Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in event planning but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Joe Rogers, Founder of Contagious Events LLC, located in Boston, MA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Contagious Events is a full-service event design and management company specializing in weddings that fun-loving honor couples who are too extraordinary for a cookie-cutter wedding day.

Tell us about yourself

I originally started planning weddings before we had marriage equality across the country. When I started the business, I wanted to focus on telling the love stories of same-sex and queer couples: it was at a time when I personally was starting to come out to my own friends and family, so it was meaningful work for me.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

It's always an honor to work with a family multiple times: referrals are always an honor to receive, but there's something extra special about returning for a second (or third) family wedding for a younger sibling!

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Being a wedding planner is more than just running a business - you are trusted with one of the most important days of your client's lives, and you have to create a bond - it's not just a transactional experience. It can be difficult to establish that relationship while also maintaining boundaries so that your business is successful.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Take time, and don't rush into being a business owner: seek out others in your industry, ask questions, spend time observing if they allow it, and build connections with other business owners in your space. There's a saying, "your network is your net worth," and I find that to be incredibly accurate. I attribute much of my success not to paying invoices but to my friends and colleagues who work in my industry and with whom I can network with

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://contagiousevents.net/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ContagiousEvent/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/contagiousevents/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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