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

Hi Tirrell, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

I named the business my middle name, Lael. I always found my middle name to be different because to date, I have yet to meet anyone who shared that name with me. When deciding on a name I did not have to think long, because I decided years prior in business school, that if I ever started a business, I would use Lael.

I’m often asked, how do you pronounce Lael. Phonetically, it is presented as Lay-el. My mama shared with me how I acquired my middle name when I was a teenager. She told me that my full name was not decided until after I was born. She was talking with my Aunt Barbara and she threw out the rhyming rhythm Tirrell-Lael. Neither my aunt or my mama knew the meaning of Lael when it was inked on my birth certificate. I did the research and found that the name is mentioned in the bible once in (Numbers 3:24). Lael means – belonging to God. The name is fitting. I lift the business up to God and I am grateful to honor Him in everything thing the business sets forth to do.

Tirrell, 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 Tirrell Lael Johnson. I am an event planner, event stylist, coordinator, and visual storyteller. I officially started Lael Events in 2019. I am from South Carolina, but Atlanta, Georgia has been my home for the last 16 years. I moved to Georgia for graduate school and later completed my studies at Troy University earning a Masters of Business Administration (MBA). I’ve always been attracted to detail and grandeur. I’m drawn to essence and uniqueness in all aspects of life. These and many other attributes have propelled me to event planning and event styling. I joined my background in business with my love for events and my baby Lael Events was created.

It is truly about the details. I have a gift to see beyond the esthetics to create an inspiring, memorable, and magical experience for my clients. Lael Events is structured to offer clients alternatives to event planning. One is able to take a hands on approach and be a participant in the planning process or simply give me an idea and I make the magic happen. We major in creating experiences that will last for a lifetime.

There are event planners all over the world, but I would like to believe that Lael Events is pretty special. There is a passion in what we do that can be felt. We talk a lot these days about vibrations and frequencies and I know that this business is in the flow. I am in the belief that we all can win! My esthetic is a rarity in that I am spirit led. The dream that I have curated for years is not temporary or the latest fad for me but it is a way of life.

I am most proud of the continual, steady, and meaningful growth that Lael Events is experiencing. Year after year we are taking on more clients and producing the events of their dreams. There are not many greater feelings than when your clients step into their event and are blown away. The excitement that I feel during a wedding reception reveal, surprise birthday reveal, surprise proposal, or baby shower reveal is what I thirst for. I love to see my client satisfied and positively shook from their experience.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

It is an honor to have and work with clients. I enjoy meeting new people and gaining new perspectives. I am a firm believer that one should never stop learning. The best source of new clients for us has been effectively showcasing the brand at each and every event. This is achieved by taking the time to know the client and what the client desires for there most memorable event.

I have found that even above social media, people who have personally walked into a Lael Events experience and witnessed it for themselves, has been the best source of new clients for my business. What better way to show and prove your business offerings than in real time, live and in living color. Potential clients are tantalized from the scent of the venue, eye catching décor, personable and professional staff, and the passion that exudes from what we do.

In the event business, not only is the product décor and the way things look; the product is also curating an atmosphere that is conducive for a true celebration. Your guests are welcomed into the space with a smile, they are instructed on what is to come, they are in the know, and my team is available to assist at any capacity desired. We carefully vet are partner vendors to ensure that the day is successful. Our aim is to take the client and guest experience to the next level. These attributes and more have been sharpened over time and our guests take notice. Our guests go home and reflect on their amazing experience and they then reach out and become our new family of clients.

Have you ever had to pivot?

In In 2019 I completed an Event & Meeting Planning Certificate program at Clayton State University. The first words out of my instructors mouth were, “Everybody is not your client.” I remember everyone is the class gasping, as if she had just cursed. Imagine a room full of hungry planners who are all filled with potential. The thought of leaving potential earnings on the table was devastating to us.

I was planning small events here and there prior to taking the certificate program. I had never turned away a potential client. I had to pivot my thinking quickly if I wanted my business to thrive and survive. As the semester continued, the instructor delved into the layers of brand reputation and the importance of identifying your ideal client. Brand reputation starts with your client selection. My instructor pointed out that the clients are shopping for the best planner they can find. She later turned this around on the class, and reminded us that planners must examine their clients and vet them as well.

Now, I ask myself many questions during consultations with new clients: 1. Do they present themselves in an honest manner? 2. Will this client accept a new approach to the event planning process? 3. Can this client be satisfied? We all have met people along life’s journey that there is no possible way you can satisfy them. You could move heaven and earth and they would not like the product. This is not an ideal client.

My business is ever growing and ever evolving with love and purpose as the core. I know that as we continue to expand that we will pivot again, again, and again. We are open to growing pains and we realize that we are not prefect but we strive to produce an experience of perfection.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thelaelevents.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lael.events/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaelEvents/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lael-events
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/LaelEvents
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@laelevents

Image Credits
Mel B. Elder Jr.