Conversations with Tahna Falk

Hi Tahna, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I was born and raised in Prescott, Arizona. I have a BA from San Diego State University. My background is in real estate and I also worked a paralegal for a real estate attorney from 2007 to 2014 doing complex real estate and business transactions and litigation.

In 2014, I was feeling I needed a change in my career path. I have always been interested in event planning and knew of a local event planner in the Prescott area. When inquiring about a potential position with this company, I learned that the owner was looking to sell the business. I felt at that moment that this was why I had left the law firm without a plan in place so that this wonderful opportunity could come into my life. A month and a half later I was the new owner of StarStruck Event Planning.

At that time, this event planning company was doing about 5 weddings and 5 small self-produced events, a year. In my first year of ownership, I worked really hard to change the focus of the business toward wedding planning services. I did a complete overhaul by creating a new website, new forms and systems, connecting with venues and vendors in my community, and obtaining new clientele for the year. My goal for my first year was to finish with 10 weddings. I,  instead, finished with 15 weddings under my belt. By my second year, my hard work had paid off and I was considered one of the top wedding planners in my community.

Fast forward to today (7 years later), my company is now doing between 30 and 40 weddings a year and we now produce several large community events.

In 2017, StarStruck Event Planning acquired the largest and longest-running wedding expo in Northern Arizona, the Prescott Bridal Affaire Expo. This wedding expo is known for its exceptionally friendly atmosphere and high-quality wedding vendors. On March 6, 2022, we will celebrate 17 years of the Prescott Bridal Affaire Expo.

In 2021, StarStruck Event Planning acquired the annual Festival of Trees Prescott event which takes place the week before Thanksgiving each year. Businesses come together in our community to decorate Christmas trees and wreaths which are then sold to the public. This event is done in benefit of a local nonprofit. This year, we chose to benefit our local nonprofit heroes, Prescott Area Shelter Services, and were able to raise $13,000 for them.

In 2022, StarStruck Event Planning will also be producing a new event to the community called the Prescott Valley Outdoor Summit. This event will be an annual event and is essentially where all forms of outdoor adventure come together. Stay tuned.

My background and unique mix of characteristics has made me the ideal event planner. I excel in every way in this industry and really enjoy what I do. There is now have a team of 4 amazing women behind StarStruck Event Planning: I am the Owner and Creative Producer. Rochelle Savory is a Creative Producer on community events, Jennifer Booth is my Operating Manager, and Alysia McCabe is my Director of Events on weddings and other events. These women make up my dream team. Together, I feel there is nothing that we cannot accomplish.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not always been a smooth road. There is always struggle with growth and how to best manage it. This is something that I really enjoy doing though and find a lot of joy and purpose in growing my company.

There is also struggle with finding work-home life balance. Event planning is not a Monday through Friday 9-5 type job. Setting schedules and boundaries for myself and finding the right team to support me has helped tremendously.

Finding the right staff can also be a challenge. Event planning is not for everyone and it takes a special set of skills to do well.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am known for working calm under pressure, my quick problem-solving abilities, creative solution ability, and strong work ethic. I am business-minded as well and surround myself with like-minded individuals. I am a very observant and analytical person and have the ability to learn quickly from my surroundings. These qualities combined, have helped me to succeed quickly in a challenging industry and help to keep me grounded and growing.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
For me, success is defined by character and a strong work ethic. If you have both of these and work hard, you will succeed.

I measure my success by the volume of referrals I receive from my colleagues in the event planning industry, referrals from other community members, and referrals from previous clients. These referrals lead to price points for services offered and volume of business received. The percentage of referral based business is a great indicator of the level and quality of service you are providing.

I further measure my success knowing that 3 businesses have now sold me the assets of their business, i.e., StarStruck Event Planning, the Prescott Bridal Affaire Expo, and the Festival of Trees Prescott. That speaks volumes to me that 3 different individuals have trusted me to take on their business and improve upon it.

Contact Info:

• Email: info@starstruck-events.com
• Website: www.StarStruck-Events.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starstruckeventplanning/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starstruckbridalandevents/