Today we’d like to introduce you to Keosha F. Barnett.
Hi Keosha, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I feel in love with planning and designing events by simply working with my aunt. Every other weekend there was packed with events that my aunt would need help with. Birthday parties, weddings, bridal showers, you name it. There was always a tablecloth to iron and or China to polish. I had the opportunity to work on various task as my aunt’s assistant as a teenager and quickly discovered that it was a passion of mine, and I knew it was when I would be exhausted from an event, receive no pay, and want to do it all over again.
I left home in 2005 and headed to Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, AL where I decided to study Mechanical Engineering and found myself planning events for college clubs/organizations. I couldn’t resist my passion, so I would plan monthly mixers, social events, and even spring break trips. The feeling of planning with purpose never left me after leaving home for college.
After completing both my bachelor’s and Master’s in the engineering field, life’s journey brought me back home to Charleston. I successfully landed an engineering position with a local engineering command working as a project manager. Many believed that I had the achieved ultimate success, but I felt that something was missing. I needed more; so, I decided chase after my passion and created the concept of a small event planning and design company in the Charleston area. In an industry that could seem overly saturated, I decided to step out on faith and create a business that would bring me joy while being able to serve those within reach. From my passion and what I believe to be my purpose, XO Events was birthed.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Initially, yes. The road to creating a business was simple and clear-cut for me. I knew the services I wanted to offer, I knew who my target and ideal client would look like, and I created a plan to take from gaining clients’ trust and business. Has there been a few obstacles? Absolutely. You read all about the struggles of other business owners in your industry and try to make decisions based off of their mistakes. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to avoid them, things just don’t go according to plan. For me, I truly struggled, and honestly still struggle, with understanding how important and how powerful marketing can be.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
XO Events provides worry-free social event services in the Charleston and surrounding areas. Specializing in intimate events, we offer full and partial event planning, design, and décor services to those seeking well-organized and stylish concepts for events such as weddings, engagements, birthday celebrations, christenings, baby showers, corporate events, small seminars, and more. We have been known to create social experiences for customers with smaller guest counts, creating an intimate and often times budget-friendly encounter. We know that the event market can be pricey and often times omits clients with modest budgets, but we pride ourselves in genuinely trying to work with every budget, something that is not often considered in the industry.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Most people are not aware that I am an engineer/project manager. I think working in this fields helps develop and polish my purpose/passion career in a positive way.
Pricing:
- Event Planning Services – $1,000
- Event Management/Coordination – $500
- Event Design & Decor – $1,000+
Contact Info:
- Email: info@myxoevents.com
- Website: https://www.myxoevents.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myxoevents/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myxoevents/
