When it comes to party planning, there's a lot to think about: venue, food options, entertainment and more. And no one loves handling all those details more than Riley Jordan.

"I've always been interested in the nitty-gritty of event planning," she said. "You get paid to overthink!"

Jordan says her interest in event planning started as a child. She'd always be the one to plan birthday parties, holiday celebrations and family gatherings. She was working as a preschool teacher when the pandemic hit, and when the program shut down, she reassessed her career goals and decided to return to event planning, her first love.

She started by working for the Parks and Recreation Department in the Pender County town of Burgaw, where she lived.

"I saw the value of events for the community … especially after the pandemic," she says. "People made connections and enjoyed being with each other."

When she moved to Raleigh, Jordan quickly enrolled in Wake Tech's Hospitality Management program to learn more and decided to make it a career. She earned an AAS degree, along with certificates in Event Planning and Hotel Operations. Having watched her father build a successful small business, she knew she wanted to follow a similar path. She launched Riley Jordan Events in fall 2023, while she was still a student.

"I knew that my time at Wake Tech was ending soon, which was bittersweet, so I wanted to start building my business while I was still a student – with access to professors, mentors and other resources at the college," she said.

Jordan called on Hospitality Management professors Jane Broden and Barry Tracey for help getting started. She says they were always happy to answer questions, gave her great advice and connected her to others in the industry.

"They do a great job of bringing industry professionals into the classroom. We got to meet with them and learn about how they operate and make their businesses succeed," she said.

Jordan also sought assistance from the Wake Tech Small Business Center, where she got step-by-step guidance for the whole process of launching a business – setting up a bank account, registering with the Secretary of State and more. Her goal was to have a fully operational business by the time she graduated, and she did!

Riley Jordan Events is a full-service planning, coordinating and consulting business – for individuals and local businesses. She does it all, start to finish, from securing a venue to ordering food and planning entertainment.

"Some people like to be more involved than others," she says.

Some clients ask her to serve as a coordinator for their event on site, to manage the timeline and ensure that vendors arrive on time and everything flows smoothly. That allows the client to be fully present for the event. Other clients just need advice, so she also offers hour-long phone consultations.

"People call with a list of questions," she said. "They're torn between venues, don't know what kind of food to serve or need help making sure there's time for speakers or photos."

Jordan joined BNI – Business Network International – to market her business at conferences and festivals. And so far, she's keeping quite busy with those referrals and word of mouth. She says small businesses are "the lifeblood" of the community, often called upon to support local projects, and she likes being able to help them stage memorable events.

"They have a million things on their plate, and if I can take care of a few of those things and give them the end result they were hoping for, that's my goal," she said.