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Name: Ashley Espinal

Business: Dulce Dreams Events, LLC Weddings & Events Planning , event planning

Industry: Other — Wedding and Event Planning, Arts & Entertainment 

Location: New York, New York, U.S.

Reason for starting: I’ve always known I wanted to own my own business. There is something really powerful in taking control of your life, being independent and knowing the kind of woman you want to be. It may sound cliche but the idea that the “journey is so much more important than the destination” is a really important idea for me. So many people have this idea of what their dream day is going to look like but don’t understand what that journey is going to be like when the planning process begins. If I can make that journey more fulfilling and satisfying for them, then I know I’ve created an important destination that is much more rewarding.

Related: Read about another female entrepreneur with her own event planning company here. 

How do you define success? For the most part, I’m constantly measuring myself against the person I was a year ago or even a week ago. I think that growth is never ending and in my constant search for personal growth, it plays a very large part of what makes me want to push forward. I can consider everyday or every week a success if I’m better than what I was the day before.

Biggest Success: Not letting my fears control me. Everyday is faced with challenges that you have to address. And most of the times, the decisions you have to make not only impact your business at the present moment, but also in the long run. That can be daunting but I’m very proud of myself for not letting those questions and fears deter me from moving forward.

What is your top challenge and how have you addressed it? Standing out from the crowd. NYC is incredibly saturated with every possible industry you can think of. I realized that the more I put myself into my business, the more unique it would become. One of the reasons I named my business in Spanish and English was because it was the perfect example of who I am, the things I value about myself and how I experience the world. Once I figured that out, it was easy to see that I’m able to stand out from the crowd by being my unique self in every way.

Related: Spring Forward with These 5 Productivity Tips 

Who is your most important role model? My mother. She amazes me with her strength and determination. She’s a dreamer that has allowed my siblings and I to dream the biggest of dreams and not be afraid of them. Then she taught us to get down and dirty if we wanted to achieve anything in life. She’s always led by example.

[box_light]Website   www.dulcedreamsevents.com
Twitter   @ddreamsevents 
Facebook   www.facebook.com/dulcedreamsevents
Pinterest   www.pinterest.com/dulcedreams[/box_light]

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Read about another event planning entrepreneur here

Edited by The Story Exchange