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

Brenda, appreciate you joining us today. The first dollar your business earns is always special and we’d love to hear how your brand made its first dollar of revenue.

I’ll never forget the day because I was pretty proud of myself at the time. I was helping plan a library fundraiser and one day while I was working a woman came in and we started talking. I noticed she had an engagement ring on so I asked her about it. We started chatting about her fiance and how he proposed and then I told her about my business. I asked if she’d be open to working with a wedding planner and she said yes so that’s how it started. From there we set up a meeting to talk about their wedding plans and they pretty much booked me right on the spot after that. It felt great putting myself out there and getting my first client. It was a huge win for me and helped confirm that I made the right decision by starting this business and following my dreams. From that point on I had more confidence and everything started to fall into place.

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?

So many things happened in my life that have led me to this point. I have told the story many times about how I was working for a non-profit but wasn’t completely fulfilled in my role and knew I wanted something more. I had a lot of event experience working at various companies over the years and found myself in a now or never situation where I knew I needed to step outisde my comfort zone and go for it right then or it may never happen.

One day I decided to quit my job and start my own business basically with a dream and an idea. I had a passion for event planning but I wanted it to be more meaningful and make more of an impact. That’s how the name Gatherings for Good came about. It combined my love of events with my passion for supporting charitable causes. Once I had the name and my business brand and mission I was off and running. I dove right in and got to work creating a website all on my own with no prior experience. I created a logo, designed business cards and got my business license. After that it was networking, networking, networking to get the word out and to get in front of as many people as I could. I really had to put myself out there which was very uncomfortable at first but the more I did it the easier it was.

That is the version of the story I often tell but there is one version I forget to mention that is a bit more personal so I want to mention it now. As a child I watched my dad play in a band that would perform for weddings and other events. I thought it was great that he had this passion for music and entertaining people. In the 90s he started an entertainment company called Cali Productions and asked me to help him with the business. We booked bands and DJs for corporate and social events. I was living in Silicon Valley at the time and there were a lot of start-ups and big companies planning these huge parties for their employees. That’s how I was first introduced to the wedding and event industry. We did tradeshows together, I learned a lot about the event and hospitality industry, and was introduced to the art of sales and marketing. I watched him run this business and I learned a lot from him and I think that has played a significant part in how I ended up with my own business.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Most people think advertising, social media, or the internet might be the best source for obtaining new clients but for me there are three that are actually much more valuable.

1. Client referrals

2. Vendor referrals

3. Venue referrals

In my business I don’t often get repeat clients. I plan their wedding and then I don’t really hear from them again but sometimes those past clients will refer their friends or family members to me and that is the highest compliment I can get. It means a lot to me to know that I had such an impact on a client or on a couple’s wedding day and that they enjoyed their experience so much that they would recommend me to their friends or family.

The other source of new clients for me is through vendor and venue referrals. Building those relationships can take time but the pay off is great. When you work with other event and wedding vendors and venues and they see your value, that is such a great feeling. That means they trust you enough to recommend you to their clients. They see you as a leader, an expert in your field, and a trusted partner in the industry and that is something I do not take for granted.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Continuously showing up and having a presence in the community has helped build my reputation over the course of 9 years. Also, being dedicated to my work and being an advocate for my clients is a big part of the reason I have created and maintained a solid reputation in the industry. I think in this business you are always looking out for your own interests but you also need to be a team player and show support to your fellow industry peers, validate their hard work, and celebrate their successes. I know that much of my success and and how I am viewed in the event community is due to a lot of hard work and through my professionalism and commitment to my clients, but I never take all the credit. My team, my partners, and the people I work with have all helped me along the way and that keeps me grounded. I am so grateful to those who continue to support me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://gatheringsforgood.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gatheringsforgoodevents/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GatheringsforGood/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/gatherings-for-good-santa-barbara-2
• Other: https://www.weddingwire.com/biz/gatherings-for-good-santa-barbara/8a8031d3dfdc02af.html

Image Credits
Thrive Media 805 https://www.thrivemediallc.net/ Rewind Photography https://rewindphotography.com/ Jen Rodriguez https://www.jen-rodriguez.com/ We the Blackwells https://wetheblackwells.com/ Lerina Winter https://www.lerinawinter.com/ JoJo Ortiz Media https://www.jojoortizmedia.com/ NPO Photo https://www.npophoto.com/ I Heart Creative Co. https://iheartcreative.co/ Native Heart Photography http://nativeheartphotography.com/