There is an old saying that says,”A picture is worth a thousand words.” If that picture is created by an event planner at a memorable moment, it is priceless. Tamara Adams-Hodges, founder of CreativiTEA Marketing and Events has been designing memorable moments for clients for the past 4 years. CreativiTEA Marketing and Events (based in Austin, Texas) is emerging as one of the state’s premier marketing and event planning firms. CreativiTEA has managed several types of events ranging from business meetings and weddings to sweet 16 celebrations.
Her company has clients primarily in Austin, Houston and San Antonio. Hodges has managed to grow CreativiTEA into a diverse company that now also offers concierge and catering services as well. Liberate Magazine had a chance to interview her and learn about how she got started and her thoughts on business and entrepreneurship.
LM: What drives you?
TH: love putting a smile on my clients faces. I love it when someone tells me their dreams and ideas and allow me to creatively make their dreams come true. I have an overactive imagination so you can give me three words (blue, diamonds, fabulous) and I will create a reality that’s more than what you imagined. I also love that I am able to create in my own space and on my own time. I love being able to work all day and all night if I have to and the next day I can volunteer at my church or go on a business trip with my husband. There are many days that I can plan an entire event sitting at the edge of a lake, eating cheese and grapes on a picnic blanket, and work harder than I would in an office. I guess you can say that I am motivated by boundless opportunities.
LM: What experiences influenced your decision to start a business?
TH: I worked in corporate for 7-8 years but there was never really any “employee satisfaction”. I fulfilled my job requirements but that was about it. I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life working A JOB, for A PAYCHECK, but never fulfilling my true purpose. I can’t give my best when I’m unhappy and I was most happy when I planned events, or created marketing pieces or catered a large event. Not only did I enjoy these things but I think I became addicted to the joy that it gave my “clients” when they were pleased with my work. When I did it as a hobby so many people told me that I should start my own business so I thought that maybe they were right.
LM: What formal education and/or training do you have or had to get to start your business?
TH: I have an undergraduate degree in Nutritional Sciences/Biochemistry. Yes, originally I thought I wanted to be a scientist and develop medicine and cures for cancer. I worked on it for all of one year and circumstances beyond my control [thankfully] forced me in another direction. I then worked in Marketing & Sales for the next few years and during that time I went back to school for my MBA in Business Management/Marketing. Cooking and event planning are natural talents but I become more skilled with each event that I do. I’m constantly doing research in the industry to stay abreast of new trends in event design and as for catering, I get to try new recipes out on my friends and family all the time.
“Don’t chase the money. Follow your dreams and the money will chase you.” –Tamara Adams-Hodges
LM: How did you get started?
TH: I started event planning and catering as a hobby. I’ve always been a meticulous organizer and I love to cook for large parties so I coordinated and catered several events for friends, family, non-profits. This included creating invitations or marketing materials, negotiating vendor contracts, organizing guest lists, guests, and accomodations, event design, etc. You name it, I did it. Then, for about four years I worked in corporate as a Marketing Associate and some of my responsibilities included coordinating company meetings, golf tournaments and other special events. The other half of my job was designing ads, developing marketing plans and initiatives, identifying target audiences and prospective clients, executing strategic objectives and marketing campaigns, evaluating customer research, market conditions, competitor data and implementing marketing plans. For about 7-8 years in corporate I did a mix of these responsibilities but was never really satisfied. There wasn’t much creativity involved because I was essentially producing the same materials/events for the same companies. Not to mention I never felt that my work or work ethic was ever truly valued. So I started doing more of my own thing on weekends. I was much happier working for myself and decided to take a LEAP of faith and do it full time.
LM: How did you determine what product and or service to sell?
TH: I never really felt that I had to choose between marketing or planning events or catering. God has gifted me with natural abilities to do all of it and I love doing them all. At different times I get to wear different hats. And I work mostly in three different cities – Austin, Houston and San Antonio so different clients have different needs. But we are a full service Marketing & Event firm so we’re able to cater to whatever need the client has. There are a lot of successful entrepreneurs who run a variety of successful companies. I just happen to operate what seems like three different companies under one. But they are all related and it’s a turnkey company so on many occasions I have clients who have need of all three services.
LM: What lessons have you learned from your first years in business?
TH: You must give (in expenses) before you receive! If you’re in it for quick money you can forget about it! Every dollar I make goes back into the business. I can get a check for $100,000 at 8am in the morning and by noon it’s gone because you have to pay this vendor or that one or you need to purchase inventory. Right now I am working on all of my certifications for meeting/event/wedding planners. Although I have the skills and experience some clients feel more comfortable with the letters after your name so – more expenses. I also want to always be able to offer more than the competition so I want to take some artistic culinary classes to continue to enhance my presentation skills. Because of my marketing experience and training I know to always study my competitors and do my homework to stay ahead of the trend. Especially with event design. Styles and trends are always changing. You should always be able to tell your clients about the newest and the best, not the other way around. Financially, I’m learning to pace myself so that my businesses can be self sufficient. I made a lot of mistakes when I was younger in regards to finances and personal credit. I had no mentors and I was the first in my family to complete college. I realize now how important those early decisions have affected my opportunities to advance and grow as a business. But now it just means that I have to work harder. And honestly, I think I appreciate the effort and the rewards even more.
LM: Who were the primary influences in your life as it relates to being an entrepreneur?
TH: I’ve had both negative and positive influences. Negative influences were the environments and people that I encountered as I grew into the person I am today. I noticed people who wasted their lives and potential and I didn’t want to add myself to the statistics. Even people, friends, who were “successful” in their careers in terms that they made lots of money, I still noticed how unhappy they were. So growing up underpriviledged, being the first to go to college, and being around unsatisfied people made me want to break the mold and take a risk as an entreprenur. When I made the decision to do this I started to surround myself with new friends who were also entrepreneurs and were very familiar with my daily struggle. I joined the board of an old college acquaintance who owned her own company. I also befriended her husband who owned his own company. And they reintroduced me to a friend of theirs, who happened to be an entrepreneur and also a friend of mine from college. This friend happens to now be my husband and I know that today it’s his support that keeps me going.
LM: What has been your biggest success?
TH: My biggest success was the day I decided to step out on faith, leave corporate America and pursue my goals by operating my business full time. Since then, each day that I am open for business is a success to me.
LM: What has been your biggest disappointment?
TH: Hindsight, as they say , is 20/20. If I would have known before I started college the things that I now know I would have done things a lot differently. I guess my biggest disappointment is that CreativiTEA Marketing & Events is not a household name yet and I feel that it could have been had I made different decisions in my past. But I’m working on it and that’s what counts.
LM: What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs?
TH: Don’t chase the money. Follow your dreams and the money will chase you. Take risks but make informed decisions. Follow the Golden Rule in regards to your clients – treat them with just as much as integrity and respect as you would want to be treated. And lastly, live your dreams. It’s not as hard as it may seem when you believe in yourself!
