Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Myriam Diomande. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Myriam, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

When launching Passion Fruit Events, I was working full time at one of the largest consulting firms in the country as a Marketing Manager. It was the opportunity of a lifetime. I had a team that I was tasked with developing and new challenges to take on and learn from. I love a good challenge. This role was everything I could dream of and earlier in my career than I expected. When I started Passion Fruit Events, as a side project, it was something I saw as a passion project. Something I could enjoy doing during the weekends and my time off. Things took a turn as I got deeper into my role at the consulting firm and realized that this role was not a good fit for me, at all. On the other hand, PFE was taking off. I was receiving opportunities that I could only dream about, all while using my PTO to work on these events. After 2 years of working in a role that was not a good fit, impacting my mental health, and juggling a 6 month old company, I decided to leave my 9-5 and solely focus on my “passion project”. At the age of 29, I left behind a career full of potential, a very coveted role, and a generous salary. This risk was one, I knew at the time and still recognize as the turning point in my life. It is a freedom and a privilege to do work that you are passionate about, that make others happy, all while challenging yourself on a daily basis. This life changing risk does not come without its hardships but I would make the same decision over and over again knowing what I know now. I couldn’t have taken this risk without my support system, my husband and family. It was comforting to know that they all believed and had seen this vision for me from the start. In taking this risk, I have encountered other amazing business owners, used the tools I’ve gathers from working in the corporate environment/school, and have grown to be an even more risk adverse person. I truly believe that taking the risk to leave my comfort zone was the most rewarding decision I could have ever made for my life.

Myriam, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hi, I’m Myriam! I’m the founder of Passion Fruit Events and lover of all things events. I come from a family that loves to host and believes that gathering people around good food, great ambiance and decorative details is the answer to a full life. I started PFE as a passion project but quickly realized that my passion lied in celebrating all the good that life has to offer and seeing the happiness that brings to my clients. Leaving my 9-5 to do what I love, here at PFE, has been the best decision I could have ever made for myself and my own happiness.

At Passion Fruit Events, we are your trusted partner in the world of event planning and design. With our extensive expertise (all while still learning and trying new things) and passion for creating extraordinary experiences, we ensure that every event we undertake is meticulously designed and flawlessly executed. We handle every detail, from venue selection and logistics to décor, entertainment, and beyond, to create a seamless and unforgettable event that leaves a lasting impression. With our comprehensive event management services, our client friends can sit back, relax, and enjoy your event while we take care of all the intricate planning and coordination. We ask our clients to trust us to transform their vision into a reality and deliver an event that exceeds their expectations.

I am most proud of the fact that we always strive to find the balance between inspiration and creation. My team and I are really big on pushing the envelope and trying new things! There are so many cool designs and ideas that already exist in the world. We see them and so do our clients but we work hard on putting our own twist to things, especially when given creative freedom.

I want potential clients to know that from the first point of contact to us driving away from breaking down their event, our intention is to make you feel seen, heard and feel that you got more than what you asked for. We truly pride ourselves in building long term relationships with our clients and not just to say we did so because it sounds good but because the team genuinely enjoys making new friends/partnerships.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Center of Influences (COIs) / Word of mouth. When I had the idea to launch PFE, I ran it past a good friend of mine from grad school. She had been in the industry for a few years now and had built a great network of Friendors (friends that are vendors). She allowed me to run my ideas by her and supported me every step of the way. She became my first real client by giving me the platform to plan and design a party that asked me to try an installation that I had never tried before and rarely saw done in our area. This platform gave me the opportunity to not only take risks, face challenges head on, but meet so many new people that would in turn see me in action and reach out for their own events. You can find new clients in so many ways but the most successful ways for me have always been my community of supporters and their community of supporters. Good people know good people and that has been PFE’s source of life.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I think I’m currently living out one of the stories that will illustrate my resilience. As I’m writing this, my due date (with our first baby) is approaching in matters of days, all while planning one of our bigger corporate events during the year. This is a commitment my team and I have agreed to keep and to see through. Becoming a new mom comes with so much excitement, joy, anticipation and some anxiety for sure! But personally, the one thing that has kept the anxiety at bay has been PFE and the ability to keep some sort of consistency in my life. I choose to continue to work until our baby arrives because I know I’m strong enough to do so and made a commitment to my business. I think as a business owner you grow accustomed to juggling different aspects of your life and choosing to do that everyday is what makes you resilient. I characterize myself as someone who enjoys the opportunities that test my resiliency. I think being resilient is one of the most beautiful characteristic a person, especially women, can have. Although challenges may present themselves, it’s choosing to look beyond those or from a different lens that builds that resiliency. I’m proud of the workin I’m currently doing and hope that I can be a good example to my son, when the time comes.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.passionfruitevents.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookpassionfruit?igsh=bWtkeTd6ZjQ1Yjk0&utm_source=qr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/passionfruitevents/