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

Jacqueline, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

Naming my brand took some time because I wanted the name to evoke an experience of what your event would be like. Simple but elegant. It also had to hold a little of my personality, which is everything has to be perfect. I like to call that attention to detail and not perfectionism. I am also visual and needed to write and re-write combinations of names until something resonated with me. I did not want to rush the process because the name had to be just right, Perfectly Elegant Designs. It was not until years later, that I had an epiphany about my business name. I was planning and designing events, but my heart was happiest when the idea of creating and bringing an event to life was before me. I needed to be true to myself and remember what I envisioned doing for people: and that is, touching a part of their hearts that brings them joy. From this, it was time to rebrand my company. It was not an easy choice because I had just renewed the trademarks for my company name and logo, and the thought of giving up the name that started everything was so difficult. With the help of a brand strategist who said this is where you want to go, not where you are; the transformation began. There was much resistance on my part because the change felt like the original dream was dying. Sitting back, I could then visualize that my longtime dream was only becoming redefined.

Jacqueline, 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?

My name is Jacqueline Broadus, and I am the founder and principal of Event Design With Jacqueline Broadus. I am an award-winning event designer, retired investigator, and introvert by nature. As a child, I stayed close to home and became a people-watching creative. This skill allowed me to understand a need in a person before they spoke a word. Thus began my passion for putting together thoughtful and carefully chosen gifts, and later decorating homes and planning parties for family, friends, and co-workers. My inquisitive nature made for an easy transition into the world of law enforcement. Finding my niche in investigative work cultivated a discipline of attention to detail and asking skilled questions, which is central to designing an exceptional event.

For me, planning a design for a client is equivalent to standing in Pierre Hermeě of Paris, selecting from the display of decadent macrons to give as a gift. It is creating a one-of-a-kind experience that can be shared but never duplicated for another. This exclusivity has garnered repeat and word-of-mouth clients. I am honored to enjoy the unique gift of capturing the heartbeat of a client’s vision and providing a memory beyond their event.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more?

I never imagined gifts and moments I enjoyed creating for people would become a career, let alone a business. I grew up watching my grandmother entertain family and friends in every way as her mother did. Everything she created was from scratch, from the main course to the desserts. Staying close to her side, my love for entertaining, cooking, and baking grew into a desire to make just because and milestones events extra special for family, friends, and acquaintances.

Year after year, more and more people wanted party ideas, gift ideas, and their homes decorated. Even then, I still never considered that I would start a business doing what I so enjoyed. The turnabout came after retiring from my full-time job. A dear friend suggested I use my skills and launch a company. Months later, I had a name, logo, and clients. I was excited about the possibilities. I was doing everything a planner and designer would do, not knowing these were two separate occupations. It took years to figure this out and some quiet time to realize which one I had a passion for. Hands down, it was design. My heart would leap at the thought of creating a gift or special moment for anyone. Indeed, this wasn’t a business or a career. It was a calling. I rebranded with a new company name, logo, colors, and Event Design With Jacqueline Broadus was born.

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

Shortly after starting my company, I had the opportunity to plan a gala event that presented challenges since I had never done such an event. I had been to events of this caliber but never designed one. I researched all that would be needed and reached out to colleagues who had already planned this type of event before. When the time came, I found myself going above and beyond my actual role in the planning and execution of the gala event because I wanted my first event of this type to become the cornerstone for many more successful events. Simultaneously I was planning a milestone event for a repeat client whose previous celebration was still being discussed by those in attendance. No pressure, right? All was in place for this event to happen a week after the gala. The gala event went very well. The fundraising aspect raised more money than their previous philanthropic initiatives.

Ready for the milestone event, and on the day of, if anything could go wrong from a planner’s perspective, it did. As a result, I was ready to walk away from all I loved doing because of burnout and frustration. A beloved friend, who had been in the trenches with me since the beginning, reminded me of all my previous events that garnered repeat clients and referrals. With time, this heart-to-heart conversation and the lessons learned from these two occasions helped me regroup and rediscover my true passion, creating designs for people.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jacquelinebroadus.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacquelinebroadusevents/
• Facebook: facebook.com/jacquelinebroadusevents
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-broadus-eventdesignstylist/

Image Credits
Cat Granger Photography N’vision Photography