Segment: Personality, Connection & Excellence Builds A Business That Thrives

Summary

Konnected Minds Podcast with Derrick Abaitey
Episode Segment: Personality, Connection & Excellence Builds A Business That Thrives
Date: July 6, 2026

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Overview

In this engaging segment, host Derrick Abaitey explores how personality, connectivity, and a relentless pursuit of excellence are crucial foundations for building a thriving business. Special guest—the founder of Zafire Events (referred to as the "Event Planner Entrepreneur")—shares compelling personal experiences on sustaining a 24-year legacy in event planning, fostering team culture, creating client-focused experiences, and the unique journey that sparked the birth of Zafire Events.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Triple Pillars: Personality, Connection, and Excellent Work

• The Role of Personality (01:19)

  • The guest attributes much of her business success to her dynamic, joyful, and energetic personality, which naturally seeps into every event and client interaction.
  • Quote:

    “I've always had this joyful personality. It’s just me. I’m fun, I’m energetic. I just want everyone to be happy. So my personality seeps into the business.”
    — Event Planner Entrepreneur (01:25)

• Connection: Bringing People Together (01:40)

  • She underscores her gift for connecting people and building networks, which has aided both client satisfaction and business referrals.
  • Recognizes that not every team member is equally energetic, so she leverages individual strengths:

    “Everybody has their different strength. Some people are not energetic like me... Some people are calm, some people are demure... The ones that are energetic, push them forward. ...That energy feeds the business, but it’s not what is propelling the business."
    — Event Planner Entrepreneur (01:54)

• Uncompromising Excellence (02:25)

  • She stresses that the longevity of Zafire Events (over 24 years) is proof that quality work keeps clients returning.
  • Quote:

    “If the work was not good, they will not come back. They have been coming back for over 24 years. It means the work is outstanding.”
    — Event Planner Entrepreneur (02:33)

2. Longevity and Teamwork

• Sustaining Over Two Decades (03:02)

  • Both host and guest highlight the challenge of enduring in business, with Derrick noting:

    “Some people can’t even last five years—so it’s putting yourself together, gathering that energy, and constantly showing up.”
    — Derrick Abaitey (02:55)

  • The guest affirms her gratitude for building a reliable team over the last 15 years. She credits the team for executing successful events, often independently.
  • Quote:

    “I’m the figure head. I just come to dance or show my face. The work—everything is happening... even on the day, the team and I are very instrumental in making sure. So it’s not a one-man business… it’s a team of people doing great things.”
    — Event Planner Entrepreneur (03:14)

• Stepping Back for Team Growth & Business Legacy (03:55)

  • She shares that sometimes she does not attend events personally; clients often insist her team is excellent on their own.
  • Quote:

    “There are times I don’t attend some events... I still get people calling me—‘Fantastic, awesome, the team is great, oh my God!’ ...I must intentionally push my team forward... This business is going to outlive me, it’s going to grow beyond me.”
    — Event Planner Entrepreneur (04:00–04:24)

3. The Event Planning Process: From Concept to Execution

• Comprehensive Process Breakdown (05:02–07:46)
  • Step 1: Understanding the Brief
    • Begin with consultation to thoroughly understand client expectations—no “one size fits all”.
  • Step 2: Pre-Planning Stage
    • Distilling the brief, creating a storyboard, developing creative direction, identifying vendors.
  • Step 3: Planning Stage
    • Working off detailed checklists, timelines, budgets, vendor recommendations, and setting up design elements.
  • Step 4: Execution
    • On the event day: manage production timelines, event flow, food service, guest accreditation, and overall schedule.
  • Budgeting:
    • Each event is unique:

      “It’s unique, it’s personal, so everybody’s different. You can’t use one size fits all for people.”
      — Event Planner Entrepreneur (07:40)

4. The Origins of Zafire Events

• Formative Experiences & Realizations (07:52–10:37)
  • Early love for communication and connecting with people—originally thought about studying mass communication, but chose law after parental influence.
  • Discovered law was not her passion—“As I entered that year award like this, I say, hey, who sent me message? What am I doing in this class? But I stuck and I made it through.” (08:27)
  • While in university and law school: helped friends market clothes, organize events, coordinate weddings informally.
  • The inspiration to pursue event planning as a career crystallized after helping friends organize their weddings and watching the movie "The Wedding Planner":

    “I watched this film, JLo, the Wedding Planner. And I go, my God, this is what I want to do.”
    — Event Planner Entrepreneur (09:50)

