This week marks 15 years since I took the leap of faith and founded The Event Lounge.
What began as a dream to design meaningful, memorable experiences has become a thriving business that has challenged, inspired, and shaped me in ways I never could have imagined.
Over the past decade and a half, I’ve learned that leading a company isn’t just about producing beautiful events, it’s about building people, culture, and purpose.
So, in celebration of this milestone, I’m sharing 15 lessons learned from 15 years of running and growing The Event Lounge. Some of these were hard-won, others were joyful discoveries, but all have defined who I am as a leader and a person.
- Have a Clear Vision and Share It with Everyone
Every great endeavor starts with a clear picture of where you’re heading. A strong vision provides focus, fuels passion, and keeps you grounded when the path ahead gets messy. Vision is the anchor – and the inspiration – that guides every decision.
It’s not enough to know where you’re going; you have to bring others with you. A leader’s vision only becomes powerful when it’s shared with clarity, hope, and authenticity. People can’t rally behind what they don’t understand, so communicate with purpose – and do it often.
- Develop Genuine People Skills
You can’t lead people if you don’t genuinely care about them. Listen more than you speak. Celebrate wins loudly and often. Ask for feedback, mean it, and be present. People don’t follow titles – they follow people they trust.
- Always Remember That Character Counts
Your reputation and integrity are your most valuable assets. Lead with honesty, humility, and consistency, even when it’s inconvenient. Do the right thing, even when no one is looking. The higher you climb, the more important it becomes to stay grounded in character.
- Become a Subject Matter Expert
Great leaders never stop learning. Master your craft, stay curious, and constantly look for ways to grow. Competence builds confidence – and confidence inspires teams. Be both a student and a teacher in your industry. When something new is introduced to your industry, embrace it – don’t run from it.
- Practice Boldness … And Don’t Apologize for It
Leadership requires courage. Sometimes that means making the tough call, taking the unpopular stance, or moving forward without every answer. Bold decisions made with integrity and intention can change everything. Like I always say, “Well behaved women rarely make history.”
- Lead with a Servant’s Heart
True leadership is service. The best leaders lift others up, lead with empathy, and build something bigger than themselves. When you focus on contribution over credit, your impact multiplies.
- Follow Your Gut
Intuition is one of a leader’s most powerful tools. Data and advice are valuable, but sometimes your instincts know the truth before the facts catch up. Trust them – they’ve been guiding you for a reason.
- Not All Business Is Good Business
It took me years to learn that saying “no” is just as important as saying “yes.” The right projects align with your values, your capacity, and your culture. The wrong ones drain energy and distract from your mission.
- Hire for Culture and Willingness
Skills can be taught – character cannot. Surround yourself with people who share your values, your work ethic, and your heart for service. A team aligned in purpose will outperform a team stacked only with talent.
- You Don’t Have to Be an Expert at Everything
I’ve learned that leadership doesn’t mean knowing it all – it means building a team of people who do. Hiring experts and trusting them to shine has allowed The Event Lounge to grow far beyond what I could have done alone.
- You Are Only as Talented as Those You Surround Yourself With
A strong leader recognizes that success is collective. The brilliance of your team reflects the environment you create. Hire wisely, empower boldly, harness people’s passions and talents (rather than forcing them to do something they don’t enjoy!) and watch what happens.
- Take Calculated Risks
Growth doesn’t come from comfort. Some of the most rewarding moments in TEL’s history began as leaps of faith – scary, strategic, but worth it. Progress requires the courage to act before everything feels safe.
- Take Great Care of Your People
Business is personal. When you genuinely invest in your team – their well-being, development, and happiness – they, in turn, take extraordinary care of your clients. It’s a ripple effect of trust and pride.
- Put People and Product Before Profit
At the end of the day, it’s simple: if you put people and quality first, success will follow. Maybe not instantly, but always in the long run. Integrity, excellence, and care are the best business strategies there are.
- Faith Over Fear – Always
Through every challenge, I’ve learned that faith will carry you farther than fear ever could. The calm confidence that things will work out, even when the path ahead isn’t clear, has guided my best decisions. The projects that don’t come through, the detours that seem disappointing – they often turn out to be the very things that prepare us for greater opportunities.
Looking Ahead
Fifteen years in, I still feel the same spark that started it all – only now, it’s stronger, wiser, and fueled by gratitude.
Gratitude for the clients who have believed in us, the partners who have collaborated with us, and most of all, the team that continues to trust me to lead them as they bring creativity and heart to everything we do.
Here’s to 15 years! Here’s to the next chapter – new ideas, new challenges, and new opportunities to lead with vision, courage, and love. The best is yet to come and we have some amazing new things on the horizon that we can’t wait to share!
