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

Hi Ray, thanks for joining us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

I’m in business for my children. I have a son and daughter, and I want them to see their parents facing new challenges and having success doing so. I always tell my children that they can accomplish anything that they are willing to work hard enough for. Everything that you set out to accomplish will have a price that needs to be paid, some greater than others. If you are willing to pay that price, there is nothing that can’t be done. I want my legacy to be one of a person that wasn’t afraid of challenges so that I can show my family and those that are in my circle that nothing is impossible. This business is just one aspect of that. It’s only the beginning of our future business empire.

Ray, 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?

My entry into this business was and still is about service. I served in the US Army as an Air Defense Artillery Officer for 6 years and found that service is truly a large part of who I am. Upon realizing this, I wanted to find a business where I could do 3 things. I wanted to be able to show my children the value of hard work, provide great service for my clients, and run a business that was positive in nature to those that we service. When taking all of those into consideration I found that an event venue gave me all of those possibilities, along with the ability to scale and grow. We set ourselves apart by being an unassuming upscale venue, at an affordable price. You get what you pay for and more with our venue. It’s been a great learning experience and lots of fun.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I actually purchased a class in order to start my business. It was entitled, “How to Start Your Own Event Space in the Next 3-6 months.” This was very impactful for me. This gave me the confidence to get started and go full speed ahead and not look back. In hindsight, I’ve experienced and learned most of the things that class introduced to me, while running the business over the past year. The confidence to start however has been invaluable and I’m so happy that I purchased the class.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

My cofounder is my wife. We met 10 years ago working in corporate America in San Jose, CA. We knew each other for years before we started dating and now have been married for 5 and a half years.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.maglensonevents.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maglensonevents/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaglensonEvents