We were lucky to catch up with Jessica Jonas recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jessica, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

My industry is filled with more consumption and waste, than most. Events and producing events as a whole incorporates trash and waste from props to food to serving items. At Little City Farm, we have mastered the Zero Waste event.

I have been working tirelessly to find solutions in all areas to produce a lovely, meaningful celebration with a low carbon footprint.

From the serving items, sourcing rentals, making sure the rental delivery is low waste to food and cocktail harvesting directly from the farm and composting food scraps and waste in the garden. We recycle and don’t use single use plastic or canned beverages whenever possible. At Little City Farm, we have been working tirelessly to find solutions in all areas to produce a lovely, meaningful celebration with a low carbon footprint.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve been an Event Producer for my entire career, 20+ years in the industry. At the core of my business, I try to keep focus on the most important aspects which is the client, their budget and mission. I try to handle all of the details and provide options and focus for my clients, so each celebration can remain fun, meaningful and not be a chore to produce.

At the end of the day, it’s a party or a dinner or a celebration of some kind. It’s a moment in someone’s life that is being celebrated. I have worked for the past 3 years to lower carbon footprint and waste in each event. I’m honest and upfront with my clients about which items, you can do without and which items are most important while entertaining. I feel that these small shifts have built trust and happiness within the whole process for myself as well as my clients and the end result has been stellar, every time!

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

The best advice I can bring to my team is to create a fun, happy work environment. Every event has it’s share of things that can go wrong. Items that are misplaced or not delivered in time, road blocks for installations or deliveries. You can make a choice to be stressed or upset or you can choose to find a solution in a calm and efficient way. I have made it my mission to embrace the calm in the face of adversity at work. And, this calm translates to my entire team. I try to work with the same individuals who are all hard working and share my values and this translates to guests at every event.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

At the heart of my business and my career is my family. I have had to pivot many times when someone is sick or I have had to mute a phone call or jump into another meeting for my family. I feel that being able to multi-task in this way, has made me better at my job. I’m more efficient. I’m more organized. I’m more dedicated when I’m on site or in a meeting because I know that my time is precious. I know that I have to get back to the heart of my life, my children and my husband. I’m not embarrassed to be a mother at work or to share that I have to limit my time. If someone isn’t interested in working with me for this reason than it wasn’t meant to be on this journey. I truly believe that every “no” you get, makes way for the most rewarding “yes” in business. It seems to happen this way every time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://littlecityfarmla.com/
• Instagram: @jessicajonasevents
• Facebook: Jessica Jonas
• Linkedin: Jessica Jonas

Image Credits
photo credit to Jessica Jonas