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

Margot, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

The running joke is, I started an events company during a pandemic. However, it’s because of the pandemic that ME+WE co. was badly needed – but not in the way you might think.

It’s true that we were all getting a little cabin fever and needed human contact. And while my business provided that for over 300 women in the first year of business, it provided a platform for other female businesses to launch from.

Many women lost their jobs because of the pandemic resulting in them starting their own business. In fact, a research survey from Gusto found that approximately 40% of female entrepreneurs launched their businesses as a direct result of the pandemic.

That’s a lot of women who turned their passion into a business. But these women didn’t necessarily know how to get an audience past their own friends and family. That’s where ME+WE co. stepped in. I started partnering with these amazing women to feature their products and services at my events. The result was instant! They got exposure to new clients, grew their social media, and started selling more! I was hearing success from all the women-businesses I was partnering with.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hello! I’m Margot, owner of ME+WE co. I create unique get-togethers, team building events, staycations, retreats, seminars and classes in San Diego by partnering with local female-owned businesses to showcase their products and talents.

When people think of an event planner, they think weddings or big shindigs – that’s not really my thing. My niche is creating more intimate events for smaller groups and making it uniquely personalized. Think of low-key bachelorette weekend at an Airbnb where I bring all the vendors to you! Or a corporate team building event where there is axe throwing with a beautifully catered dinner. I design an extraordinary experience then zhuzh it up!

It’s my goal to partner with female-owned small businesses in our community to create my events. From the bartender and yoga instructor to all the artists contributing goodies that go into a fabulous swag bag – I showcase women whenever possible!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Like most people during the pandemic, I lost a lot. My mother unexpectedly died (not related to Covid-19) and while on bereavement, I was fired from my job. Things were very uncertain for me and my grief was debilitating. I spent a lot of time auditing my life during those first few months and asking myself if I was happy. Although I am happy with who I am as a person, I wasn’t happy with my at-then career of over 10 years.

So I decided to make a radical change and start a business with a friend in what I really enjoyed doing in my spare time – event planning! We were only going to plan small events that we would enjoy attending. And that’s what we did. We both designed the event, hired the vendors, made the marketing material, sold tickets and let the good times roll. The excitement I got from my business was long overdue in my life. But it wasn’t as profitable as we needed it to be and I got a lot of anxiety if tickets weren’t selling … so I pivoted again.

This time, without my business partner. She was offered an amazing promotion at work and she didn’t have time to put her energy into a growing business – which I completely understand. I’m so grateful to have had her that first year as we developed ME+WE co. and I know she will continue to be a huge supporter of the company.

From there I joined a female business entrepreneur group at FEMX Quarters in Old Town. These group of women inspired me to think bigger with my business! They encouraged me to look past trying to sell tickets to my mini-events and instead, focus on events-for-hire. WOW! This made a huge difference in revenue while allowing me to stay true to partnering with other female business owners to create chic events.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I’ve had to unlearn doing everything myself. In the past, I would prepare the food, buy the décor, haul the ice and beverages, and load up the car full of all the things needed for an event in addition to the job of an event coordinator.

Well, that was silly and backbreaking.

I was so used to doing everything myself to save on money for my personal life, but as a business owner you must delegate! I’ve now learned that you must hire the professionals to do their thing and trust (but verify) that they do it well. Since taking this approach, my events have gone so much smoother and I can focus on the coordinating rather than the chopping.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.meandweco.com
• Instagram: @meandweco
• Facebook: @meandwecofb