Creating An Entrepreneur Roadmap
You have the desire to do something exciting, creative, life-changing. Cool, but what does that mean? The early stages of entrepreneurship nothing short of confusing and it takes time to discover your passion. For Gina Ho, this meant diving into one of the toughest, fast-paced industries.
Perfection, an International Event Company, is a full-service event planning company specializing in destination and luxury weddings. Based on Oahu, Gina and her team provide their white-glove event planning services both locally and internationally.
But, coming up with a business idea can feel just as hard as building it. Gina was no exception! “I had no direction in life and failed miserably.” Gina reflected. “it was a dramatic low in my career.”
Michelle: What led you to the fast paced world of event planning?
Gina: To understand my career path you’d have to know about a very key element and important person in my life. Tiffany James employed me for over 8 years but in the years by her side she became my sounding board, my mentor, and my family (she truly was my pseudo mother). While an entire novel could be written about my time with Tiffany, the main reason I bring her up is to share how she truly was the one to not only push me to start Perfection, but helped create the name. When I was at a crossroads in my career path I seeked Tiffany’s advice. I truly had NO idea what my next step was. To be clear I was not scared to take the next step forward I just had no idea where I needed to place my foot.
She tried to guide me to finding the answer myself-what have I enjoyed in my careers, what do I want out of life, where do I see myself, etc, etc, etc. After a lot of painful soul searching and sharing we knew a few things:
Working for a corporation was probably not an option.
I enjoy helping people, identifying and fixing problems, and needed a fast paced environment and constant challenge.
I need to feel that I add value
This is where the “AHA” moment was supposed to occur...sorry to disappoint but I was still sitting in Tiffany’s salon (her office) worried that in just a couple of months I would hit the big 3-0, had no direction in life, and had failed miserably. Yes, you can say it was a dramatic low in my career. Then, what I am sure was Tiffany tired of my self pity, she decided to spell it out for me. “Why don’t you start an event planning business? You love the creativity, the challenges (more so discovering the solutions), the pressure, you’re in charge, and ultimately love executing a concept to final completion.” In my years with her and her company I had planned an array of events from small intimate social events to large annual corporate sales conventions. In the years and jobs following my time with her I had also found myself creating and implementing monthly, quarterly and yearly events. The name Perfection came quickly but it wasn’t quite right. I knew that I wanted to be more than just a local event planner. I wanted to think BIG... globally...and in one day, the concept was created, the foundation was laid, and Perfection An International Event Company was born.
Michelle: What are your biggest lessons from bootstrapping your business?
Gina: Oh the lessons I have learned and keep learning! I would need more time and space to share all of them but here are a few of the most important lessons.
You need to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Being an entrepreneur is a journey. Acknowledging and understanding there will be learning curves, challenges, ups and downs, times of uncertainty, and yes even the feeling of defeat will help prepare you for the most rewarding adventure.
You need to constantly be learning to grow-both personally and professionally! I am always striving to learn a new process, subject or skill that will make me a master of my craft. “The expert at anything was once a beginner”-Helen Hayes
Just because you CAN do something doesn’t mean you SHOULD. Unfortunately there have been a few key moments in my building of Perfection that I took too much on and faced burnout. Passion is a powerful thing. It fuels you through the most difficult challenges but can also blind you to the signs of needing to slow down.
Take the time to celebrate your wins. You need to remember the why behind what you are doing and see progress otherwise what is this all for?
Michelle: How do you help other business owners level up?
Gina: I am extremely passionate about helping and seeing other business owners grow and achieve. I provide insight and advice to help entrepreneurs accomplish their goal or overcome an obstacle. I use my own struggles, lessons, and success to help me relate and identify with what others are going through. There is not one right answer to any problem and you must listen not only to what one is sharing but what they aren’t sharing to get a full understanding of what they are facing. Identifying the true problem and then creating a strategic plan with clear objectives and actions allows us to get the results they are seeking.
Michelle: What’s the difference between a consultant and coach?
Gina: Oftentimes the lines between a business consultant and coach can be blurred. When someone is unsure of which they want or need I ask one simple question: Are you looking for someone to be by your side and guide you to discover the answers or do you want a subject matter expert to provide professional advice based on their knowledge and experience to get the results you desire? There are no right or wrong answers, it simply matters on the journey you’d like to take. I am a business consultant. I identify areas of improvement and provide tactical step by step solutions. If you are still unsure if you are seeking a coach or a consultant, this is a great article by Forbes.
Michelle: Where do you plan on taking your business in the next 5 years?
Gina: Perfection’s Home Office will continue to be based and operated out of Hawaii however we hope to have our satellite offices in California and Colorado operating at the same capacity. Unfortunately with COVID-19 our expansion to planning destination events in Europe was put on hold but we hope to resume in 2022. While I will always play an active role in Perfection, my dream and plan has always been to have my local teams run the day to day operations while I focus on the growth of the company. Along with Perfection’s success, I will be focusing a lot of time into my business consulting.
Bootstrapping a business means building it from the ground up with nothing but your hopes and dreams. And, of course, your terrified personal savings account. It’s messy and feels like you’re riding Six Flags Goliath roller coaster in the dark!
Burnout is common among entrepreneurs. Learn from Gina’s biggest lessons, slow down so you can finish the race.
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