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

Saira, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I was consistently the events person at my previous jobs-non-profit, political and corporate. In addition, I was the one friends turned to when they needed someone to organize their events. It was often said to me, “You should start your own event management business”. One day, I decided to take the leap and started North Star Events.

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?

North Star Events was founded by Saira Sufi, an event professional with years of experience managing large-scale corporate and nonprofit events. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Political Science with a Minor in Women’s Studies. Saira also has an Event Management Certificate from The George Washington University and is known for her ability to bring structure and strategy to even the most complex events.

The name North Star Events is deeply personal. Saira’s late son, Hadi—whose name means “guide” in Arabic—was the inspiration behind the name. The North Star has long been a symbol of direction and reliability, qualities that define both Saira’s approach and the way Northstar Events serves its clients.

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

Losing a child to bone marrow failure at the age of 7 and having my ex-husband leave me suddenly less than a year after that has allowed me to realize my resiliency. Still being an incredible mother to my other son (his twin is the one who passed), utilizing my skill set in event management and just being an all around authentic person has made me grow in ways I didn’t know was possible. Leaving a Director position to start my own business has allowed me to recognize it is important to take the leaps to see what is out there.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Word of mouth and to consistently put my name out there and offer my services, even if it is at a discounted rate. Networking is key and reaching out to those who are outside my comfort level.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.northstareventsllc.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sairasufi/