By Taylor-Ann Smith
Explore Big Sky Graphic Designer
BOZEMAN – Lauren Caselli prides herself on helping women conceive, plan and execute business events. Her company, Lauren Caselli Events, focuses on a niche market of female entrepreneurs whose businesses are primarily online, and who want to host live events.
Caselli hosted the inaugural “Boss Lady Bash” on April 7 at The Lark motel, and 40 female entrepreneurs from the area attended. Participants split into various groups each with a facilitator, and the ladies discussed their struggles and successes.
“I created the Boss Lady Bash [as] a space for women who were just like me at that plateau stage, and to bring them an opportunity to connect with fellow women in a comfortable atmosphere,” Caselli said. “It’s about the joy and struggles – mostly struggles – of owning a business and still living your everyday life.”
To get to know the attendees, Caselli built a survey prior to the event and organized the groups based on participant compatibility and on which individuals might learn the most from each other. Attendees were also asked to create momentum for the event by posting on their Instagram account about why they love being business owners.
Caselli found her calling while working in the wedding and events industry for five years in New York City. After years of planning extravagant, high-end conferences and retreats, she decided that the industry was “too corporate” for her and took time off to spend a summer working for Alpengirl – an overnight adventure camp for young girls – in Montana during 2012. It was during this trip when she fell in love with the state’s slow and simple lifestyle, which led her to move to Bozeman in September of that year.
Caselli spent the next two years struggling to start Lauren Caselli Events and find her identity in the industry. She attributes her success to meeting inspiring, supportive women in the Bozeman community who shared her struggles as business owners. Caselli says she was overwhelmed by their supportive advice, willingness to listen, and desire to help her gain clientele. It’s within these friendships that Caselli realized she wasn’t alone and wanted to help alleviate that stress for others.
Jasmine Snyder, owner of Whipped Confections, attended the event as a local sponsor and facilitator. Snyder said she was excited by the number of people she met, especially those in non-creative fields that offered her advice she wouldn’t otherwise seek.
“I love what Lauren is doing by creating a networking event for those that typically dread the idea,” Snyder said. “We were able to come to the table with the good, bad, and ugly stories of owning our business because that’s the reality of it.”
Boss Lady Bash is Caselli’s passion project and one she hopes to continue. She wants to break down competition between local businesses to further develop community bonds, she says.
“Being generous and helpful only betters your business,” Caselli said. “And the more generous we all are, the more we’ll succeed as business owners.”
