Founded in 2002, Samaya Events is a professional event planning company which plans all types of events from corporate events, not-for-profit events, to social events such as weddings, birthdays, showers, anniversaries, etc. Located in Chicago, Samaya Events plan events all over the United States and also excel in destination weddings throughout the world. Forging its way through many published articles on Event Planning in various trade magazines,Samaya Events has been recently rated by local brides and voted “The Knot Best of Weddings 2010 Pick”.
Founder Bhavini Desai of Samaya Events gives the Ebrandz team a vivid insight of how Samaya became what it is in no time.
Kindly give us a brief description about yourself?
I have been doing event planning for about 8 years before making a full-time profession and hold a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Masters of Business Administration. In the event of helping organize events for friends and family, I was approached by a decorator to pursue it further. That’s where it all began.
What inspired you to start a new business venture or to make significant changes in an existing business? How did the idea for your business come about?
Event planning has always been a passion of mine. From the very beginning I have been very organized, results-oriented, and deadline driven. I love event planning with extravagant décor and pay attention to all the details of an event to make it one of a kind. I started off planning events for family and friends and realized I could become a successful planner. This led me to a partnership with a florist and offering planning services. And quite likely after a couple of years I decided to start my very own company!
How important have good employees been to your success?
It is important to have good hard working employees because that is how the service will sell. It is also important to have trustworthy employees that will be loyal to the company. At the same time Samaya Events prides itself in treating their employees with respect and offers recognition and incentives whenever applicable to motivate employees to continue their hard work.
What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
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Customer focus
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Hard working
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Integrity
How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
Never give up, find workarounds if needed, but never give up.
How many hours do you work a day on average?
On a daily basis 8 to 10 hrs a day and whenever there is an event I end up working for about 12 to 14 hours. We ensure the client is serviced as contracted and to help the vendor as needed, we make our working hours flexible.
How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?
Being an entrepreneur has made it harder to have a work-life balance, especially when the events are on weekends. But I have managed to find time to spend with family and friends. I think it is important to have time away from work every once in awhile in order to come back to work with a fresh mind.
What motivates you?
Our clients’ happiness. At the end of an event a client being sincerely appreciative and happy with our services is what takes up one step further; is what inspires us to do better. My passion in event planning also drives me to do my best each day.
What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Planning a roadmap for where you want your business to be in a couple of years, setting milestones on a yearly basis, and setting challenging yet achievable goals.
How did you decide on the location for your business?
Hometown
What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
When it’s your own business, there is more personal investment as compared to working for someone else, such as time, money, success, stress and satisfaction
