Inspiring Conversations with Joselyn Johnson of Eventions by Joselyn

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joselyn Johnson.

Joselyn, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
As a child, I planned out everything! Literally, from making a weekly calendar and writing down what I was wearing every day to school on Sunday afternoons, to writing down what games we were going to play on weekend visits to my godfather’s house. Even if no one else saw these plans, knowing I had one made me feel important.

Fast forward to adulthood, I always envisioned owning a poetry lounge. One year, I coordinated a “Poetry Slam” as a fundraiser for my church (an excuse to practice owning my own right?!). At the end of the event, one of my cousins came up to me and said “I can really see you doing this for a living”. That was confirmation for me! But what I realized is that more than owning a physical building, I enjoyed every aspect of planning the event. Ironing out the logistics, securing the talent, securing the volunteers, all of it. And seeing the event come to life and a room full of people from different areas come together and enjoy themselves gave me so much joy! And I must add we raised A LOT of money! LOL!

But from that night on, I knew I wanted to be an event planner. At the time I was also working for the local Housing Authority and I loved serving others but I started my business as a planner taking on one or two weddings a year. Yes REALLY SMALL LOL. But it was my year of service as an AmeriCorps member that gave me the idea to marry my love for Event Planning and Serving my community!

I didn’t know how but I had faith that it would happen. Fast forward, I was asked a question “When you retire – what do you want them to say about you”. Without thinking I said, “That she made a difference in her community one event at a time”. That moment re-birthed Eventions by Joselyn as you see it!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has been… different. I will say, I am a woman of strong faith, so I view challenges as opportunities to learn not so much an inconvenience (it’s all necessary). As I previously mentioned, I had no idea how I would marry my love for event planning to my love for community service. I live in Charleston, SC – a tourist area where people plan destination weddings but I had no interest in being a full-time wedding planner. We have so many phenomenal Wedding Planners here, I knew I wouldn’t do that market any justice. So finding a way to market my event planning services was a challenge in the beginning.

But I quickly learned that “your network is your net worth”. My years spent in Nonprofit allowed me to get to know many community-minded professionals that saw the need for my services and advocated for me in their networks. But then I had to learn to price my services appropriately. Boy, did I undercharge my first year!! Lesson Learned. Currently, as a wife, mother, and entrepreneur the challenge is having BALANCE. Work-life balance is so important and something I am always striving to perfect.

As you know, we’re big fans of Eventions by Joselyn. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Eventions by Joselyn, LLC is an event management and consulting company that was born in 2016 out of a passion for helping others and a love for bringing people together. Through strategic partnerships formed over the years, I learned to be flexible and accommodating to each client’s unique needs and preferences. I provide event planning services and nonprofit consulting.

My mission is to provide innovative solutions to bring my clients’ vision to life, a mission to the forefront, and leave a lasting impact on their guests. Eventions by Joselyn, LLC is also a business that believes in giving back to the very community it lives. I commit 10% of all profits to host a community event or be donated to a local nonprofit annually. I am currently known for planning our Charleston Black Expo and one of our largest Juneteenth events in Charleston.

What sets me apart from other event planners is that I focus on community-focused events. I am most proud of my commitment to the type of events that I do and my ability to collaborate with many different organizations and companies.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I am so open to collaboration!! The name of my re-launch was “Collaborating for Good”. I am always an email or phone call away. Visit my website eventionsbyjoselyn.com and reach out to me there or by supporting any of the community events I am coordinating. They can also be found on my website.

Contact Info:

• Email: joselyn@eventionsbyjosely.com
• Website: eventionsbyjoselyn.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eventionsbyjoselyn/