Today we’d like to introduce you to Meghan Jarrell.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Meghan. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I didn’t realize until recently that I’m a third-generation event planner. My grandmother and my mom were both very much event planners without the title. My mom used to tell me stories about her themed birthday parties as a child; how she would come home and her mom would have transformed the living room into a jungle full of trees and life-sized stuffed animals and how her mom had a themed wig and outfit for every occasion. These types of parties were a big deal, considering it was the 60s.
My mom then in-turn did the same for me, every holiday and birthday was about the experience and not about the gifts. Experiences that left lifelong memories, versus toys and “stuff” that would be put on a shelf or thrown out later.
Fast-forward to college, I was a part of an organization called Paws Preview at Texas State University. I didn’t put the pieces together until much later in life that I was simply planning one large event all year long. This involved creating timelines, meeting with committees, creating room layouts, facilitating trainings, coordinating with various departments all over campus, generating a flow of traffic to smoothly move 4,000 humans from Point-A to Point-B.
Throughout my twenties, I began to fuel my fire for event planning by organizing events for friends and family for fun – from small fundraisers, to bachelorette parties, to the Annual Chili Cook-Off at the office. This led to my career in events. Over the course of my eight years spent in Austin, TX, I worked for two established non-profits. At the first organization, I raised $2,000,000 through the four annual events combined. At the second, my events goal was to raise $500,000. The events that I coordinated in that time ranged from 30 attendees to 2600 attendees.
Summer of 2016 I had a mental shift regarding my career. I was ready to spread-my-wings and take on the challenge of planning a larger variety of events with multiple companies and organizations. I am now provided the freedom to consult with one non-profit, volunteer with another, plan the main event for another while also coordinating a corporate meeting during the middle of the week.
It was time to be a leader of my own thing and pour into others! There are too many bosses in this world and not enough leaders.
I relocated to Fort Worth, Texas going all in from the beginning… I bought a house after only visiting twice. Being a single 30-Something, the plan was to step out into this entrepreneur world with a business partner. We busted our booty’s to grow that company, but after eight short months in, it didn’t feel right in my gut. We had different visions for where we wanted to go and what we wanted to do. So there I was, Spring of 2017 rebuilding and rebranding yet another business, but this time, all by myself (and my stellar sidekicks). Which brings us to Moxxie Concepts!
Where did you come up with the name Moxxie Concepts?
Everyone under the sun asks, “Why Moxxie Concepts?” or “What is Moxie?” or saying things like “Moxxie Concepts… that’s an interesting company name.” Well, I’m here to shine some light on my “why”. It starts with Google (as all great stories do). I had been noodling on a business name for a while and nothing was standing out, so naturally, I sat down with a friend, two laptops and we turned to Google.
Here’s what I knew:
– I wanted the brand to be different from others in the industry
– I wanted the brand to stand out
– I wanted the brand to be memorable
– I wanted the brand to be a representation of me
– I wanted the brand to last over time
With those pieces of the puzzle in place, we went to work. It was about one hour in, when we came across the word “moxie”. She said that is SO YOU! Now, let’s be honest, I didn’t know what it meant. I have heard people use the word moxie to describe me in the past, but each time, I simply smiled and nodded as if I knew the meaning.
Merriam-Webster defines moxie (\ˈmäk-sē\) as:
1. Energy, pep
2. Courage, determination
3. Know-how
English Oxford Dictionary defines moxie as:
1. Force of character, determination, or nerve.
And boom! That was it, Moxxie Concepts was born. All of those definitions were an exact fit for what I wanted my business to be; what I wanted every staff member involved in Moxxie to embody; what I want every client to expect when they book with us and what we want every guest to experience at an event done by Moxxie Concepts.
As for the logo, we chose the top hat as it reminds me of a Ringmaster. The Ringmaster coordinates all the parts of the circus with ease, including the clowns, acrobats, wild animals and more, while also commanding the attention of the audience; keeping them entertained and wow’ed. This ringmaster is synonymous with what we do at Moxxie Concepts. We coordinate all of the pieces and people involved with your event while keeping your guests wow’ed!
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?
Heck-no Techno!” I didn’t fully know what I was getting into, hence why I thought I needed a business partner. I know events and know them well, but had NO CLUE how to start, let alone run a business. But there are so many incredible resources for entrepreneurs and small businesses in Fort Worth. I would be drowning without them. Luckily, I’m a quick learner and have what it takes!
Also, no one mentions that you don’t instantly become a millionaire overnight. That was never my goal or aspiration in working for myself, but I also never thought I would have to set a regular goal of simply PAYING MY BILLS. That’s never been an issue until now. “Owner’s Pay” isn’t an impressive amount.
So this has been a humbling season for sure. I feel like I am different than a lot of entrepreneurs as there is no spouse for additional financial support. Just incredibly supportive friends and family cheering me along EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I definitely would have thrown in the towel by now without “my people” spurring me forward.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Moxxie Concepts – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We focus on the experience! It is all about the experience for both our client and their guests. We specialize in the details. Some “event planners” tend to water down their services by adding decorations, rentals, florals, balloons, etc… we don’t add all of the extras. We are here to be experts in our field and focus on one thing only: creating an eXcellent eXperience.
We focus on the “Essential Eight”:
1. Your Event Goal(s)
2. Your Target Audience
3. How are you going to spread the word?
4. The Details and Logistics
5. Engaging your Guests
6. Consistent Message
7. Event Staffing
8. Follow-Up
We specialize in corporate events as well as socials – anything with complicated logistics, layouts and timelines is what gets our team excited! We love having to be creative to help our clients achieve their event goals.
We are here to bring the Moxie to Fort Worth! Which I think is something that does set our team apart. None of us are Fort Worth natives or Horned Frogs. We are here with a fresh perspective and out-of-the-box way of doing things.
To be transparent and honest, since we have yet to land “that event” in Fort Worth in the one year that we have been under the Moxxie name, my “proud moment” thus far, is walking into a networking event or room of people and having a stranger come up to me and say “Are you the Moxxie Meghan that I’ve heard about?” I love that! I feel like baby-steps are key, and building relationships to get your name out there is Step 1!
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I wish I had some huge dream to gab about but right now, it is very realistic small business goals. I want to scale Moxxie appropriately and not grow too fast. My near future plan is to have an office of my own with a full-time assistant. No more of this co-working and home-office stuff. That will be an exciting page in the Moxxie story.
I am definitely looking forward to showing this town what our Moxxie team can do! I have so many faithful followers and clients in other cities, now we need to grow them here. We just need the right organization to let us “Wow” them!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.moxxieconcepts.com
- Phone: 817.900.6440
- Email: hello@moxxieconcepts.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moxxieconcepts/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moxxieconcepts/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/moxxie-concepts-event-management-and-consulting-fort-worth-2?osq=moxxie+concepts
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/moxxieconcepts/
Image Credit:
Courtney Leigh Photo, Photography by Vanessa
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