Feature: The Stylish Planner and My Stylish wardrobe

Last week I was incredibly honored to be featured on The Stylish Planner, feeling like I am a.) an amazing planner and b.) stylish, it seems only fitting that I share this write up about yours truly and in the spirit of sharing also share with you a few snapshots of my closet. While it may not be the prettiest walk in you've ever seen it's highly organized and designed each season by a feature pattern. A feature pattern is a pattern I've fallen in love. This year I fell in love with a leopard pattern and have it in the shirt, scarf, and skirt! My closet is kept neat and fresh by only allowing the things I truly love and wear to be in the space.

Feature Article:

Photo by: Henry and Masci Photography



Photo by: George Rivera Photography

Name:  Phebe L.

Location:  Lowell, Massachusetts       

Company Name:  Making ME Event Planning Firm       

Number of years in business:  1       

Website:  www.makingmeepf.com       

Blog:  www.makingmeepf.blogspot.com       

Twitter handle:  @Makingmeepf       

If you are a wedding and event professional other than a planner, please describe your product or service.  We are an event planning firm in love with all things vintage that focuses on planning, design, and vintage place settings.       

How would you describe your personal style?  Casual and elegant with fun and playful layers. My wardrobe and personal style are always ever changing and I’m inspired by a myriad of colors, the warmth of summer, cool of winter, and crispness of the fall and spring.       

What is your “go-to” meeting attire?  A tailored blazer paired with a shirt with a lovely pattern and skinny jeans paired with adorable flats. When appropriate I love to pair this with a fun scarf.       

What is your “go-to” evening industry event attire? (i.e., associational meeting, vendor or venue open house, etc.)  I love a great black cocktail dress! My personal favorite Shoshanna, Rachel Roy, or Mark and James by Badgley Mischika.       

What is your attire for wedding/event day set-up?  Black Tights and ruffled top paired with my favorite Ann Taylor flats.       

What is your attire for actual wedding/event?  A black dress, with Kitten heels!       

What style and brand of shoes do you wear on wedding/event days?  Ann Taylor flats (Set up) and Ann Taylor Kitten heels (actual event).       

Tell us about your favorite jeans and why you love them.     I have a great pair of skinny jeans from The Gap that I LOVE, they have just the right amount of give in them and they are so versatile and can be worn with a blazer, scarf, flats or even heels.       

Who is your favorite celebrity style icon and why?  Sanaa Lathan, this girl KNOWS how to wear a dress, but can easily glam up a simple pair of jeans with a fluttery top and a gorgeous accessory.       

Please share with us (in 50 words or less) your favorite style tip:  Keep it simple! Your wardrobe is filled with every day pieces that can easily translate into making your wardrobe fabulous. Think jewelry, scarves, and shoes. You can make a skirt, jeans, or legging look like a million bucks paired with the right accessory.       

What would you like people to know about you that they may not discover just by viewing your website or blog?  When I was really little I was convinced that I wanted to be a Chef.  My sister and I would play cooking show with our pretend Julia Child voices for hours…we secretly still play cooking show when I’m home except now we really cook!  Oh yes and of course we still use our “Julia” voice-ha!  Ok so maybe I use my “Julia” voice every time I cook!       

What is your most treasured possession?  Old family photos of the women in my family that go back 3 generations. The women in my family all had a strong entrepreneurial spirit, seeing them is a reminder to me of the woman I’d like to become.       

What message would you like to convey to others in our industry?  Don’t be afraid to do something different! We’re in an industry that demands creativity and out of the box thinking.     

Now for pictures of my closet........

Making ME Goes Interview Crazy!

The power of friendship led me to Ms. Joy Hibbert, owner and founder of Love Joy Sweet Treats, Inc. Our conversation began with ease much like I would talk to a girlfriend who I had known for years and I was surprised that by the end of our conversation we had nearly talked for 3 hours, here are a few questions I asked Joy.

Where did you begin?

