We were lucky to catch up with L.V. Palmes recently and have shared our conversation below.

L.V., appreciate you joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

Like any new and hungry entrepreneur, I was scared and nervous to go beyond what I first initially dreamed of. I was very inspired at an early age of all types of events and celebrations. Growing up, my mom was big on throwing house parties for any event and I was exposed to socializing with all ages at a young age. I had to learn how to be a social butterfly and entertain. Later in High School, I found myself being involved in other school events and the next thing you know, I’m carrying this passion on into college. What I didn’t realize was that the creative side of me was there also, I just haven’t unlocked it yet. I thought I was excellent at planning but didn’t think I could execute the design and creative side of me. It wasn’t until after college that I started to heavily look into Event Planning specializing in Weddings. After interning a few years on and off with a lady, I decided it was time to go on my own. I was confident that my education in Art school: Interior Design has helped me expand my visual knowledge. I got certified in Wedding & Event Planning then just started doing small events. There was no exact moment or time that I can recall where it all changed, the process just kept gradually happening. Years later, I’m still doing what I passionately love and all my clients, past clients, friends, and friends have been my biggest marketing tool. Because of them, I’m motivated to continue what I do and appreciate the love and support.

L.V., love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I pursued this industry because I fell in love with all the logistics, design and timeline of an event. It’s like putting on a show and being backstage in theatre. I started in Elementary school watching my mom curate events at home and then I became active in theatre at school for many years. I then had the desire to start a business on Wedding Planning when I watched TV shows and go online to look at inspiration. When I decided to go full time in 2013, I got certified and constantly kept up with trends by using the internet and social media. I also went to Art school with the emphasis in Interior Design and I definitely learned a lot about working with mediums, elements, layers, colors etc.

I provide the following for my Event Planning services
– Full Service Coordination, Month of, Day of
– Other events such proposal setup, birthdays, baby showers, etc.
– Photo booth (I have a professional setup and separate business for this) www.thephotoboothninja.com
– Custom decor (I love to dabble in creating my own craft such as custom banners, centerpieces, etc.)
– Styling (because I know I have an eye for aesthetics and what looks well together)
– Photography (because I started with a passion in Photography back in High School & understand colors and editing styles)

I think when it comes to problem solving it helps that I’m there to give alternative options or will help research to find the best fit. I also know that sometimes clients just need a decision maker and I’m there to help with that and give reason.

What sets me apart is not only the additional services I offer but the fact that I’m always available. I typically am quick to respond to any client either via email or phone. I’m also there to provide my expertise when helping select other vendors.

I’m really proud of what I’ve become. I’m always learning and each year I feel like I’m getting more exposed to the industry. With things always changing it’s great to know that there will always be a need for what I do. I’m also really happy to say that even if I don’t market myself, all my past clients do for me. Client referrals are my 100% way of marketing.

Random fact to know about myself and company is that ODINEVA is my middle name backwards. Figured I’d have a touch of my family line and creativity in there.

I hope that if I get to work with you, we will have a strong relationship even after your event. I love hearing updates years later from my clients and many of them hire me to do another event so that I stay connected :)

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

I think I can speak on behalf of all the other vendors who went through a tough time in 2020. Boy, that was rough. The unknown and overall safety was so unpredictable during that year. Just waiting and seeing how life was going to turn out and how long things were going to take. That definitely tested me and I thought for sure that was it for my business. I had even gone back to corporate to find some stability. But after a year of patiently waiting, 2021 became a year to come back. In fact I still work at my corporate job til this day and last year was probably the biggest test for me. I became more resilient by balancing work full time and my events full time. It was as if I had the motivation to make up for loss time. Fast forward, 2022 I actually started to slow down. I found out that I was expecting and it was another major life event that I needed to prep for. So currently I’m still taking events but only the ones I’ve signed from last year while simultaneously working full time in corporate. It’s all a matter of how you allocate your time and deal with whatever comes your way.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think what makes it unique for me is that since I’m originally from the Bay Area, I service out there as well. So I really have a wide range of where I can travel in California. Because of that, my clientele has really expanded and many of my past clients have helped me grow my reputation just by word of mouth. I admit that I am not the best at keeping up with social media posts these days but I still always get clients who reach out. I started out as small events with friends and family. Then I was confident and understood more on the logistics and the operations on how to run a wedding.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.odineva.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/odinevaeventsanddesigns
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/odinevaeventsanddesigns/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/odineva-events-and-designs-san-diego-3

Image Credits
all images were taken on my phone.