Baltimore based business continues to grow and add to its growing list of services
We’re always excited to hear that our subscribers businesses are doing well and growing. Recently, Janine Di Paula Stevens, CEO of Vircity announced that the dynamic company which caters to the needs of small and medium sized businesses as well as non-profits will be adding event planning to its comprehensive suite of services and offerings.
Since 2002, Janine has engineered all aspects of events for between two and 1,200 attendees. Now, behind her company’s name, she will use her expertise to build a division of Vircity focused on planning corporate and non‐profit events and retreats. Janine is also acting President of NAWBO BRC (the local chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners).
MyCity4Her recently caught up with the busy serial entrepreneur and asked her to expand on the growth of her business and her personal journey as a successful business woman. At the end of the article learn Janine’s top 4 tips to ensure your next event goes off without a hitch!
What made you decide to expand and form an event planning and retreat division?
“Over the last several years, more and more of our clients have asked us for assistance in coordinating their events and retreats to minimize the disruption of their employees’ day‐to‐day job responsibilities and eliminate the added stress of planning what is sometimes the largest revenue generator for the organization.”
You started Vircity 7 years ago, it’s not your first business – do you consider yourself a serial entrepreneur?
Yes, I guess I do consider myself a serial entrepreneur! I can get restless if I stay with one thing too long. In my school-age years, I always looked forward to September where I could start fresh and learn new things. As I got older, I found that I had about a 3 year window of interest with my employers. My longest employment was at The Center Club where I spent six years. Every day was exciting and different – and I might still be there if I didn’t have this desire to start my own business. Now on my own, I look for ways to challenge myself and continue to learn and make each day different. My quest to learn inspires me to start new business ventures.
What do you enjoy most about being a business owner?
I enjoy the freedom to make my own schedule. I’m constantly working – thinking about my businesses or brainstorming with others about an idea I have or challenge I’m facing. But what I’ve come to realize is that I don’t have to be in an office behind a desk from 8:30 – 5:30 to work. I can do just as much work sitting on the beach with a pad of paper – and sometimes I get more done because I’m not distracted by emails popping in my inbox!
What have you found the most challenging to date?
I am continually challenged by my employees. When I first started talking about the idea of starting a business – a retail business – no one openly shared with me their experiences with employees or talked about the drama I may encounter. You are at the mercy of your employees at times – especially with a retail business. If they call out sick, you have to open/close the store. It’s very disruptive to your day and to growing your business. I struggled to find employees with my same work-ethic and passion for my business. Now, when I find one that does, even a little bit, I do everything I can to hang on to them and help them grow within Vircity.
What are some of the biggest challenges facing women in business today?
I think one of the biggest challenges facing women today is the need to prove that they can have a family and a career. I believe as individuals, we should be judged on our ability to accomplish our goals and not have our success questioned by our gender before we even start.
You are very active in the community, and are currently the President of NAWBO BRC…as well as a board member of Network 2000, what has been the most fulfilling aspects of these two very different opportunities to help other women in business?
The most fulfilling aspect of these two roles has been the opportunity to get to know other women better. When you are working together as a team toward a common goal, you grow to understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses, more so than through “networking”. I was advised early in my career to put as much into an organization as I wanted to get out of it but I didn’t listen. I joined organizations where I attended a meeting or two and wondered why I didn’t have business pouring in the door. If I had attended more meetings and sought out committee involvement, I would have had a completely different experience with more opportunities. When I join an organization now, I look at how I can get involved and develop stronger relationships which ultimately helps me help other women in business because it’s not what you know, but who you know!
When you’re not working hard on your business, how do you like to spend your time?
At the beach with my toes in the sand and a notepad for ideas.
In closing we asked Janine to share her top 4 (four) tips for successful event planning to make sure your next happening goes off without a hitch and here’s what she shared
TOP 4 Tips for Successful Events
- Plan – organize all the details of the event before committing to anything.
- Evaluate – look at the event from all angles and punch holes to find the areas where things may not go as planned.
- Organize – meet with several different providers of services to learn everyone’s strengths and weaknesses to select the best vendors for your event.
- Expect – no matter how well you plan, there will probably be something you didn’t plan for. So make sure you have all your information with you the day of your event to tackle the unexpected.
About Janine Di Paula Stevens
Ms. DiPaula Stevens is the CEO of Vircity, as well as President of 720 S. Montford LLC . The entrepreneurial adventure started in 2005 when Ms. DiPaula Stevens created Vircity with the vision of helping small to mid-sized businesses and nonprofit organizations effectively utilize their resources by using Vircity to assist them with their back-office support activities. With Vircity’s success came the opportunity for more adventures and serial entrepreneurs were born. Working with her business partner and husband, Bill Stevens, they continue to develop their entrepreneurial ventures, and as adjunct professors, share their experiences through their instruction of the Entrepreneurship Minor at Notre Dame of Maryland University.
Ms. DiPaula Stevens currently serves as President of the Baltimore Regional Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), and sits on the Board of Directors for Network 2000, St. Casimir Catholic School, and The Tyanna Foundation.