Paulina, you recently transitioned from a secure employment to a new role as Co-Founder of an Event company. What were your thoughts leading up to this step, and how is the business doing?

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I had many thoughts, and it wasn't an easy decision to leave a secure position at an established company to run and build a completely new event company from the ground up. The offer came when I was on parental leave. When you have a lot of time to think back and forth, you start to reflect on what you actually want in life.

I have a background in Hospitality and Event Management and have always loved the service industry; it's kind of in my core to want to go above and beyond for the customer.

Despite that love for the industry, in recent years I had been working more with pure sales and marketing. So, when the opportunity arose to become a partner in a completely new event company, I finally decided to say yes and take a chance, no matter how uncertain it was.
Business is going well! The company has only been active for just over a month, and we already have a couple of major Christmas parties for clients to plan, which is beyond our expectations, but so incredibly fun!  
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How can you leverage your previous experience in sales and service in your current role?

I am so grateful that I have worked many years in the service industry, from hotel receptionist, waiter, hostess to event coordinator. You get an incredibly good understanding of different people and a respect for the craftsmanship behind good service. When I then started working in sales, I could absolutely draw on those experiences when I met customers. In the same way, my experience in sales has given me a good understanding of different parts of a sales process such as negotiation and the importance of listening. Service and sales combined become an incredibly strong foundation that I really feel I can benefit from in my current role.

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What tips do you have for anyone who is considering taking the leap from being employed to becoming "their own boss"?

I asked myself the question:

"What's the worst that could happen?" and weighed it against "What's the upside?".

If the upside outweighs the risk, and if you really believe in the business idea, then I think you should dare to invest. It's always good to surround yourself with like-minded people who you can bounce ideas off and who can encourage you, whether it's a business partner or a network of people who also run their own companies. Two heads are better than one :)