Plan Unforgettable Events

Speaker 1: [Music] hi I'm Melanie bar welcome to the she builted experience with Melanie you're here because you want to experience the life and business that you crave join me as I talk to women who have successfully built it a career and business that they love we dive into the topic of how they built it and talk about everything from Having the courage to make career leaps to the details of how to lead effectively create successful teams Implement strategies for growth and Infuse Tech innovation magic happens when we focus on the part of ourselves and our business that brings us joy so let's dive in Renee Reinhardt party planner entrepreneur and broadcast media professional is the founder of two companies events by Renee and party host helpers she has helped dozens of couples go from the engagement ring to I do and party host helpers has expanded from Philadelphia and is now in 30 cities from New York City to Los Angeles and continues to grow thank you for joining us Renee you are the owner of events by Renee and party host helpers share with us the pivotal moment when you decided to launch your business and what gave

Speaker 2: you the courage to launch them sure so I'll start with my first business events by Renee back in 2007 2008 I was working at a magazine doing events there and I knew I wanted to move more from marketing to event planning but I didn't want to work at a venue and I didn't want to work for a caterer I like the idea of of being in different venues and even people's homes and different experiences to be an event planner so a partner and I at the time launched events by Renee and I thought there definitely has to be a need for staff I was having clients that I threw their daughters huge $100,000 weddings come to me and say we're throwing a dinner party do you know any bartenders and using my network I helped them but I was like there's got to something that I can use my skills and my network for versus running an event business for the rest of my life I didn't want to be at a wedding every Saturday working I knew that I had hopes of settling down and starting a family so party of whose helpers was spurred from I think really a need from my current client base and then from that moment it just grew that

Speaker 1: is so smart because I've hired an event planner to help me I have twins when they turned one I was exhausted and so many people were coming and I thought I need help so I hired an event planner and it just elevates the entire experience but by the end after hosting and you're exhausted so having that

Speaker 2: extra set of hands to do something absolutely is so important it is important and a lot of fellow entrepreneurs they might throw a corporate party throw a client appreciation party you know we like to do it all we like to make sure that we're in control but having our team there so partyio helpers has bartend servers registration helpers coat check attendants having us there allows them to focus on their bottom line their clients and just like in personal parties too it let you focus on family

Speaker 1: yeah it's such a relief to the host

Speaker 2: usually events go by so fast anyway you know like a wedding you feel like you've talked to everyone and no one so having those extra set of hands is just so

Speaker 1: helpful absolutely I also know there's a lot of logistics involved what is your approach to organizing your event all of the elements and managing your teams

Speaker 2: events by Rene is different than party whose helpers events by Renee is now much smaller so we do about 20 to 25 events in the tri-state region party whose helpers we have 20,000 people nationally that work for us that are in our system and I have an executive team of six regional directors who manage different territories for me so events by Renee I keep spreadsheets I have a few people that work for me we stay in close contact with our clients on a day and weekly basis I have timelines out and checklists and things like that to keep everyone organized for party whose helpers we have a software that's really helpful to keep our client and and helper information straight apps for the helpers when they check in they have to do it on their phone and and it's wild and never my wildest dreams when I started this 10 years ago I would think we would have an app I was doing this all via spreadsheet so the technology has really

Speaker 1: helped me scale and grow how many states

Speaker 2: are you in we do do business in about 30

Speaker 1: that's so great yeah it's it's been an

Speaker 2: exciting Journey you believe a business

Speaker 1: owner must have grit I do too share with us a moment when you came upon a challenge and how you dug deep to find your grit like all business owners do

Speaker 2: how did you turn that moment around sure we can all say Co but it really hit the hospitality industry hard we went from having a huge 2019 huge the biggest in all of our years of party host helpers and then just crickets in 2020 we had huge plans for 2020 and they all went out the window so when I say we had no business I mean we had no business for many many months so I kept my team we communicated a lot we sent a lot of party tips and old photos and we tried to say relevant with our client base and I think you know that took RIT as staying disciplined enough to make sure that I was still working on the business even though there was nothing happening and nothing coming in finding ways to be creative to still make sure that we're top of mind when they are ready to party when our clientele is ready to party and they've been partying since 2021 I would say so oh everyone's so ready we're all so ready great right and I hate to even bring Co up but that was probably the most recent Devastation to hit my industry and then my company for the events business especially and I was about to host last May my first in person she built an event again and then then everyone I knew had Co including my family for the first time in May and I thought okay well we'll wait but we started to host events again for she built it and it's been just so great to connect with everyone and I work with an event planner and I started to hire her again I know things are looking up for you for sure absolutely we're having a stellar year and then me personally the grit that came through is I I was in a spot where my husband and I sold our condo in a week I was trying desperately to get pregnant we were trying to find a home to start our life together got married right before Co hit I knew that I couldn't just sit home and wait for my business to come back and a lot of people say like entrepreneurs need grit and yeah I still have that grit I babysat twice a week and I worked at a wine store and it got me out of the house it had me bring money in for our family not that it was a lot but it helped I got pregnant while I was working at the wine store like only me would be working around alcohol and get it's funny how life works out that way right it is and then we signed on our on our home that we're in now and it all worked out and business is better than ever but that situation reminded me of how I started in the first place it was a lot of hard work and a lot of getting our hands dirty as entrepreneurs we have to think back to the beginning when we literally got our hands dirty starting it from scratch and sometimes you have to go back to that place yeah good for you for doing that and finding it thank

Speaker 1: you all entrepreneurs have to take a form of risk from the daily risks we take to the Monumental ones what is your approach to risk taking as an

