How Mississippi Native Melissa Banks transformed a year of tests into unexpected blessings

JACKSON, Miss. - Sept. 22, 2020 - PRLog -- When 2020 began Master Event Planner and Mississippi native Melissa Banks was looking forward to it being "her year" full of great events for her clients. In January 2020 she was able to fulfill her passion of pouring into other black women entrepreneurs as the visionary and co-founder of the Black Women's Business Expo, seeing hundreds of women being pushed towards their dreams.

Then the world as she and the rest of the world knew it changed.

Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic Banks saw her full schedule of events for the year shrink and she faced an uncertainty about how to move forward.

"My entire calendar was booked, and all that was evaporated," she says. "This was supposed to be the best year of my 20 year career, and that all changed. I had to figure out what to do. Do I quit? I knew the answer was no, but I had to figure out what to do next. My business had to pivot. I just had to figure out how."

For Banks the first step was to get my mind-set where she could make the decision to pivot. "I enrolled in the PIVOT AND THRIVE CHALLENGE produced by celebrity event planner David Tutera and the Event Planners Assoc." That program was strictly focused on event planners and mindset. "It helped me focus on my life and my business, and how I could be sustained and thrive for the new season of my industry. Because of that challenge it changed my mindset and opened my mind and heart to what I could do."

She thrived during the process, and the reward was being offered the first-ever scholarship to be mentored by David Tutera! It's a 12-month program where Tutera opens his business and home to those being mentored, sharing what has worked for him in his 30-year career.

"It boosted my confidence that this wasn't the end," Banks expressed. "It was a new beginning. I had to learn to do things differently. I had to determine what I was doing right and use that going into my new season. I was excited about what was to come from this opportunity."

That opportunity led to her business and confidence growing. Banks took part in a second challenge called Create Your Dream Event Planning Business with the Event Planners Assoc. in association with David Tutera. This one was 5 days of intense training for your event planning business. She graduated in September and received a Certificate of Completion.

In September Banks also was honored by MAX WYAD 94.1 FM in Yazoo City and Media Personality Cyrus Webb as one of their Mississippi Success Honorees due to her work in business and empowering others. "Just to be included is amazing to me," she says. "All of this built my confidence that things are getting better,' she says.

Banks is enjoying the benefits of her hard work. Her advice to everyone out there is to not give up on yourself or your vision. If you keep moving forward great things are destined to happen.

Visit Melissa at her website www.dmdeventplanninganddesign.com or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DMDEVENTPLANNING.