We recently connected with Marissa McCurtain and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Marissa, thanks for joining us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

Generally speaking, yes! But did I send in my resume for a “regular job” in the last month? Also yes! When they said 45% small businesses close within the first 5 years, they weren’t kidding. In the events industry specifically you go through seasons, and when you go a long period of time without inquiries and see how open your schedule is it becomes terrifying. I start rationing out my savings, I begin hoarding any income I do have, and I start living off of ramen just to sustain the business that just isn’t busy right now. I tell myself things will pick up and to keep moving the needle forward, but I would be lying if I said that some days I dream about having a normal, stable job. But the thing that keeps me where I’m at is that you don’t get a great job in one day, and by the time I have a solid job offer I’ve decided I like working for myself more! The point is we all have bad days, weeks, sometimes months, but in the end the hustle is worth it and things DO pick up.

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

Cultivate Event Planning is a small business based in Oklahoma City and we specialize in community impact events. Whether that be through non-profits, or teaming up with local corporations, our goal is to strengthen the community by connecting the right people to the mission. Every event tells a story and if you don’t have the right characters in place the narrative falls flat. We want to plan successful events that lead to positive change. Some of the social causes we care about include diversity, literacy, inclusion, and incarceration and we want to unite the resources that can bring light on the dark corners of the world. If you are hosting a fundraiser, a prayer breakfast, a foster mom retreat, or a red-carpet gala we would love to join in your mission and use our gifts to serve others.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

YES! This has become so much easier with social media that if you aren’t keeping up with your past clients you are missing out on your future clients. At Cultivate Event Planning we want to celebrate every milestone. This starts with genuinely caring about your clients and being a friend in addition to being their planner/ decorator. When a client shares that they need to plan a top secret gender reveal or they are eloping, those are the moments that stand out along the journey of building a business!

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Although I am a team of one, events are flooded with staff and vendors that pull everything together. It is a high stress environment with many moving parts where things often go wrong, and therefore require management. I always warn new planners that a lot of what takes place on-site at an event is helping clients, vendors and guests alike manage their emotions. You have to be able to read the room and be empathetic at the right time. Knowing when a team member needs to step out or be called in to talk things through is a vital aspect of keeping the show going. Rather than always dismissing peoples feeling or downplaying the situation you have to weigh the costs vs. the benefits and keep the end goal at the forefront of everyones mind. You can’t be selfish or take things personally in the service industry, just keep moving forward, problem solve along the way, and remember that everyone reacts to stress differently!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cultivateeventplanning.com
• Instagram: @cultivate.event.planning and @marissa_mccurtain
• Facebook: @cultivate.event.planning
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/marissa-mccurtain

Image Credits
Leah Gunn Photography and Jacey Sikes Photography