Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Shaw.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Growing up, I always loved organizing events and parties. I have two much younger siblings and loved planning their birthday parties, and noticed while I was working on that, I was having a lot of fun, and I was also pretty good at it!
When it came time for college, I felt very lost. The decision to choose what you potentially want to do for the rest of your life is an intimidating one, and I made the decision to take a year off, work, and really think about it, but I promised to attend college in the future. I bounced around at a couple of different colleges (even moving to Charleston, SC) before I landed at Kent State University in their Hospitality Management program with a minor in Event Planning.
From there, I knew I wanted to be involved in events, but not sure what area; there are just so many options! (another thing I love about event planning). I ended up getting a job at a country club in Medina, OH. I never pictured myself working in a country club. They can get a bad reputation for being stuck up and impossible to please but I absolutely loved my time there and learned so much that I never would’ve gained from a textbook or a college classroom.
After almost five years in Medina, I needed a change. I had a couple of other random jobs, but didn’t feel fulfilled in the same way that event planning meant to me. I always had the pipedream of opening my own event planning business but always came up with excuses with why it wasn’t the right time. One day, I thought to myself, “If I don’t start today, I never will” and that’s how LES is More Events came to be. I had the name of my business in my head for so long just waiting to put it on a business card. Seeing it now is honestly so full circle for me.
I officially opened my business in June of 2024. What business owners don’t tell you is how much time and effort it takes to get yourself off the ground. Not that I expected by business to open and leads coming rolling in but it required so much patience and consistency that I had to learn. I am still getting the hang of things. Being a business owner is hard (especially when you have a 9-5 job and are planning a wedding of your own), but I wouldn’t change it for anything,
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?
My biggest struggle is maintaining a presence on social media. I was just talking with a fellow vendor yesterday about how this is honestly a full-time job in itself. But when you are a small business owner and are the only one behind the scenes, you have to find a way to make it happen while also staying authentic to yourself.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
LES is More Events is an event planning business located in Akron, OH. We specialize in providing personalized event planning services tailored to events of all sizes, whether they are grand affairs or intimate gatherings. We believe that every occasion, no matter how big or small, deserves to be celebrated in style.
The whole idea behind the name of our business is that celebrating amazing events in your life shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg. There are so many other parts of life that cause us to worry; celebrating those we love shouldn’t be one of them. We want to make the planning process as easy and affordable as possible for our clients.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
I want to be able to look back at each and every event I’ve done and know that I put a smile on someone’s face or that I made their event one of the happiest days of their lives. To me, this is what life is all about. If we aren’t celebrating when things are good, it’ll never give us any inspiration to work through the bad days.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lesismoreevents.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lesismoreevents_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559967478856
