Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Anastasia Maier. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Anastasia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
As the daughter of immigrant parents who opened a small business, they’ve inspired and instilled in me from a very young age a strong work ethic and for serving others through their restaurant. They are the pinnacle of the American Dream and have set the example of what it takes to succeed by persevering through the highs and lows of owning and operating a business. I’ve worked since the age of eight, and it always brought me great joy to serve others and to connect with people. Growing up, I remember catering many events with my family, and I experienced what worked and what was a pain point at various venues when we catered food. In addition, we always had clients requesting to rent my family’s restaurant for private events – everything from birthdays, retirement parties, youth sports events, showers to corporate meetings and more as there were not any affordable options other than community centers, which were often booked. Fast forward to my eventual corporate career, I was in positions where I volunteered to plan team meetings and offsite events and our planning committee would encounter challenges finding flexible spaces within budget. They also had many food and beverage restrictions that didn’t always work for our attendees and their specific needs, not to mention the cost of add-ons, such as audio/video equipment or table and chair rentals, that I felt should be included. I couldn’t believe how hard it was to find a place like this, and I reflected back on my family’s restaurant and my experience there, once again validated that there was a void to fill in the market. Meanwhile, as a mom, I struggled balancing my corporate career, while being the parent I imagined myself to be for my family, and in the back of my mind I knew that I needed to take some time to reevaluate my priorities and be home with them. After serving in various marketing and product management roles for 15 years, I spent some time at home with my family, and during that time, I reflected back to that unmet need of affordable and flexible venues and tying that with my passion for connecting and serving people. I knew I wanted to eventually open my own business, but there was always that bit of uncertainty and fear which delayed my pursuit of this. Anecdotally, neighbors, friends and family I spoke to validated this need as many preferred to host events outside their home, but still be in a private and intimate setting, which further validated my thoughts and assumptions that there was a gap to be filled between traditional wedding venues and community centers. A close friend gave me the additional nudge that this was needed in the community and instilled in me the belief that I could do this. Having an outlet to also utilize my creative skills and design an inviting and beautiful space from a blank canvas was incredibly exciting to me where people could connect and hosts would be proud of inviting their guests to. In school, I always thought I’d pursue a creative career, which marketing provided to some extent, but being able to bring forward all my skills into this endeavor came full circle. The idea that people could have an affordable, flexible, functional, and exclusive private space for both personal and professional events that I designed sparked so much joy within me and intuitively I knew it was time to take the leap and pursue this venture for the community. The saying that came to mind is if it scares you and excites you at the same time, then it’s probably worth going after. One day I went to Staples, picked up some drafting paper, started sketching out my design, with even my kids helping with the logo, and the rest is history. The Meeting Point was born.
Anastasia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m Anastasia Maier, and my close friends and family call me Stacy. I’m a mom to two wonderful kids and a wife to an amazing and supportive husband. As previously mentioned, I’ve worked since the age of 8 serving and helping others in various capacities; from my family’s restaurant, to various roles in my corporate career where I would bring projects from idea to execution in both marketing, customer insights and product management positions. I’ve always enjoyed being a connector of people, serving others, and creatively solving problems. Hard work and grit has always been instilled in me from a young age and I learned that was always the path to success – taking action, learning, adjusting, continuing to move forward and never giving up. My experiences growing up in my family’s restaurant and throughout my corporate career, along with the intuition for the need of human connection, have come full circle with The Meeting Point.
I’m proud of The Meeting Point, which is “an events space where life’s moment’s take place.” I’ve provided a platform where hosts can bring their vision to life for any type of event, both personal and professional. No two events are alike, and people are in control of what they envision their event to be. I’m proud of the smiles that are exchanged and the memories that are created within the four walls. In a world where people are struggling with mental illness and loneliness, this is a meeting place where people can come together and genuinely connect. I’ve also given a platform to the creatives and the makers with ongoing pop-up shops to serve small businesses in the area, who otherwise may not be able to afford a traditional brick and mortar location.
I firmly believe that we are in this world to serve others, connect with others, and provide value to others. As humans, down to our core, we crave connection and thrive off of relationships. While there are many tools to connect virtually, nothing can replace the power of an in-person interaction, picking up on non-verbal cues and communication and just feeling the connection of a warm hug. These last few years have proven that, and I’m thankful I took this leap of faith to create a place where people can truly come together.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
The Meeting Point grand-opened in the fall of 2019 (impeccable timing, right?) and was incredibly humbled and thankful that the business took off in those first few months. Of course we all know what happened in 2020. Opening a business is HARD and opening one in the midst of a global pandemic is something no-one could ever be prepared for and know how to navigate through. There were admittedly sleepless nights and the fear of the unknown of what the following months or year would bring. Having to shut down just as The Meeting Point opened up gave me every reason to think in those moments that maybe this was not meant to be. Given how the business had taken off in the beginning, however, I knew deep inside that this journey would not be over. The need for human connection will always remain and it would just be a matter of time before the space could be open again for those life moments. I quickly adjusted my outlook, and attribute my faith to helping me get through the months ahead. Those first few months of being open covered my overheard through the lockdowns, and I continued to market relentlessly on social media and email to stay top-of-mind. Last, but not least, I took care of my clients who had to cancel really significant events in their lives. From baby showers, birthday parties, graduations, to retirement parties and milestone anniversaries, I even broke my own contract and refunded clients in hopes of doing the right thing would be remembered so they would consider hosting in the future. As restrictions slowly lifted, they did in fact came back and I was reminded that no matter what the circumstance, doing the right thing for your clients and having faith that everything will work out will pay off in the end.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
As a first generation daughter of an immigrant family, I’ve always learned that hard work and putting the needs of others comes first no matter what, and if you wanted to get something done and done right, you have to do it yourself. Being a people-pleaser, this was a hard lesson to unlearn. One of my strengths of being a lifelong learner and someone who is always curious, had also became a weakness because I had a hard time knowing when to stop or “turn it off.’ I felt that I had to learn how to do everything myself in order to succeed, and this was something difficult to let go. I quickly discovered throughout the process, from the building phase of The Meeting Point, to now as an operator, it’s not feasible nor realistic to do everything, and that this path I was on would lead to quick burnout. Self care is absolutely critical to being successful and learning that this is a journey, not a race, is something I continue to work on and always will. Setting clear boundaries, from when I meet with clients, to when emails and calls are answered is essential to staying successful so I can show up as my best self for clients and my loved ones. It’s not easy as a people-pleaser, but I would say I’m much more aware of it. You simply cannot take care of others if you cannot take care of yourself. Ask for help, reach out and leverage the talents and resources others have to offer so that they can shine and serve, too. Everyone wins in the end.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://themeetingpointmn.com/
- Instagram: @themeetingpointmn
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themeetingpointmn
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-meeting-point-llc/
- Twitter: @meetingpointmn
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-meeting-point-rosemount?osq=the+meeting+point
- Other: Pinterest: https://pin.it/VqgE4cv
Image Credits
Tracy Caffrey Photography Elevate Photography MN | Twin Cities Real Estate Photography