We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Olivia Citak a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Olivia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

For me, success has always started with defining what it means to me personally. A lot of business owners measure success by revenue or headcount, but I’ve always viewed it through the lens of work-life balance and finding joy in the work itself.

When I launched my business, one of my main goals was to build a career that supported a fulfilling life and didn’t consume it. I have heard many times that business owners never really get balance. “If you’re passionate about it, the business will become your life.” I wanted to prove that didn’t have to be true.

That focus has guided a lot of my decisions, even as the business has grown. I’ve had people ask why I’m not leaning harder into the momentum, working longer hours to accelerate growth or increase income, but that was never the goal. I choose to work under 40 hours a week because I deeply value the time I get back. To me, that is success.

As I’ve brought on a team, my definition of success has expanded. It’s no longer just about whether I have balance – it’s also about whether my employees feel supported and happy in their roles. I want to create a work culture that people want to stay in, where they feel trusted and able to define success for themselves. Of course, there’s risk in giving that kind of autonomy, but in a small business, I think the greater risk is burnout and turnover. I’d rather invest in a culture of trust than one of micromanagement.

So if I had to sum it up, I think being successful means knowing your own goals and not getting distracted by someone else’s version of success. It’s easy to get pulled into the hustle mindset, but sticking to what matters most to you is what makes the whole thing sustainable.

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.

At Alive Events & Marketing, we provide event planning and marketing support for small businesses and nonprofits. My passion for this work stems from years of seeing the same struggle over and over again: organizations that do incredible work in their communities but simply don’t have the budget or capacity to hire a full-scale agency or a full-time staff member to manage events and marketing.

In many cases, one person ends up doing it all—events, communications, volunteer management, grant writing, and more. The result is burnout, scattered strategy, and missed opportunities. That’s the gap Alive was created to fill. We offer high-quality, people-first support that’s affordable and practical for smaller teams.

We approach both events and marketing with a focus on authenticity, efficiency, and impact. While large agencies may spend ten hours perfecting a single reel, we know that small brands thrive when their content feels real and relatable. A short video of your staff or a genuine, engaging post will resonate far more than something overly polished. That not only helps with connection, it also keeps your marketing costs down without compromising effectiveness.

On the event side, we bring years of experience, systems, and trusted connections to the table. That allows us to plan and execute events in a fraction of the time it might take an internal team. We’re not starting from scratch, and we’re not juggling internal meetings or organizational duties. We focus solely on the event so your staff can focus on building relationships with donors, guests, and stakeholders.

My journey into this work goes back to childhood. I was always planning something – birthday parties, girls nights, neighborhood summer camps, you name it. I also carried a strong desire to help others, which shaped my early career. I worked across nonprofits focused on homelessness, disability, food waste, and more, saying yes to any opportunity where I could make a difference. The downside? I was constantly switching roles, always stretched too thin, and still earning what I made straight out of college. I felt stuck, burnt out, and unsure how to move forward.

Starting the business was something I talked about for years but never truly believed I’d do. It wasn’t until my husband and I were flying home from our honeymoon that he challenged me to stop waiting and just start. With his encouragement, I stayed at my job for three more months while we saved everything we could. In May 2023, I quit and officially launched Alive.

I set modest goals: $1,000 per month by six months, $3,000 per month by a year. But I hit that first goal in month one, matched my old salary by month six, and hired my first employee within the first year. I don’t think that happened because of some genius strategy. It happened because the need was real, and Alive was created to meet it.

One of the things I’m most proud of is making the leap to build a team. In spring of 2024, I brought on Claire as an intern, and it was immediately clear she was a perfect fit. I took a pay cut to keep her on after she graduated, just 20 hours a week, but within a few months I was able to grow the business enough to bring her on full-time. She’s now our only full-time team member, alongside two contractors and a paid intern, but it already feels like a fuller team with heart. Hiring the right people truly changes everything.

What I want people to know about me and Alive is simple: we’re here to support the people doing good work. We believe small businesses and nonprofits deserve high-quality marketing and events without the inflated price tag. And we believe that work should be joyful, balanced, and rooted in relationships.

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

For me, it’s all about relationships. Nearly every client I’ve worked with has come through a personal connection or a referral from someone who knew my work. In a city like Cincinnati, that kind of network matters. Even when someone reaches out through the website, chances are they will know someone I’ve worked with. That’s why I treat every relationship as important, even when a client decides to move on. You never know where the next referral will come from.

Networking is a huge part of what I do, but I’m also very intentional about who I take on. My business model is built around long-term partnerships rather than constant turnover, so I’m not trying to bring in dozens of new clients at once. I usually aim for about ten really solid clients at a time. That gives me the ability to go deep, offer real support, and build trust.

One part of my strategy that might seem counterintuitive is knowing when to say no. Not every lead is the right fit, and I’ve learned that it’s better to wait for a client who feels like a long-term match than to invest in a relationship that won’t last. Onboarding a client takes time and energy, so I try to make sure we’re aligned from the beginning. When the fit is right, the relationship grows naturally and those are the clients who refer others.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

More than any single book or essay, mentorship has been the most impactful part of my entrepreneurial journey. The people who have shared their time, wisdom, and encouragement with me have shaped my thinking far more than any single resource could. And on the flip side, getting to mentor others has motivated me to continue growing and showing up as the best version of myself.

Many of the mentors in my life have introduced me to valuable books, essays, and videos, but what made those resources meaningful was having someone who understood my journey and could help apply the lessons to my real-life challenges. It’s one thing to read a business book. It’s another to have someone walk you through how to apply it when you’re facing a tough client or trying to scale your team for the first time.

One of the mentors who made a huge impact on me was Rich Walburg. I met with him early in my career, and he was doing very similar work to what I do now, but with decades more experience. Rich helped me find language for frustrations I couldn’t yet articulate. He shared resources, encouraged my curiosity, and helped me find clarity around what I really wanted in my career. He passed away just a few months before I launched Alive, but I think about him often and how proud he would have been to see me take that leap.

Another key mentor is Greg Olson. He’s been meeting with me regularly since 2017. Starting a business at a young age means you don’t have a boss guiding you through the hard stuff. Greg has been that guide for me in many ways. When I’m unsure how to handle a tricky client situation or a people management challenge, I can call him and learn from his experience so I can lead with confidence, even when it’s my first time navigating something.

Beyond those two, I’ve had countless conversations with generous people who were willing to meet with me, share their stories, offer advice, and encourage me along the way. Because of them, I’ve never felt alone in this work and I think that’s made all the difference.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.alive-events-marketing.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alivebyolivia/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alivebyolivia
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliviacitak/

Image Credits

All photos are free for use.

Credit for the CGM gala photo: David Slaughtery

Others were privately taken and can be used without credit.