Life and Work with Beth Gutierrez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Beth Gutierrez.

Beth, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I came to events by way of marketing, specifically public relations. I worked in PR and marketing agencies for about 10 years, which allowed me to work on a really wide range of clients, many of whom we planned events for in varying capacities, from intimate media preview events to large-scale weekend-long festivals. Over time, it became clear to me that I really enjoyed – and, frankly, was much better at – the project management/organizational/logistical aspects of the job than pitching media. I started doing events on the weekends and then eventually took the leap to start my own business about two and a half years ago.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It’s been a wild ride! Overall, I’d say it’s been smoother and less scary than I thought it would be, but definitely not without its challenges. I think to start a business you should have a bit of a plan, some money saved – not a ton, but a few months’ worth of expenses – and get very disciplined, especially if you’re used to the structure of an office job or are just out of school. I researched the pitfalls of transitioning into a work-from-home job before I left my agency job in order to learn from others’ experiences and it served me well, but that was still a weird transition. I’m not an expert on this by any means, but here are some things that worked for me:

– Do your homework and put some time into learning whether you really want to pursue this full time. As I mentioned, I did events on the side of my full-time gig just to get my feet wet, which gave me confidence that I could – and wanted to – make this my livelihood.
– Figure out your worth as early on as possible by doing your research and talking to other professionals in your field. I’ve found it invaluable to join different groups of small business owners and freelancers in San Diego and online – people going through the same thing, who are open to talking about rates and other important issues, and to celebrate wins! Business for Good San Diego is hands down the best resource for small biz owners in our city, in my opinion.
– Say yes to as many things as you can take on just to get some solid experience – even if it’s pro bono, if you can afford it. I did this in my first year and it led to some incredible opportunities and relationships and, yes, eventually paid work.
– Outsource the things you’re not good at. You might not be great at accounting, and that’s okay! I’m not trying to touch legally binding contracts and anything beyond basic finances.

And don’t be so scared! You can always retool, refine or change course whenever you need. I was lucky to have the full support of my loved ones and an awesome spouse – whose employer is providing me with health and dental – but if you have confidence in what you bring to the table and find a trusted crew that can act as a sounding board, you’re already ahead of the game.

Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I plan and produce events! I have my own ongoing clients and project work and also get subcontracted by other event production companies who need to expand their team for larger events or activations.

Most of my clients tend to be small businesses and nonprofits, which have annual or ongoing event needs but don’t need a full-time event person on staff. Oftentimes, events get tacked onto someone’s already full-time job, so outsourcing to an event professional allows a client or organization’s staff to focus on the jobs they were hired to do.

I like to say that if it’s fun, I’ll do it. Being an event producer means you have skills that transfer across pretty much any type of event, experience or activation. Does it require managing many moving parts and making sure people do what they’ve said they’ll do when they said they’d do it? If so, I’m on it. I’ve done everything from groundbreaking ceremonies to film premieres to conferences to huge food and beverage tasting events.

I’m most proud of my work ethic, adaptability, diplomacy (being firm but kind is a must!) and positive attitude, and most grateful that I get to work with some truly incredible people, including many folks from my marketing years. I feel very lucky.

Do you think there are structural or other barriers impeding the emergence of more female leaders?
I think even in very open-minded Southern California there’s still quite a bit of deep-seated sexism, whether people realize they exhibit those tendencies or not. I’ve had the good fortune to have worked mostly with strong women and some wonderful men since I’ve been out on my own, but many of my female peers – especially those in finance and other more traditional professional services – still run up against would-be clients or industry colleagues who assume they’re either the secretary or a junior team member when they’re literally the boss. I’ve had to stand up for myself on several occasions. But every day, we’re collectively changing people’s ideas of what business ownership looks like – that it transcends gender, ethnicity, race and so many of those old constructs.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://joycultureevents.com/
• Email: hello@joycultureevents.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joycultureevents/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joycultureevents/

Image Credit:
Oaken Anchor, Steve Wahl, Tim Hardy Photography, Anthony Baca Photography

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