We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lisa Nelson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Lisa, so happy to have you on the platform and I think our readers are in for a treat because you’ve got such an interesting story and so much insight and wisdom. So, let’s start with a topic that is relevant to everyone, regardless of industry etc. What do you do for self-care and how has it impacted you?
For me, self-care is more than soothing bubble baths and massages. Both are rituals for me but when it comes to maintaining work-life balance, there are a few more activities that make up my self-care regimen.
As a female entrepreneur, I wear many hats – planner, designer, wife, mother, community servant (just to name a few). Like many women, it’s easy to take care of everyone else while oftentimes neglecting ourselves. After we’ve poured so much into others and have said YES to everyone and everything, our own cups run empty. When your cup is empty and burnout creeps in, your ability to be effective wanes.
To effectively serve at optimal capacity for all of the hats that I wear, I’ve learned that focusing on my spiritual, mental, and physical well-being is a must.
Being a woman of faith, prayer, consistent reading of my Bible and devotionals, and listening to uplifting music is what keeps me grounded. With so much negativity in the world, these activities provide an escape from the craziness and keep me humble and focused on all that is good in the world and around me.
As the saying goes “the mind is a terrible thing to waste”. Mental care is a must for me. From reading books and magazines that stimulate my creativity to blogging and journaling, to unplugging from television and social media, these all allow me to step away from the day-to-day hustle and bustle and relax, reflect, and reset.
Your “health is your wealth”! As an event professional, pulling all-nighters and compromising sleep, only to arrive at your events exhausted, is no fun. What’s worse, when I receive photos back from an event, I miss the beauty of the photos because my immediate focus goes to the dark circles under my eyes due to lack of sleep. Talk about missed photo ops! Sacrificing well-balanced meals for junk food due to the busyness of the day can definitely take its toll on your health and waistline. Learning to pace myself between events to reduce burnout, getting more rest, incorporating more fruits and vegetables in my diet, intaking minimal red meat, drinking a lot of water, and exercise has been key to feeling healthy.
Being intentional about my self-care by focusing on my spiritual, mental, and physical well-being allows me to show up as my best self and serve others personally and professionally with excellence.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am the founder and creative visionary behind Just For The Occasion, LLC ®, a full-service event planning and design firm based in Columbus, Ohio. As the firm’s planner and lead designer, I curate bespoke experiences for social gatherings, weddings, and corporate events. From stunning floral installations to creative event design to seamless event coordination and production, my team and I meticulously handle the details of client events so that they can enjoy their special occasion and guests free from worry.
What is so exciting about being a planner and designer is the opportunity to use my creativity to bring a client’s vision to life. From a concept on paper to actually producing an event that exceeds client expectations is the most rewarding part of my job.
I recently took a leap of faith and pivoted from offering full-service catering, planning, and design, to planning and design exclusively. From pursuing minority and woman owned business certifications, to blogging, and embracing opportunities to serve as a floral influencer, I am excited about all that lies ahead for Just For The Occasion, LLC ®.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three most important qualities that have been most impactful in my entrepreneurial journey and I would recommend as areas to develop or improve in for those who are early in their journey are the ability to persevere through challenges, a willingness to be a lifelong student, and the ability to build strong industry relationships.
1. The ability to perseverance through challenges: Being an entrepreneur is not for the faint at heart. Anything worth achieving will never be easy. While there are many books, videos, magazine articles, and “how to” guides on entrepreneurship, no amount of knowledge can prepare you for the challenges and disappointments that you may encounter on your journey. Emotions can range from joy and happiness to stress and despair. There will be times where you question your reason for starting your business and other times when you may want to “throw in the towel”. All of these feelings are normal. The key is to not stay stuck in those emotions. If you are truly hungry to fulfill your entrepreneurial dreams, standing strong and persevering through challenges will be key. It’s during tough times that we build character and with each milestone, have a testimony to share with others that will encourage them on their entrepreneurial journey.
2. Willingness to be a lifelong student: To stay relevant and abreast of trends impacting one’s industry, we must always be in learning mode. Whether that is pursuing certifications in your given craft, having a mentor, shadowing a more seasoned professional, or assisting peers with projects to gain additional skills, all of this helps to enhance one’s skillset. We have to be willing to go the extra mile to learn skills and techniques that will differentiate us from our competition.
3. The ability to build strong industry relationships: When you start out on your entrepreneurial journey it can be very intimidating. Finding others who share the same interests can be difficult. There will be times when you may feel alone. You will come across those who may not want to share their knowledge or what it took for them to get where they are today. Don’t fret. There will be industry peers who will take you under their wings so that you can ultimately fly. Connecting with networking groups in your industry is a great way to meet other professionals. Many groups offer workshops and speakers who can help you get on the right path. Finding a mentor will also be key. Building solid relationships with your peers will prove beneficial on your journey by helping you gain valuable business knowledge, open doors to peer collaborations, and business referrals, just to name a few.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
Going into the new year, I chose one word that would drive how I would operate both personally and professionally in 2023 – intentional.
After a busy and successful 2022, I realized that I was stretching myself too thin by saying Yes, all too often. Yes, to taking on projects just to keep my calendar filled up. Yes, to taking on projects/roles for friends or social organizations in order to fill the gap when others may have dropped the ball. Yes, to projects or activities that interfered with precious time with my family.
Saying Yes can lead to burnout. I’m all about living a life of joy so burnout serves no purpose in my life. Shifting to the mindset of saying No has been very liberating. Being intentional about how I spend my time has allowed me to refocus on the things that I love like reading the many books whose pages have yet to be turned, writing, and time with family.
As an entrepreneur and creative, it’s important for me to have work-life balance to truly operate in excellence. I’m now more intentional about the work that I commit to. If there are red flags about a project or business relationship, it is No, to taking on or entering into those relationships in order to guard my peace. If it’s the night before an event, it’s a No, to an all-nighter and Yes, to rest. All-nighters are simply no fun. If I get the urge to use my fingers to mindlessly scroll through social media instead of using that time to connect with family and friends, it’s a Yes, to using my fingers instead, to dial a loved one to tell them how much I care.
Life is way too short! I learned to embrace the little things in life that truly bring me joy.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.justfortheoccasion.net
- Instagram: @jusfortheoccasion
- Facebook: @jusfortheoccasion
Image Credits
Comfort Photography Purple Star Photography Vision & Style Photography
