We recently connected with Rodriel “Roe” Jordan and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Rodriel “Roe”, thanks for joining us today. Often outsiders look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight. Even media and especially movies love to gloss over nitty, gritty details that went into that middle phase of your business – after you started but before you got to where you are today. In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. Can you talk to us about your scaling up story – what are some of the nitty, gritty details folks should know about?

Many people desire Entrepreneurship because of the perceived lifestyle and freedom that is associated with “Being your own boss”. While many of those perceptions are true, they often times come at a risk and sacrifice.

Before becoming a full time entrepreneur, I worked in Corporate America. Let me tell you, I hated Corporate America. I often felt like I was mouse in the Pacific Ocean trying to be seen for my ambition and talents by a Helicopter (Management). I always felt uncomfortable and like I wanted and needed more. I’ve always been a leader and growing up I used to tell my family that I was going to be somebody important in life and a lot of people will know me. (lol)

Although I knew Corporate America wasn’t my destination and where I wanted to be, I still worked the process.
Every position we have held has taught us something about yourselves and builds not only our skillset but our character. Instead of seeking pity that I didn’t want a standard desk job, I worked the process. I built my business while working my 9-5. It took dedication and sacrifice, but I did it and don’t regret it.

Things I did to work my process:
-I saved more than I spent, unless it was on business investments
-I treated my business like a priority and not a side hustle. I dedicated my lunch hour to handle business task and even did phone consultations with clients during my lunch hour.
-When I made it home after work, I tried to at least put in 2-3 hours of business work no matter how tired I was.
-The main thing is business startup is investment. Since I had my fulltime job, any money I made from my business I put right back into my business to build my inventory and invest in marketing.

Things to remember:
-Every journey is not the same
-Success does not come over night
-Some bookings will have to be portfolio builders when starting out (Portfolio building shouldn’t last more than 6 months)
-It is ok to say No when the client is not your targeted audience

Strategies to scale up:
-Remember to put out what you want brought back in.
-Create your Brand’s image and stick to it. If you want a luxury and high-end, then everything you do need to be luxurious and high-end.
-Market to your ideal client: Know where your ideal clients are and how to target them through your business processes
-Know if your marketing meets your price value: Does your price structure reflects your portfolio?
-Make sure everything is professional and legit: Do you have a legit business model? Do you have a website that speaks for your Brand? Do you have a professional email address? ([email protected])

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

Leir Dor & Company is a wedding and event planning firm. We provide planning and coordination services and floral and décor for weddings and events. Our goal is allow our clients to have a seamless and stress free planning process whether it’s for their wedding or their milestone event.

Leir Dor & Company aims to reflect our client’s love story throughout their wedding which is why every detail matters for us. Even with our event planning clients, their personality and story is always the highlight of their event. Our client’s wedding or event is their moments. Although every moment and progress should be celebrated, we understand that hosting celebrations are investments and are now considered a luxury. This is why it is our priority to ensure our clients are satisfied and get everything they desire for their wedding or event.

Leir Dor & Company is built upon our Brand’s standards: Luxury, Excellence, Client Centric, Personable experiences, just to name a few. Our clients invest in thousands of dollars to host these events that is why their #LeirDorEvent experience must meet our Brand’s standards. A #LeirDorEvent is not us trying to brand our client’s events as a cookie cutter template. That is not what it means when we say #LeirDorEvent. In fact, a #LeirDorEvent is about an experience. Each event providing our client’s guests their own experience of how we reflect who our clients are through their wedding or event. That is one of the most fun parts of event planning and designing our client’s event.

Roe Jordan, founder of The Leir Dor Brand, is proud to have maintained excellent ratings from our clients over the years of being in business. She believes being Client Centric and always keeping the clients wants and requests as priority is the key to having a successful business and substantial Brand. Roe Jordan is a true businesswoman with a passion for Entrepreneurship. She is also listed as one of The Top 3 Wedding Planners in Grand Prairie, Texas and have received many award Entrepreneurship awards.

