We were lucky to catch up with Keely Kapsoff recently and have shared our conversation below.

Keely, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

Yes, I love being a business owner, choosing the cliental that I prefer to work with and seeing the final product.

I actually have a regular job as well as a Director of Sales and Marketing running a wedding venue in Lake Tahoe. Wedding Planning and venue operations are both a passion of mine.

Creating contracts, doing venue tours and executing the contract is the best part about having a regular job. While I love wedding planning, my passion for contracts keeps me wanting to stay in a regular job as well. I work almost every day and plan to while I’m still young and have the energy. I prefer to hustle, work hard, play hard so I can enjy retirement early.

Keely, 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?

I got into this industry when I was 23, I had left another industry that was not fulfilling. I met a wonderful business owner who I loved and respected, she saw how detail oriented I was and chose to mentor me and ensure I understood the ins and outs of the wedding and event industry.

As a wedding planner I considered myself a probono therapist, friend and liaison. My job is to ensure the couple can trust me with their most important day. They rely on me to hire the perfect dream team of vendors, perfect venue, create timeline, design and execute their event flawlessly.

Potential clients appreciate my integrity, 5 star reviews, referrals from vendors and venues. They know they can trust me.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

As a wedding planner we have day of issues that arise, its important that your planner is able to handle those issues and immediately find a solution.

From a wild card guest who is over intoxicated, to seating chart not matching the layout. There is always a solution and a way to make it right.

Conversations about M&A are often focused on multibillion dollar transactions – but M&A can be an important part of a small or medium business owner’s journey. We’d love to hear about your experience with selling businesses.

I have owned an estate sale company while also running my wedding planning business and venue.

As odd as it seemed to family and friends, I enjoyed being a part of someone’s life, whether that meant working with clients that lost a loved one and needed to execute the selling of items in home, the selling of house. Ir if I was planning a wedding, I enjoyed being a part of couples and families’ stories and helping them through the process.

I liquidated my estate sale company to another reputable estate sale company that I had a great relationship with. It was difficult to find staff that could endure the long days of organizing, pricing and selling items. Its an industry that is not for the timid.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://keyeventsplanner.com/
• Instagram: @keyeventsweddingplanning
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keely-kapsoff-77946523b/

Image Credits

@JeramieLuPhotography