After SO MUCH hard work, the day has finally arrived! Events By Candice is now Engaged Events. It feels really, really good to say that! I decided to change the business name and venture into this expansion over 8 months ago, so it seems so surreal that it is actually launch day- Nov 14, 2014!

What an amazing season 2014 turned out to be. I entered my 5th season in business knowing that I was ready for a change, but afraid to take the step to elevate what I had created. Change is hard for me I’ll admit, and I was happy living in my “little” business bubble. Why change? Why try to grow? Why not just be satisfied booking the weddings I could take and turning away the others? Well my friends, because that just isn’t how I am built. I am always looking for the next opportunity, always pushing myself further, always excited for what could be just around the next corner….. and this was just that. An opportunity to evolve. A chance to take a chance. I had to make a move.

But, I’m leaving out one HUGE factor in all of this, I had just become a mother for the first time. With a baby that was less than a month old, talking to my family and friends about perhaps expanding the business just seemed crazy. How could I do all of this with a new little one? How could I still grow the business and continue to keep the work/life balance that I find so important? I remember asking my husband a few times after Brooke was born if I was crazy to want to re-brand, honestly looking for his opinion. Being the amazing person that he is he’d just smile back and me and say “nope, you aren’t crazy, you are just my determined, driven wife and that’s why I love you”. I’m a lucky lady, I know.

Brooke was born in February and life was forever changed. She is perfect, in every way and I am so blessed. She made me look at life in such a new way and she made me want to continue to work and show her that you can be a mother and a business owner. You can do what you love and still have a family. I know some women want to stay home with their babies and other women want to work full-time outside of the home, I personally just wanted a little bit of both.

That is when I knew for sure it was time to expand. A team was what I wanted to create. A team of women dedicated to this wedding business, just as I am. A team who could work together and handle a larger volume of events. A team that would allow the business to still grow, without me having to balance it all solo. I had to turn down so many weddings over the past few years and it broke my heart! Not only for financial reasons, but because I wanted to work with the amazing clients that were coming my way but I just didn’t have enough time. This change would give me more support, and would push us all forward.

Now with 2 Associate Coordinators and a team of 5 strong assistants, I am proud to say that the team is in place. We can handle more, all while still providing the quality, personal assistance that my clients deserve. We can grow our brand and branch out to service small social events in addition to weddings. We have the man power to now jump into the 2015 season and thrive. I am so excited. It isn’t Events By Candice anymore, it is more than that. Engaged is a team. Engaged is Events By Candice elevated. Engaged is the future of this little business of mine.

Re-branding was the HARDEST thing, but so worth it in the end. How do you choose a new business name? Well it took me months! An updated website, a new office, email addresses, legal documents, social media, marketing, hiring, & training, all take so much time.  But its done, and I have so many people to thank for helping me along the way. Thank you to my husband for working on all the legal documents and for spending hours as my “tech manager”, thank you to my Sister in Law for painting my new office while I was working a wedding, thank you to our lawyer and our tax attorney for hundreds of emails and questions, thank you to my mom for all of her help with Brooke while I spent hours in front of the computer, thank you to Jim Kennedy and his team for our new head shots, thank you to my family and friends for encouraging me to do this, and a HUGE thank you to Jenna, Jen and my team for your continued support and your loyalty to this business.

They say that change forces growth and I couldn’t agree more. All of this change will allow me to grow both personally and professionally. Miss Brooke has changed me, my work has changed me, my relationships change me, and all for the better. I feel so blessed today. Life is so good. I am so thankful.

New information is below! New clients, I am excited to work with you, past clients, keep in touch 🙂

candice@engagedevents.us

http://www.engagedevents.us

~Candice