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

Vanessa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Often outsiders look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight. Even media and especially movies love to gloss over nitty, gritty details that went into that middle phase of your business – after you started but before you got to where you are today. In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. Can you talk to us about your scaling up story – what are some of the nitty, gritty details folks should know about?

About four years into my business, I had what looked like my most successful year ever. I was booking clients left and right – weddings, corporate events, pop-up activations – the works. From the outside, it probably looked like I had ‘made it.’ But by January 1st – and I literally had a New Year’s Eve wedding the night before – I was completely burnt out and exhausted.
I remember sitting there thinking, ‘Why do I feel like this? I just had my best year ever. I should be energized!’ That’s when I realized the toll that constant planning was taking on me – not just the physical labor or brainpower, but the intense emotional work. Guiding people through one of the most important days of their lives, problem-solving under pressure, navigating highly charged family dynamics. I knew I couldn’t sustain another year like that.
So I forced myself to pause and really think about what I needed to change. I came up with three non-negotiables:
First, I needed an assistant at every single event. Having backup on-site and someone to share the load – especially when I needed to focus on real-time problem-solving – would be a game changer.
Second, I had to adjust my pricing. I’d been undervaluing myself, and my clients were getting a steal. I needed to raise my rates to reflect the true level of expertise and emotional labor I was providing.
Third was the hardest one: if I wanted to scale beyond just me, I needed to bring on other planners. But this terrified me. I had a very particular way of doing things, a specific way of showing up for clients. How could I ensure someone else would represent my brand the same way?
That’s when I decided to build out a comprehensive training program that would help other planners not just learn the logistics, but truly embody the client-first, emotionally intelligent approach that had made my business successful. It took months to develop, but it was the foundation that allowed me to grow without sacrificing quality.

Vanessa, 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?

I grew up in what I call a ‘party family’ – we were constantly throwing gatherings and celebrations, so event planning felt as natural as breathing to me. But the lightbulb moment came when my younger sister got married. I dove headfirst into helping with her wedding planning, and honestly, I was having the time of my life – coordinating vendors, solving problems, seeing her vision come together.
Then a friend asked for help with her wedding. And then another friend. I remember sitting there thinking, ‘Wait – I’m actually good at this, and people are willing to pay for it!’ That’s when I knew I had found my calling.
What sets me apart is my approach as a curator and connector. Even starting out, I understood that having the right team was everything. I spent months building relationships with an exclusive network of top-tier vendors and venues because I knew that’s what would make my clients’ weddings and events truly exceptional.
But most importantly, everything we do is completely client-first. I’m not interested in what’s traditional or trendy – I’m focused on what’s going to fit best to bring each client’s unique vision to life. Some clients want classic elegance, others want bold creativity, and some want intimate simplicity. My job is to listen deeply, understand their authentic style, and then connect them with exactly the right people to make it happen. That’s what I’m most proud of – that every wedding and event feels distinctly like the client, not like a template or what’s popular on social media.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I’m not unique in that COVID turned my business completely upside down. I’m literally in the business of bringing people together – so what do you do when you suddenly can’t do that?
The first challenge wasn’t even logistical, it was emotional. We had to shepherd our clients through complete uncertainty. These were people who had invested thousands of dollars in events that were now on indefinite hold. We had to let people grieve their lost celebrations, which was never part of our normal business model but became essential.
Then came the pivot. We helped couples organize virtual ceremonies, scaled 200-person weddings down to intimate 13-person gatherings, and took a regional corporate event with 200 attendees and transformed it into a virtual global experience with 900 participants from around the world.
What I learned through this crisis was that resilience isn’t just about surviving – it’s about getting really good at uncovering what truly matters to your clients and finding creative ways to preserve that essence, even within impossible constraints. We had to become master translators, taking someone’s vision and adapting it to completely new realities while keeping the heart intact.
That skill of drilling down to what’s most important and then problem-solving around limitations has permanently changed how we work. Even now, in normal circumstances, we’re better at helping couples identify their non-negotiables and get creative with everything else. COVID didn’t just test our resilience – it made us better at what we do.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

What really built my reputation was consistently delivering on three key things that clients keep mentioning:
First, being a calming presence during chaos. People always comment on our demeanor – that we’re organized and in control without being bossy or stressful to be around. When couples are dealing with one of the biggest days of their lives, having someone who can stay steady and reassuring makes all the difference. They say talking to us makes them feel both at ease and motivated to keep moving forward.
Second, going way beyond what’s expected. I’ve had clients mention things like us getting their wedding dress steamed last minute, printing all their programs when something fell through, or even running out to get pizza when the after-party order got messed up. These aren’t things in our contract – they’re just what needed to happen to make their day perfect. That’s become part of our reputation – people know we’ll handle whatever comes up.
Third, our problem-solving skills under pressure. We’ve dealt with everything from wedding crashers to bridesmaids with food poisoning to outdoor ceremonies getting rained out. Clients consistently say we handle these situations calmly and confidently, often without them even knowing there was a problem.
What I’m most proud of is when couples tell us they couldn’t have pulled off their wedding or event without us, or that our services were worth every penny and more. That tells me we’re not just coordinating logistics, we’re protecting their investment and their peace of mind. Word of mouth from those kinds of experiences is really what built my business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.LBBConcierge.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littleblkbk/
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LittleBlkBk
• Other: Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/littleblkbk/

Image Credits

Photo 1 & 6 – Ego Media DC
Photo 2 – Modern Frames Photography
Photo 3, 4, 7, & 8 – Profess Multimedia
Photo 5 – Emily Alyssa Photography