Thriving in Chaos: How Beth Lawrence Builds Communities Through Well-Executed Events
In this third edition of Thriving in Chaos: A Feature on Women in Small Business, I am excited to introduce you to one of my favorite social media follows.
Beth Lawrence of Beth Lawrence Meeting & Events is a true one-woman powerhouse. Besides running an incredibly successful event planning business based in Philadelphia, she is also the host of The Type A+ Podcast.
Let’s jump right into Beth’s story and how she went from a lifetime overachiever to an all-around bad-ass professional.
Beth Lawrence, CMP of Beth Lawrence Meeting & Events
Creating Her Own Path
Like any typical A+ overachiever, Beth knew where her life was going. She was going to attend Arcadia University, achieve her degree, become an English teacher, and spend her life where overachievers thrive – academia.
After her first class in college, she was hit with an unexpected realization: academia was not for her.
That’s when her love of event planning was born. She said it was a natural marriage. Her extreme anxiety made her think of (and plan for!) every single possible scenario, and her overachieving nature made her a natural organizer. The only problem was that her college didn’t have an event planning major. If she wanted to follow this new path, she had to create it.
She worked with her school to create an individualized major that allowed her to focus on her growing love of organizing events. As long as she could prove that her selected courses could help her in the future, they could count toward her graduation.
Graduating in the Middle of a Recession
In 2009, Beth was a brand-new college graduate, armed with her Bachelor’s degree and the drive to make something of herself. What she wasn’t prepared for was the economic recession that was there to greet her.
With a dwindling economy, events weren’t exactly a booming industry. After sending out over 40 resumes a day, she eventually landed a job in the Sales and Events department at Dave and Buster’s in Philadelphia.
Thankful for the opportunity, she threw herself into learning all she could about the front and back end of the house. She had the opportunity to learn how to organize events of all kinds and especially soaked up all she could during the networking activities of the job.
If there was an event to go to, Beth was there, promoting Dave and Buster’s but also networking for herself. She says she met a lot of amazing people this way who would end up helping her throughout her career, even long after she resigned from her position at the entertainment hot spot.
Gaining Experience All Over Philadelphia
After her time with Dave and Buster’s, she accepted a position at Brûlèe Catering at the National Constitution Center. This position taught her the ins and outs of high-end catering, specifically how to completely transform a room by hosting everything from luxurious weddings to historical programs.
Her journey then took her to The Palm, a former high-end steakhouse in Philadelphia. While working on busy South Broad Street, she started to really craft her own personal brand. She volunteered for multiple nonprofits throughout the city and even started a networking group for those in the event and entertainment industries.
A snapshot from Philly Free Streets 2019
After The Palm, she moved to Snap Kitchen. Over the course of two years, she organized over 250 events for the healthy food chain in the City of Brotherly Love. Although she loved and learned from each one, her favorite was Philly Free Streets.
This celebration of movement closed 10 miles of streets in the city and encouraged people to see the sights in a different way. The goal was to encourage people to walk, ride bikes, or simply connect and play in the street. Beth loved how it showed people how healthy and fun city life could be.
Turning a Lay Off Into An Opportunity
At the end of 2017, Beth faced a devastating blow: a layoff. When went home to tell her husband the news, his response was simple: “You’re a bad bitch. I’m not worried about you.”
It turns out he was right. Beth got to work creating Beth Lawrence Meetings and Events, and two months to the day of her layoff, she signed her first two big clients and made enough money to get off unemployment.
It hasn’t been easy sailing since then – anyone remember March 2020? – but Beth certainly always has a way of coming out on top.
Just like everyone else, the pandemic made her pivot. But unlike everyone else, she had the upper hand. While everyone was scurrying to figure out how to produce successful virtual events, Beth already had years of virtual event experience under her belt.
Thanks to her ability to think quickly on her feet and her relentless drive to succeed, the pandemic didn’t break her. In fact, she signed even bigger clients during this time, such as the B.PHL Festival and Blue Cross Blue Shield.
While she loves working with these big-name clients, her heart lies with mission-based companies, nonprofits, and start-ups, especially those emerging in the uncharted waters of the cannabis industry.
