Sara Vore ’13 has started her own business: Flowers and Leather Events and was recently featured in the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Newsletter. During her time as a student at IWU, Sara had the privilege of working with brides to find their dream wedding gowns and coordinate their entire wedding day style. After graduation, she moved on to her full-time career in event planning and management with several local organizations. While she continues to enjoy her full-time position as event coordinator at Illinois Wesleyan, Sara declared, “it was finally time to start my own business!”
The Illinois SBDC of McLean County at Illinois Wesleyan University has had the opportunity to work with Sara as she gets her business off the ground. She admits, “Although I thought about starting the business for a long time, I felt overwhelmed when thinking about the steps necessary to actually establish the business in the community. I felt I needed some accountability and someone to provide guidance.” Sara has worked with the SBDC over the past few months to refine her business plan, develop her marketing strategy, and connect with resources for legal and financial assistance. “The SBDC has been an invaluable support and resource while starting my business.”
Flowers and Leather Events focuses on wedding planning, and specifically day-of (also known as month-of) coordination. Sara works with her clients to create an absolutely flawless wedding day, providing services from timeline planning to vendor coordination, as well as calligraphy and centerpiece crafting! “I’m their cheerleader, their listening ear, their mediator, their cheesy joke provider, their mimosa maker – I’m their go-to gal for everything.”
While she is still in the early stages, Sara has big growth plans for her business, including expansion to other types of event planning, a wedding dress product line, and online courses to help other women entrepreneurs grow their own businesses. “Regardless of the path my company takes, I want to be able to help others and encourage them along their own journeys.”
Congratulations, Sara!