One thing the Pandemic has taught her when it comes to business is that having a solid business structure that is multidimensional, being compassionate and genuine to your clients and having great vendor partners are key. Leir Dor & Company still maintained to be a six figure business during the Pandemic and we have our clients and vendor partners to thank for that because without them we could have been a part of the one third of the nation’s small businesses that closed due to the Pandemic.

One thing we want our clients to know is that we appreciate each and every one of them. We understand they work hard for their money and for them to invest in our services is humbling and greatly appreciated. To our future clients, we can’t wait to give you your own #LeirDorEvent experience. With us, your wedding or event is well thought out strategically to give you and your guests an experience that you will cherish for a lifetime. Lastly to our followers, we thank you for support the Leir Dor Brand. Your support and following is like having our own personable cheerleaders to keep us grounded, motivated, and encouraged to continue to inspire others! We love you and thank you! XoXo, Roe J. & The Leir Dor Team

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Building a solid reputation within your market is key to having a successful business. One thing that has helped me is remembering people will always remember how you made them feel.

At every event, I welcome and treat guest like they are my clients because for one, they could possibly be your next client. After every event, I get at least 1-2 inquiries from past event guest. That’s the start of building a good reputation because that client is likely to be connected to at least one guest that attended both of my client’s events.

Your market vendors are another key to building a solid reputation. As a planner, you meet and manage on average at least 10 vendors per event. That’s 10 different businesses that has the ability to spread a great word about you and your business. I train my staff to understand and know that every vendor is to be respected and treated professionally at all times. Back to my initially comment, people will always remember how you made them feel. Keep that is mind when working with your vendors.

Lastly, your clients will likely spread your name each time they mention their event if they had a great experience with you. Even if they didn’t have a great experience, your name will still spread through word of mouth just not in a good way unfortunately. That’s why one of our Brand’s standards is Client Centric. Our clients are the wind beneath the wings of this brand meaning they are what keeps up afloat. If you take care of your clients, your clients will take great care of you. That’s how you build a solid great reputation within your market.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

I’m sure we all heard of the words “growing pains”. No one ever think about growing pains when building and managing a team. My background education in Industrial Psychology and Organizational develop really has helped me in this phase of growing a team.

When you single handed built a Brand that you have grown and nurtured by yourself then faced with the task of bringing along team members to go to the next level can be a daunting task. Don’t get me wrong, it’s exciting at first. But when you’re a strategic thinker loved great energy flow, it can become stressful.

Here’s some advice I would like to share with you:
-Have your business model structure clean, clear and concise so that your team understands your business flow and can perform accordingly.
-Set clear business expectations always known as Brand Standards. This will be a guide for your team to compare their actions and behaviors to how the Brand should be perceived and operated.
-Create a team-like environment: open communication channels for all team members, team meetings, room for all team members voices to be heard and considered.
-Competitive and fair compensation: The key to job satisfaction is compensation and comfortability
-Plan and factor in team outings and retreats outside of work. This improves bonding amongst your team.
– Plan for room for growth for your team members. People want to feel that they can truly grow with you.
-Consider investing in professional development opportunities for your team members. It’s an investment, but it’s a win win for everyone.

We often can be so eager to grow a team that sometimes we act upon it prematurely.
Here’s some advice of my “Before you Grow, Know”:
-Know what that team member workflow and job descriptions will be
-Know your business weaknesses and strengths. Use those as measurable factors in your recruitment process.
-Know how you will integrate your new team members in your business model and structure.
-Know your list of things that you can delegate to other team members and the things you can not delegate
-Know the growth path for your future team members so that communication is able to be had prior to hiring to help control your retention rate.
Lastly, know the difference between a Boss and a Leader.

Everyone wants to be a boss and don’t necessarily know how to be a leader. My favorite quote comes from Mary Parker Follet, “There’s power within, rather power over”.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.leirdor.com
• Instagram: @leirdor_events
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/leirdor

Image Credits
Lavishly Lux Studio | @lavishlyluxstudio Thanin Viriyaki | @serverus_snapshot Cherie Callaway Photography | @cheriecallawayphotography Rick Davila | @rickdavilaphoto D. Lacy | @dlacyweddings