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

Renee, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Before we talk about all of your success, let’s start with a story of failure. Can you open up about a time when you’ve failed?

When I first started my company, I made a lot of mistakes. I listened to friends who had no experience in my industry, wasted over $25k, and relied too heavily on Google and YouTube for business advice.

I began this journey in 2020 after my daughter was born and COVID-19 was new. I saw many people starting their own businesses online, and I realized that I needed a backup plan. I’ve always loved planning and decorating events, so I wanted to start a venue. However, I needed a way to fund it, so I decided to start a clothing line. I spent a lot of time and money on it , but when the clothes arrived, they did not fit correctly, and the company was unhelpful. I then found some vendors in the United States and learned how to manage my inventory and edit my website. However, I struggled to create content and market my products while also working a corporate job and taking care of my family.

Basically, my lack of knowledge on business operations left me feeling overwhelmed. After parting ways with my first business coach, who didn’t quite meet my expectations, I decided to seek out a different coach. Unfortunately, the second coach I found turned out to be a scammer, leaving me with lost funds and no valuable advice. Despite my persistence over the course of a year, I was unable to achieve any success and was on the verge of giving up entirely. It was at this point that I posted a “rant” on Facebook in search of a coach who could truly guide me to success. Thankfully, I was referred to an exceptional coach with stellar reviews on both Google and BBB websites.

Upon collaborating with my business coach and explaining my experiences and intentions for the clothing line serving as a launchpad towards acquiring a venue, my perspective shifted for the better. My new and amazing coach was instrumental in realizing my aspirations for the business, which evolved from a clothing line to an event planning company that is currently on the trajectory to securing a venue. Given the setbacks I encountered at the outset of my entrepreneurial journey, I hold a deep gratitude for the invaluable support and direction my current business coach provides.

Renee, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Annmade Regal is a Louisiana-based event planning company that specializes in luxurious event planning services to individuals. As the owner and visionary behind the company, I strive to make the event planning process as stress-free as possible. I understand that planning a luxury event can be daunting due to the many intricate details involved, which is why I make it my priority to alleviate as much of the burden as possible.

Like many entrepreneurs, the Covid pandemic prompted me to start my own business. Initially, I began as a plus size clothing line to fund my dream venue. However, after encountering some setbacks and learning some tough lessons, I transitioned the clothing line into an event planning company – my true passion. This was with the help of my amazing business coach. Though I have been planning events for over a decade, I recently decided to become a full-time certified event planner, which I am immensely proud of. Looking back on where I was two years ago, I am grateful for how far I’ve come as an entrepreneur.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new clients for me has been my mentors; more so word of mouth. My business coach has over 25 women that she mentors and she pushes whatever services her “mentees” offer out to her social media platform form as well as an internal directory. She urges us all services that are readily available within her network of women (she truly believes in helping us all).

I also have an event decorator who is also an amazing mentor who often connects with me amazing vendors that she had the pleasure of working with, insight on some of the best kept secret venues and she will refer potential clients that reach out to her over to me if she’s not capable of servicing their event due to being booked.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Google and YouTube does not have every answer! Yes they are great sources of information but there is only so much information you can obtain for free. Do your research on specifically what you need to invest for you. I knew I needed to learn about a clothing business since that was initially my stepping stone to owning a venue. What I should have invested in first and foremost was a business mentor and explained what my intentions were and I would have learned that I didn’t need to go through “creating a boutique” to obtain my dream goal of having a venue. I would have learned that I didn’t have to waste as much money as I did.     

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.annmaderegal.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/annmaderegal?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnmadeRegalEventPlanning?mibextid=ZbWKwL

Image Credits
Dymaria Williams Photography