When I stumbled across the Hawaiian value ha’aha’a, I laughed – first by reading the word in my head “haa-haa” and then out loud immediately after. How could you not laugh by looking at this word? At first glance I assumed it meant valuing relationships, laughter and having a good time. I would not have predicted ha’aha’a means valuing humility. To me, humility is remaining calm and refraining from saying anything outspoken about yourself.

HA‘AHA‘A
“The value of humility. Be humble, be modest, and open your thoughts.”

I’ve realized a lot of the values I want my business to follow are actually hard to conceptualize and talk about, being that I work in the event industry. This industry is full of “showing what you got”. We’re supposed to showcase the beautiful weddings that we design and the outstandingly fun social events we coordinate so potential clients see what we’re made of, right? That is true as long as you don’t overdue it, in my opinion.

The best way I can accomplish being humble and modest is to keep my personal accounts and business accounts separate. If people want to see the work I do, I encourage my supporters to follow Ohana Events on Instagram, Facebook and our blog. I’m also trying not to let Ohana Events control my life. In the beginning months it’s all I could think about and all I could talk about – but for good reason. That’s the opposite of what ha’aha’a means and I’m glad I got over that “hump”. Lately I’ve been able to incorporate a nice work-life balance. Being able to focus on the dinner parties and fun vacations ahead has allowed me to be more humble with Ohana Events because it’s not all I’m thinking about.

I also want people to follow my posts because of the personality I put in them. I don’t want my entire feed to be the tiny little details throughout the decor, how most planners flaunt their work. I want my potential clients to hear my goofy sense of humor and love for my current clients through my pictures and wording. In this scenario, it’s hard to show off if I want to incorporate more than just the “pretty things” that make up my events. I believe there’s more than just the pictures that influence a potential client to hire a planner.

Now in terms of opening my thoughts, I should probably touch base on the upcoming months. I wish I could say I’m booked up with no available weekends this fall/winter. That would be SO nice and it would “look good” to potential clients, vendors and peers. But in reality that’s not true. I have a minimal number of events in September and November. I am rather embarrassed even though I still have time to book more. I feel that most companies would not want to admit this for a multitude of reasons. I am also friends with many planners in the city so it’s hard for me not to compare myself to their success. How could I not? That being said, I’m really trying to grasp the fact that this is my first year on my own. I have to stop being greedy and realize I’m in a good place because I’m happier than I’ve ever been.

I still have a lot to learn and I’m grateful to be surrounded by so many talented professionals in this vibrant industry in Chicago. I feel blessed that I have so many amazing people to look up to, and aspire to be like. Moving forward I want to treasure the position I’m in, whichever that may be. I may be busy or I may have a slow month. I’m going to enjoy these slow months while I can, and hope to follow in my communities footsteps by growing in this ever changing wedding and event world!

Although I’m not one to talk about myself, I am glad I’m thinking about and incorporating this value. If YOU own your own business and are having an unusually slow season, I hope you’re taking something from this. It’s okay to admit you’ve been busier. I think the best way to get through this is to talk about it with others! Here I am, ranting to the world that may not even be listening. But I don’t care because I feel every one of these value blogs is making me stronger. I hope you come back next month to see what other values I am working by. I promise I will have a more up-lifting blog in September! 🙂

 

-Danielle Kuhn, Ohana Events