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

Alright, Samantha thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

The name of my company is Bevy Events & Rentals. I came up with “Bevy” one day as I was driving to go out of state on a surprise trip with my girlfriend. We were talking and I told her I really wanted to start an event planning business (finally, everyone I’ve ever known has told me for years I should do this!). She of course was extremely encouraging and excited that I was finally going to do something I am so good at! As we drove, I started looking up synonyms for “party”.. Bevy was a synonym of that word meaning a gathering of people — usually women. That stood out to me because we are a LGBT+ couple and having that little piece of womanhood / women coming together just felt right. Plus, as soon as I read the word “Bevy” out loud, I IMMEDIATELY could start thinking of all the ways I’d advertise. It fit like a glove. My girlfriend loved the name too. Then, about an hour later, I found out this surprise trip out of state was actually a trip she planned so she could propose! We had been together for almost 8 years. It was the most magical day of my life. And when I look back and remember that we picked out Bevy’s name right before the best day of my life, it just made it that much more special.

Samantha, 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 name is Samantha, and I’m an Event Planner in Arizona. I created Bevy Events and Rentals for 2 primary reasons. I, as a LGBT+ woman, just got engaged, but have also thrown parties etc in the past. And finding a company that you know is LGBT+ friendly, especially during the time of an engagement, proposal, or wedding I felt was something the industry was lacking. When looking for a company who could create a comfortable, judgment free space for us to express our love — we had several worries. When my fiancée was proposing she didn’t receive the customer service she expected when organizing my proposal and hiring a company to help out with a portion of it. I wanted to make a space where I knew the LGBT+ community could trust their special life moments with me planning them. My second reason — nothing in the world has ever felt so right to me or come SO natural to me. Ever. For years, each and every tiny thing I got my hands on would become something creative or beautiful. Even simple tasks like company presentations, or coloring with my nieces on a blank piece of paper got people to be like “wow Sam!”. I have a talent for creating. And that talent comes most alive for hosting events and making them beautiful and unique. I originally went into the business wanting to do luxury picnics as my specialty. But I have grown to learn so much more. I offer backdrop installations, balloon arches, chair rentals, custom signage’s, charcuterie boards, florals, custom picnics, Tablescape and tablesetting rentals, bar rentals, and so much more. I’m honestly not intimidated by any challenge. If a client came to me with any idea — I feel like I could make it happen (and then some). I have used all the skills from my previous work experiences before starting a business to really thrive in this space.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

So, I actually use my savings. I had a few thousand dollars saved up from selling my first home. And I started off with just buying a couple things for a party where I wanted to really test my skills. But I fell in love with it even more than I thought I would. I was working in the child development/behavioral health/childcare industry for 8 years and while I LOVED what I did, and the children I worked with.. after 8 years I was extremely burnt out. My love for the children drove me through 5 different avenues in the industry varying in intensity and violent environments. I helped those kiddos as long as I possibly could. They say most people in that industry don’t usually last longer than 2 years because of the things they see & experience working with kids with behavior disorders, aggression, autism, broken families etc. so you can imagine the things I saw in 8 years. During my last gig, I just finally had this feeling that I couldn’t do it anymore and needed to start doing something that made me feel HAPPY. I loved the way working with kids made me feel helpful and like I made a difference but it wasn’t making me feel happy per se. So, before I could change my mind — I sent in my two weeks notice and said I was going to start a business and live off my savings until it became profitable. Maybe not the most conservative financial decision, but I’ve never been happier.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I think my entire life has been a story of resilience. I was born into a family with two teenage parents both abusing substances. We witnessed and experienced violence, homelessness, instability, etc. all throughout my childhood. I moved several times and often had no one checking on me to make sure I was okay, fed, going to school still, etc. But I still went. Sometimes coming home after school to find out my parent had been arrested. It was tough. I would go to school and work really hard because I knew from a very young age that one day I would grow up and create a better life for myself. I had a younger brother I wanted to be a good example for as well. Life got better the older I got. I graduated from High School with several academic achievements. I also studied business and marketing a lot in high school, and my teacher saw an entrepreneurial spirit in me before I could recognize it. She always encouraged me to start a business or work my way up to becoming the CEO of some company one day. i got a job my senior year and juggled working, school, volunteer work in middle schools, sports, and being the vice president of a marketing club called “DECA”. After I graduated I focused mainly on getting a home to call my own. Which, like many 18 year olds was not something I was overly successful with. I still remember sleeping on the floor and looking on the sidewalks for any change that may have fallen on the ground so I could afford to eat. I worked really hard, had multiple jobs, even went back to school. I came out as lesbian. I met my first girlfriend and got into a little bit of a safer situation as far as my living environment went when we moved in together. I switched jobs, we moved, we broke up and I hit rock bottom. I started partying to escape feelings of heart break. I moved back in with a different parent and then was kicked out because their HOA wouldn’t allow me to park on the street at night and they had no where for me to park. So again I went looking for my next place to live. I moved back in with the parent I lived with most of my life. And I slowed down the partying, still worked insane hours for different jobs while I looked for one that could actually pay me enough to afford a place of my own. Almost a year after my breakup, I landed one. And I also met the love of my life. We moved into a super cheap apartment together in a sketchy neighborhood. It was gross but we were happy. Then on Christmas, our dog got attacked from an unauthorized dog & guest on the property. Who they were visiting got evicted by our apartment managers and we started receiving threats on top of dealing with our hospitalized fur baby. So we broke our lease and moved to start over. We spent a little more each month for a smaller apartment in a nicer area and started working on the concept of “manifestation”. We would go to model homes and imagine what I would be like to build our dream home one day. We would sit by our apartment pool and dream about vacations, memories to be made, owning our own businesses, starting a family, etc. a couple years later, we bought our first house. A fixer-upper. We taught ourselves how to flip it and then lived in it for a few years. We eventually cashed out pretty good when the market spiked in 2021/2022 & then we bought our dream new build home on our 7 year anniversary of being together with all those years of manifesting. We have continued to work and create our dream life, little by little. Since moving in here a year ago, we got engaged and I started my own business and now work for myself. It’s been quite the journey to get here, but worth every second!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bevyevents.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/bevyevents?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SSSSSSS.PHOTOGRAPHY?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Other: Tiktok: @bevyevents