JoAnn Gregoli: Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started My Consulting Business

An Interview With Doug Brown

Discover what your customer is looking for and help them achieve it. Gather information about their wants and desires and you can make their events seamless. Understand their needs, identify their wants and anticipate their needs.

As a part of my series called “Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started My Consulting Business,” I had the pleasure of interviewing JoAnn Gregoli, Elegant Occasions by JoAnn Gregoli.

JoAnn Gregoli runs her business out of New York City and is the mother of six children. She has written the book “Knots Guide to Destination Weddings” and has appeared on several major TV networks. She is the founder of the Front Line Sewing Angels, a non-profit organization that provides protective gear for front-line workers across the country. She has worked with celebrities, sports figures, and business executives.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

My career as an event planner began after I graduated from college with a degree in marketing and public relations. My journey began when I accepted a position working for a public relations department of a major furniture chain. I loved planning all the instore promotions and events for all 60 stores nationwide. Those events gave me the experience I needed to be able to plan a variety of events. My biggest project was working for a smaller public relations agency that was responsible for the concept and completion of the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey. This experience allowed me to see a project from from start to end.

My passion for events only grew from their, Working as an event planner gives you a sense of pride and accomplishment when you have completed each project.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began at your company?

The most interesting thing that happened to me as I began my career was when I retained by Rupert Murdoch to plans his daughter’s wedding in Beverly Hills. This was one of my largest undertakings, whereby we had a two United States Presidents in attendance, along with heads of state and various celebrities. I was just a local Jersey girl who had hopes and dreams, but never knew how to attain them. I learned very quickly to dream big and follow your passion, the doors will open and you can make the impossible possible. This one event put me on the map that ultimately led to many other events.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

It is impossible to achieve success with the guidance of someone in your life, that person for me was Cele Lalli, the late Editor in Chief of Modern Bride Magazine. She was not only my mentor, confidante but a true friend. She was my cheerleader who always encouraged me to reach for the stars and go after what I wanted. We all need someone who believes in us and gives us advice. Cele encouraged , inspired and helped me cultivate new ideas. She was instrumental in helping me take a reality check of many of my situations and encourage me to pursue my dreams. She would always tell me “there is no reward without risk”.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

My favorite life lesson quote is: “The best teacher is your last mistake”. We learn more by our failures than by our successes in life. It turns out that mistakes are fundamental to our learning process. Failure not only improves your information recall but it helps with the critical thinking process. I have found that it helps us think beyond the problem and find a solution. In my case, it has taught me to think of the solution before the problem arises. I always have a backup plan for my backup plan.

Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. We’d love to learn a bit about your company. What is the main point that your company is helping to address?

My company’s main focus is to assist our clients with executing their events and making sure that they enjoy the planning process and become a guest at their own events. We love to take their ideas and help make them a reality. One of main goals is that every event takes on the personalities of our clients and create some amazing experiential experiences for everyone in attendance. Creating memorable experiences is the catalyst to building a special connection with your clients. We believe that it’s not enough for customers to have a great time, but we try to help them create memories that last them a lifetime.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

I believe that our teams go above and beyond to exceed our customer expectations.

We also make sure that we infuse the couple’s personalities into the overall event and that makes us different from the rest. We also have established ourselves as the leaders in the destination market and when you find that niche and create a market it will help you pull ahead from your competitors.

I think becoming a published author also helped make my company stand out.

When you first started the business, what drove you, what was your primary motivation?

When I first started my business my motivation was to create a business that allows me to raise my six children, without having to place them in daycare. I felt that being a business owner afforded me the opportunity to set my own schedule and allowed me to be a hands-on mom. But, I was driven by the need to support the family and failure was an option. I was motivated by my desire to support my family with a business that also brought me joy.

What drives you now? Is it the same? Did it change? Can you explain what you mean?

Passion is what drives me to this day and allows me to continue growing and planning events. Being passionate give you an edge over your competitors. When you are passionate you will dedicate more time and energy into your work and giving you an edge over your competitors. You will find it helpful to continue if you continue your education by attending conferences and learning what is new and exciting in the field to offer to your clients, it ensures that you will always come out on top of your competitors. Staying relevant and passionate is the secret to my success. If you find your passion in life, the job will never feel like work.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

I am working on building up a new market in Europe and North Africa. I fell in love with the region and felt that people should get to experience new and exotic locations. Life is about making memories and I feel that seeing the world and experiencing new cultures allows me to create these moments that last a lifetime for my clients.

