Her Story
About Lyssa
I've been in the event industry for 14 years, and it's been quite a journey. I started back in 2012 when a friend asked me to help with her wedding on a tight budget. I discovered I absolutely loved it and didn't care how many tasks she threw at me. That led me to work with Party Pleasers and Event Connections in Cincinnati, where I learned the ropes as a concierge helping brides navigate vendor appointments. Bridget Nestor from I Do Weddings really taught me how to be an actual wedding planner. In 2015, I moved to Los Angeles to work with GBK Productions, which was a completely different world. I went from personal events to luxury lounges with celebrities for award shows like the Oscars and the SP Awards, and massive fundraisers like the Red Star Ball for Israel that raised millions of dollars. When COVID hit, it knocked the event industry on its ear, and I moved back to Cincinnati. During that time, I found a niche in virtual event planning, helping couples who were struggling with pandemic restrictions and couldn't afford full planning services. I also worked as an event marketing manager for home improvement companies, running payroll and managing trade shows and festivals for lead generation. Before my current role, I worked with 3CDC, a major nonprofit revitalizing downtown Cincinnati, where we produced huge events like Blink, a giant light show, and concert series. Now I'm back to my roots as a lead coordinator for Lianco Events, doing weddings again. I call it my back-to-basics moment, and I have a new appreciation for it because of everywhere I've been and everything I've done. My specialty is partial planning and day-of coordination, helping couples with limited budgets achieve their dream weddings, often working virtually to keep costs down.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Lyssa
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to, number one, my kids, because they're the reason I do everything that I do. I've raised them myself, I've been a single mom for pretty much the entire time that I've been raising them, and so far, I've got two adults that I actually like hanging out with, and I've got two teenagers that are working their way to the adults that I'd like to hang out with. That's always been my thing, is to take care of them and give them the opportunities that maybe I didn't have, and it's hard when it's just you, but it makes all the difference when I can look at my kids and go, okay, I didn't do too bad with these guys. I love the fact that I have them to keep me centered and balanced, and remind me that I gotta be a real person. I already know if I didn't have kids, I'd probably be some crazy person running off, like, just working weird jobs that don't really pay much money, just wandering around.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice that I've ever received is to know your worth and respect yourself, because nobody will respect you if you don't respect yourself. There's certain things that people shouldn't put up with. If you find yourself in a situation with an employer where you feel like you're being quietly fired, something that I went through personally, where gradually my hours decreased and my projects were getting reassigned to other people, but if you said something to them, they were like, oh, no, nothing's wrong, but they were just basically trying to push you out. If you see something like that, do not be afraid to stand up for yourself, because nobody else is going to. A lot has changed since COVID hit, and I've noticed the business world itself has changed a lot. I feel like the people that put in the most work are the ones that are the least appreciated nowadays, and that is absolutely ridiculous, because that's the heart and soul of any company. If anybody feels like they are being treated less than, then you find someplace that's going to treat you for the amazing person that you are, and for your actual qualities that you bring to a company. Nobody deserves to be treated like trash.
Keep Exploring
More Influential Women · Ohio
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.