Using Experience to Chart a Path Ahead
Freelance event planner, Beth Lawrence CMP
Like many millennials, Beth’s career hasn’t been a linear one. From sourcing scholarships to pay for college, creating her own major, and finding opportunities in the middle of a recession, resiliency has become Beth’s middle name.
That’s not the only thing Beth credits as a superpower. She also says that her anxiety has been more of a driving force than a limiting one. Because of it, she is able to think of every possible scenario, which is important in event planning.
In addition to creating these unforgettable, human-centric events, she also hosts The Type A+ Podcast. What started as a way to share bite-sized tips and tricks turned into an interview-formated podcast where Beth talks with professionals from every industry about how they find success through the highs and lows of being a Type A overachiever. Whether you’re an entrepreneur or an overachieving professional, I highly recommend you add this to your must-listen list!
A Q&A with Beth Lawrence
Q: Beth, what is your favorite part about owning a small business?
How much freedom comes with it. My time. My schedule. The freedom of the types of clients I get to pick. I get to work with amazing people that I wouldn’t necessarily have the opportunity to otherwise.
Q: How did you know it was time to branch out for yourself and not go back to the traditional event planning roles you held before?
The layoff was definitely a driving factor, but it was also a necessary one. I had already started building my own personal brand before that happened, so it all seemed to work out as it should have.
Q: What sets your business apart from other event planning businesses in your area?
For me, it’s because of how much well-rounded, on-the-ground knowledge I have of every phase of an event. Some things you just can’t learn until you live through it. I’ve been a server, host, bartender, and floor manager. I’ve worked in back-of-house and front-of-house operations. I've done so many different types of events, including weddings, bar mitzvahs, awards, televised award shows, and grand openings from city-wide events, that I understand the different aspects each one needs to be successful.
I’m also a Certified Meeting Professional, and I really love people. I use all of my knowledge and on-the-ground experience to deliver the best possible experience for my clients.
Q: If another woman came to you about starting a business in your industry, what would you tell them?
Beth Lawrence and Kiera Smalls, Co-founder of Strides and the Executive Director of Running Industry Diversity Coalition
Network!! Get your network together. It is such a huge part of event planning. Get out to facilitate. Get to know different vendors and all of the prices. Know all of the options. There are a lot of things in the event planning industry that you need to know like the back of your hand.
Before you dive in, talk to other planners in your area. It’s more than just fun parties and fancy outfits. Ask them how they price themselves and what goes into creating packages. Get into the details.
My biggest tip: Create your own rates and packages before you put your name out there. The more overzealous you are, the more likely you are to say yes to business that doesn’t align with your values or relate to your vision.
Q: If you could go back in time to 2004, what would you tell yourself about your life now?
You’re not going to be an English teacher, but you'll find something you love even more. I’ve achieved everything that I’ve set my mind to. Trust me, you’re going to be proud of yourself.
Q: Why did you want to be featured on this blog?
I wanted to do this because I love helping other women business owners. I’ve had so many women help me in my business life that it just feels right to do the same. I’ve also experienced situations where women aren’t so kind and willing to help each other and never want someone to have that experience with me. I truly believe that there is so much business out there for everyone. The more that people work together the more we can achieve.
My Take on Beth’s Story
The Type A+ Podcast
Listen… I’m not gonna lie. I’m a bit of a fan girl when it comes to Beth. Her content on social media is always on point, and I have always learned something from her podcasts. We also have a lot in common, mainly anxiety, living on the East Coast, and graduating from college into the wasteland that was 2009. So… not a ton I guess but let me live, okay?
Talking to Beth was so much fun, but one thing she said really stuck with me. While discussing how we’ve had to create our opportunities and the pushback that has come from some people of previous generations who may prefer that we follow a more typical track, she said, “you guys had a ladder. We have a rock climbing wall.”
That quote blew me away because it’s so true. Like Beth (and probably many millennials!), my career has been riddled with obstacles, setbacks, and life-changing traumas. Nothing has been linear or expected.
The corporate ladder is gone. It’s totally turned into a rock climbing wall. But take a page from Beth’s book. Turn those obstacles into strength and continue to drive forward. The world needs your strengths and your story. Sometimes, you just have to create the opportunities to share them.
If you want to follow Beth’s journey or hire her for your next event, you can find her here. She is also on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.
