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

Hi Tirrell, thanks for joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

The ultimate risk has been betting on myself. It’s not often that I hear about the mental tenacity that it takes to boldly build a business, risking it all and betting on oneself. When God planted the seed in my heart to start Lael Events I released a sigh of relief. This relief was immediately followed with emotions of self-doubt and fear. Relief because I’d been seeking God for purpose. I remember distinctly petitioning God to reveal to me my “it,” my “thing,” my purpose in life. I found myself in a season where there was a deep desire for more. I don’t think that this feeling is foreign to most at some stage in their lives, but for me, this feeling was quite heavy, especially as I approached my 30’s.

Now, I had my answer, start the business, but where were the instructions, where was the blueprint? Self-doubt slipped in and I heard things like, how will you fund it, who will support you, and you work full time – when will you have time? So, fear coupled with self-doubt can wreak havoc on the mental. Let me expound on the fear component. The fear I felt was not fear of failure. The fear I felt was the fear of this great gift that I prayed hard and long to attain. You see, this gift that was finally downloaded in my heart was accompanied by great responsibility. There’s no failure in God – but me the man, I have failed before.

Betting on me took removing self-doubt. Betting on me forced me to push fear aside. Betting on me meant letting go! I had to let go of one of the greatest falsehoods that I engrained in my heart through life experience and that stronghold was the belief that I had to do it on my own. You see, I forgot what I prayed for? Did I forget what I asked for in tears and sincerity? I had to check myself, because I got what I needed straight from the source, so how could I fail this time? I’m not betting on anything anymore! Why am I betting when I believe and have faith that the great work that God has begin in me through Lael Events, He will carry it on to completion.? Me betting, ha! I can do anything but fail when God is in it!

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

My name is Tirrell Lael Johnson, and I am the owner of Lael Events. I named my event planning business my middle name, Lael (Lay-el) which meaning “of God,” or “belonging to God.” Lael Events is a client focused, vision driven, event planning business that has three primary services: 1. Event Planning, 2. Event Coordinating, and 3. Event Management. We specialize in bringing the client’s vision to fruition! If you can dream it, we can bring it to reality. Lael Events perfects all things celebration; weddings, business launches, surprise proposals, dinner parties, baby showers, anniversary dinners, and birthday parties, all of these bring me great pleasure to execute. I’ve been a creative all my life. I remember spending hours on drawings and paintings as a child. I remember rushing to the grocery store to grab the free home magazines that detailed floorplans and blueprints. I just knew I would be an architect because even at a young age, I found beauty in organization, and everything had to be in its proper place.

I have very supportive parents who allowed me the freedom to try anything I wanted. I won art scholarships, was drum major and played the trombone, I became a great speaker and competed in oratorical contests, I was a scholar and was the senior president of my high school’s national honor society. I mentioned all that to say; I loved doing “stuff.” I viewed myself as a “jack of all trades and master of none.” This did change some for me, in 2013 when I graduated from Troy University with a master’s in business administration (MBA).
I made my business official three years ago, when I filed for my LLC with a $100 bill that I held on to for symbolic purposes. My parents gave me this token as part of a Christmas gift. I was raised in South Carolina, but now reside in Atlanta, Georgia and I absolutely love my city. Atlanta is rich in culture, history, and has a legacy of innovation. I simply love creating and this is one of the reasons why I thrive in my passion as an event planner. My road to purpose felt long. It took me years to land on my “it.” I’m now here and I want everyone to know about this dream – made reality, that I hold so close to my heart, Lael Events.

Atlanta is full of event planners but there is only one Tirrell Lael Johnson of Lael Events and what I bring is special. Over the past several years our reach has expanded. In 2021 during a global pandemic, my team successfully executed two out of state weddings; one in Reston, Virginia, and one in Fort Mill, South Carolina. This year, we have completed successful events in Washington, DC and Charlotte, North Carolina. The growth is exhilarating and my dream for this very special business continues to blow my mind.

Lael Events is proud to provide the highest level of expertise and service to people of all walks of life. I love diversity and inclusivity. I enjoy engaging with my clients. This industry is one that will never go away. We all love to celebrate, and it is my niche in learning my client, asking the proper questions to best serve them and their desires for their special occasion. I take what I have gathered from my clients and flip their vision to reality. I am a dream-maker, and I absolutely love it! I endeavor to break down boundaries and push the limits to achieve the most exquisite events.
I didn’t get here alone. I thank God for my many supporters, my family, friends, and returning and referring clients. It is truly a dream. I’m grateful for this gift and I only want to continue to share it with the world.
I’m often asked what is next on the dream list for Lael Events? It is my dream to own and operate a full-service event space. I want a state-of-the-art venue, designed with love and vision in mind. Stay tuned – to be continued.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Everyone is familiar with the phrase, “business is business.” I always took pause when I heard this because it felt and sounded so brutal and cold. In general, I have always led with the heart in my decisions. I found out quickly, in business, that the phrase, “business is business, though layered – packs a punch of truth.

In 2019, I completed an Event & Meeting Planning Certification. On the first day of class the instructor said, “We are event planners and people desire our expertise for two reasons; we have vision, and we can execute a vision.” She went on to say, “Because our industry is vison and idea based, do not begin any project without a contract.” Wait! What happened to leading with your heart?

I had been successful for several years before enrolling in this certification program and I had never experienced a client who I consulted with, stepped them through their event, and showed them my creative ideas, walk away from me, and not pay the agreed upon rate. I could not fathom what was to come. Not only did a client commit this exact infraction and exact song and dance, but they also took my ideas and tried to have someone else execute what I planned for them. The client was referred through a close friend, so I did not write up a contract during the consultation phase of planning their event. Needless to say, I learned my lesson, I can lead with my heart and with a contract. Business is business, and forever more business is business only when there is a contract on the table.

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

Lael Events from the initiation derived from a place of purpose. My business is dynamic because I lead with a client focused approach. This outlook has allowed me to build my brand successfully. I love fostering relationships with my clients. These relationships blossom by cultivating trust, sharing my gift, presenting my very best, and through vested years of experience. Clients take note and they remember how you made them feel and of course they take note of the output.

As the owner of Lael Events, I control the narrative of how my business is seen and heard. I have watched the success of my event planning business and it’s made evident through repeat client business and by the strength of referrals. I love that I have been able to take on clients who learned of Lael Events by word of mouth and have the opportunity to work with them on multiple events. For example, I had the honor of working with a client for a surprise proposal and their wedding. The client and I planned the décor for his surprise proposal. The surprise went off without a hitch and the décor was stunning. Fast-forward three months later, and the now fiancé reaches out because she loved the surprise proposal and decor so much, that she wanted me to plan her wedding. I love these full circle moments. They propel me to continually fall in love with what I do. My reputation within the market shines because my offerings are special and the recipe that I have worked on for years, has a one-of-a-kind flavor. FRUITION!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thelaelevents.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lael.events/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaelEvents/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/tirrelljohnson
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/LaelEvents

Image Credits
Lillian Garvin Timothy McGuire Harold Leone