photo by steed media service

I’na Saulsbery is a very busy woman. The savvy professional recently founded The Starfire Group, which handles event production, artist management, marketing and imaging consulting. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Saulsbery was the marketing director for Justin’s Restaurant for seven years.

“I was to the point where I was like, ‘I need to focus on me, now.’ As far as event planning is concerned, event production is something that I’ve always done since I was 16 years old. I would always plan my own birthday parties or friends’ birthday parties. That’s kind of [what] prompted me to go ahead and [do]what I wanted to do. I always planned events on the side, I was doing grand openings for hair salons and baby showers. The satisfaction from planning these events prompted me to get more involved in the event production side,” explains Saulsbery.

Saulsbery is particularly proud of herself for having the guts to leave an established career to chart unknown territory as a business owner.

“I want my company to represent a powerhouse of companies. I stepped out on faith, and August 17 was my last day at Justin’s,” says Saulsbery. “I could not stop smiling from ear to ear. It took a lot [to leave] because [I was] in a comfort zone. What I had to realize is that nothing is guaranteed. It really took me believing in my self. Everybody asked me, ‘What took so long?’ I’m a firm believer of everything happening for a reason. It’s all about timing.” - adrienne gadling

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