, companies can build a reputation for reliable knowledge that will translate into customer relationships. Further, a well-designed email marketing campaign can tie the various outreach methods of a company together, providing a single portal through which readers can access a company’s blog, social media profiles and main website.

By including a social call to action in each email, companies can foster customer engagement, helping generate buzz and, hopefully, increasing the business’s digital visibility.

Greg Jenkins and Thom Neighbors co-founded and launched Bravo Productions in 1987, whose focus was solely designing and producing floats for the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena. Most of their clients represented some of the top names in corporate America. As their company grew, these clients sought them out to create their events, props for promotional displays, etc. In addition, throughout the years, they begin receiving more inquiries to create events, props and theatrical scenery for clients outside of the Rose Parade, commercial production companies and television studios. In 1994, they re-engineered their company based on market demand, solely planning and coordinating events for corporate clientele. It expanded into government agencies such as the United States Army, tourist attractions such as the grand opening events for the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach and product launches such as Cable On Demand.

What were you doing before you started up Bravo Productions?

Before starting Bravo Productions, both Thom Neighbors and I worked for Festival Artists, a company that produced floats for the Rose Parade. Neighbors served as the art director and I was the public relations director. I supervised their clients’ Rose Parade publicity, promotions, special events and community relations activities. Prior to that, I formerly worked at a Los Angeles-based public relations firm. Prior to relocating to Southern California, I previously served in a marketing position with the Detroit Convention & Visitors Bureau. I was assigned to most of the city’s grand-scale special events such as the Jazz Festival, Thanksgiving Day Parade, now-defunct post season Cherry Bowl game, etc.

What was your big break in the special events industry?

I knew the type of profession I wanted to pursue as a child. I was always fascinated with the behind-the-scenes of theater and special events. After graduating from Michigan State University with a bachelors in advertising and a master’s degree in organizational communications, I did an extensive amount of volunteer work to get into the event profession. My big break came when I served as a gopher on Super Bowl XVI. I basically delivered promotional items for a ‘Pub Crawl.’ I was in heaven. That hard work and assertiveness was noticed by the Executive Director of the Super Bowl Host Committee. She recommended me for a job at the Convention Bureau, and the rest is history.

Who are your main competitors? How do you compete against them?

We break down our competitors in several groups:

Direct Competitors (this are companies in the greater Los Angeles area, who we often compete with for the same type of clients.)

Indirect Competitors (those event companies that are in the industry –whether established or new ones that pop up each day. They may not be of the same caliber as our firm, but they certainly compete for industry business.) And due to the economy and layoffs, more and more individuals are starting their own event planning businesses. We all have to compete for the work in the marketplace.

How has your experience in running the business been different from what you expected?

We try not to have expectations other than to produce quality work for our clients, and let the work and learn through the process speak for itself.

Is there anything you wish you had done differently?

Yes. We learned a lot earlier on. For example, we would never produce four-color mailers that are sent to mass prospective clients. We’ve learned that face-to-face interaction and building the business relationship is key. We certainly would have jumped on the Internet and developing a website much sooner. It’s an amazing tool to get your message out to the world. We try to make it much easier for clients to find us rather than we search for a ‘needle in a haystack’ seeking out clients.

What have you done that has been very effective in helping to grow the business?

• Investing in technology, successful marketing, networking and communicating the passion that we have about our business and clients projects. Social media tools such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook has also helped in growing our business and exposing our company to potential customers.
• Expanding our message beyond the walls of the events industry. We often find that some of our clients have found us through reading an article in a consumer-related magazine in which we were quoted or showcased. An example is Men’s Health, “How a Guy Can Throw a Simple Party.’
• Projecting our company as a leader in the industry and not follower. It’seasy to copy someone else’s project; it’s always challenging to be original. It’s the originality and creativity that inspires our team.
• Putting together a terrific team of suppliers and staff, who are reliable and feel just as passionate about the work they produce on your behalf.
• And lastly, learn from our mistakes and don’t fix something that is not broken.

1) Technical innovation. 2) Hiring great people. 3) Focus.

Key Business Learning Lessons:

1. Treat each customer as they were your only client. When the times get tough — like they are in this slagging economy, they will continue to conduct business with you, but perhaps on a smaller budget. When the times are great, they will want to take you along for the successful ride.
2. Separate yourself from your competitors by participating in your industry conferences and events. Become the ‘rock star’ of your industry through speaking engagements, lectures, volunteering and serving on boards.
3. Act in a manner that demonstrates you are a true professional. As an entrepreneur in the special events industry, we’re often viewed as just an industry that creates ‘fun.’ It’s a profession like any other industry.  We approach our clients if we were a doctor, lawyer or business manager. We advise appropriately — perhaps give them advice they may not want to here, however we provide our professional expertise and honest assessment to every situation as an obligation to our clients.

What advice would you give to somebody else who wanted to start a similar business?

My advice is as follows:

1. Before jumping into the industry, do some volunteer work and learn about the various components of a special event — from catering, logistics and management to budget planning, lighting and show direction.
2. Research and clearly identify the market you would like to tap into. Is it corporate, association, social (baby showers, anniversaries, bar mitzvahs), weddings, etc. And is there room for more competition in your area? Some areas may already be overly saturated with similar services.
3. Operate with good ethics and integrity. You might be the most creative person on the planet, but if your unethical, it will certainly catch up with you.
4. If you don’t have the expertise relating to a particular event aspect, hire someone who does. It could be a freelance person. And delegate!
5. Two mottos that we have on our wall: A) A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part. B) When you sacrifice quality, you lose everything.

What were the obstacles to starting your business (educational requirements, certifications, licensing, insurance, etc.)?

The primary obstacles surrounded marketing. My business partner and I both had vast experiences in the special events industry. However, starting a business, even with a business and marketing plan can be somewhat of a test project. For example, we developed glossy four-color brochures and collateral materials, secured mailing lists, etc. To this end, we found that some marketing was a complete waste of money. In addition, mailing lists purchased from some companies had not been updated. This was all before the advancements of the internet, social media, etc.

The other major obstacle was competing in an industry that is already saturated. We knew in order to compete, we needed to work 24/7, network, build relationships that can endure over time and promote, promote, promote.

How did you find suppliers/services you needed to get started?

When we started, we were sub-contracted by some companies to handle various parts of their special events. And because you are a part of a production team, we were able to become familiar with the names of some reputable companies. As we moved forward, we developed relationships with industry colleagues, who we were able to seek recommendations. We also keep our eyes open for new suppliers and services by reading industry publications and through good ole fashioned research and conducting our due diligence.

Is this a full time business or a supplemental income?

It’s definitely a full-time endeavor.  This is a business like any other such as retail, aerospace, hospitality, etc. It requires dedication, flexibility and hard-work.

What organizations do you belong to?

Some associations that I belong to include: International Special Events Society, Public Relations Society Of America, and Meeting Professionals International. I formerly served for a decade on the editorial advisory board of Event Solutions magazine. The key to belonging to any professional association is to maximize one’s membership. That might entail competing for industry awards, serving on the board or a committee, networking, etc.

How has your lifestyle changed from being an employee to becoming a business owner?

The difference between being an employee and a business owner has many rewards. While it comes with a great deal of responsibility and leadership (the buck stops here), a business owner is given control in following their destiny professionally. You answer to clients and employees, however, the ultimate business decisions rest on your shoulders. For me, that’s a nice luxury. On a very minor note, if you need to take a day off or have an extended vacation, you don’t have to get approval from senior management. The other benefit is the ability to mentor newcomers to the industry. They see our experience is one that they may want to follow. It’s nice to be a part of grooming the next generation of professionals.