For this week’s Wedding Entrepreneurs Who Inspire, I wanted to make everyone out there aware of the lovely and extremely talented Desireé Moore Dent of Dejanae Events in Chi-town.

So, what’s so inspiring about Desireé’s story? The fact that she has faced and overcome several of the obstacles that so many of us face on a daily basis when trying to pursue our dreams – taking on her business full-time and balancing work and home life! Two big toughies!

Desireé started her planning company in 2000 while also working full-time at another job – we all know how tough that can be! Running her business alone, Desireé admits to making many mistakes simply because no one was willing to reach out to her and mentor her on her journey. One mistake – not balancing her home life with her very busy work life. “My marriage suffered and my daughter didn’t know me outside of my home office. I worked so hard to be one of the best that I forgot about my foundation,” says Desireé.

Some of the toughest days came in 2006 when she finally chose to leave her corporate job and give her all into chasing her dreams. She tells us, “Good thing God nor my husband gave up on me…and I saw the light bright and clear!” These days, Desireé has a team of 5, is a certified educator, and she is the author of the wedding planner, “WEDology Notebook: For the Budget-Chic Bride.” Not only is she running a successful and award-winning event planning company, but she is sharing her knowledge and personal story at workshops so that she can be a mentor to others pursuing their own dreams of event planning, ensuring they won’t have to go it alone and make the same mistakes she had.

Me and Desiree at ISSE Chicago!

A successful business woman, mother and wife – and, she’s paying it forward. A wonderful example to us all Desireé!

Have an inspiring success story that you want to share? Submit it to possibly be featured on the ISS Smart Blog or in ISS Magazine here!