Joy broke into the entrepreneur world through the fashion industry, as a clothing designer. In 2007 after a string of not being able to pay her bills Joy had to make a drastic decision. Leave her dream,or let her dream drown her in debt, Joy chose to leave. Little did she know another dream had been brewing deep inside her throughout her life. Anyone who has an older sibling knows that the bond between siblings and their uplifting words can move mountains....

Joy realized that her talent was not only to design but to create beautiful, amazing food-Cakes in particular and so she began to bake and bake and re-bake and sell. She first began selling her cakes to fellow gym members after their workout. I laughed thinking goodness I wish I had someone at my gym who would be willing to sell me a cake after a long workout with my trainer....I would be in pure bliss!

Did you have any help in starting your business?

Yes! Joy utilized the services of The Local Development Corperation of East New York, they helped her to learn all of the in's and out's of starting her own business and continue to provide Joy with guidance. In this program Joy was able to have a mentor that worked directly with her to develop a business plan, meet with a lawyer, and  strategize about pricing. \This service allowed Joy the opportunity to dot all of her i's and cross all of her t's. To this day she credits the IDCE as she affectionately refers to it for the success of her business.

What are steps you should take to start your business?

1.) Check with your the Secretary of State to make sure your business name isn't taken

2.) Make sure your domain name for your website isn't taken (you can use google, yahoo, or go-daddy to check online)

3.) Get your certificate of business/business license
       
4.) Start creating your website, facebook page, twitter and etc. in order to create buzz about your business
       
5.) Be Prepared to talk about your business and hand out your business cards
 

Do you have any words of advice to future entrepreneurs?

A dollar spent = a dollar of flour, let me translate....spend you're money wisely as you begin to start your own business you don't need a fancy office or accessories. Be strategic in what you buy, so many new business owners make the mistake of depleting their start up money before they've made any money.


Joy's advice was breathtaking I can't believe how much I've learned from such a strong and confident woman, I'm also looking forward to tasting some of these amazing cupcakes I've been hearing about.
If you'd like to contact Joy, look for her information on my "I need to know you" section.

Making ME Goes Interview Crazy!

Where do I begin? What do I need to know?

I’ve asked myself these very questions for nearly 5 years and believe me I have the books to prove I’ve been doing my research. Very early on I came to a conclusion I’m afraid, yes me the fearless go getter is afraid of failure. There is nothing more disheartening than to know you want something , you have all of the potential in the world to have it BUT the only thing that is standing in your way is YOU.

My journey begins by attempting to get my fears out of my way and for me to emerge with the strength, confidence and knowledge it takes to run my own business. True to my nature I had a 3 step plan that would start the process.

1.) Read my business books in their entirety and highlight any points of confusion
2.) Utilize the CRAVE Boston book to seek out women I need to know
3.) Interview business owners and ask questions…lots of questions

Tricia Cromwell an Independent Wardrobe Consultant was certainly a woman that I needed to know and after several emails we decided to meet in person. I had so much I wanted to ask her, below are a few questions I asked prior to our meeting.


When did you know you wanted to own your own business and what steps did you take in order to get there?

I knew I wanted to own my own business at 17 when I started working at a specialty store. I quickly became store manager and assistant buyer, and the owner really took me under his wings and showed me the ins and outs of running a store. Then in college, I studied under the Fashion Merchandising program, which introduced me to many more facets of the fashion business. I have always been motivated and a self starter, as well as independent in all of the jobs I've had, so making the transition to running my own company was always a goal of mine, and just a matter of time before I found my specific niche to go forward with.

What motivates or inspires you every day?

My daily motivation is accomplishment. I love the feeling of a setting a goal and a plan of action and seeing it all the way through to completion.

In our meeting I asked questions about liability, insurance, marketing and networking opportunities and to my surprise at the end of each question Tricia had an answer or helpful resources that could provide me with greater detail. I walked away having a deeper understanding of a supportive network comprised of friends and family, how to market my business, and the effectiveness of small business groups.

Tricia’s advice was powerful, motivating, and while she explained the difficulty and hard work it takes to sustain a business she was encouraging and that’s exactly what I needed. You could conclude that I too Trust in Tricia.