Mother and daughter Karen Ferguson and Evan Potter started PlanIT Events in 2018, inspired by their personal passion for hosting and catering parties. “Throughout my life, my mom had planned amazing events at our house. One day, we thought, ‘Why don't we just start our own thing, and just see what we can do with it,’” says Potter. The pair says they had no idea how successful the business—which took off rapidly—would become, and soon they were both leaving their former jobs to run PlanIT full-time. “We felt like we needed to take that leap of faith, if you will, to make it a success,” says Ferguson. Now, they host a range of events for clients, including birthday parties, bridal and baby showers, celebrations of life and corporate events. The secret to their early momentum and long-lasting success, Ferguson says, is the close relationships they’ve built with their events team and clients. “We take every job seriously, and it's important to us. It matters to us as much as to our clients that their event is going to be as perfect as it can be. And we're honored that people trust us to be a part of major events for their families and friends, and we get to be part of making those memories,” she says. On working together as a mother-daughter pair, the two say they are best friends and that the business has brought them even closer. While they bring different perspectives and approaches to their work, Potter says that this is a blessing—they’re able to bring a variety of ideas to their clients and see what each client prefers. “We really respect each other and respect that each of us comes from a different point of view,” says Ferguson. “Lots of times, we're very different personalities in one way, but our core values are always the same.” Over the past seven years, Ferguson and Potter have built PlanIT into a one-stop shop for all their clients’ event-planning needs. The business focused solely on planning when it began, but they have since expanded to decorating and catering events as well. Most recently, the business acquired a liquor license and is now able to add a full-service bar to the range of services offered. Potter notes that they have distinguished themselves in the event planning industry with their adaptability—last-minute changes are not an issue for the pair and their business. “We can pivot at the last moment, which is particularly important with our corporate clients,” says Ferguson.  “All through the years, I've just never encountered as nice of people, as creative of people, as we have through this business, from our clients to our vendor friends,” echoes Ferguson. “We talk about it almost every day, because we're so grateful for these people to be in our lives.”