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

Hi Alisha, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with talking about how you serve the underserved, because in our view this is one of the most important things the small business community does for society – by serving those who the giant corporations ignore, small business helps create a more inclusive and just world for all of us.

Wedding/Event Planners: you hear this word and you immediately think – “thats a luxury item. I can’t afford that.” Guess what – I fell into that category planning my own wedding, and I was already in the industry doing just exactly that. I couldn’t have afforded one myself, if I wasn’t paying the very people who helped me on my day, via my payroll.

And guess what, it IS a luxury. But it shouldn’t be. I truly feel like its a necessity. As big as your photographer capturing the day, the caterer, feeding people on your wedding day. Your planner/coordinator is there so you can ENJOY your day, which might be most important. For the longest, I kept raising my prices. By doing so, it kept our services from being attainable for all. So, we lowered our prices. I valued the services and the people we served enough, to make it attainable. I wanted to help folks at all budgets with their events. To do so, we had to change how we did things, and view this from a “service focused” perspective, and not a “financial, money making” perspective.

My heart is to help people. And my hope is, that by taking services we believe in out of the “luxury” category, we can meet our clients where they are at, and bring to life their events allowing them to be full present in every aspect of their creations.

Alisha, 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 have been in the hospitality industry for 18 years. I started out in fast food, 14 years old, working the drive through window at Culver’s in Olathe, KS. I have been in the industry in some way, shape or form ever since.

I went to school for Musical Theater, so I have a performance background. I studied Musical Theater at the New York Film Academy’s Musical Theater Conservatory. I always joked that my training in improv and performance really helped me with events. The pressure of performing, pressure of adjusting on the fly when someone misses a cue, or jumps a line, trained me to think on my feet and stay calm under pressure. I guess just preparing me for the events industry and not the stage! Ha~

At 21 I managed a hotel event space, was recruited to work for a catering company. Was there roughly 18 months before the owner ran into some health issues and decided to close her doors. From there, I went to a software company based out of Austin, Tx. Traveled about 50% of the time and did 150 events a year. Traveled all over the country doing tradeshows, client conferences, employee events, dinners, parties, you name it.

I told my husband one day, that I really missed weddings. He said to go for it. I launched my company in January of 2016, and by May of 2017, I was able to step away and invest in my dream full time.

We provide services from full service planning, owning every aspect of the event, to event management, where we step in 60 days prior to the event, pulling together the details and logistics, helping to ensure a smooth and stress free event.

Since launching in 2016, ThirtyOne:Thirty Events has launched two additional companies, served over 250 clients and companies, and traveled to over 10 states and countries for events. We provide services worldwide, and truly LOVE the work we do. We strive to go above and beyond to make all of our clients feel valued and loved.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Asking for help.

In my head for the longest time, I viewed this as a sign of weakness. Never let them see you sweat. I felt like if I asked for recommendations, help or anything of the sort, that people would think that I was weak, didn’t know what I was doing or incapable or doing my job. Im a leo, and truly believe this is one of our worst qualities! I also believe it delayed some growth for a while. Feeling like I had to do everything on my own. We need people and its okay to need people. The realization was hard for me to get there, but not being the smartest in the room was something I finally realized was a really good thing.

When I started to surround myself with people who knew more than me, it only made me better, stronger, wiser.
I ended up getting a tattoo on my left arm to remind myself it’s okay to need people. It’s a tandem bicycle. With a tandem bicycle, they are designed for 2 people. You can ride it alone, but it would be way harder and potentially detrimental. But using is for what its designed for, having the two people sharing the load and working together, its a seamless ride.

Ask for help. You are not weak because of it. You are strong for it.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

I have 1 full time employee, about to be 2, and roughly 12 part time employees.

I always wanted to treat my employees how I wanted. I took a step back and said, “what would I want?’ So I did and gave what I wanted.

Things like:
– Unlimited PTO
– Incentive trip – we take an annual retreat as a team all expenses paid to just connect, relax, and prep for the next year. I LOVE to travel, so having another excuse to do so made my heart happy
– Team building outings
– competitive pay

A huge thing was letting my team know that they had a voice, and a voice i wanted to hear. If they had an idea, lets hear it. If they needed something, tell me. I want them to feel valued, loved and appreciated. I truly can’t do my job without them, and I want them to always know that.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thirtyonethirtyevents.com
• Instagram: @thirtyonethirty_events
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thirtyonethirtyevents

Image Credits
Mariah Selenas Portraits Elizabeth Ladean Photography Madie McDowell Photography Nick and Lexi Photo and Film Michael and Carina Elizabeth West Photography The Bold Americana