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

Hi Stacy, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I was not happy with my current job. There didn’t seem to be anywhere for me to go coupled with bad leadership and I wanted out! It took about a year of working after work to get my business plan in a good place and talk myself into leaving my job without having “another job” but the planning was well worth it!

Image description

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am an event planner (organizer of people) by education and experience. Since opening my organizing business, I am now also an organizer of things. I started my professional career working for a sports marketing agency – my fresh out of college dream job! 2 years into that, I was laid off and thus experienced my first life lesson. I took that opportunity to move south and looked for a new job. I started working with another agency planning sales kickoff meetings and incentive trips that added numerous locations to my growing bucket list of travel destinations. That company closed unexpectedly and I receive an opportunity to work with another sports agency planning small hospitality events at some of the biggest sports events in the country – Super Bowl, College Football Playoffs, and NFL games (to name a few). Right before the pandemic started, I started at a company that planned leadership events for women and I loved the work we were doing and the women I was meeting. But, the leadership make it difficult to do what I loved and decided it was time to take the jump!

Image description

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m an outdoorsy gal so we will be taking a hike in North Georgia to see some waterfalls and get in our exercise! Piedmont Park will also be on the list to see if we can join a pickup game of kickball or flag football.

One of my favorite things to do is take people to what I call “Pizza and Chicken!” First, we order a couple of pies at Antico’s (downtown location) as an appetizer then bop on over next door to get some of the BEST chicken at Gio’s Chicken Italiano Maccheroni (the lemon chicken is AMAZING!) to hang out and chill. Then, if the mood hits, we get gelato across the street. Doesn’t sound like much but it hits all the spots!

If it’s during football season, you can find me at Rocky Mountain Pizza for the Philadelphia Eagles game. The food is great, the company is amazing (if you’re an Eagles fan), and the entertainment is next level! Go BIRDS!

Lastly, the Beltline is a MUST! There are a lot of great patios to choose from to get dinner or a drink plus a lot of small businesses to support. And, if the day is nice, there’s also opportunities to catch impromptu performances.

Image description

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?
Devon James deserves a lot of the credit for pushing me to make the jump into entrepreneurship. She helped me create, modify and finesse my business plan. She was also a great resource of different things to try to make my life easier as a business owner. Tray Deadwyler, Bashiru Kamara, and Ashton Peeples have also helped me use their skills and expertises to further my business through mentorship. Those are just a few – I am blessed with a great circle of friends and family who have all done their part to help get me where I am today.

Website: https://www.keepinitrealorganized.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keepinitrealorganized

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keepinitrealorganized

Image description

Image description

Image description

Image description

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.