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

Hi Jennifer, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I’ve been in the events industry for 20 years. I have worked for various companies, learning and growing along the way. I’m a loyal & dedicated employee and have always treated my various positions as if I was running my own company. Why put all the work and effort into a job working for someone else when I could apply the same effort being my own boss? And after many years I decided to take the leap a year ago and start my own company. I own JS Inspired Events AND Pixie the Photo Booth Trailer.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am an Event planner and have been in the industry for 20 years. I have worked in some of the best venues in Orange & LA County. I have also worked for an event planning company working in hundreds of venues, so I feel like I am pretty well versed in the industry. Working in events especially in venues can be hard, stressful and challenging. There are sales goals and certain expectations, you can lose your job based solely on poor performance. I am proud to say I professionally survived a recession (2018) & a global pandemic (2020) and I truly believe it was because of my dedication, work ethic and value that I held with the companies I was working for at the time.
I left my job a year ago to start my own Events Company- JS Inspired Events. I do all types of events, Weddings, Social, Corporate events and my specialty Celebration of Life Events- Funerals. I love how versatile events can be and have enjoyed the flexiblity of my schedule and being my own boss. A few months ago I came across a Vintage RV Trailer with a photo booth inside. I have only seen a few of these in SoCal. So, I took the leap purchased it and literally started renting it out even before I completed the purchase. On that day Pixie the Photo Booth Trailer was born. This new venture has been so fun! It is a change from doing funerals and I am literally bringing smiles to all my clients and their guests. It is an added option to my events business and I am so excited to see how my businesses grow!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well, I live in Long Beach, Ca. and for those that know Long Beach and have lived here, they say once you live in Long Beach you will never want to leave and if you do leave, you will come back! So, I can honestly say I love this city! This city has some of the best restaurants, it is diverse and we have the beach too! What more could you ask for?
I would start our day with breakfast at The PotHolder which I have been eating breakfast at for 25+ years. Then we would head over to Bluff Park for Yoga on the bluff (it’s free) then we would get on our bikes and ride the beach path down to Shoreline Village. Maybe stop and get a snack and a drink at one or two bars on the water. Then we would catch the AquaLink which is a boat that takes you from Shoreline Village over to Alamitos Bay. Have lunch one of the waterfront restaurants. We would ride bikes back to Belmont Shore to the new beachfront bar- Monty’s Dog Beach Bar and watch the sunset. Then we would go to dinner at Open Sesame- Lebanese food which is where I always take out out of town guests. So basically eating and drinking all day with some exercise added in for health LOL

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Without any hesitation my biggest supporter, cheerleader and business mentor is my husband Mike. He is a business owner and has been in the Fitness Industry for over 30 years. With his encouragement 20 years ago I applied for an Event planning job with no events experience except for planning our wedding. I interviewed for that job with this confidence that I could do that job based on the encouraging words of my husband and low and behold I got it, I killed it and literally changed the trajectory of my life and my future in events. Over the years, he has continued to be my biggest supporter and at times he has believed in me when I was ready to give up.. I could not have done all of this without his love and support.

Website: https://www.pixiethephotoboothtrailer.com

Instagram: @thephotoboothtrailer

Facebook: @thephotoboothtrailer

Other: TikTok @thephotoboothtrailer

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