We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Stacia Greene. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Stacia below.
Alright, Stacia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you have a hero? What have you learned from them?
My all-time hero, would have to be my Grandmother Alice “Hot Sauce” Powell! She was given the name hot sauce, due to her memorable feisty personality, it was truly one that you would never forget. My Grandmother was the pilar of my family and a jack of all trades. She could literally do anything, cook, sew, dance, sing, you name it she could do it! From young, one of the many lessons my grandmother installed in me was to always have a voice, the essence of money management, always staying true to myself, and to always put my best foot forward at anything that I did. I watched as my grandmother worked as a director for the Department of Human Resources for years while also being what we now know as a socialite managing a variety of bars and social clubs on the weekends.
Working a 9-5 and still being able to do what you love was truly a joy to see. My grandmother found comfort in Hosting events. She loved a color coordinated occasion, especially an all-white affair! I believe what brought my grandmother the most joy during this time, was the fact that she was able to put a smile on everyone’s face, while doing what she loved. Cooking, dancing and being the life of the party, in true Leo fashion.
One Keen memory, I can recall is having the opportunity to curate one of my grandmother’s birthday parties. It’s a memory I would cherish forever, as she was extremely appreciative and grateful for the décor both my mom and I put together for her special day. She was a Leo Queen, so it was only right that this was executed throughout all of her décor.
She literally danced the night away alongside close friends and family! Oh and lets not forget it was an all-white affair.
Losing my grandmother was literally the most painful experience that I have endured. The simple fact of not being able to call or visit hits home the most for me, but I’m extremely grateful to have had, such an extraordinary woman who played a huge, monumental role in helping me become the woman/ business owner I am today. The lesson she installed in me from birth is my road map to success. I find myself reminiscing on the various mantras that she would express to me, and I use those as blueprints to live my life. Although I lost my grandmother in physical form, I was blessed with a guardian angel who continues to protect and guide me throughout my life. I love you Grandma and your Legacy will continue to live on!
Stacia , 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?
Allow me to introduce myself, I’m Stacia G, event producer, brand consultant, victim advocate and aspiring contract lawyer.
From what I can recall, event planning was practically embedded in my DNA. I started as early as 3rd grade where I was awarded with event planner of the year. An award my teacher Ms. Lewis created solely for me. I specifically recall begging my grandmother to take me to a store called Grayshel’s (it was a staple in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn). During my mini shopping spree, she provided me with a $50.00 budget, which was just enough to execute my vision. I was able to pick out a numerous number of knick-knacks and treats for my class and I was able to create custom goodie bags for everyone. It was a class hit, and everyone loved them. School Pizza Parties was also one of my specialties, deeming me the planning guru for my elementary school. This allowed me to receive many accolades at such a young age.
My passion for event planning and branding began to emerge when I would always lend a helping hand to my mother who was the catalyst for planning all our family and close friends’ events. I would always watch as she made custom centerpieces, mass costumes and balloon arches and would always find solace when I was a part of that planning process. Celebratory events whether they were big or small, has always been a huge part of my upbringing and provided the opportunity for my family and I to bond while creating everlasting memories, which we continue to cherish.
I decided to turn my passion into reality after close friends and family would always ask me why I didn’t provide these services to other people. With just the portfolio composed of my family and friends’ events, I took a leap and embarked on my event planning and branding dreams in 2020. I stand before you today, the proud owner of Stay Selective Event Planning & Stay Selective Marketing Designs where we offer luxury event decor, styling, and branding services.
Creating a brand that represents my core moral values and who I am as a person, has been one of my biggest accomplishments. Every day I find myself in awe as I watch Stay Selective reach new levels I dreamed of. To come full circle with achieving a dream goal, has been one of my proudest moments. I was once told that in life in order to be successful, you must have 5 streams of income, and I’m grateful to say that my passion for curating events and designing allows me to have the opportunity to create generational wealth.
Stay Selective is a full-service event planning and Branding company based out of (Brooklyn, NY). Our goal is to provide a full-service luxury experience for every event that we create while incorporating brand authenticity. This goal is achieved by curating unique branding and marketing techniques while always remaining innovative during the event styling and décor process. Our purpose is to ensure that every detail is Selected based on the client’s dream event.
My team and I offer a variety of packages and selections to best fit our client’s needs. These selections range from but are not limited to: Full-Service Planning & Design, Partial Planning, Balloon styling, Day of event coordination, Brand Marketing, Creative Direction, and Photography. We administer all events and businesses and welcome All! Always remember you’re not picky just selective!
What sets Stay Selective apart from other competitors is that we specialize in creating an experience for our client that fits their needs. Not only are we able achieve this task, but we are also able to tie in the social media component. We live in an age where having a social media presence is vital, but we can tackle both of these factors in house. We can take one simple idea, and generate, logos, custom branding activations, video invites, photoshoots, the list goes on. Customer Satisfaction is also a key component to our brand and is extremely important to us. We make sure that we create flexible schedules that fits the needs of our clients, as we know planning an event can be extremely stressful. It is our job to take this burden off the client and create a sense of ease. We make sure to vet our vendors by making sure that we do our due diligence with our research. This is done to ensure that all of clients have the best experience possible.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
A lesson that I had to unlearn is overworking myself is a way to achieve success. At the start of my business, I suffered with creating unhealthy boundaries for myself. I would answer inquires as soon as I received them, no matter the time of day, I would accept bookings with only a 2-3 day notice, and I would allow clients to have 24/7 access to me.
To be successful, you must work hard don’t get me wrong. Success is a marathon that requires hard work and dedication ,however, because of these unhealthy boundaries I would find myself physically sick for 1-2 weeks after these events wrapped up. It was once said that “If you don’t schedule a break, your body will take a break and it will not be at a convenient time.” Indeed, this is what my body did.
As a creative I think it is essential to take these needed breaks, as it allows for the creative juices to keep flowing in order to generate innovative ideas.
My new mantra is to set aside a yearly trip, where I’m able to fully lock in on only RELAXING! This is a no work zone, so I literally disconnect my business social media accounts from my phone and refrain from brining my laptop or any other business-related items.
As a result of mastering work life balance, I was able to see an increase in clients while avoiding burnouts. This new stability also provided me with the opportunity and space to channel inventive themes and designs for my clientele. It’s truly a game changer and I highly recommend it for all business owners.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is a book that I live by for both my personal life and business. Trying to find a way to ignore the negatives in your life can be a challenge, but the Alchemist shows you that it is okay to tune out the negative. Often time in my business I struggle with thinking I can’t tackle a task or that I won’t be able to fully bring a client’s vision to life in such short notice, but once I’m able to silence those negative thoughts. The outcome has always been one that I’m extremely proud of.
Finding your personal legend is also another theme of the book and an element that I apply to my life daily. I believe that in life everyone is unique and have their own purpose, it is just up to us to go after what that purpose is. For some, you may have a hard time with figuring out what you’re supposed to do in life. But you will never know what you are destined to do if you don’t try. Figuring out your purpose and working on your personal legend may come with many obstacles, but once you are able to knock those hurdles down the sky is the limit!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.stayselectiveeventplanning.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stayselective_eventplanning/ and https://www.instagram.com/stayselective_marketingdesigns
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StaySelectiveEventPlanning?eav=Afb8d3b-kmfHLfhDzsLgKcbcCq3UrvohgxiQj95Y-nuF34Je4T4wtIfL-PiyTvZkef0&tsid=0.09561464672285891&source=result&paipv=0&_rdr
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@StaySelective/videos