At planitOmaha, their world revolves around one absolute: in the business of corporate event planning, there are no "do overs."
"It's a one shot deal," said planitOmaha co-founder Lesley Brandt. "The way our team prepares the production schedule and puts together the plan for the event, we've thought about the 'what ifs.' We've gone through, in 'think tank fashion,' and problem solved before problems even exist. Our clients can feel very confident, going into the event, that things are going to be taken care of."
Brandt and longtime friend Renee Black launched planitOmaha, the Greater Omaha Chamber's October Small Business of the Month, 11 years ago. Their business sense told them the timing was right.
"We knew that Omaha was going to be getting a facility that is now called Qwest Center Omaha. We knew that good things were coming in the business environment in Omaha, and we knew it was a good time to jump into the event planning industry. There wasn't a lot of competition at the time, and the needs were great," said Black.
Their instincts proved spot on, and since 1998, growth has been steady. What started in the co-founders' home office now operates out of an office in west Omaha with a total of five people on the payroll: the two principals and their three event managers. Black said everyone on staff has a high energy level and a passion for logistics, two necessities in the corporate event planning industry.
"You really need to have the energy and the focus to work crazy hours and long events. A lot of the demands of this job are very unique," said Black.
She and Brandt described their team as event "general contractors," designing and producing everything from meetings and conferences to special events and trade shows.
"Some of our clients come to us with an 'event blueprint.' Maybe their event's grown beyond what they can handle, so we step in and help take it to the next level or take some of the burden off their hands. Others say, 'I have a budget, help me maximize that budget,'" said Brandt.
Black added, "We've always been very budget conscious. We show our clients the value they receive for every single penny they spend, whether it's in the table and chairs that we rent or our fee for professional service. The challenging thing and one of the most interesting things that we can do here at planitOmaha is take a budget and exceed the client's expectations by giving them much more for their money than they ever dreamed possible."
Though Black and Brandt admit to having their share of sleepless nights, the entrepreneurs said they are continually rewarded by the "sheer joy" that comes with watching their business and their employees grow. They expect to witness much more growth in the years to come.
"Our staff has great potential to grow in numbers and events we're capable of doing," said Brandt. "It's also possible to franchise. We've had people from other markets approach us, basically wanting to duplicate this model. So, that's definitely a possibility."
Black added, "I think that the future holds great things for us, as well, because, while planitOmaha may not be a household name like Mutual of Omaha or ConAgra Foods, we know that a lot of people in the business community know who we are. Our name means something; our name is credible on the street."
PlanitOmaha's founders are making sure fellow Chamber members know their company's name by taking full advantage of Chamber offerings like Coffee & Contacts, Leadership Omaha and Chamber Academies.
"We've had a great opportunity to network and meet people, exchange cards and really develop those professional relationships," said Brandt.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska is the sponsor of the Small Business of the Month award. View more information or nominate a small business online.