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

Melody, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Talk to us about building your team? What was it like? What were some of the key challenges and what was your process like?

“We’re in the people business”. This is a line I frequently find myself saying when describing what we do. The fact of the matter is that people are the core of our business–dare I say, EVERY business!

As soon as the concept for Allegro Events had been laid out, it was time to start hiring! After all, as an event staffing company, our people are our greatest asset.

For years I have recruited for restaurants in both forward facing and heart of house positions. It was time to take this skill and apply it to my business.

First, I needed to reach out and market my company to potential employees. I made a flyer on Canva and went straight to social media where I knew my ideal candidate would be. I created a form on my website and started accepting applications.

The first hires were tough. Working with large corporations I took for granted the software and technology that was provided that made the hiring process seamless. I was starting from scratch! A rough form that was routed to my email, manual input to track applicants on a spreadsheet, and not to mention manual emails to inform candidates of their status.

It took over 1 month to go through all of the applications but I can say with due diligence, every single applicant was called.

It might be a bit old school, but I screen every applicant with a phone interview. After all, an interviewee is just like a prospect. You want to qualify them and make sure there may be a mutual fit before investing into a longer interview. I ask three short questions to understand what type of work they are looking for, their expectations, and if they understand the type of role they are applying for.

When you call someone when they are not expecting a call, people are more likely to be open and honest. I like that as integrity is one of our core values. This is EXACTLY what I look for in an employee.

Next we schedule an interview via zoom or in person. In this interview we get into situational questions to understand behaviors, thought processes, and gain an understanding of what goals that person has in life. 90% of the interview has nothing to do with the actual job itself, but rather the character of the interviewee. Values are so incredibly important to ensure that we are in alignment. After all, we can teach you how to do just about anything if they are willing to learn, but you cannot teach someone how to be willing.

If I had to do it all over, starting from scratch knowing what I know now, I would definitely hire a manager or an assistant first. Doing everything myself took time and the reality is that the prequalification process, the manual data entry, among many other tasks were things that could have been delegated. Never underestimate the power of a team! There is strength in numbers!

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?

Allegro Events helps elevate your event by providing professional event planning and staffing services. We specialize in event coordination, bartending, and waitstaff for weddings, corporate events, birthdays, and all of life’s celebrations!

We are a unique group of creatives who believe in serving with integrity, creativity, energy, and excellence. Our brand focuses on bringing a touch of elegance to every event as we are primarily serve clients in the luxury market.

Our staff is the heart of everything we do. Each individual is personally vetted, professionally licensed, and insured so you can trust that your guests will be attended to with the highest level of service.

With Allegro you can expect a high level of professionalism, communication, and expertise. From our first phone call to final consultation, we will ask questions to gain understanding of your unique needs and craft a plan to execute your vision flawlessly—and it doesn’t stop there. We are constantly gathering feedback to continue to improve. For every event, for every gathering, for every special moment, we’re here to help every step of the way!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Believe it or not, Allegro Events is my fifth business. As a serial entrepreneur, it can be tough to find the motivation to keep going. But the key is to turn obstacles into platforms. “Every lesson is a blessing”. Its all about mindset.

You have to believe in what you do wholeheartedly. This reminds me of the story of the man who built his house on the sand and the ocean washed it away versus the man who built his house on a rock and it withstood the waves. I firmly believe this is the same man. You see, resilience is built like a muscle. You have to put in the reps and find out what works and what doesn’t. The key is to never give up.

My first business- a virtual dance studio–built during Covid to create connection when we were confined to our homes. I learned a lot about technology, web building, seo, and the like.

My second business- kombucha which quickly evolved into catering and charcuterie. I learned about how to start an llc, pay taxes, and to never be married to an idea as it is important to evolve to meet the demands of your market.

My third business- sugar free candy. I learned the importance of marketing. You can have a great product, but if no one knows about it, you cannot make any sales.

My fourth business- financial services. This is where I learned that if you don’t have a genuine passion for what you do, you’ll always be fighting an uphill battle. I also was connected with many mentors and continue to learn how money works which has helped my overall business acumen grow.

As you can see, the journey has not been without challenges. Quite the opposite, actually. But the key is to never give up. The self-coined “serial entrepreneur” (that maybe you reading might relate to) comes from a deep desire to create and to be a part of something bigger than myself and I will never stop doing just that. Whether it is my fifth or one hundredth attempt, all I can do is give it my best shot, keep working the muscle and one day I’ll be able to look back at the view from my house atop the rock and say we did it, we built a house to withstand the waves, now we can enjoy the view.

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

Pound the pavement!

Word of mouth referrals are and will always be king! People trust their friends, colleagues, and the opinions of others who share similar values far more than any advertisement, webpage, or even your own word.

Its important to stay connected. Don’t ever underestimate the power of networking, whether that be a quick conversation in the grocery store line, coffee with a friend, or a night out on the town. Cultivating and nurturing relationships are the key to success in any business.

Its all about what you give. The energy you put out into building those relationships is what you will get back, dare I say tenfold. Maintain the consistency and watch how you organically grow!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.allegro.events
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/allegroevents.us
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/allegroevents.us
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allegro-events
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/allegro-events-longwood