In your specific industry, what methods have you found to be most effective in order to find and attract the right customers? Can you share any stories or examples?

In the consulting industry, most of our work comes from word of mouth, however being active on social media is still the best way to connect with new customers. You have to have an online presence to be seen in this new market of clients. I found that you have to learn about the generation that you are trying to attract and what platforms influence their decisions. Each generation has a different method of connection, educating yourself about each generation is what will keep you up to date and relevant.

Based on your experience, can you share a few strategies to give your customers the best possible user experience and customer service?

1. Offer the best possible customer service and try to work around your client’s schedules. If they are only available during evenings, be sure to make yourself available to them.
2. Discover what your customer is looking for and help them achieve it. Gather information about their wants and desires and you can make their events seamless. Understand their needs, identify their wants and anticipate their needs.
3. Respect the fact that the customer is paying for your service. They are the lifeline behind your profits.
4. Respond to the customer in a very timely manner. With the new generation of instant gratification and instant responses, a delay in responding may cause you to lose potential customers.
5. Knowledge is power, the more knowledge you have the more you can provide the right services for the right clients.

Thank you for all that. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started My Consulting Business”. Please share a story or an example for each.

1. This job is not as glamorous as it appears. Most consulting jobs includes travel that is 90% exhausting and 10% glamour. People think that we get to see exotic locations and our job is all about the glitz and glam. But the reality is that is exhausting to get up early, catch an early flight, fly to another country with possible language barriers and execute a flawless event. When I first began my career my first day I was handed an airline ticket and told to pack and head out of Miami for the weekend. It was exhilarating yet beyond exhausting. I now try to take an extra day or two to decompress after a destination event, you need to recharge those batteries after working exhaustive days.

2. Missing out on family time is inevitable. Sadly this business requires working on weekends and evenings, so many times we are forced to miss out on family functions due to our work schedule. Occasionally, we have to pull an all-nighter and even cancel our vacation plans. Not showing up to an event is not even an option, it can be a career-ending move. Sadly I have missed many birthdays or graduations of family members, due to my weekend work schedule.

3. Be prepared for the unexpected. Dealing with uncertainty is a huge part of the planning business. We have to be at the mercy of the weather, global pandemics, rising product costs, and supply chain interruptions. We have to always remain one step ahead of the situation and if a challenge arises our job is to fix it. Many times we are faced with an unexpected disaster that we have to pivot and change without even thinking. There was one event that occurred that the chef broke his leg halfway through dinner service, we had to jump in and help other team members continue the food service with the sous chefs at the helm. I live by the mantra never let them see you sweat!

4. Delegate, delegate, delegate. In order to achieve success, you have to build a strong support team within your company. You must find people who can help with the various aspects of the company. I realized that I was trying to do it all, but quickly learned that you need to build that support system to help handle other facets. You cant be everything to all people.

5. Communication is the key to a successful business. It is difficult to keep up with your daily emails, but you must stay in touch with your clients and respond to them in a timely manner. This is a generation driven on instant responses and instant gratification.

Wonderful. We are nearly done. Here are the final “meaty” questions of our discussion. You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I would love to inspire others to support a cause and donate some of their time and money to that cause. One person can make a difference in other people’s lives. Stop focusing on the ME attitude and look towards a WE attitude. You will find that volunteering will help grow your self confidence, self — esteem and may help fulfil your purpose in life.

We are very blessed that very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them :-)

I am very impressed by Richard Branson, he is one person who is a risk-taker. He is not a person who accepts failure but grows with each setback. He is also a huge believer in giving back to the world and becoming sustainable in the process. Richard Branson never allowed his past experiences to discourage him, he just found a way to make things happen and become a more driven business leader. I love the fact that he is a rule-breaker, he always has fun, he is an amazing leader and takes care of his team, he always stands up for what he believes in and never gives up.

Thank you so much for this. This was very inspirational, and we wish you only continued success!