We were lucky to catch up with Maelyn Hecox recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Maelyn, thanks for joining us today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

Starting my own business has pushed me to redefine what professional happiness means to me. I worked in a corporate role beforehand, and back then, happiness equated to stability, great paychecks, and clear top-down direction. As a business owner, all three of those things fly right out the window on day 1. It’s so easy to have a rough day and question why you chose this path, but the grass isn’t greener on the other side. Working for someone else full-time wound up costing me my passion, creativity, and peace over time, and I have to remind myself of that on the days when I want to burn it all down.

I’m happier as a business owner because I feel so connected to the work, and I’m a big believer that if entrepreneurship is going too smoothly, you’re probably not doing it right. You’re not supposed to have all the answers – part of the beauty of business ownership is embracing an endless stream of challenge and growth, something that I craved back when I had my “regular job.” And at the end of the day, even though there are some wicked stressful days, it’s an incredible gift to do work that feels like an extension of who I am. When a dinner party is taking place, I genuinely feel like this is the work that I was put on this earth to do, and those nights reignite my passion and energy without fail.

I anchor myself in gratitude for what I’ve accomplished in a pretty short period of time. I had an idea that I chased, brought to fruition, and fight to build every day. And along the way, I’ve met amazing people who have picked me up off the ground on some brutal days and have supported Saint + Social in countless tangible ways. Happiness doesn’t mean lack of struggle – it means that I wake up feeling alive and wholeheartedly connected to the core of my business every day.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Prior to launching my business, I had spent 7 years in corporate and nonprofit spaces, with a hand in event planning in practically every role. I’ve always loved bringing people together via events, but meaningful gatherings were practically nonexistent, especially post-pandemic. Every event was the same – empty small talk, transactional business card exchanges, and huge gatherings where you’d walk away feeling like you didn’t even meet anyone.

I left my corporate role in the summer of 2023 and felt like a total shell of myself, so I took a sabbatical to rest and figure out what was next. The initial plan was to go back to corporate and make a great paycheck again, but I knew I’d quickly find my way back to burnout. Eventually I came to terms with the reality that I needed to feel passionate about my work, and the only way to do that was to build something that felt like an extension of who I am. I spent a lot of time thinking about tasks that came naturally to me, prior experiences that brought me joy, and aspects of my personality I could leverage well professionally. And after a decent amount of reflection, the idea for Saint + Social came together in late 2023.

Saint + Social is a dinner party planning business that was born out of a desire to gather differently. I’ve always loved how a dinner party functions as the perfect vehicle to form deeper relationships around the table; there’s power in the simplicity of great food shared with interesting company. But Saint + Social takes it another step further to cultivate incredibly unique, thoughtful experiences. We host our dinner parties in private, non-restaurant venues, bring in top tier chefs, sommeliers, and mixologists to create bespoke menus and beverage pairings, and our team handles all the event planning and design details, often weaving in an intriguing theme throughout the whole event. For example, a couple months ago one of my favorite chefs and I came up with an idea to do a food tour through Chicago history. Each course was inspired by four distinct Chicago eras, starting in 1835 with Chicago’s first fine dining restaurant and ending with Prohibition in the 1920s. A little extra intentionality makes our dinner parties feel more intimate and irreplicable, but most importantly, they create opportunities for life changing conversation and connection to happen.

Any advice for managing a team?

Know your leadership strengths/weaknesses, and if it’s better to delegate management to someone else, do it. A couple of years ago I was working on a corporate team that did an assessment called Working Genius. Essentially, it identifies what types of work you’re naturally gifted at, as well as types of work that frustrate you. I think every team needs what Working Genius refers to as a “galvanizer” – someone who rallies and inspires your team, and motivates everyone to take action around a specific goal. If you don’t identify with that strength, find someone who does and keep them close. They’re the glue that holds your team together and will help create a strong culture in your business.

Also, if I can get on my soapbox for a second, I think personality assessments (like Working Genius and Enneagram) are crucial for leaders and business owners. The more you know about yourself and your team, the better you show up. So often we lack the words to describe how we’re wired, and for me, personality assessments have given me those lightbulb moments where I feel like I finally have the language to describe what I’ve known to be true about myself for a long time. I know creatives often push back on them because we don’t want to be put in a box, but I think we have to approach them with a different attitude. They’re ultimately tools for self awareness and help you build empathy and understanding for other people you interact with. We also need to acknowledge that we don’t have to do it all ourselves, and in many cases, we shouldn’t.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Word of mouth! I’m grateful that people think so highly of their dinner party experiences that they’re willing to share with their friends, family, coworkers, etc. It’s made me think about how I can open the doors to a Saint + Social experience a little wider, too. I started out exclusively doing dinner parties for private clients, and while that’s still the primary business model, I’ve also branched out to do ticketed dinner parties that are open to the public so more people can catch a glimpse of a Saint + Social dinner party.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.saintandsocial.com/
• Instagram: @saintandsocialchicago

Image Credits

@vanessaivaladez, @ryanbphotography, @seeyousoon.chicago