  • Noticed that weddings in her community were often stressful, with families overwhelmed by details, and realized she could help ease that burden.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote / Key Moment | |-----------|------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:25 | Event Planner Entrep. | “I’ve always had this joyful personality… So my personality seeps into the business.” | | 01:54 | Event Planner Entrep. | “Everybody has their different strength... The ones that are energetic, push them forward.” | | 02:33 | Event Planner Entrep. | “If the work was not good, they will not come back… the work is outstanding.” | | 03:14 | Event Planner Entrep. | “It’s not a one-man business... it’s a team of people doing great things.” | | 04:00-04:24| Event Planner Entrep. | “There are times I don’t attend some events... I must intentionally push my team forward…” | | 05:02-07:46| Event Planner Entrep. | Detailed walkthrough: consultation, pre-planning, planning, execution, and personalized budgeting. | | 07:40 | Event Planner Entrep. | “It’s unique, it’s personal, so everybody’s different. You can’t use one size fits all for people.” | | 08:27 | Event Planner Entrep. | “As I entered that year award like this, I say, hey, who sent me message? What am I doing in this class?”| | 09:50 | Event Planner Entrep. | “I watched this film, JLo, the Wedding Planner. And I go, my God, this is what I want to do.” |

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Important Segment Timestamps

• 01:19 – How personality, connection, and excellence drive business growth
• 02:55 – The challenge of business longevity
• 03:07–04:54 – Empowering teams, succession planning, and intentional leadership
• 05:02–07:46 – Step-by-step: planning and executing a typical event
• 07:52–10:37 – Zafire Events origin story and early formative experiences

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Summary & Takeaways

• Resilient business growth is built on authentic personality, real connections, and a relentless commitment to quality.
• Team empowerment and intentional succession are vital; a business should outgrow its founder.
• Client experience is king: understanding each client's unique needs and creating tailored solutions fuels long-term relationships and referrals.
• Origins matter: entrepreneurial journeys often begin with recognizing strengths in everyday situations and seizing opportunities born from genuine passion.

The conversation is energetic, candid, and motivational—offering practical wisdom for any listener eager to build an enduring business rooted in connection and excellence.

Transcript

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[Event Planner Entrepreneur]

So many factors.

[Interviewer]

You know, there are several things I read, you know, about what people are saying about you. The energy you have, your personality, linking this into your business. Which one do you think has grown your business the most? Is it the recommendations or the personality you have or even the work that you have done? Which one do you think has really grown your business?

[Event Planner Entrepreneur]

Can I say a combination of all? And when I say a combination of all, I'm saying this because first of all, my personality, since I've been a young person, I've always had this joyful personality. It's my. It's just me. I've been joyful. I'm fun, you know, I'm energetic. I just want to everyone to be happy now. And you remember when I said, when I talked about the. Why I said for the clients to be happy. So my personality seeps into the business. Of course. So that. Right. Then of course. And then of course, connection. Because I'm very good at connecting people, bringing people together. That connection is my personality. Now. I'm also energetic now. But you have to understand that the energetic part of it, a lot of people on my team are not as energetic as I am. Right, Good. So that is not what. So when the energetic part, what it is that everybody has their different strength. Some people are not. Some people are calm, some people are, you know, demure. You like a thing. So you have to recognize that everybody's not going to be energetic like me. But the Ones that are energetic, push them forward. The ones that are calm, they're doing this. Everybody has different strengths. So that energy of course feeds the business, but it's not what is propelling the business. Now then of course the work. The work is excellent. The work. If the work was not good, it will not come back. If the work was bad, they will not come back. So they have been coming back for over 24 years. Right. It means the work is outstanding over 24 years.

[Interviewer]

Some people can't even last five years. So it's putting yourself together, gathering that energy and constantly showing up.

[Event Planner Entrepreneur]

Yes.

[Interviewer]

For over 24 years.

[Event Planner Entrepreneur]

Yes.

[Interviewer]

That is a lot of work.

[Event Planner Entrepreneur]

It's a lot of work. It's a lot of work. But we, we. I'm grateful that I've been able to build a team in the last, I would say 15 years. It's the team have done a lot of work, They've done it. Some just see me sometime. Some people, I'm, I'm the figure head. I just come to dance or show my face. The work, everything is happening. Everything. Even on the day. The team, I are very instrumental in making sure. So it's not a one man business, not a one man person. It's a team of people doing great things.

[Interviewer]

Are there moments where you never show up to the planning, the organization and just show up at the event?

[Event Planner Entrepreneur]

Yes.

[Interviewer]

Dressed up to enjoy?

[Event Planner Entrepreneur]

Yes, of course there are times, of course there are times I don't, I don't attend some events and you still

[Interviewer]

get there and see the excellence that you.

[Event Planner Entrepreneur]

Yes. So in fact, there are many times in the last few years that I don't go. I don't, I don't go, I don't go. And I still get. People are calling me to tell me, fantastic, awesome. The team, they're great. The team, oh my God. For a number of reasons. Some the clients have said, don't bother coming, your team is excellent enough, we don't want to see you. Some have been, because I've been unavoidably absent because I had to travel and it was not planned. Some has just been like, it just been even intentional. You say, look, I need to be. I'm building a team. There's succession. Right. This business is going to outlive me, it's going to grow beyond me. So I must intentionally push my team forward and then I'm stepping back. So that is. There's also been, it's also been deliberate and most of the time, I would say 99, the feedback has been excellent. Well, Done. Amazing. Outstanding. Wonderful. Great. You're not in the room.

