Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Hudson.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I had no idea business ownership would be something I’d pursue. I spent years working for different venues as a Sales & Event Director, then had an opportunity to learn more about business development through a consulting role.
When I was a bride, it was a totally different experience than I’d imagined it to be. There was an overwhelming amount of options, opinions galore, and I kept being told “no” by vendors in the industry. “No, you can’t arrange the room like that”, “No, that menu isn’t available now”. Wait, wasn’t I planning for the best day of our lives?! Wasn’t this supposed to be fun?! No matter how encouraging and helpful my fiancé was, it definitely didn’t feel like it.
I have years of experience in the industry and if I felt like that, how do couples who aren’t around weddings every week feel like? It put a whole new spin on my perspective of the experience that should and shouldn’t be created.
So, my Event and Consulting worlds collided when I created Given Event Company. I’m proud to have created a space where couples hear “let’s try it!” instead of “no”. Where we help couples and families feel confident in their decisions and managing their money. At Given, we know our couples are experts in other areas of the professional world that we may know nothing about so, our schedule flexes to fit yours. We are your biggest cheerleader while maintaining the structure you need us to.
Given Event Company is just getting started on this path as its own company and every day we learn something new, but to me, that’s the beauty of it.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I’m fairly fresh in this journey of business ownership myself, but here’s what I know:
1. Big tasks are a lot less daunting when you break them up into smaller accomplishments.
2. Celebrate your successes & learn your lessons alongside them.
3. You don’t know what you don’t know. It may sound silly, but it was one of the best things I did- I set a goal for how many failures I wanted to run in to. Even though I was technically bungling one situation, I was also learning a lesson, so I set a goal to make it an accomplishment in the growth of my business instead of a depleting failure. Some people call this “failing forward”.
4. Know your goals, core values and the vision of your business.
5. Surrounding yourself with positive mental nutrition on everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) from TV to podcasts to Instagram.
BONUS: My husband taught me this- make sure the people you’re around the majority of the time are who you would strive to be like and can learn from, otherwise, they’re putting negative energy into your life and slowing you down. Sorry, you had to hear it from me.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Given Event Company story. Tell us more about the business.
I am the owner of Given Event Company, an event planning company out of Dallas, TX. Our mission is to bring confidence and ease to the event planning process. We currently focus on weddings but have experience with all types of events. We know it’s all in the details but what you walk away from your event with is the emotion that overcame you during it. We pride ourselves on being solution-oriented, accepting of everyone and every situation, encouraging and calming. When we handle the details, it’s the experience that we allow you to create with your family and friends that you’ll remember forever.
For good reason, society often focuses more on the problems rather than the opportunities that exist, because the problems need to be solved. However, we’d probably also benefit from looking for and recognizing the opportunities that women are better positioned to capitalize on. Have you discovered such opportunities?
I chose “Given” as the name of my company because I was taught years ago that everyone has more God-Given potential than they are living up to. It doesn’t matter what your God looks like, the concept is still the same. I believe that women are particularly well-positioned for any position out there because… why not? Astronaut, teacher, surgeon, bodybuilder, mommy, CEO, we do them all. And we will only get better and better because now women are supporting each other more than ever before.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.giveneventco.com
- Email: leah@giveneventco.com
- Instagram: @giveneventco
Image Credit:
Swingle & Co., K. Dearman Media
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