We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lauren Ogle. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lauren below.

Lauren, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

“Successful” is such a broad term, so first and foremost, I believe that you need to determine what “successful” looks like to you, your business and your family. Then, identify and stick to a system that works for you. For me, on a monthly basis, I like to do a brain dump where I jot down all the thoughts in my head for my business and personal life; my overall intentions for progress and evolution. Afterwards, I identify my top items to implement and create actionable steps to achieve them. As author James Clear wrote in his book Atomic Habits, “you do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” Creating an effective system that works for you and holding yourself accountable is key!

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 background and context?

My name is Lauren Ogle and I started my company LO & Behold Concepts as a Weddings & Event Planner. I always had a knack for event planning and event production, even from an early age. I was the ultimate organizer and producer! In college, I started working in the hospitality industry and eventually landed in Catering Sales. This alone sparked my overall career path! It was in 2007 that I bought a how-t0 how-to book for starting your own event planning company and Lo & Behold, here I am! Having worked for a large hotel chain, a small family-owned catering business, a convention center and some private country clubs, I have been creating and hosting memorable occasions for almost 15 years. My hospitality, catering and sales background has allowed me to deliver an integrative and inclusive approach to weddings and events, never forgetting to pay attention to the small details while still looking at the big picture. Every event is a puzzle and I love putting all of the pieces together! I pride myself on my relationships with my clients and vendor partners, building a foundation of trust and expertise coupled with fun and laughter. In my free time, I enjoy time with my husband, family, friends and my two beagles.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Even as a creative, having started my career in corporate America, I was groomed to work hard. I kept thinking that the more I worked, the more money I’d earn. In reality, the more I worked, the less I was making compared to number of hours to salary. The pay raises were never substantial and moving up the corporate ladder was slow and less than rewarding. The “career burn out” happened and I started my own company. In identifying a new routine, I had to unlearn the lack of work boundaries and instead, teach myself what it means to have balance. I used to work 60-70 hours a week. I was glued to my phone and work emails and never truly “turned off” to focus on other areas of my life. When I looked back and realized how much of my personal life I was missing (time for myself and time with family and friends), I knew I had to make a change. Unlearning the constant need to be connected to work was a challenging lesson, but ultimately, developing a new routine and showing myself grace rewired my brain to require balance.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I absolutely honor my relationships with my clients, but also with all of my vendor partners. From venues, DJ’s, photographers, rental companies and even other planners, my business has thrived on referrals. Ultimately, I love what I do and have fun doing it and I believe this attracts people to me!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.loandbeholdconcepts.com
• Instagram: @loandbeholdconcepts

Image Credits
Bridget Michelle Photography, Ryan Nicole Photography, Acapello Photography