Along Came Mary
When Mary Micucci started Along Came Mary Events in 1975, there was no such thing as “off-site” catering, and virtually no event production. With a passion for food and a unique vision, Mary and her team established innovative production and culinary excellence as the standard for the emerging industry. Along Came Mary is frequently credited as having established the modern movie premiere. Mary made an art of the entertainment industry’s most celebrated events, and throughout the years became known as the “Queen of Theme.” Now celebrating 45 years, and having built a legacy for event production and catering, Mary Micucci continues to bring that same passion to parties, consulting, building her social media platform and blog, and soon to be published…her first book, a business memoir.
Mary Micucci
Foodie. Angelino. Activist.
Hollywood Legend.
Mamma e Nonna.
photo courtesy of ALONG CAME MARY EVENTS
One of the greatest gifts of running a company was that I was able to mentor so many people and to collaborate with thousands of clients and vendors to make each and every event spectacular. For years and years people have asked me for business tips. All I have ever done is to help people and give business tips based on my own life experience of what I have accomplished over the years. With the new year starting it felt like a good time to share with you my top 5 tips for a successful business.
1. Celebrate
It was no coincidence that I started a wonderfully successful catering and special event production company.
Celebrating was instilled in me at a very young age and was key for me throughout my entire life. Gather your family together; celebrate the holidays, birthdays, Valentine’s day, whatever. Celebrating brings joy to your life. I like to be with people. I like to gather people. It brings me great happiness and I’ve been able to create a successful business and a living from doing so.
2. Think Outside The Box
In starting a new business you have to first have a vision and a dream about what the expectations of that vision will be. Have fun being creative. Don’t limit yourself.
3. Giving Up Is Not An Option
Always know that giving up is not an option. Don’t ever loose site of your dreams and don’t let your comfort zone hold you back. Be productive every day and keep negative people out of your life.
4. Don’t Start In Debt
Whether you begin small or large, never start your business in debt. Of course you have to come up with the preliminary funds for a business license and hiring people like a lawyer, and a bookkeeper, and any other necessary staff to create a team.
In all of the years I’ve owned Along Came Mary my mantra was to never go into debt. I only bought and hired what I could afford with the money that I had made. I never took out a loan, but that’s not to say that a loan wouldn’t be useful (especially in this time when interest rates are low) and to help give you a jump start. Always keep in mind to budget everything along the way. That is the importance of having good collaborator’s and a good bookkeeper at your disposal. Always keep an eye on your profit and loss and make changes along the way to not only accommodate your goals, but to keep within a reasonable budget.
5. Give It Time
You may not be successful overnight. Building a business takes some time. Don’t be discouraged. Just keep going, learning, and continue putting all the pieces together. Your business will benefit with this time spent and lessons learned along the way.
My Final Two Cents
Strong leadership, 100 percent commitment, and always remain focused. Be the master of your own success and success will follow.
-Mary