Backstage Pass: The Leap of Faith
How I turned a side hustle into a company
In early 2021, I was working as Business Development Director at Knoll. I had a great job reporting to a wonderful woman. But 2021 was a weird time; I missed the opportunities to connect and develop business in-person. Life was still so restricted during those pandemic times. Meanwhile, my interior design business was taking off, and I realized I'd find more joy in going all-in on that full-time.
The challenge was, I didn't want to jump without a safety net. One day sitting at my desk, I had a crazy idea - I pitched a non-profit Board that I served on as a Board Member on hiring me for event work and chapter management as a side hustle. Lucky for me, they loved the idea and felt the background I had in the industry would be a value add. That gave me the confidence to take the leap and resign from Knoll. Cue the mini panic attacks though - I literally felt like I was jumping off a cliff into solo-preneurship and had no idea what my future would look like.
As my design business kept growing, the side gig quickly turned into a full-time endeavor. I was juggling two thriving businesses and wrangling two little girls at home (thank goodness for the nanny). In a state of complete desperation, I was introduced to Brittany Taylor. We met at Blue Bottle coffee and I fell hard and fast for her. Her optimism was exactly what I needed in my life and business. She joined almost immediately, at first just part-time, to help keep things organized and help implement all my crazy ideas.
Soon, the event work was exponentially growing - the events client had turned into multiple clients, and design projects kept coming. I found myself at a crossroads. Do I keep trying to balance both, or go all-in on focusing on growing 1 business? After a lot of soul-searching and advice from my wisest friends, I decided to focus more of my energy on building the events arm of my company. After all, sometimes you need to go where the energy flows.
Over the last 3 years, we have grown our reach, doing events around the world for corporate and non-profit clients. We're so proud to still count that first client as one of our longest-standing and most-loved clients. Their Board of Directors is our family.
At the end of the day, some people think of events work as frivolous. But I think differently. I'm building a legacy of bringing people together, sparking connections, and spreading smiles and kindness. It's rewarding work that fits my skill set. And I get to do it alongside two other badass women.
Sometimes, the best things in life come from taking a leap of faith. I'm so glad I did.
-Ali
