Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Wantz.
Sarah, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I come from a family of successful entrepreneurs and felt it was destined to be part of my path. What I didn’t know (because you can’t know until you’re in it), is how incredibly difficult going out on your own is – reality check!
I started at a fashion design label, working directly under the owners, doing a bit of everything. I gained invaluable experience in marketing, sales, customer service, trade show management, fashion shows, and more. The experience in understanding how a “small” business was run, was incredible.
Next, I worked on the Macy’s Midwest Special Events team, managing a wide variety of events across the Midwest. From fashion shows to celebrity chef demos to a holiday fireworks event for 2,000 people, the experience was one of a kind! I worked with a team of unbelievably talented and creative women, traveled frequently, met a lot of interesting characters, and developed new ways to creatively plan truly special events. I wouldn’t trade my time there for anything and greatly value the experience I gained.
After 8+ years experience, I knew I was ready to take the entrepreneurial leap and that event planning was the long-term path for me. I left the corporate planning world and started Wantz Events in April of 2016 and it has been a rollercoaster with new learnings and experiences every.single.day. It has been humbling, exciting, anxiety-inducing, crazy, unexpected, and amazing! I am so grateful I was able to take this risk and am excited everyday for what is to come.
Has it been a smooth road?
I would say starting a business is never a smooth road, and if anyone says it is, they’re lying! The reason it can never be smooth is because when you take this specialty of yours and run with it to start an entire business, you are not necessarily also an expert in the following: taxes, marketing, sales, social media, customer service, billing and invoicing, networking and the list goes on and on of things you now need to manage when running your own business. You have to be prepared to be on-call 24/7 because there are no set hours and this is no longer a 9-5. I would say those are the struggles – overall learning a new way to work. With all of this said, the struggles are almost part of the excitement. Everyday you learn something new and it’s up to you to turn those struggles into learnings and future successes.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Wantz Events is a full-service event management company, or an ‘event concierge’ as I like to call it. While the categories of events we manage are Corporate, Social & Non-profit, it is hard to always fit everything into these boxes. Corporate events are becoming more and more creative and leaders are understanding the value of a special event. Employees don’t want a boring 2-day conference that they get nothing out of. People want an experience and luckily, corporations are realizing that.
I believe what sets Wantz Events apart is personality, creativity and a focus on relationship-building. The relationships and reputation you build are everything. Work hard, be someone people actually want to work with and have that touch of flare! Coming from Macy’s where creativity came first, my favorite part of event planning is the creative design. By that, I don’t just mean decor. I mean coming up with an entirely new fundraising concept for a large non-profit organization to reinvigorate donors, designing a unique brand launch for a new product, or a corporate happy hour on a yacht!
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Chicago is a great city for a company like Wantz Events, and special event planners/vendors overall! Being in a large city, there are a lot of great resources for startups and I feel Chicago encourages entrepreneurship. There is even a Women’s Business Development Center to specifically help female entrepreneurs! In addition to those resources, there are also a ton of events going on in this city everyday. It is a matter of getting in touch with the right people and being a strong resource in their planning process.
My advice is to take advantage of all Chicago’s entrepreneurial offerings, learn as much as possible before you take the leap, and put yourself out there! There are plenty of networking events every night so get out and start meeting people!
I can’t wait to see what the future holds and where it takes me, and I definitely appreciate where I’ve gone so far. Thanks Chicago & all you Chicagoans!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wantzevents.com
- Email: sarah@wantzevents.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wantzevents
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WantzEvents/
Image Credit:
Jeff Scheer
Carmen Mandato
Markus Allen
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