[Interviewer]

Great.

[Event Planner Entrepreneur]

So that's it.

[Interviewer]

In two minutes, I want you to take me through the process from planning to executing an event.

[Event Planner Entrepreneur]

Two minutes. Oh, my goodness, that's 10 years. I'm just explaining. So I think that from the first moment is to understand. Get the brief and understand the brief. You must understand the brief. You must understand what your client's expectations are. Because every client is different, no one is the same. So you cannot, you know, say it is a one size fits all. So you must understand the brief, digest the brief, and then now begin to interpret the brief. So those are the. So of course, you start from taking the brief in, which is like a consultation. From the consultation, when you understand the brief, you can say, okay, no, this is how we're going to visualize, or this is how we're going to bring your dream to life. Of course, you send them your bill, they agree, and then you now begin the process of. So we call. We have a pre planning stage. Pre planning stage is the consultation, the advisory. That is a stage where you are distilling the brief. You are putting it together. You're putting together, like a storyboard, a creative direction for your client. You are identifying the people that can also bring it to life. Then you now have the planning stage. The planning stage is where you are now working on checklists, timelines, budgets, vendor recommendations. You're liaising with vendors, you are calling, you are checking, you are making sure that the vendors are aligning everything you are designing that's in the planning stage. And then, of course, the execution. So everything you've been planning can plan for 10 years, five, four. But everything you've been planning, you must now execute on the day. And then to execute. That means you're not working with things like production timelines. You're working with event flow managers, you're working with food flow managers, you're working with guest accreditation managers, you're working with a shadow of how the day runs. And then you're just ensuring that everything you have planned, everything you have brought you, have, you have been envisioning is now coming alive. When you want to create a budget for someone, you are, as much as you've asked the question, so what can wedding do? What kind of anniversary? What do you want to see? What is your vision? How do you want a day to be like? What are the things you don't want? What are things you want? What are things you want to spend money on? What are things you, you don't really care about. By the time you understand that, then you can go back and say, okay, what? I think you should use this particular person for design. I think, oh, we could use this to curate your menu. I think, oh, this is a venue that'll be ideal. Now all those things require you to now get the cost and then put together the budget. I mean, I've done many budgets, so I can, I can sit down and tell you that, okay, an event can cost this amount, that amount, but guess what I keep on saying it's unique, it's personal, so everybody's different. So you can't use one size fits all for people. So.

[Interviewer]

All right, now let's get into the creation of Zafire events. The journey.

[Event Planner Entrepreneur]

Okay. The journey before Zafaya started. I like the story a lot. From secondary school, I'd always loved talking. You know, I thought I was going to study mass communication when I was going to go into university, but my parents at that time thought this wasn't a professional course. I needed to study law or medicine or engineering, architecture, accounting. But for me, my brain, I was like, nah, I don't want stress, I beg. So I said, okay, let me choose law. I felt because I, I thought law was simple. I felt because I like talking, to

[Interviewer]

be a good barrister.

[Event Planner Entrepreneur]

My dear brother, as I entered that year award like this, I say, hey, who sent me message? What am I doing in this class? But I stuck and I, I made it through. While I was in, even in university, I actually wanted to, I wanted to see if law was for me. So I did a lot of internships, I did a lot of working in some law firms, but I just thought, nah, this is terrible. Then I went to law school and while I was in law school, I thought, okay, maybe in law school if I go to the courts or I go to chambers or whatever, I will like the law. I still didn't like it. But while I was in university and in law school, I was always helping my friends with many things. So my friends would, One of my friends was, she used to sell clothes. I would help her market the clothes and I'll tell people to buy, people will buy, I'll wear the clothes. People always come and talk to me and say, oh, I love the clothes, hey, it's my friend. I would sell clothes for her. Somebody wants to do something, maybe they're organizing something, an event. I'll be like, oh, let me help you do that. And I'll be the one to get the, the food, get the drinks, get the DJ set up the space this was in university. But I didn't know what I was, what it was about. Right. While I was in law school, a few of my friends were going to be getting married after law school. And so I said to one of my friends, and she was very stressed out. And I said, oh, let me help you with this ashwabi. In Nigeria, we call it uniform. That's the uniform that the friends, the family will wear. And I said, well, let me help you collect the money, organize it, put it together, and then distribute to the people. And she was like, oh my God, that's a huge relief. And then I helped her. And then while I was in law school as well, another friend was getting my I'm going to help you with your wedding. Oh, let me help you. And then I watched this film, JLo the Wedding Planner. And I go, my God, this is what I want to do. And then I realized that a lot of people when they were getting married because during our time when people were getting married, they were stressed, they were overwhelmed, they were doing everything themselves. Their parents not allowed them to be involved or the parents were used to chance people during that time. Connected Minds Podcast

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