We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jessica Valenzuela. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jessica below.
Jessica , thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
At a young age I struggled with comprehending what I learned. I would have to learn it a few times for me to truly understand what was being taught and my parents felt I needed additional help, so I began tutoring which lead me to that struggle for a few years throughout all of elementary school. But once I entered middle school I was challenged with going to the “gifted class” because the regular classes I was now receiving As too easily. This terrified me but I worked extremely hard and studied from after school until 11pm at night. And that lead to me getting Bs without any tutoring and eventually landed As in my gifted classes and my first 4.0 GPA by eight grade, which lead to me taking AP classes in high school. I believe from an early age having your family believe in me and actually excelling it, was the true test of how resilient I can be. Fast forwarding after college and navigating my passion and career I feel I continue to push the envelope on my designs and planning processes that I will always remain resilient no matter what obstacle I’m challenged with.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Since I was 12 years old, I have always dreamt about becoming a planner, but with much discouragement from my loved ones I was told this occupation would not give me the stability I would need in order to “succeed.” So, I did as I was told and went to college to pursue a degree in accounting. After a year of working at Big 4 accounting firm in the Silicon Valley, I decided enough was enough. I packed my bags, quit my job, and moved to my hometown in Los Angeles to start my dream event planning business. Then, worked with the incredible David Tutera which was an amazing opportunity to start my wedding planning career and started my business in 2020. That led to many peaks and valleys but 4 years later we are still standing strong, have since rebranded, have created wedding planning templates, and continue to provide excellent service to our clients and their wedding dreams come alive!
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?
The three qualities that best impacted my journey was: 1) Curiosity: The ability to ask questions and learn why this is done this way and or how to improve.
2) Organization: Being prepared and having a system to guide clients. A great CRM is very important!
3) Educate: Often times this is the first time a couple is planning their wedding so giving guidance has helped not only clients but the community as a whole. Giving advice on dodging certain situation and why helps prevents mistakes and red flags arising.
My advice for anyone early in their journey would be to find multiple mentors and learn from their mistakes. It can help you start your journey faster!
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Yes, since I have rebranded my business I am absolutely in love with European weddings and designs. If there is anyone wanting to collaborate and has this similar style or aesthetic I would be interested in learning more. Please connect at jess@notjessaplanner.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.notjessaplanner.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/notjessaplanner
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notjessaplanner
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/notjessaplanner
Image Credits
Trying Photo (Profile Photo) Katerina Hung (Image 1) Eunice Beck (Image 2) Eunice Beck (Image 3) Euphoria Wedding (Image 4) Katerina Hung (Image 5) Eunice Beck (Image 6)
