Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amanda Everson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Amanda, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.
As a business owner who has built my company from the ground up, imposter syndrome was almost suffocating at the beginning. But very quickly I realized that I was going to be miserable in my endeavors if I didn’t approach things with an abundance mindset. When I took a step back, I not only recognized that there was plenty of business to go around, I also was washed with a wave of comfort knowing that I had a foundation of experience, grit, and desire to build a beautiful company- so although I hadn’t trained directly under a wedding or event planner as I dove into the industry of Wedding Planning, I was more than capable of excelling with time, effort, and support.
It wasn’t very long after entering the industry that I realized the imposter syndrome came strongest when I was on social media. Instagram had become my new Linked-in, but it was disheartening as I watched countless planners in my area continually post their successes and have far more of a reach than I did. Instead of letting that drag me down into misery, I quickly created a Facebook Group for Wedding & Event Planners in our market and added the few I knew to the group. Since that day, it’s expanded to well over 100 local planners and we’ve been able to host several events together to increase connection, limit feelings of competition, and celebrate each others’ successes. Now every time I come across a new planner or one I haven’t connected with before, my immediate response is to send them a message celebrating them & inviting them to our network – keeping my abundance mindset alive.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am the Owner of Everson Events, a Wedding Planning & Design company based just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. Myself and my team assist over 30 couples a year plan, design, and execute their wedding day celebrations- events that usually consist of 100-300 guests, at least 10+ different key vendors, a myriad of moving pieces, and a whole lot of emotion. Having dabbled in corporate events and large conferences before entering the wold of weddings, I find that I LIKE the emotion (despite my friends and family thinking I’m crazy for that!). I find a thrill in the high stress environment both leading up to and on the wedding day and have become quite adept with quick problem solving, making connections with people, and staying extremely organized. But more than anything, I love the people I get to interact with. My staff, the vendors we work with regularly, and each of our clients have become dear friends to me and despite the often 24/7 nature of running a business, those interactions make my job worth it every day.
As a team, we have two ultimate goals on a Wedding Day. The first is for each of the vendors to be able to play their key role successfully (when there isn’t a planner or coordinator present, the photographer, DJ, and/or mom end up managing the event while also trying to take photos, keep the hype, or enjoy the day!) The second is for our clients & their families to be able to just show up & be present throughout the day. We put out fires before anyone even notices them and become the point person so the couple can soak in all of the emotions and moments that are part of this incredible day.
While a lot of planners have a specific design style and exact budget amount they will work with, something that sets Everson Events apart is our ability to assist couples with a wide variety of visions & budgets. Over the years we’ve helped couples with budgets of $5K to $150K plan their weddings anywhere from a backyard to a museum, at classic country clubs to high end ski resorts. One of my favorite parts of my job is connecting clients and vendors who are the right fit for each other- and part of that starts with us being able to connect with the clients on more than a project manager to client level. We spend SO much time working together, I want to be able to communicate and become friends with those we work with. I want to have open, honest conversations about their spending plan, family relations, and what is most important to them. I love hearing their love stories and encouraging them to let who they are as a couple drive what we do together as we plan.
As we expand in our expertise and grow as a team, we can’t help as many low-budget couples as we did in our early years of business, but recently I’ve been working on a project to be able to reach those couples & give them the help everyone deserves when planning an immensely important life event. At the end of the day, not every couple will hire a wedding planner or coordinator like they will a wedding venue (or space to hold their event) and a photographer. We are a more luxury ticket item than other vendors are in the industry. So we’re thrilled to announce that by fall of 2024, we will have a full “How to Plan Your Wedding” course available to any couple planning their wedding. This course has been a brain child of mine for quite some time and I’ve poured my heart, soul, and experience into making it easy to digest, as comprehensive as possible, and very interactive in helping couples plan their wedding from start to finish without having to hire a planner or coordinator.
Being able to spend each day blessing the lives of couples, their families, and the vendors in our community gives me life. I am constantly learning from each of them and growing into a better business owner, manager, wife, and friend. They say you can’t always do what you love for a living- but I will argue any day that there’s a path out there where we can if we keep ourselves open to opportunities, have grit, and be kind.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
If I had to decide three qualities that have shaped the course of my trajectory within life & my business, they would be the following:
1. Openness to Failure
2. Willingness to Communicate
3. Integrity
We are SO afraid of failure. Of messing up. Of letting people down. Of losing money, relationships, or worse, being an embarrassment. I found out so quickly in my business journey that failure was my catalyst to creativity.
Failure: Not get an internship with a high-end Wedding Planner.
Creative Moment: Seek out other opportunites- leading to working for 4 different venues then starting my own succcessful planning business,
Failure: Get a bad client feedback form.
Creative Moment: Rework the wedding timeline process and reassess how we approach the wedding day experience.
Failure: Be unable to connect a client with a vendor they like.
Creative Moment: Join a vendor network and make a renewed effort to truly understand who is out there in my industry that I can connect with.
These are small examples, but as I’ve connected the dots backwards (as Steve Jobs used to talk about), I’ve recognized that EVERY moment that I could’ve considered a fault, failure, setback, or disappointment has led me to do much bigger and better things for myself, my team, and my business as a whole.
Learn quickly to fail fast, fail hard, and fail forward.
The other two qualities are integral to who I am as a person. I want to communicate and do so openly. I love creating feedback loops (however painful they might be) so that I can continually improve. I am very particular about how to write an appropriate email, how to talk to and about other people, and I aim to always be honest. I’ve seen in the workspace and in life how a lack of clear communication and integrity can eat away at people and damage relationships. Choose right now that you will find ways to improve your level of communication with your boss, your reports, your partner, your mom, whoever you talk with regularly. Ask for feedback on ways you can improve (and let those hard truths be creative, launching moments). And most of all- be honest & kind, even when you are the only one.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
My FAVORITE book I’ve read as I’ve grown my business is Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. I’ve listened to it several times over the last few years and every time something new stands out to me- but two lessons I’ve learned most recently from her are:
“Nothing is ever beyond criticism. The sooner we learn to accept that, the easier it is to recognize that criticism isn’t the end of the world.”
and
“We are all walking repositories of hidden treasure.”
Contact Info:
- Website: eversonevents.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/eversonevents
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-everson
Image Credits
Brynlee Paige Photography Dear Kodak Photography
