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

Alright, Beth thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?

After being laid off from the job I’d loved the most thus far in my career, I reluctantly jumped into entrepreneurship. The first step (after giving myself a few days to grieve, of course) was to go through my business cards, personal email contacts and LinkedIn relationships and schedule 1:1 meetings with them. My first priority outside of the parameters of my job description was always to cultivate a network and build a name for myself outside of the business card in my hand. As a result of my authentic approach to networking and longstanding relationships, I was able to book two straight weeks of appointments, from 9am to 5pm.

I can still remember these conversations. Some of them truly ignited the fire that I had inside of me to pursue event planning, solo, full time. They were the kindest words at the right time and I am grateful to each of them for their positivity. On the other hand, the meetings that didn’t go as planned were just as valuable. Some of my closest allies asked me hard questions like, “the market is so saturated; why not just get a new full-time gig? You can get something easily,” etc.; they also helped me. In the space between listening to the question and finding the answer, I knew in my gut that it was the right thing for me to do.

Those two weeks, and telling people the ways my goals had shifted, were the catalyst to me booking my first client. In the time it took for me to create my LLC, build my website and start telling my story, those people were doing the business development work for me. They were telling their contacts, who were reaching out and asking for more information or offering to connect me with new opportunities. Actually, if we’re being honest, I booked my first two retainer clients, exactly two months to the day after I was laid off.

I was so thrilled and excited – and on my way to a networking event that evening! I called my husband right away and he shared in my excitement and said he was not surprised, and that he was proud.

After a long day of networking, I came home to find our family and closest friends had come over for some snacks and a champagne toast! My husband surprised me with the sweetest celebration, and I felt like I had the absolute world behind me.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a Type A+ person who has always loved people, organization, planning, creating memories, music, art and performing. Throughout my life and career, those things have remained consistent. From my first job at a dance apparel store to my current role as Chief Experience Officer of an event planning company, what has driven me is my love of connecting and feeling connected. Like many in hospitality, I am a multifaceted person who came into this industry at a young age and grew alongside it; it was in college that I fully realized my passion for event planning. An option for a final project in one of my hospitality classes was to plan a national marketing conference at the school for the upcoming summer, supporting the professor in the endeavor. As the only one who chose this option, and as someone who learns best by doing, I was blessed to truly learn how to plan an event from start to finish at this early stage in my career. From there, I planned a fundraiser for a local charity and served as the Chair of the University’s Senior Thesis Night planning committee–and I was hooked.

Since then, I’ve worked for national brands like Dave & Buster’s and the Palm Restaurant; local Philadelphia luxury catering brand Brulee Catering; growth-stage startup Snap Kitchen, and Philadelphia-based nonprofit organization Philly Startup Leaders. Additionally, I’ve volunteered on a long-term basis with national organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and local membership organization Professional Women’s Roundtable.

Since starting Beth Lawrence & Co, I’ve helped countless visionary leaders plan impactful experiences and programs. My background as a luxury event vendor, as well as my experience in performance art, sets me apart from others. Due to my experience in catering sales and representing venues, I have a unique ability to anticipate roadblocks from all perspectives and solve any challenges before they become an issue for the client. My dance, music and theater background lends itself to a natural eye for logistics and orchestration, while keeping an eye on the experience of the audience (in this case, my client’s audience). Finally, my eye for innovation and steadfastness in pursuing emerging industries, like virtual event tech, cannabis and cryptocurrency, has earned me an invitation to learn from some of the best in the business and bring those learnings to my events and programs.

Most recently, I’ve launched a short-form weekly show called The Type A+ Podcast, where I give bite sized tips on how to organize your business and life, even during the most hectic times. This passion project has become something I genuinely look forward to recording, editing and posting every week and has brought some ‘play’ back into my work.

I am most proud of my resilience.

As a Millennial who graduated during the recession, spent years building her career and subsequent business, AND kept her event planning agency profitable during the first global pandemic of my lifetime, I have developed an extremely unique ability to look past unexpected circumstances to find solutions, not only for myself but for my clients.

During the pandemic, I was learning and training my team on new virtual event platforms each month, making sure to analyze all options to find the best for each project.

This resilience extends into my client relationships. In 2020, I made sure my clients knew we were there to provide solutions, and presented no less than (3) options to each client for pivoting their real-life experience into a virtual event, campaign or program. These campaigns still delivered results, even during the most unpredictable time. If it weren’t for my resilience, my company would not still be in existence today.

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

March 9th, 2020 was the most exciting day for my business and career thus far. I had officially filled my schedule for the first half of the year, which would see me hitting my annual revenue goal in June. For the first time, I felt like I could breathe. I had signed clients that were aligned with my values AND felt that the contracts I was signing were truly fair and equitable on both sides. Sure, there was a global pandemic looming, but I was confident we could find a way to satisfy all client contracts, and there had been no talk of a shutdown at this point.

Cut to March 12th, 2020 at 6:30pm, and I was sitting on the floor of a dark yoga room, bawling my eyes out. In one week, I went from feeling like I was going to have the most profitable and exciting year of my career, to wondering whether I was going to be able to keep my house, what would happen to my student loans, and how bad this pandemic would actually get. I remember a friend and fellow entrepreneur calling me and saying “stop crying, you know you’ll be fine.” I said “I know…give me a few days to cry and I’ll come back with a solution.”

True to form, by the following Monday, I had calls with all of my clients and, though I lost $30,000 worth of business in just one week, the clients that decided to stay have become my longest-term clients. I presented several options to each of them, and together, we worked through the uncertainty by being laser-focused on finding solutions. As a result, the virtual events and programming wound up having the same, if not greater, impact as the live experiences intended.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The one book I always come back to is “If You Have to Cry, Go Outside” by Kelly Cutrone. I’m of the MTV reality show generation, so The Hills was always on my TV, and I remember always being drawn to Kelly because she was no-nonsense and incredibly skilled at her craft. This book is that no-BS pep talk you need from a friend, in the form of Kelly’s personal story. I come back to it every time I am at a crossroads with business.

Currently, I’m diving into “Imagine Belonging” by Rhodes Perry MPA and “The Antiracist Business Book” by Trudi Lebrón. It’s important to me, as someone who desires to create spaces for authentic connection, to consider my unearned privilege and the ways I may be able to unlearn and re-learn to create safer containers for connection.

Finally, Dr. Frantonia Pollins, who is my coach, is one investment that I made that has paid off in dividends. Though many of the coaching programs I enrolled in under her guidance could be considered ‘personal’ development, those breakthroughs had an unbelievable impact on my business and the way I approach my work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bethlawrence.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethlawrence.co
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/bethlawrencecmp
• Other: https://anchor.fm/beth-lawrence1

Image Credits
Natasha Esguerra Photography. Darren Burton.