We had the good fortune of connecting with La’Wonda Peoples and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi La’Wonda, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I am a proud native of Selma, AL. Being from a small town with such a rich civil rights history where people gave their lives so that I might have many of the rights I enjoy today always stays top of mind for me. Whenever I am faced with a challenge in business or my personal life, my thoughts always go to that period in time and I find strength to plow through.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am the founder and President of The Peoples Eventfully Yours, LLC. Eventfully Yours Special Event Venue in North Richland Hills, Texas and Eventfully Yours Special Event Management are the main businesses. I have been doing special event management for over 20 years, initially as a “side hustle” while working full time. The intention was always to go full time into the business when I retired from my full time job. After 27 years with the world’s largest airline, I retired 6 years ago. Upon retirement, I stuck with my plan and immediately went full time into the event planning business. Within a very short time, I realized I was working far more harder and generating far less revenue than I expected in a second career as I was a solopreneur. I began to research ways I could compliment the business and increase my revenue.  A year later, I took a risk and opened Eventfully Yours Special Event Venue where I could bring clients into my venue and offer personalized care for their customized events; thereby, reducing their stress level with planning an event. What sets me a part from many others in the industry is that I am truly not satisfied until my client is satisfied and in the midst of planning, I am accessible to my clients 24/7. I have a lot of experience doing all type of events, both major and small, all around the country so for clients who have budget constraints, I am happy to share my experience on ways to keep costs down, which is often surprising to them. I actually built out my venue to where clients could do the bare minimum and enjoy a memorable experience without breaking the bank. After a year in the business, I expanded my very large kitchen in the venue to a commercial rental kitchen for caterers. It is available for them to rent on a hourly basis. Going into the third year, I added a specialty linens business where clients can upgrade from what comes with their rental to something a bit more elaborate that includes cloth napkins, chair covers, and different table coverings.

Operating the venue has posed some major challenges along the way. When the pandemic hit and we were forced to shut down, the existing challenges became trivial and like the rest of the world of business owners, I had to quickly get creative and pivot into other areas. As a Christian, I have a lot of faith and live by the fact that if I do my part and put in the work, the good Lord I serve will take care of the rest. This August, I will celebrate 5 years of being in business and I am very proud to hit this milestone as there were many times that it did not seem possible.

As a business owner, some lessons I have learned along the way are to get connected to organizations that can assist you like local chambers. Identify a charitable organization that you can support and it does not have be financially. It’s a great feeling to be able to give a little of your time and talents to organizations that benefit and impact the lives of so many others. From a personal standpoint, a lesson I learned long ago was to take care of my physical and mental health and get good rest. It helps to keep your mind clear.

What I would like the world to know about me as a business owner is that, clients can never pay me enough to do what I do for them. I always give a 110 percent to all of my projects. I love what I do and it is reflected in my work.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
During normal times, I love to dance and I love live music so night life would be very active at least on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings. We would do church on Sunday, followed by lunch at MaDear’s Soul Food Restaurant. We would do happy hour some days at Mi Pueblo Mexican Restaurant or Pappadeaux’s Seafood Kitchen. Dinner would be at any one of the Gloria’s Restaurants in the metroplex area or at The Oasis Restaurant at Joe Pool lake. In addition, we would do some backyard bbqs with friends in the city.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My younger sister Evelyn Bias

Website: www.eventfullyyourscompany.com

Instagram: @eventfullyyourscompany

Facebook: @eventyourscompany

Yelp: Eventfully Yours North Richland Hills, TX

Image Credits
Freddie Watkins

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