We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Andi Lipton a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Andi, thanks for joining us today. Folks often look at a successful business and imagine it was an overnight success, but from what we’ve seen this is often far from the truth. We’d love to hear your scaling up story – walk us through how you grew over time – what were some of the big things you had to do to grow and what was that scaling up journey like?

When I started out 15 years ago, I would literally say yes to every client who called and wanted a custom proposal. Typically in my business, planners offer day-of, month-of, partial coordination and full production. I did it all for 12 years and if someone wanted the proposal tailored, I did it.

After the COVID pile-up hit me hard in 2021, I decided it was time to get control of my life again. I worked 79 events in 9 months and it sucked the life out of me. I needed to find a way to have time for my family and friends and couldn’t be working 16 weekends in a row like I had been. It took a long time to get here, but now I only offer full production planning so that I can be involved with all details from day one and take on fewer events.

Andi, 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 started my company in June of 2008 during the recession. My parents thought I was insane. I wanted to find a way though to balance being a mom and a business owner. So I started ANDI Soirées and 2 years later had my first daughter. It’s been a very busy 15 years and a challenge I accept year in and year out. I love meeting new clients and seeing their love. I love seeing the pride their families have in them and the joy these happy events bring to their friends and loved ones. It’s a true blessing to be able to help people celebrate love every day. It takes a tremendous amount of organization, patience, time, and hustle, but it’s really worth it for me in the end. I’m so proud that I had the guts to do this when I was just 25 and now at 40 to have my 2 daughters see the benefits of working hard and respecting yourself and your time.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

I once booked a wedding because the client thought I had a better manicure than the other planner who showed up to the meeting – ha!

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

I’ve found that managing a team is really similar to being a parent. You want to have open communication and respect, but also put your foot down when necessary. I believe my company is a fun one to work for because I treat my managers with the upmost respect and we all truly become friends. Disciplining people is certainly one of my weaknesses, but I find that when you address issues in an open and kind way, things get resolved quickly. The team is proud to be involved too. I’m a firm believer that clear communication is key in all aspects of life.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.andisoirees.com
• Instagram: @andisoirees
• Facebook: ANDI Soirées
• Linkedin: Andi Lipton

Image Credits
Daria & Robert: Planner: ANDI Soirées Photographer: Rodrigo Varela Decor: Parrish Designs Venue: Vizcaya Museum & Gardens Brianna & Andrew: Planner: ANDI Soirées Photographer: Jonathan Scott Event/Floral Design & Production: Jassi and Co. Creative Andi & Jordan: Planner: ANDI Soirées Photographer: Jonathan Scott Decor: Parrish Designs Michele & Strecker: Planner: ANDI Soirées Photographer: Evan R. Photography Decor: Xquisite Events Venue: Ocean Reef Club Ruby & Jeff: Planner: ANDI Soirées Photographer/Videographer: PS Photography Decor: Xquisite Events Venue: Ocean Reef Club Sarah & Chris: Planner: ANDI Soirées Photographer/Videographer: PS Photography Decor: Parrish Designs Venue: Ocean Reef Club Debi & Jeff: Planner: ANDI Soirées Photographer: Binary Flips Decor: Xquisite Events