We recently connected with John Michael Hoyt and have shared our conversation below.

John Michael, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Elevate Events’ mission is an evolving group of pages that includes why we began as a company, who we serve, why we serve them, how it can and will affect the person’s life that works with us, what we live by within the company, and what our ultimate goal/purpose is. I make anyone who works for/with us, even if it’s just once for some contract labor, read our mission statement. Our job is to streamline the process for people hosting parties so that they can get all the fun services they want (and some maybe they didn’t think of) without having to talk to 10 people to do so; however, doing this in an efficient, professional, and highly personable level. I have always had a passion for event/party planning, but I know how stressful it can be, especially when you have all these beautiful visions and ideas for how the party will look and go. We only have so much time in the day, and being able to call one guy, who will work with you through the whole process of figuring out exactly what you want, getting you a price, and getting you those services would have saved me so much time and anxiousness back when I would host personal events. I am now that guy. I am here to help not only the people planning the events but also here to help the different vendors find business. We create packages of a variety of services that will get different vendors in front of different customers. I have a deeper mission. A mission within a mission, if you will. I am building this streamlined event service provider: Elevate Events, and I want the company to benefit everyone who becomes a part of it, as they will; however, my second mission is to take capital from Elevate Events and start an organization, ran out of our venues, funded by our profits, and organized from our employees/other volunteers. This organization will help mentor fatherless children in DFW. It will be somewhere that moms raising children without a father can send their children to have classes, activities, reading, games, a community, and some strong male mentors to hopefully instill values that a fatehr normally would into these children.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I got into my industry by purchasing a photo booth. I didn’t have a lot of direction in my life at the time, but I knew I liked party planning and the event industry. I had previously sold tickets for local art shows. When I lived in Houston I tried to host a few of my own but failed most of the time. I thought the photo booth would be a great way for me to get my foot in the door of the event industry (at least the professional one) because my mom is a photographer. She has had a photography business for 20 years, and I figured with her training in photography, her coaching in being a business owner, and my passion for events, I could make something happen with time and dedication. The most important thing about Elevate Events, although I touched on this in the last question, is that we make the process of bringing fun to your event simple. We listen to your wants, give you some suggestions, put together a package for you, and then make sure all the fun gets delivered to your event with one invoice and with only ever having to speak to one person. In doing so, we never compromise our integrity, honesty, and quality of work.

Any advice for managing a team?

I love this question, because it is something I work on every day and am still learning so much on. My best advice for managing a team is to get them emotionally invested. Sit down with each employee, and ask them about their goals in life, their vision for their future. Have them read your company mission statement. Then, have them write their own (in relation to your company) and show them how following their passion through your company will bring them closer to their true goals. This gives them a deeper purpose through their job rather than just a job, which will inevitably increase morale and commitment. Make sure you are willing to value the relationship with your employees above all else. You must be there for them. This does not mean being a pushover by any means. Clearly define your expectations and list consequences, both positive and negative for each job. Clear communication is so important. When employees know you care and can share in a bigger vision with you, they will work harder with more positive morale.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The strategy for us that has been most effective in growing our clientele has certainly been networking. Going out to meetings, talking with and meeting new people. Some of these groups are organized for certain industries, while some are general networking. This has drastically increased amount of calls and inquiries we get. I am certain, that as we grow more we will get the majority of our business from FB pages (weddings) and from people googling, which is why we work so diligently on our SEO right now; however, as new and small as Elevate Events is right now, we have gained the majority of clientele through networking, as will be the case with most new/small businesses.

Contact Info:

• Website: elevateevents.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elevateeventspb/-
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElevateEventsPhotoboothandDJ
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elevate-events-photo-booth/?viewAsMember=true
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRKGw4Su2U0&ab_channel=ElevateEvents

Image Credits
i took all photos