We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nakita St.John a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Nakita, thanks for joining us today. Who is your hero and why? What lessons have you learned from them and how have they influenced your journey?

My hero is my mother, Devon Denise Hanson. I carry her love, spirit and passion for people in everything that I do.

She loved hosting; It was not unusual for her to spend days cooking and preparing the house for guests. She celebrated people and told them she loved them often. She followed through on her words with her actions.She lived a life of gratitude and in service to others and was loved and appreciated by many.

I was definitely influenced by her impact on people. And growing up, watching her bustle about for dinners, cookouts, and soirées made me value the intangibles of celebrations. A few years after she passed, I launched my business NH Events. I learned that I get that same burst of energy (that I witnessed in my mother) while creating beautiful spaces for people to gather and celebrate, learn, or commemorate. The essence of my company, NH Events, is rooted in celebration, but also love, gratitude, and togetherness.

At my events, my favorite part comes after I have designed and set up the beautiful space, finalized all of the logistics, and the guests arrive. The music, big salutations, smiles, hugs, and laughter fill the room and I feel at home.

Nakita, 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?

Although I do not have formal event planning certification, my professional background is as a product merchandiser. I have worked for over 15 years for a fortune 500 retailer.

A merchandisers job is to create a vision for the merchandise that you want to see in a particular season and then by month ensuring that you are delivering the correct product, at the correct place, at the right time, in the correct colors, at the correct price. I found that there are many transferable skills that I was able to apply
to my event planning business. I am comfortable creating a visual and logistical plan for an event and then subsequently executing all of the pieces of the event to make it a success.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

There are several books that have impacted me greatly. Some are classics, some are new. Some explore mindset and some time management I have found that they ALL explore the power of taking ownership of our destiny. A few of my favorites are:

1. Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill
2. 5 AM Club – Robin Sharma
3. Atomic Habits – James Clear
4.The ride of a lifetime – Bob Iger
5. Lucky Me – Rich Paul

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

My most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been delivering my product/service promise with excellence. I give my projects 100% everytime. My 100% includes:

– doing the most for my clients budget
– giving my professional advice
– considering even small details important
– listening and anticipating client needs
– being kind

More than 85% of my business has come through referrals.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.nhevents.co
• Instagram: @nheventsco

Image Credits
Kreshonna Keane