We recently connected with Jumi Aluko and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jumi thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?

When I was first starting out, I had no idea what I needed to do to get clients. I was in a new city where I didn’t know anyone, so relying on my network of family and friends – which is often touted as the first step to getting your business going as a new entrepreneur – was not going to work.

I decided instead to go on Craigslist in June 2018 and search through various job listings. But rather than apply for the jobs listed, I decided to email the contacts listed and pitch them my event and marketing services. Not expecting much, imagine my surprise when a company VP emailed me back, saying they had an upcoming event they potentially wanted my help with but that I should email him in a couple months when they are ready to start planning. Getting a response was exciting, but also terrifying at the same time. And it’s that exact reason why I didn’t follow up with the VP again.

But guess what? He didn’t forget about me, and he circled back with me a couple of months later. By August 2018 I was creating a proposal, agreeing on terms, and receiving the deposit to plan my first official event under my own brand!

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?

When I think about my journey to where I currently am, I can’t help but smile because I’m truly blessed and highly favored! I am the Founder, CEO, and Lead Event Planner at DunniWeddings – a company I started back in 2017 when I was in graduate school earning a Masters degree in Health Administration. It was during this time that my knack for event planning was unfolding in both my personal life (planning weddings, milestone events, and cultural soirees for family and friends) and my graduate school experience (organizing health conferences and film screenings).

I am very proud of the way DunniWeddings has evolved from a company that was providing solely day-of wedding coordination services to one that provides services across sectors and to individuals, families, and corporations. Since my start over 6 years ago I have planned, produced, and managed events where my client’s have envisioned including California, Boston, Virginia, Maryland, Washington, DC, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. These events range from small micro-weddings, to milestone birthday parties for 3-year olds up to individuals celebrating their 70th, weddings of 500+ guests, networking meetings, pop-ups, festivals, international corporate retreats, global healthcare conferences, and live event productions.

Clients come to me because they are looking for someone to take their event vision and make it a reality. They understand that they don’t have the capacity to handle all that goes into planning and do not want to cut corners as they value events of the highest quality. What makes me stand out from other event planners in Los Angeles is my ability to know how to incorporate details that highlight and celebrate a client’s heritage and culture – those personalized nuances that reflect personal and family values.

My specialty lies in accurately anticipating and understanding my clients’ needs and transforming them into cutting-edge strategies and compelling guest experiences that position them for success. No two events are ever the same. My 6+ years of experience producing high-quality events enables me to conceptualize and execute a client’s vision, while they sit back and celebrate their accomplishments in style – delivering memories that will last a lifetime.

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

Moving to Los Angles was one of the biggest risks I have taken in my life. It was 2018 and I had quit my full time government job, packed up all my stuff and moved across the country with no full time job lined up. The only plan I had was to succeed in my desire to work as an event planner.

When I moved, I was intent on pursuing event planning full time but at the same time, I also was interested in marketing and communications because of the work I was doing in gradute school. So, I positioned myself as the owner of an event planning company who could also help with marketing projects as needed. Because of the alignment between marketing and events, my pitches to individuals and companies began to stick and I started to secure projects that allowed me to combine both of these skillsets. Clients were interested in utilizing both of these capabilities and because of this, I knew I had found my path.

And then the pandemic hit. At that time, in early 2020, I was still heavily skewed towards planning and producing events and my portfolio since beginning my business was rapidly expanding. The pandemic however completely shut down my ability to continue to produce weddings and special events at the same rate. It was then that I knew it was time that my agency would need to pivot – and do so quickly.

So, I 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥 my business away from wedding and special event planning and shifted my focus towards providing public relations and strategic marketing services. My work became centered on amplifying special projects and online events through marketing and communications. The beauty of this time was that it allowed me to create a plan for how the in-person side of my business would look in the future while sharpening a skillset I had not previously utilized. The opportunity to spend time re-focusing on what I wanted my business to look like is what has helped me get to where I currently am, collaborating on a diverse range of event related projects across the country.

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

Can it be something I’m 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 unlearning? Because for me, I’m unlearning the need to be perfect.

As a business owner – you want everything to be perfect. You don’t want to give people anything to criticize. So sometimes, you don’t take action at all. For me, this shows up when it comes to consistency in marketing my own business. I can give people strategies all day on the ideation and implementation of strategies to market their own events and businesses, but when it comes to my own – that’s where it all stops. And I know it’s because of this desire to be perfect. I’ve heard so often that you have to do things this way or else people won’t want to use you, you have to stand out because the space is so crowded, you have to create this type of content or else people won’t care – and it’s all these requirements that often stop me in my tracks because it not only takes time but you also want it to effectively represent the quality of your brand. Instead of taking steps that will ultimately help me, I think to myself, if it’s not 100% perfect, it’s not happening.

So now it’s something I am actively working on, finding that balance between ensuring people are regularly aware of the work I’m doing and the value I can bring to their team while also ensuring what I put out there is in alignment with what I value and the quality of my brand. I’m learning everyday how dynamic entrepreneurship truly is – it is a blessing but it can also be messy (and it’s definitely not full time glamour like you see a lot of people toting and promoting online). I fully understand that the expectation to be perfect is unrealistic if you honestly want to make the impact you set out to make as a business owner.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dunniweddings.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dunniweddingsandevents/
• https://www.instagram.com/jumialuko
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jumialuko/
• Other: https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/dunniweddings-los-angeles-ca-1083748

Image Credits
Ethiopiah Al-Mahdi Jessica Lynn