A Theme Is More Than a Decorating Style Whenever I ask someone about the theme for their event, I almost always hear the same kinds of answers. "We're thinking black and gold." "It's kind of a garden theme." "We're doing Great Gatsby." None of those answers are necessarily wrong, but they often reveal something much bigger. Most people think a theme is primarily a decorating decision. They imagine flowers, linens, invitations, or perhaps a signature cocktail. The theme become

For many affluent founders, executives, investors, and client-facing business owners, the home has become more than a private retreat. It is a carefully managed setting for relationship building. A dinner at home can do what a boardroom, restaurant, or event space often cannot. It can lower defenses, protect privacy, and create a sense of access that feels personal and rare. Hosting at home is not just about showing wealth. At its best, it is about creating the exact conditio

The word free has done a remarkable job of convincing business owners and consumers alike that something has little value. I think the opposite is often true. Some of the most valuable events you'll ever host won't generate a dollar at the registration table. Instead, they'll generate something much harder to buy: trust. I've watched free events reconnect dormant prospects, deepen relationships with existing clients, create referral opportunities, introduce businesses to enti

A tray of untouched chicken. Three extra pans of pasta. A stack of boxed lunches no one ever opens. They all have the same thing in common. Someone guessed. When most people think about food waste, they picture leftovers at the end of an event. I think about the decisions that created those leftovers in the first place. More often than not, the problem isn't the caterer or the menu. It's that the host had to make dozens of decisions with incomplete information. One of the eas

Almost every time I speak, someone eventually asks the same question. "How much should I spend on my event?" At first glance, it sounds like a budgeting question. I've come to believe it's something else entirely. Very few people are actually asking what they can afford. What they're really trying to understand is whether the investment will be worth it. They want to know if spending $5,000, $25,000, or even $100,000 will produce a return that justifies the decision. That's a

There was a season in my business when my calendar looked exactly the way people said it should. Coffee on Tuesday. Lunch on Wednesday. A networking event on Thursday evening. Another coffee the following week because someone knew someone they thought I should meet. None of those conversations was a waste of time. In fact, many of them were genuinely worthwhile. Some became clients. Others became friends. A few introduced me to opportunities I would never have discovered othe