Today we’d like to introduce you to Valerie Mackenthun & Kayla Zuidema.
Hi Valerie & Kayla, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Our story started during a 12-day road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. As we made our way along the coastal highway, we imagined what creating our company would look like and how we would make it happen. The experiences on this trip inspired the mission of our company, making every day a celebration.
8 years later, Compass Occasions has evolved into a multidimensional coordinating and design company. We have a shared sense of creativity, detail orientation, and a shared love of people and helping them with their celebrations. Our services include: wedding design and coordination, non-profit fundraising galas, & corporate events.
In 2020 we opened our own event venue, Art’s Place which is a historic event venue. Located in the heart of downtown Hutchinson, Art’s Place offers a versatile and welcoming raw industrial backdrop for events. When combined with our planning and decorating services, we are a 1 stop shop. We also offer the option to customize your event and DIY many of the aspects other venues do not allow, like food and drinks.
We value local partnerships and recommend local vendors to complement our client’s events and experience in our space.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Our event venue, Art’s Place, was scheduled to open in April of 2020. With the uncertainty of the time, we considered giving up opening the venue. Through the help and support of our mentors, we gained the confidence & courage to push through and we opened in September of 2020. The last 2 years have been a struggle, but we feel that we successfully made it through the most challenging part and will continue to grow and evolve stronger through overcoming those challenges.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Our company started with the passion for helping non-profits with their annual themed gala events. We delighted in the details of the experience & were inspired by the creativity of creating these events. We offer a special rate for non-profit groups to keep their event affordable and able to raise funds through the utilization of their volunteers and creative event ideas. This is in evolution right now as fundraising events have drastically changed since COVID. We are working with our groups to find new fundraising strategies and to raise awareness about their group’s mission and goals.
Another focus of our company is wedding planning and design. We have collected an inventory of current and trendy decor with a timeless romantic aesthetic and created a wedding service that includes both the decor and the planning and guidance to design a wedding. We offer every service our clients might need and they can customize their package to perfectly fit into their day. Through partnerships with local venues, we are able to complement the services they offer and fill in where our clients need help. Our Day of Coordination Package is gaining popularity through our reputation of creating an organized and enjoyable day for our clients and their friends and family.
New in 2022, we started offering artificial arrangements that are included in our Design & Style Package. We focus on gorgeous greenery pieces that complement a range of decor styles and can be customized. They are much more affordable than live florals, they stand up to the heat in the summer, and people oftentimes can’t tell the difference,
Our venue is unique in the range of services and experiences our clients can have. From DIY to full-service planning, we offer options for our client’s event style and work with them directly to elevate their event.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Laying out our 1 year, 3 year, & 5 year goals helped us towards finding a mentor to fill those specific areas and guide us to making good business decisions to help reach those goals. Joining our local chamber has been what has helped us network in all sorts of environments and meet other business owners that have turned into friends that we can rely on to enhance our clients’ event experiences. Some of the most valuable connections have been with other small business owners in service industry roles. We appreciate navigating difficult obstacles that have come up and brainstorming solutions with our business peers. Making connections with other business owners and finding a mutually beneficial partnership to enhance both of our businesses has been one of the keys to our success. Even going out to coffee with other small business owners to discuss their struggles, successes and to just talk. We all share similar experiences and listening to others’ viewpoints has helped us grow.
We have also had great success through utilizing the resources offered by organizations like SWIF, SBDC and our EDA and have been lucky to have a number of supportive and helpful mentors. It is important to us to offer that experience to others. We are involved with mentoring through our high school and offer internships for college students. We believe in participating in growing and supporting others with entrepreneurship, leadership and especially women-led small businesses.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://compassoccasions.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/compassoccasions/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/compassoccasions/
Image Credits
Bella Lue Photography
