January 1, 2019

Happy new year! It’s always so exciting celebrating the new year, thinking about what’s to come. My least favorite part of the “new year” is the fact that it will probably take me 2 months to correctly write “2019” on my paperwork, does that happen to anyone else?

So now that we’ve completed our first full year of business, we are going to take some time this month to evaluate our year including our achievements, goals, selling strategies, marketing materials, bookkeeping tactics, and ALL other business practices.

This month’s Hawaiian value that I’m incorporating into Ohana Events is very fitting for evaluating our business. Kulia I ka nu’u is defined as:

The value of achievement. “Strive to reach the summit.”
Pursue personal excellence in all you do

What is achievement? How do you reach achievement? What do you do once you “achieve” something? Every business answers these questions differently. I feel the most basic part of achievement is setting a goal and reaching it. My original goal for Ohana Events was to plan 10 weddings in 2018. I tried really hard to find clients and spread the word and I feel blessed, lucky and proud (all at the same time) to have planned 21 weddings which surpassed my goal by 2 times. I also planned a bridal shower, graduation party, children’s birthday party, a multi-day corporate conference, a styled shoot and countless community events at a local mall.

So now what? How will my goals change in 2018 vs. 2019? My goal is to at least match my number of 2018 weddings. So far, the clients I’ve already booked for 2019 are valuing my package prices/services and choosing to hire me for my higher end packages. I’m seeing many less “day of” clients and more full planning which is great for many reasons. I form better relationships with these clients because it’s more communication back and fourth. I also have more influence in every aspect of these client’s wedding so I have faith that no detail will be overlooked. So even if I have the same number of weddings, I will have more work to do overall. I am also putting more hours into every wedding to ensure my clients are happy and are getting more services than they expected. It’s better to impress rather than “just get by”.

I’m really trying to focus on kulia i ka nu’u in more than just business though. In order to pursue personal excellence in all that I do, I have to make sure to be more present with my family, set up dinners with friends even if I only have one night free that week, and continue to strengthen my relationship with my boyfriend. A balanced life is key to staying happy and well rounded so it’s important to continue reminding myself I need to put time and energy not only into my business but my family, friends, hobbies, working out and relaxing. So after finishing this blog, I think I’m going to treat myself to a fresh batch of popcorn, relax all day and have a movie night with my man because it’s a holiday and I deserve it!

-Danielle Kuhn, Ohana Events