Who are You? & What an you do NOW?

“Isn’t the time of reflecting Who You Are & what You can Do now to change your current state of mind in your business which will be important for tomorrow?”-Nirjary M.Desai

Welcome to our 6th webinar.

You are the core of your business. Defining and understanding your “WHY” is one of the most critical affirmations you will make during these uncertain times. Ask yourself: Are you authentic? Do you give more than you receive? How can you utilize what you have right now to generate income, buzz or stay relevant. What is the true meaning of service and how does this affect your business? These questions and more will be discussed and challenged on this webinar.

Questions to Panelist:

Many folks are scared of the now & the uncertainty of the future. Is it ok to ask yourself, Why am I in business, and Why am I doing this?
What are you guys doing as experts in your field that is helping the situation now?
There are many businesses and individuals scared to put out information on Social Media or just in general, because they are scared of what is happening, and the potential of not having a business for the rest of 2020 or future; What messaging is essential to put out, so you stay relevant?
What inventory & resources do event businesses have at their fingertips that they can still generate revenue?
How can businesses create community digitally or locally in their backyard to help them swim to shore during this time in order to move forward?
Why is it essential that we all take our messaging seriously and post Raw Reality vs. Pretty, as event professionals that is not what we are used to.
Many folks are scared of Collaboration vs. Competition, what is your vision of the future of the event community, and where is it going?

Anja Winikka

Anja Winikka combines her digital content, branding and audience development skills with more than a decade of wedding industry expertise to bring insights and education to creative wedding professionals across the country.

She is the former editorial digital director of TheKnot.com. During her tenure at The Knot, Anja led an editorial team to grow the site from 7 million to 11.8 million monthly unique visitors. She was also the brand spokesperson, regularly appearing on national TV outlets and news organizations including The Today Show, Good Morning America, Fox Business, CNN, The New York Times, Ad Week, and The Washington Post.

In 2016, she launched a series of social media and marketing workshops across 12 cities (from New York to Chicago, LA, and beyond) designed to help wedding businesses elevate their brands and reach more of the clients right for them. The workshops sold out to crowds across the country and became a model for dozens of other wedding industry workshops and summits thereafter. In 2017, Ad Week, recognized Anja as Chief Innovator of The Knot, helping small wedding businesses connect with a social savvy audience.

Recently Anja relocated with her husband and little girl from New York City to Kansas City and launched a marketing media and consulting company. Editor In Chief Media aims to help small business owners (large and small) from across the country and globe better position their brands and connect with their GenZ and millennial audiences.

Anja also continues to speak around the country and globe, educating small business owners and connecting them to the right people, stories and tools to help them take it to the next level.

She shares her marketing tips and brand positioning advice for small business owners @EICMedia on Instagram and she blogs about all things — from motherhood to leaving NYC for KC, building a business and living a purpose-driven lifestyle @AnjaWinikka.

Here’s a downloadable PDF that Anja was kind enough to share. This will help you in your journey to authenticity.

Nardos Imam

“When I sleep, I’m dreaming of dresses,” admits Nardos Imam, whose passion for design began early, when she was a young girl growing up in Eritrea. Her mother was a talented seamstress, who loved making colorful dresses for her children that would often turn heads in the neighborhood. As a child, Nardos was struck by her mother’s love of clothes and would spend hours sitting next to her sewing machine, fascinated by patterns and stitching, and playing with fabrics and scissors.

But Nardos wasn’t fully exposed to fashion until she went off to college in the United States. At first, she thought she would study nursing and never imagined she could have a career out of making clothes. Eventually, her love for fashion worn out and she ended up switching paths and studying costume design at El Centro College in Dallas, Texas, where she became enamored with her classes on theatrical costume and the history of fashion.

After graduation, she started working at the luxe fabric store Richard Brooks, and later became the in-house designer at Stanley Korshak, where she built a loyal following of customers, who kept coming back for her impeccable fit, eye for color, and unique architectural designs.

In 2009, Nardos took the plunge and finally launched her own fashion line, Nardos Couture. Since then, Nardos’ line has expanded into evening wear, custom couture bridal, and a ready-to-wear line, which is available in stores in Dallas and San Antonio. Today, women from all over the world come to Nardos’ atelier for her special couture experience. “My favorite part is when I put them in their first fit,” she says. “I love to see the reaction in their faces when they finally see their dream dress coming to life.”

Nardos credits God and the beauty in each of her clients as her sources of inspiration. She loves dressing all kinds of women, from mothers of the bride to teenage debutants, and dreams of one day mentoring young girls in Eritrea on all things fashion. Decades later, her mother is now the one who spends hours sitting in Nardos’ atelier.

Download The Who You Are & What can you Do Worksheet