The blue diamond is one of the rarest, most mysterious stones in the world. It frequently adorns multimillion-dollar pieces of jewelry and comprises less than one percent of all mined diamonds.
So you would expect a company called Blu Diamond Event Management to take a rare, innovative approach to meeting client needs. And that’s exactly the approach Linda Cain, the company’s founder, has developed. As she shared with us at the recent Transcend Alliance Retreat, her own experiences are quite out-of-the-ordinary as well.
Although Linda has worked in the event space her entire adult life, she abruptly quit her corporate job a long time ago to work with entrepreneurs. And she never looked back.
That was my first chance to really see people from around the world interact culturally. And I just fell madly in love with it.
Transcending her corporate roots
Linda started managing and producing events during her college years, when she worked weddings and banquets on the weekends. She really grew to love events after getting hired to manage a golf tournament for a large law firm with international clients.
“That was my first chance to really see people from around the world interact culturally. And I just fell madly in love with it,” Linda said.
This led to a full-time gig in the firm’s marketing department, where she organized and produced numerous events. But fifteen years ago, she stumbled upon a new experience that captured her attention in an extraordinary way.
Around that time, a friend invited her to help produce an entrepreneurial coaching event. It lasted for an entire weekend and featured several speakers.
“The second day of the event, in the evening, we were sitting around talking, and I was just like, ‘I love this format. And I think I should quit my job and start my own company,’” Linda remembers saying.
Her fellow event producers supported her, and that Monday, she walked into her boss’s office and gave her two-week notice.
With entrepreneurs, there’s always this element of newness, and we can make things better and how we can make the product a little more different.
Never a dull moment
The seeds for Blu Diamond Event Management had been sown. About 20 percent of the company’s business still comes from corporate clients. But Linda said most of her revenue comes from entrepreneurial growth, personal development and business-to-business coaching events.
Each event shares similar characteristics, of course. For instance, Blu Diamond has to pick a location, negotiate a contract and handle other logistical issues. But the specific mindset that permeates the entrepreneurial space means no two events are the same.
For example, one of Linda’s coaching clients likes to take people outside for early-morning hikes, followed by yoga. Then there’s Jay Fawcett, a wine connoisseur, who hosts events centered around wine, conversations and cash.
“With entrepreneurs, there’s always this element of newness, and we can make things better and how we can make the product a little more different,” Linda said.
Entrepreneurs also have a constant desire to grow and evolve. Blu Diamond, based in Covina, California, goes much farther than the simple, one-off event. Instead, clients get to use live events as a foundation for growing their businesses.
“We don’t just look at the first event, or one event for the year, we look at how they’re going to map this out and where they’re going to take their clients over the course of three years,” Linda said.
One of the big things that I’m all about is the budget and making sure people go into the event at a profitable or break-even price point.
Playing the long game
Blu Diamond collaborates with each client, helping them build three-year business plans that map out how they will use live events, according to Linda. With the help of two full-time employees and several part-timers, each event gets recorded via audio and video. That way the client can use the event for promotional purposes.
But the real game-changer? Most of Blu Diamond’s clients actually profit from their events, especially after the first one. Linda does her best to eliminate the Financial Stress that most events present.
“One of the big things that I’m all about is the budget and making sure people go into the event at a profitable or break-even price point,” Linda said.
While other event producers may focus more on backroom sales, Blu Diamond prioritizes sponsorships, ticket sales and reducing pre-event costs. And her strategy works. As Linda explained, 90 percent of her clients end up profiting in the long run. The benefits of this approach go beyond the financial and make each event much more enjoyable for clients.
“They’re much more engaged, relaxed and focused. There’s just something in their mindset that is just so much better,” said Linda.
Eliminating stress, while making events profitable and enjoyable, just seems to come naturally for Linda. Her approach is all part of her servant’s mindset that led her into the event world in the first place.
“We really have a heart for our clients and a heart for the audience,” Linda said. “There’s nothing like being in a room full of people who are having a wonderful experience and gaining tons of knowledge that they can take with them after the event.”
The views and opinions expressed are those of the guest author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of MindShift.money.
image credit: Bigstock/twixx
Sam Bojarski is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in national publications, as well as local newspapers and magazines in his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA. A dedicated news junkie, he’s always on the lookout for how current events shape the financial aspects of our lives.