We were lucky to catch up with Emily Phelps recently and have shared our conversation below.

Emily, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

I was a stay at home mom for years. I’ll always say and stand by that being a mom is the greatest job in the whole world, but I feel like I was so put into the mental box of “if I’m a mom (and at that time a wife) that’s all I can be”. I don’t know if I can entirely say that it was a societal construct, or how I was personally brought up, but I really had an idea that mom + wife = ultimate goal. And having that be my only identity was extremely depressing and put me in this state of feeling so unhappy with myself. I put all of my energy into everyone around me and at the end of the day, my cup was empty.

I tried for years to start little Etsy businesses, I learned a bunch of digital programs for graphic design and had contract work as a UX/UI designer for about a year.

I had this revelation one day, in my old house I was in my kitchen doing my motherly, wifely duties, and I just felt like “what the f* am I doing?” I have nothing to leave my kid(s). I don’t have a degree, I don’t have consistent work; my marriage was falling apart. It was the height of COVID in 2020. I had just been laid off from a tech company I was doing design work for. I was getting unemployment at the time, and I took what I would consider a calculated risk.

I say calculated risk because I knew in my soul, with every fiber of my being if I just bet on myself, I would succeed. And that’s exactly what I did. About 3 months later I launched my event planning business, and 3 years later here we are. It was the best decision I could have ever made. If I had to do it over, I’d bet on myself again every single time.

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 an event producer which means I help design, style, coordinate and book everything needed for events and I also do a lot of online and offline marketing for brands. My skill set is connecting people within my network with one another and building really amazing friendships, vendor relationships and working relationships with those around me. I would definitely say my talent is fine tuning what an event or a brand needs that is specific to the goal.

For instance, when it comes to weddings I really focus on the couple’s budget, style and their overall vision for the wedding day. I make an effort to understand their family, religious or cultural traditions and their personal goals as a couple, wrap it all up in a sweet little package and help them plan their perfect day.

When it comes to brand activation or marketing for businesses, I take that same energy and put it into helping the businesses define their voice. A lot of brands are so focused on staying “trendy” or spending high dollar amounts to “catch up” vs spending time creating a returning, happy customer. Somewhere in the shuffle of social media (and possibly COVID days) we’ve lost our way when it comes to good customer service and rules of etiquette. I’m trying to bring those back to in-person, offline, social functions because I think that creates so much more success for businesses. It allows customers to experience your brand rather than just view it through a screen.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The biggest lesson I learned was when I was first starting, I thought every potential client should be my client. When you’re in a service industry, you have to learn that not every potential client needs to be a customer to you.

When you first start out, you’re hungry for that business, that cash flow, and possibly even reviews. I had this almost desperation to stay booked and busy, and I have to say it lead me to have some of the worst experiences with customers because I allowed them to nickel and dime me; I allowed them to push boundaries that were unacceptable; and I allowed essentially to be walked on.

I kept telling myself it was because I was new, I had to learn, I had to build business and a reputation. I just thought this is how the game is played. And honestly, I can still pin point exact customers that I should have just said no to.

It is just as important that you vet your clients, when they vet you. Anyone looking for extra wiggle room, extra services without paying, discounts, etc does not value you or your time. And I can almost always guarantee if you give in to this kind of customer, they will still be unhappy with your services!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I really do put so much effort and heart into working with my customers. Especially on event days, you are going to get my sole attention. Customer service is my #1 priority, and I go that extra mile to make sure that my clients have the absolute best experience with myself, my employees and my company as a whole. I really believe you are only as good as the name you have built for yourself.    

Contact Info:

• Website: www.artmingo.com
• Instagram: @emilygphelps, @artmingoevents, @fantasyflorette
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artmingoeventdesign/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-g-phelps/
• Director of Events at 1906 Inc at Upland Hills Country Club?
  @1906incevents_

Image Credits
Martin V Photography, Megan Steel Photo, Alex Lei Photography, Shutter Supreme