Speaker 2: entrepreneur I have an aversion to saying no some people are the opposite I say yes and sometimes I might say yes too much but it's gotten me to where I am and the risk that I've taken I started party helpers thinking it would literally just be the Tri-State Philadelphia area like I said in conjunction with events by Renee and for some reason I set up a 1 1800 number for the company versus just a Philadelphia area code which was a good thinking on my part and I got a call from a client who was based in Hollywood California she needed someone to make mojitos at a party that she was throwing in Hollywood so I guess there's a company in the Los Angeles area with a name similar to ours and she must have just gotten confused I didn't tell her that I said of course I can send a bartender that's no problem hung up the phone I what am I going to do remembered a colleague who lived there and he did it for me and that was our first Cali event and our first event really outside of the tri-state area I could have said I'm so sorry we can't help you but I've had that yes attitude and taking risks of taking on jobs I feel so lucky and fortunate that the business has come to us naturally in so many places that I never even dreamt of opening up that I take the the client's needs and make it happen and that's how we build out our

Speaker 1: territories that's so great and I love that attitude because you don't know unless you try and we can always course correct yep and I'm sitting in California so I'm going to Remember You The the next time I'm in need of event

Speaker 2: helpers absolutely it really is such a relief when you're trying to host and

Speaker 1: you know not having that added something else to think about exactly it's it really makes a difference you have seen many couples down the aisle from The Ring to I do to married share with us your wedding insights and the lessons

Speaker 2: you learned as a wedding planner there's a lot of lessons each wedding that I do cuz I'm still involved in events by Renee I probably do about 60% of the weddings that are on our books each year I learned something from each event and each bride that I work with but I tell my Brides this too just relax there's going to be things that go wrong and that's why you have me and my team there to navigate and find a solution being quick on my feet is really a good quality that I bring to the table so I go into these weddings with confidence knowing whatever comes up I'll figure it out it's it's okay and I tell this to my Brides like you're ing me for insurance really you could be as organized as you want but things are still going to happen and just enjoy the day it goes quickly and let me do the work so you don't have to and most of the time the guests don't know that something has gone wrong so that's great advice to give give to your Brides never they don't know I had a hairdresser that did the hair for 500 Brides I thought I do not know that is a lot of brides that's a lot of brides a lot of personalities a lot of hair

Speaker 1: right you are a new mother so happy for you thank you share with us your experience in running a business as a new mother and what advice do you have for those juggling a busy lifestyle so

Speaker 2: I'm still figuring it out help is Monumental and not just Child Care managing a home being a wife and being a mom I know my weaknesses unfortunately are not organizing things I can organize people but I'm a little bit disorganized and I've have no shame recently in hiring experts just like I'm an expert in my field hiring experts to organize a closet for me to organize my where I keep all my holiday Decor we haven't even been in this house for two years and Reese my daughter is one so a lot of the focus when we first moved in was getting her room ready and and getting baby ready so now I'm not afraid to let people come in and do the things that I'm not great at so I hired a new assistant this year who's great and who does a lot of personal and profession things for me that really helps me focus on the bigger picture and doing the CEO things that I should be doing versus running errands or prepping for events stuffing goodie bags things like that

Speaker 1: that's really good advice because when it's your business and your baby you can want it done a certain way so letting go

Speaker 2: of that can be challenging absolutely my husband and I are fortunate we both work from home I had an office in the past but it just doesn't make sense so we have a great babysitter but we also have the flexibility of like from 12: to one sitting at the table with Reese and having lunch and putting her down for a nap if she needs us or taking a quick walk around the the block we have that flexibility and I don't take that for granted one of the reasons I wanted to be an entrepreneur 15 years ago was that I wanted that flexibility I want to go to her school and go on field trips and be involved like my mom was involved with me but I still want to run companies so yes of course I know we want to do it all exactly and I think that happens for a lot of women you have kids that's the time you make the leap to launch a business or continue to grow one so you can have that flexibility exactly magic happens when we focus on the part of ourselves and our business that brings us joy what is one way that you make sure to find and live your joy each day for me I find joy in my team that works for me and then the 20,000 people in our system who we're providing opportunities to sometimes I step back and think wow I'm making a difference in these people's lives they're picking up side gigs they're earning extra money they're doing what they love I'm providing opportunities for them to do what they love so that's always been a driving force for my joy and then I would say just piggybacking on what I said earlier is just that I have built something that I'm proud of and that I'm in control of so that makes me happy every day knowing that I'm in charge of my schedule I'm in charge of when I want to see my kid when I want to spend time with my husband when I want to work on house stuff it's it's a juggling act but I'm the one writing the script it has to

Speaker 1: be so great to know that you are giving

Speaker 2: people a hustle and also helping them to be social at the same time I mean and it's crazy we have anyone on our team from a college student to someone who's retired and just likes to get out of the house to maybe a stay-at-home mom who used to be in the hospitality industry and wants to make some extra money for me obviously clients are important and

Speaker 1: their experience is important but just as important for me as the owner is the helpers experience did you have a great

Speaker 2: experience with this client did you

Speaker 1: enjoy it tell me what you liked about it yeah and that's only going to help your continue success I hope so you've built two incredible businesses

Speaker 2: congratulations can you please tell our listeners how and where we can find you yeah absolutely party hostelers is our national party Staffing Company you can find us at partyhost helpers.com we're also on Instagram and Facebook party host helpers and then events by Renee if you want to check out my wedding and event work events by r.net and if anyone is interested in hiring party host helpers I have a promo code for you RR Renee Reinhardt R R22 and that'll give you $25 off your first booking with

Speaker 1: us thank you for joining us today I'd love to hear from you reach out to me at hello Sheil it.com on our Sheil it website or at Sheil it on social thank you to my editor Rich draino who always makes us sound good until next time let nothing stop you from experiencing the life and business that you crave [Music]