Because Life Is An Event – Eventful by Mekalia

This month’s entrepreneur feature is such an inspiration to me and from the title, I think you have an idea of what to look forward to.

Mekalia Croney is a creative, event planner and many other things. I’ve know her since primary school and I really looked up to her. She was a class or two ahead of me and one of the girls I considered to ‘know what she was about’, even at that age. Since then, she has moved on to accomplish great things, but just about two years ago she “made the decision to expand [her] career options and explore the possibility of getting paid doing something [she] considered a hobby at the time, Event Planning, Design and Decor.”

Her business will be turning one TODAY (Friday 21st, 2019) and I’d love for the Islepreneur family to send a big shout out and congratulations to her.

Continue reading to learn more about Eventful by Mekalia.

1. Hello Mekalia. Tell me a bit about yourself and what you do.

Hello! my name is Mekalia Croney nee Antoine. I am a Christian, wife to an awesome husband, lover of nature and of mankind and a qualified teacher at the secondary level, specializing in Social Studies. I taught for eight years at my Alma Mater, The Anglican High School. I was then fortunate to get the opportunity to acquire training in Event Management through a joint program offered by George Washington University and UWI/Author Loc Jack school of business in Trinidad. I later acquired further training in Wedding and Event Management from the New York Institute of Art and Design (NYIAD). The training received along with my passion for the Events Industry has afforded me a number of opportunities first as the Wedding and Event Manager and Event Designer/Decorator at Island Catering, where I was instrumental in helping to create the wedding subsidiary of the company, today known as Island Weddings. After 7 years in that position, in 2017, it became time to move on and so I resigned. I was afraid of the unknown, but at the same time, excited about the adventures that awaited. It was a move which initially came about in order for me to migrate to be with my husband in neighbouring Trinidad but which eventually spiraled into me starting my own business and becoming an entrepreneur.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Setbacks only keep us back as far and as long as we let them. – Mekalia Croney [/perfectpullquote]

2. What led to your pivoting moment from teacher to event planner?

Event Planning came naturally to me, probably from a desire to be highly organised and always in the know as it relates to entertainment/the limelight etc. It was during my time as a teacher. I got stuck on every committee that planned anything and I decided that it would be useful to acquire some formal skills in order to become better at what I was doing. That mixed with passion was the catalyst that fueled what has been a chain reaction from 2008 to today.

3. Your work is amazing. You just keep getting better and better. What inspires you to keep going?

Awe! Well thank you, I appreciate the vote of confidence and yes that is the plan to keep getting better and better. I find inspiration in the process, taking an idea from conception to creation from a tiny seed/thought into this whole new tangible thing fascinates me. I am always eager about the outcome and once my adrenaline kicks in, its like a super power until the work is done. I often have to be reminded to eat or rest because I just want to create something wonderful, that my client will enjoy and be pleased with. Important to me also, is to create pieces that are reflective of me. My work reflects my personality, my style and my belief that “anything worth doing is worth doing well. For this reason, I will gently turn down the opportunity to work on projects that are not reflective of my taste and style or that time and resources do not permit me to do well. I am also inspired by everything and everyone around me. I try to find the blessing and the lesson in everything and that keeps me moving forward. my aim is always to outdo myself and only myself so I focus on just that, growing in my own space, through each project. Last but not least I find inspiration in turning old into New, in reusing and recycling so I can often be found pondering on old pieces of scrap metal or board etc. items deemed no longer useful. I figure out how these items can be repurposed and made useful or beautiful again and that sparks joy in my heart.

4. You mentioned you moved to Trinidad with your husband and have been between two islands. How has that been for you?

Like I said earlier, my life is an adventure. This right here is a big part of that adventure. When people ask, “Where do you live?” I jokingly say in the sea between Grenada and Trinidad lol! But the experience has been rewarding. Trinidad offers me a lot that Grenada can’t. Likewise, Grenada offers me so much that Trinidad does not so the right balance of the two creates the perfect equilibrium for me at this stage of my growth. I remind myself of that whenever this arrangement becomes a challenge, as it sometimes does. As you can imagine, as a result of my back and forth between islands, everything in my life is time sensitive and so scheduling and time management is very important to me, but I won’t trade this current phase of my life for anything. I look forward to mastering it and then moving on to another equally exciting and adventurous chapter.

[ctt title=”Never be afraid to start over, to think outside the box, reinvent yourself or throw the box away” tweet=”Never be afraid to start over, to think outside the box, reinvent yourself or throw the box away https://islepreneur.com/islepreneur/eventful-by-mekalia/ via @islepreneur” coverup=”56efe”]

5. List the services you offer at the moment.

Eventful by Mekalia is a wedding and special events company that specializes in celebrating life in ways that are authentic and uniquely you, simply “Because life is an event” (our motto). While Eventful by Mekalia caters to an array of events, Wedding planning and design is my first love. I also enjoy executing cooperate functions and dabbling in interior designs. My baby currently is the Picnicking and Gifting services which we offer. You can expect to hear and see a lot more of these in the coming months. We also offer a Procurement Service for persons wanting to source items for events as well as event consultations.

[envira-gallery id="7921"]

6. Name one or two projects you’ve completed which you can say are your favourite to date.

Lol! Now that’s a tough one. I think all of my projects are my favorite for various reasons. Each has taught me something distinct and unique, as each project has been distinct and unique in its own right. I especially like projects that allow me the flexibility to think outside the box, to come up with creative ideas and solutions and to construct things. I love any project that allows me to scout for materials in nature – my secret scrap yard Lol! I love to re-purpose old to new.

7. Did you ever once before think that you would have become an entrepreneur?

Nope! it wasn’t a path that I was groomed from High School to follow. I was not the student who had her eyes fixed on a career in business. Oh no! I was certain that I was destined for a career in the social sciences and so after Teachers College I prepared to pursue studies in Social Welfare and Guidance and Counseling. My dream halted or rather diverted in 2009 when tragedy struck and I lost my pillar of support – my Dad. I have learned, however, that setbacks only keep us back as far and as long as we let them.

8. Starting a business is no easy feat, especially on an island with limited resources. Did you experience any challenges starting your business and what did you do to overcome?

Oh yes! I experienced and still do experience challenges in getting Eventful By Mekalia off the ground and to where I want it to be. To overcome these challenges I try aligning myself with people who are more knowledgeable then I am about these issues. So for example, a lawyer to work out the legalities of contracts, business registration etc, an accountant to understand taxation, business accounts etc. A broker to understand the ins and outs of moving items through the port etc.