Hello people. We are back with a new interview!
This time a woman entrepreneur from California.
I interviewed Amanda Engler last week.
Amanda is a founder of Amanda V Engler LLC, the company which helps event professionals work with their dream clients while getting paid what they are worth without working insane hours.
I got connected to Amanda a few days ago and found her knowledgeable yet very humble.
So thought to interview her so that we can learn from her journey.
So here we go –
Akshay – Hello Amanda. Please introduce yourself to our audience.
Amanda – I am Amanda Engler, founder of Amanda V Engler LLC, the Facebook community Event Professionals: Explode Your Profits & Protect Your Time as well as the online course Event Professional Business Accelerator. I am a coach and get to work with some of the best clients in the world- Event Planners! It has been so rewarding to help hundreds of event planners double their events but not their time. This is so transformational from their personal life balance to their freedom and finances. There is nothing else like seeing one of my clients reach another level in their business. It is the best feeling!
Akshay – That’s nice. Could you please tell us a bit more about your firm Amanda V Engler LLC? What’s its goal and mission?
Amanda – I help event professionals work with their dream clients while getting paid what they are worth without working insane hours. I have been in the event industry for over 11 years and I have seen a lot. When event planners go out on their own, they struggle to make that transition from the “do-er” or “technician” to the entrepreneur. BUT it’s not their fault! Our industry is very heavily focused on the planning side of events rather than how to run your event planning company like a business. Giving back to the industry that has given me so much is a true passion of mine and I have loved seeing my students soar after they have completed the course.
Akshay – Interesting, so I would like to know why did you choose to become an Entrepreneur? Just curious.
Amanda – I wanted a better life balance, control over my schedule and to dictate the ultimate quality of work. I am married with two kids and I didn’t feel like I was showing up the way I wanted to in my own life. I was working at a large Resort as a conference service manager and would work 12 days straight without really getting to see my family. I was tired and getting burnt out which is so common in this industry. I knew I could be an entrepreneur that could have a thriving business and a life outside of my business. Now I get to show others how to achieve this as well!
Akshay – Ah, relatable! Did you face any adversities while building your business? If yes, how did you overcome it?
Amanda – Yes, of course. I think everyone starting and building a business does. Being a mom in the midwest there are certain social norms that come up in every conversation. “Oh you are still working?” “You have your own business?”
I truly believe that you can be a mom and an entrepreneur without sacrificing one for the other. Everyday I show up for both. I work around my kids’ nap schedules. Which isn’t easy but to achieve my goals I knew it was I had to do. When my kids are awake I get to be with them, pick them up from school and help them with homework. I have an amazing and supportive husband which helps tremendously.
Akshay – Supercool. So have you ever failed? What did you learn from that failure?
Amanda – Oh yes, but that is a part of growing. If you don’t get out of your comfort zone then you don’t grow. Sometimes that means you will fail. But that’s okay because as an entrepreneur you can reflect back at why you failed. What worked and what didn’t. Evaluate if that was really something that was right for you and your business and move forward from there. Nobody is born knowing how to do everything or having all the answers. But that is why leveraging a coach’s experiences and knowledge can be such a huge resource. You spend less time making mistakes and wasting time.
Akshay: I agree. The next question. Being a woman entrepreneur what would be your advice to other women who want to start out?
Amanda – You need to find likeminded women who share your values and that can support you. Being an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart and as a woman we faced with all sorts of adversities based on what we look like, sound like, our age, and heaven forbid we show any emotion. For me keeping, a positive mindset is key. That ultimately came from a group of women doing exactly what I am doing. They could understand exactly what I was going through because they have been there or were going through it at the same time. I had a place to vent and get advice. Find your tribe.
Akshay: Lovely advice Amanda. By the way, when did you come across digital marketing? If I told you to summarize your thoughts on the importance of digital marketing in today’s age, how will you?
Amanda – In the events world it is crucial! If you don’t have a digital marketing presence you are dead in the water. Nobody will show up to your event because they never knew it was happening. You have to be strategic in how, when and why you use it. For example, right now virtual events are the only way to meet to continue in our industry. There are so many more opportunities to grow your audience with virtual events but if you don’t have a solid digital marketing strategy you are losing out big from revenue to sponsors and of course attendees.
Akshay – Cool, so if someone wants to start learning digital marketing, what would be your advice to him/her?
Amanda – In business you always have two options in learning a skill. You can either leverage your time or money. If you have the time, go to a pro and learn from them. Like I said, leveraging a coach’s experience is so important to your overall success. You waste less time and make less mistakes.
Or, if you have money, outsource the entire project. You can see how they do it, get a general idea of how it should look and feel for you so you can continue to improve and perfect.
In either situation, you will be achieving the end goal which is learning more about digital marketing.
Akshay – Interesting insights. One of the frequently asked questions is “ how to get clients”? What’s your answer? Anything which worked for you like nothing else?
Amanda – There are three key pieces here.
Making sure that all my social media handles are optimized and professional. Once someone comes to your profile they will know exactly what you do and how you can serve them.
Networking to make real human connections with others. By doing this you are not only thinking about how they can help you but how you can help them. Building your network and while being a real human is important to your overall brand.
Ensuring your digital marketing is in alignment with your brand, your goals and your client’s needs. If it’s not hitting all three marks step back and look at which piece might be missing.
Akshay: Fantastic. The last question. What’s your ultimate goal? As in when you will reach there, it will feel like, “ Now, I have achieved everything that I wanted?”.
Amanda – This is a great question and one I think all entrepreneurs need to ask themselves before they even get started. You really need to solidify this in your mind so that when things get tough (because they will) you will stay motivated and keep moving forward. I personally want to help as many event professionals as humanly possible from making the same mistakes that I did. I want event professionals to know you do not need to be a slave to your business without sacrificing their finances.
And of course, I want my family to be proud of those that I have helped. To build a legacy that my kids are inspired by. To have them look back at their childhood and be able to say, “look at the life mom built for us by helping others.”
Akshay – Absolutely agree. I am also an entrepreneur and run a digital marketing agency. I totally relate with every word you said. And especially I respect women entrepreneurs like you, because I know how difficult it is to handle both house chores and business.
Thank you so much, Amanda, for this interview. It is definitely helpful! I appreciate you taking out time and connecting with me.
Take care!
Very insightful, what I love the most is she shared so raw and real things…keep is up Bhava keep sharing cheers…