The question I am asked most often by my hospitality industry friends; how can I start my own business in this industry?

I may not be able to answer this question for every potential business opportunity in our industry. But, I am passionate about what I do and am always willing to share my path to becoming an independent meeting planner and the lessons I’ve learned along the way. For this quick post, let me share with you some highlights of my career path and steps that I took that led me to become an independent meeting planner:

• Worked for multiple organizations in the industry (hotels, trade show organizers, meeting management company) and was open to learning from those around me.
• Volunteered to take on additional responsibilities especially for independent roles within the organization.
• Proactively looked for and made myself available for entrepreneurial roles (sometimes referred to as intrapreneurial) within an organization- i.e. new initiatives, changing divisions, brands or moving to a new acquisition. 
• Took the time outside of work hours to plan and prepare both mentally and financially to make the leap.
• Surrounded myself with a support group that would support me before, during and after I took the leap.

Many of us go through our professional lives wishing that we could be independent. We hesitate because we fear the unknown and are concerned that if we do not know the steps necessary or who can help us on the journey, that we will fail. I believe you can achieve anything that you do with intention and pursue with a passion. It is much easier to talk yourself out of doing something (like starting your own business) than it is to take the simple steps needed to pursue your dream.

What is holding you back from pursuing your dream? Can I help you?