Meet Janine Hogan of La Petite Event Boutique

Thanks for sharing your story with us Janine. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
While doing my best to remain humble, I started my career in planning fundraising events in high school. At the age of 19, I ran a non-profit organization while also attending college on a full academic scholarship. I went from small businesses to some of Fortune’s top companies to work for. While in the process of transferring to DFW with my job, I was hit on the driver’s side by a commercial box truck.

Not really knowing anyone in DFW and being in a new position, I focused on my job and not on healing. After a couple of years of having a very unhealthy work/life balance and experiencing physical pain from working, I began to question if the careers we pride ourselves on and all the sacrifices we make for “working for the man” were worth the way I felt. So, I took a trip out of the country for the first time that was long overdue.

While in France, I learned it was considered rude to ask people what they did for a living. It did not define them. I then visited a boutique where absolutely everything fit me. Being a very petite individual, that had literally never happened before. I thought to myself, why couldn’t every client/customer experience this? Why couldn’t I work for a company that truly cared about the customer and doing whatever it took to make things right without all the red tape and rules? Through the encouragement of family/friends and upon coming to the realization that my body would never physically heal, I decided to do something to mentally heal as well as change the perceptions of what a company should be like to work with/for.

I have often been asked over the years at events and speaking engagements how I have been able to become successful. The simplicity of the answer I give always baffles people. The answer, you have to be willing to do what everyone else won’t do. I personally love the poem “All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten”. It really can be that simple. Be humble, be kind, be honest, work hard, and have FAITH. It is not about what is in it for you, it is about what you can do for others. This mentally and encouragement from my co-founder is how La Petite Event Boutique came to be.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I can honestly say I never imagined I would ever have enough courage to be an entrepreneur or own my own business. It took others believing in me, particularly my co-founder Sean Carr, to learn to believe in myself. I could not have started this company without his support and constant encouragement. He is a truly talented individual and a blessing.

Knowing at the end of the day everything is on you can definitely be tough at times. I still suffer from serious migraines from my car accident and there are no sick days when you run a company. Getting started and learning to believe in yourself had to be the biggest struggles of all. Taking the road less traveled, being a single female entrepreneur, and starting a business in a city where I had only been for 3 years at the time were indeed challenges. It is funny, you do a job for more than half of your life and you learn there is still so much you did not know about how to start and make a profitable business model. Having faith that I am doing what I am called to do and seeing how happy/what great relationships we have with our clients are what get me through the struggles.

La Petite Event Boutique – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We take a business approach to event planning. We specialize in corporate and non-profit events because we have worked in the same industries as our clients. We are experienced professionals capable of offering advice & planning from a variety of angles. We plan events with a creative and innovative business mindset. We focus on producing quality events while increasing our client’s return on their investment. We custom build everything for our clients. Each proposal and event is unique to each client.

We are most proud of our reputation with our clients and within our community. Having the feeling of a job well done makes us feel great about our work. Having clients come back event after event is the greatest compliment as to the quality of service we are able to provide them.

Our company philosophy would have to be what sets us apart. Our clients are always amazed at our attention to detail, our communication, transparency, and the fact that we truly listen to their goals/visions for the event.

What has been the proudest moment of your career so far?
I am very fortunate to have many proud moments. When my support system, or people I have the pleasure to meet, tell me that I am an inspiration to them by not letting the struggles I have had to overcome in my life stop me from chasing after my dreams. For example, the teenager I mentor told me that she wants to be like me when she grows up and to work for me someday. How can that not make you feel proud?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lapetiteeventboutique.com
• Phone:469-224-7919
• Email: info@lapetiteeventboutique.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaPetiteEventBoutique/