We had the good fortune of connecting with Jenny Yi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jenny, what’s your startup story? How did you start your business?
I was lucky in the sense that I knew I wanted to be an event planner ever since I was in college. The challenge was finding a full-time event planning job right out of college with bills and a college loan to pay. I had to get a full-time job in the corporate world, then was led to teaching abroad for several years. My goal was to save up so that I could come back to start my own event planning business. When I finally got back Stateside, a good friend of mine who was a wedding photographer, really helped me get my business off the ground by referring me to a couple of her friends and also allowing me to style some of her engagement sessions which I was then able to use the photos to put my website together. I still had a full-time job and was juggling both for about a year (though I thought it would take longer!) but I finally pulled the trigger and went full time with my business and never looked back! I have always been a huge proponent of mentoring young children and young adults. I knew how lost I felt when wanting to get into this field and would have made a world’s difference if I found a mentor while navigating through this industry. We work with a lot of college students in providing paid internships that often turn into employing them part-time or full-time and I am very proud that I am in a position to be able to offer that! It’s another passion and rewarding branch of my business, aside from working with amazing clients and helping them bring their vision to life!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
When I started Chloe+Mint back in 2014, there was less of a community over competition that we have today. The key to our success was that we had the mindset and practice of community over competition, don’t get me wrong, it did get us into trouble a few times! We were able to build a beautiful portfolio by collaborating with talented vendors while building everlasting relationships. As I had mentioned before, mentoring and fostering an environment where young adults can get real life experience of running a business and having the autonomy of being creative is what I am the most proud of. Although we are still learning everyday, I am really proud of the business and reputation we have built in this community thus far. We are looking for ways we can contribute to the world and am forever grateful for those who helped us have along the way!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I have traveled the world and I would have to say Los Angeles is a great place to call home! Some of our favorite places and unique things to do that is totally LA:

EAT: Must eat Korean food while in LA! Los Angeles has the biggest Korean community outside of Korea itself and Koreatown is a massive town right in Central Los Angeles. The food is even better than in Korea, I would say. Some of my favorite places are: Ahgassi Korean BBQ, Quarters BBQ, Hanbat (great comfort food!), Wako Donkatsu, and Koreatown Plaza Marketplace food court is great! You can’t leave Los Angeles without having some tacos! My secret spot is on the corner of Pico and Hobart on the corner of Smart and Final. Their al pastor tacos are out of this world! I am definitely going to try and hire them for my own wedding.

HIKE: Some of my favorite hiking trails are in the Palos Verdes, Pacific Palisades and the Hollywood area. Can’t miss the iconic hike to the Hollywood sign and Griffith Observatory. BEACHES: Some of my favorite more low key beaches are Manhattan Beach and the South Bay area. Take a drive through Palos Verdes and on a clear day, you can see Catalina Island! ACTIVITIES: I’m a huge baseball fan and the Dodger Stadium is a great one to visit, during games of course! Also, if you can, take a helicopter ride over Los Angeles~ they point out a lot of the celebrities’ homes. If you love the ocean, sailing from Marina Del Rey is amazing! Los Angeles is HUGE on outdoor music during the summer. Pack a picnic and a bottle of rose and enjoy a concert at the Hollywood Bowl or a movie at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

NIGHTLIFE: I’m a big fan of Downtown LA. There are a lot of cool bars and restaurants. My current favorite restaurant is Bavel and a classic whiskey bar, Seven Grand! Downtown is still growing so there are always cool new places to check out, mostly walking distance. These are some of my favorite things to do in LA. Enjoy!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My good friend and fellow industry vendor, Carissa Woo, from Carissa Woo Photography. She is the one who really encouraged and helped me get my business up and running back in 2014. She is such a great friend, mama and photographer. I am also so proud of how far she’s come and built her business from the ground up!

Website: www.chloeandmint.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/chloeandmint
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/jenny-yi-28680925
Facebook: www.facebook.com/chloeandmintevents
Yelp: www.yelp.com/biz/chloe-mint-los-angeles

Image Credits
Luna de Mare Mariel Hannah Molly O’Keefe Carissa Woo Huong Nguyen-Takeba Margot Robert