We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jumi Aluko a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jumi, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Imposter syndrome feels like it’s part of the deal with starting anything new, but especially business.
I remember encountering this term while reading Valerie Young’s book, The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women after I graduated from college.
When I started my business 6 years later, I came across articles where this term would pop up. The importance and implications of the term began to make more sense. Putting a name to what I was experiencing – as I started the business – allowed me to feel more equipped to deal with imposter syndrome and uncover strategies for overcoming it.
Some of those strategies included:
- Kicking the comparison habit – especially on social media: when starting my business, I would look at other individuals and businesses in my space and see everything they were posting and tell myself what I was doing wasn’t good enough. But, overtime I stopped doing that and became hyper-focused on owning my journey to business success. I turned my focus to my strengths and what I could control. Additionally, I focused on the wins – the positive vibes from clients, the actual event outcomes, and the joy I felt when I sat and reminisced on the experiences I had created.
- Focusing on my strengths: I quit buying into the idea that success had to take a certain path. I used to get defeated by the fact that the success stories of others – when compared to my story – didn’t align and I thought it meant I wouldn’t be successful like them. But then, the lightbulb went off and I began to realize the beauty in my unique story, journey, and strengths. This led me to saying yes to virtually every opportunity that came my way, fully committing to the work so I could learn all I could until it was time to move on to the next project. Once I began to truly believe in my capabilities, the confidence followed.
- Embracing the journey: as an entrepreneur, you’re going to regularly engage in both positive and negative self-talk. But, we have to develop strategies so that the negative doesn’t overwhelm the positive. And honestly, sometimes that requires getting professional help. Looking back, I had quite a few negative scripts I learned to manage and made a conscious effort daily to flip the script with positive affirmations such as: “I will have and do have a successful business”, “I do know what I’m doing”, “I know how to figure things out”, and “I deserve all the positive opportunities that come my way while learning from the not so favorable ones!”
I didn’t want to consistently have feelings of being an imposter, so I made it a habit to write out my goals, tweak them, review them, talk about them with my trusted circle of supporters, and believe God to help meet my needs and desires in accordance with His will for my life. Which he has and continues to do.
I am grateful knowing that I am currently where I am meant to be.
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 Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Lead Event Planner at DunniWeddings. It is a wedding and special events company I started back in 2017 when I was in graduate school in Washington, DC earning a Masters degree in Health Administration.
DunniWeddings has evolved from a company that was only providing day-of wedding coordination services to one that now has an affiliate company, Jumi Aluko Consulting. On the DunniWeddings side, our expertise is in planning and executing culturally rich weddings and elevated special events. On the Jumi Aluko Consulting side we provide event planning, management, production, and marketing services to nonprofit organizations and private companies across health/wellness, education, fashion, beauty, arts, and entertainment industries. Clients come to me for the expertise and most importantly, the value of services that I provide. They want someone who has the knowledge to create diverse and inclusive event experiences by incorporating details that highlight and celebrate their respective values.
The work has taken me to a number of states and countries and the events have ranged from small micro-weddings, to milestone birthday parties for 3-year olds up to individuals celebrating their 70th, weddings of 500+ guests, networking meetings, pop-ups, festivals, international corporate retreats, global healthcare conferences, and live event productions.
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 things that have been the most impactful on my journey were:
- 1) becoming more self-aware
- 2) honing my communication skills
- 3) and developing patience
These three areas have allowed me to know myself which in turn has helped me to build better relationships – and we all know relationships are the key to having a successful business.
For individuals who are early in their journey, the easiest way they can develop and improve on these areas is simply making time to develop them. Personal development is just as important as professional development throughout the entrepreneurial journey.
Becoming more self-aware requires one to regularly reflect on strengths, weakness, motivations, passions, and areas for growth. Additionally, it’s important that you reflect on the feedback of the trusted advisors who will tell you the truth while encouraging your growth, all while you figure out what steps you will take and put into action.
Furthermore, communication needs to be a priority. Work on clearly and concisely articulating your thoughts in a way that resonates with your target client. You also need to learn to listen to what people are telling you – not simply hear them.
Finally, patience is a must. Business success, despite what social media tells you, does not happen overnight. It requires a lot of patience – more than you will have when starting out. When you understand this and set realistic expectations for yourself, you’ll avoid unnecessary frustration. Learn to revel in the small wins and achievements that take you closer to your larger goals. Give yourself the grace to bounce back from any setbacks, and learn from them.
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
My ideal clients respect me as an individual and value the chance to have a dedicated partner who brings a wealth of experience and expertise. They are looking for someone who not only understands and respects them and their event vision but also respects their own unique approaches to achieving their personal or organizational goals.
Furthermore, they want to craft culturally rich events & experiences that unite (or re-unite) communities and embrace all aspects of diversity. They seek to develop a partnership with me that ensures the work we set out to do together doesn’t just tick off boxes, but rather it makes a real lasting impact that is remembered for years to come.
And let’s not leave out what matters (regardless of how difficult it is to talk about) – money. My ideal clients know the importance of aligning budgets with the scope of their events and understand the value of investing in my services.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dunniweddings.com AND www.jumialuko.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dunniweddingsandevents/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jumialuko/
Image Credits
Ethiopiah Al-Mahdi Jessica Lynn Holly Castillo Photography
