Name: Lindsay Landman

Age: 31

Location: New York City

Education: Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia

Job Title: President and Owner of Lindsay Landman Events

What She Does: Lindsay designs, organizes, and coordinates weddings, corporate events, and private parties. She’s responsible for everything from catering and facilities to signage and transportation. “I book the event, working anywhere from weeks to years to complete the planning,” she says. “Then, the next day, I’m onto something new, making a fresh start with new ideas and lessons learned.”

How She Got Her Gig: Lindsay’s first paid gig in the event-planning field was an offshoot of her original career in public relations. “When I wanted to direct my career out of media to focus more on events, I persuaded an existing publicity client to have a party to publicize her new fashion collection. I explained that it was better to show an editor her work in person rather than send a press release and a photo.” Fortunately for Lindsay’s future business, this first initiative was a huge success!

This Planner’s Life: As an event planner, no two days are ever the same, and that’s what Lindsay loves the most. “About half of my time is spent in my office at my desk speaking to clients, researching vendors, reviewing contracts, preparing event timelines, and securing new business,” she says. “The other fifty percent completely varies. Sometimes it’s spent shopping for wedding dresses or selecting china and linens in a rental showroom. Other times, I’m scanning the flower market for vases or bargain-shopping in Target for candleholders.”

Early Start: Growing up, Lindsay planned every school dance, was president of the student council and her sorority, and was the go-to gal whenever friends wanted to organize a dinner or a birthday celebration. “In high school, instead of asking out my longtime crush or having a friend drop hints to him on my behalf, I planned a Sadie Hawkins Dance for my entire school just so I had a built-in excuse to make an overture,” she says.

This Job’s for You if: You revel in the details. “Being off by an inch means that the tables don’t fit into the tent or the linen reveals the unsightly legs of the table,” says Lindsay. “Event planning is for the entrepreneurial at heart, since each new event is really a whole new job. A true entrepreneur isn’t deterred by risks, but stimulated by them, and in a creatively competitive field such as event planning, you have to be willing to take the big risk!”