What was something you learned at K-State that you still use to run your business today?

K-State provided me with the confidence to connect with other entrepreneurs and not be afraid to simply start. Through my education and time in the entrepreneurship program, I was able to meet many mentors who provided guidance and shared their experiences. The program also provided me with a safe space to open my first LLC and showed me how to fill out the documentation and file taxes. These skills of networking, operations and finance are what I use on a daily basis to run my business.

What inspires you?

I live my life by the motto – “if serving is beneath you then leadership is beyond you.” This quote inspires me to never stop serving our clients, our team and our community. There is a stat in my industry that 75% of the workers in the event industry will not be there next year. The event industry is built on service which means that those working in this field are leaders. This high turnover rate infuriates me because it shows that we are not respecting or honoring the associates in this field. There is a lot of room for leadership and this inspires me to keep creating not only a beautiful space to celebrate but also a beautiful place to work.

If you could give a new entrepreneur one piece of advice, what would it be?

The piece of advice that I would recommend for new entrepreneurs is to just start. Make forward progress, don’t focus on perfection. You will fail and that is awesome. Wear it as a badge of honor, learn from it and keep going. I am also a firm believer in bootstrapping your business. Use what you have to start your business and then grow from there. If you want to start a restaurant, don’t take out a huge loan to buy equipment and a lease…buy a used food truck or better yet make food in your dorm, post on Facebook and have people pick it up. Zero cost except for the food involved and your time. Bootstrap the heck out of your company.