In this episode, Tirzah interviews Sarah Narcus, owner of Olio, a venue in Peabody, Massachusetts. Sarah and Tirzah discuss the experience and hard work required to run a successful venue, especially when working with family. They emphasize the importance of an ever-changing, compelling website and encourage venue owners not to cut important corners. Sarah explains how to attract her ideal clientele and the importance of being upfront with prospective couples. Sarah, a Boston native, has been planning events of all sizes for more than 20 years. She is the owner and founder of Without A Hitch, a premier New England event planning company focusing on day-of coordination. Since starting the company in 2013, Sarah has worked with more than 500 brides, grooms, celebrants, and their families. Her background in planning events started in the nonprofit industry in 2004, when she was responsible for coordinating the annual Shake it for Shelter fundraising event at COMPASS for Kids. Later, at national nonprofit Cradles to Crayons, Sarah oversaw all of the organization's signature events, including the 700-person annual Backpack-a-thon and the largest annual fundraiser, the "Un-Gala". Sarah also worked at Facing History and Ourselves, where she planned the annual 900-person benefit dinner and advised their ten company offices on event strategy and execution. In 2016, Sarah recruited her mom Ellen to be her business partner in looking for and securing a property, which took several years. They purchased the historic building at 43 Main Street in the fall of 2018 and did a complete renovation to bring it up to code and opened for events in the summer of 2019. Although the extended closure in March of 2020 through June of 2021 was very challenging on the business, they have bounced back and are looking ahead. Sarah has recently joined the Peabody Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors to further support the local community. www.oliopeabody.com @oliopeabody @venuesuccesspodcast [email protected] www.tirzahcaffee.com TO APPLY TO BE ON THE PODCAST: https://forms.gle/ZamTiLekeLX7jAmM6

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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