Harmony Vallejo has always been passionate about creating a better future for tomorrow. With years of experience in communications and marketing, she founded Universal Events Inc. to help support nonprofits and ethical businesses in providing their services to communities. Harmony leads a team of social media, communications, copywriting, accounting, and administrative professionals in a collaborative environment focused on their main goal: providing support to nonprofits.
Harmony earned her bachelor’s degree in communications from Youngstown State University, where she worked for her school’s newspaper and played varsity volleyball. Today, we’re asking Harmony about her experience going from communications to owning her own business and managing a team.
Q: What inspired you to found Universal Events Inc.?
Harmony Vallejo: My passion for helping others inspired me to found Universal Events Inc. I realized that many nonprofits and businesses needed help with branding and back-end administrative functions and that many simply didn’t have the in-house resources or experience to handle it all. I wanted to help these organizations get the recognition they deserve and provide them with the support they need. You could say it’s all a part of my own personal mission of making the world a better, happier place.
Q: How did your prior experience benefit you once you transitioned to being a CEO?
Harmony Vallejo: My background in communications and marketing gave me keen insight into what an organization needs to be successful. It allowed me to not only identify what an organization would need in terms of support but also find the right people to fill vital functions in the company. No company can truly succeed with the efforts of only one person – you need people in your corner that are simply better than you at what they do. Those are the people you want on your team.
Q: What do you look for in a person when building a solid team of professionals?
Harmony Vallejo: Passion is the most important quality that a person can have for a position. When you love and care about what you do, you bring a kind of grit that you can’t find anywhere else. I look for people who not only have the experience, but the desire to make a difference in the world. You won’t find success with people who only see their job as an obligation, you need people who share the same vision as you, and who believe in the process.
Q: What advice would you give to anyone looking to turn their passion into a career?
Harmony Vallejo: Keep at it and don’t let anyone’s opinions sway you away from what you truly want to do. Take your passion and find a way to make it into something bigger. Don’t be afraid to make a few mistakes along the way; it’s rare that any venture, in life or in business, goes off without a hitch. Take it as a learning experience and be better for it. You can handle it, trust me.
