Growing a business and finding your niche can be challenging for the most dedicated entrepreneurs, but Lauren White is carving her own path in a place she adores.
White owns PlanIt GVL, a destination management company, through which she plans, manages and implements events of all sizes, including corporate and social events. White thought she might land in in the tourism industry after earning a master's degree International Hospitality and Tourism Management at the University of South Carolina. But she has found a way to translate her classroom and work experience into something unique and all her own.
More Women in Business:Lynn Addis of Daily Bread Sourdough
“I got involved with events and fell in love with it, and then I went to Greenville and fell in love with Greenville,” she says.
After White moved to Greenville in 2012, she was advised to start a destination management company, which would combine her interests with a need in the community. Though she loved the idea, the timing wasn’t quite right. She was new to the area and knew she had a lot to learn.
She says she landed a job doing private events, working for a boss who has become a mentor.
Eventually, White landed a job at the Greenville Convention Center.
“Those two jobs combined were great experience, and I had an itch to do more,” she says. “With Greenville’s growth, I saw an opportunity to revisit that idea to start a destination management company.”
With the city attracting worldwide interest and international industries located nearby, White thought the time was right. She reduced her hours at the convention center and spent the next several months in the transition to running her own business.
White says she remains grateful for that opportunity and still works closely with the center’s staff at events throughout the year.
But her entrepreneurial move came at a challenging time.
“I said, ‘OK, I'm ready to go out on my own,’ things are starting to pick up. It was going great. And then, you know, 2020,” she says. “My business was really starting to take off right at January, February, and as with most things at that time, it crashed, but then was kind of reborn. It's been pretty much nonstop since then – and it's been fun.”
Regrouping after pandemic closures, White started by managing outdoor events. She works extensively with events for the Home Builders Association of Greenville, including the annual Southern Home and Garden Show.
More Women in Business:Lyndsey Hall & Kristen Motte of The Bunny Hive
White says Greenville offers the best of both worlds for residents and visitors.
“It still has that small town feel for sure,” she says. “But we have big industry and with the big industry comes things to do.”
Currently, PlanIt GVL is a one-woman operation, but White is growing her company. Most importantly, she is still thrilled by what she gets to do.
“When you do what you love, it seems a little bit less like work,” she says.
It also helps to love where you live.
“Ever since college, I've dreamed about owning my own business,” White says. “Whether it was a coffee shop or a yoga studio, whatever it was, I knew I wanted to go out on my own and build something myself. It's been a dream and I feel like it's developed into what I learned going to grad school – you just learn what your niche is and you specialize in it. It's great being able to work for something that I believe in. I'm a big supporter of the City of Greenville. I believe in Greenville’s growth and the opportunities and partnerships and relationships I have with other businesses in the community.
“A lot of entrepreneurs just feel the warmth here in Greenville because everyone supports local businesses, which is great! I don't know if this business would have happened if I lived somewhere else, honestly. But Greenville is such a great place.”
Most Popular
Comments / 0