Today we’d like to introduce you to Melva LaJoy Legrand.
Melva LaJoy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Looking back my love affair with event planning started at my undergraduate alma mater, Howard University (don’t ask what year I graduated-ha) where I was mentored by so many amazing people in hospitality like the iconic Kim Banks but also, I had a chance to manage the Homecoming and write an operations guide for how to organize a multi-day festival. At the time, I didn’t realize then that events management would be my career and so I went on to graduate school at Columbia University to pursue what I thought would be my career as a full-time academic. Little did I know that God had other plans. After I completed my masters and opted not to pursue my doctorate, I returned to D.C. working at universities doing education work that had event planning components and it clicked, I knew that I wanted to do event planning that fed my soul which meant I wanted to design special occasions for organizations and individuals who were making impact. I began consulting part-time in 2007 and revitalized/relaunched the business in 2019. The essence has always been the same to be in the service of serving those who make the world better. The business is named LaJoy Plans because my middle name for my parents represented that I was the love and joy of their life, and also my mother’s name is Joyce so I call the business as its evolved LaJoy Plans because it is the love and joy of my professional life and I am so honored that I get to do this work.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t think any road is ever smooth and there have been too many struggles to mention but here is what I will say as I think it is important given the world that we are currently in where people sometimes fall into the trap of idolizing what you see on social media. Here is my truth.
For a chunk of my young adult life and perhaps even my teenage years, I battled depression and did not like myself. I have spoken about how I used to pull out my hair until I was bald and the pictures tell the story. The younger me had so many questions about whether or not life was worth living and I mean that sincerely. As a result, I was in and out of abusive relationships and was unfortunately raped. In these times I used work, correction, overworking as a way to push through life, but what I had to learn through a commitment to therapy, prayer, and developing my faith (which I am still working on by the way) is that you can’t outrun your struggles and nor should you need too. I think part of the reason the business is having a renaissance is because I am in the season of liking myself, I am in the season of setting boundaries and as a result, I have greater peace, clarity and most importantly, I know my worth and knowing your worth allows you to be a more focused businesswoman. When you know your worth, you don’t pursue business from a place of desperation but rather you wait on what’s for you. When you know your worth, you price accordingly. When you know your worth, you invest in people and projects that match who you truly are. For me, there is no longer a separate between work Melva LaJoy and person Melva LaJoy, and I think that is a good thing but first I had to grapple with trauma, lose some people who were feeding my negative narrative and yes, I had to be humbled, embarrassed, cry and all of the things. There is some truth to being broken and then being built back up and was it fun? No, but was it worth it absolutely? The journey of self-love led to a great business but also positioned me to meet the man I would marry which is a story for another time.
My grandma always says life comes for us all and for the journey I am so grateful I held on, and for the people who helped me along the way. There are no words that accurately capture what my parents, tribe, and now my husband have been to me. I am blessed.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
LaJoy Plans is an award-winning boutique events management firm based in DC that services mission-focused organizations and discerning clients nationwide. We specialize in the comprehensive creative events management which includes a range of services from project management, venue sourcing, registration management, technical production, onsite events management, and more. I am proud that despite the uncertainty of Covid we have kept a commitment to being a quality-driven versus a quantity-driven business which means that we do not overbook or overcommit because we value producing high-quality event occasions and providing that white-glove concierge level type of service to our trusted clients.
During the season of Covid, we’ve been honored to enhance our services as we are now called on to ghostwrite, direct and produce virtual events and commercials for many organizations. I think what distinguishes us as a firm is that over 90% of our clients are with us for two years or more. We have produced close to 300 conferences, and counting, and my academic background has allowed me to become a trusted advisor/mentor to many organizations who view events as a core piece of their business strategy.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I think there are two reasons why I am successful, and if I am viewed to be successful.
1. I pray.
2. I own mistakes
For the first one, it is not exclusively about praying for me but more so I pray over my behavior, I pray for others, I pray for clarity and I pray for peace. I think part of the reason why I have so much joy and contentment in my life is the silent moments where I take time to say thank you. And it’s not about thank you that everything is perfect, it’s more about thank you that I have a chance to be better, do better and become who I am meant to be.
I don’t know if there is a way to be successful and not own up to your mistakes because, here’s the deal, everyone makes them. I think people may not agree with me and they may not forgive me when I have made an error but when I own my mistake it means that I have learned the lesson and I am humble enough to know I am not perfect. Because I strive to be this way, I can evolve and evolution means growth and that is good for business.
Contact Info:
- Email: lajoy@lajoyplans.com
- Website: lajoyplans.com
- Instagram: @belajoyful
- Facebook: LaJoy Plans
- Youtube: LaJoy Plans
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/53118174/admin/
Image Credits
Ana Isabel Photography
Tori Del Photography
Myron Fields Photography
