Monique Johnson Runs a Business with Purpose

In her former career as a pharmaceutical sales representative, Monique Johnson was passionate and successful at what she did. She traveled and managed client needs on many levels which she found personally and professionally rewarding. And then came children.

Like with many successful career women, the desire to introduce the family element into an already established profession often leads to a re-evaluation process to determine how or if these two worlds should co-exist.

Johnson went through this process herself and weighed the pros and cons of staying or leaving the path that she was on. “I needed to re-evaluate and I am glad I did.” said Johnson, “My kids are important and for me to be present in what they are doing.” The travel aspect of being in sales was the biggest issue for Johnson and after great consideration with her husband, Norbert, she decided to leave her job and pursue other business options in conjunction with motherhood.

Johnson happened upon a workshop at Bentley College geared toward women who had left the workforce and interested in transitioning back to the working world. It was through this that she identified what she liked most about her job and how she could work that into her future. “I really wanted to do event planning,“ she said, “I had been doing event planning within my former job and I started thinking, 'what are the parts of my job that I really love?’ and I always loved the event side of it.”

Johnson didn’t waste time getting certified in event planning and launched Monx Design House in 2009. Monx is a nickname that Johnson’s parents had given her.

Along with exceptional event planning services targeted to corporations, non-profit organizations and weddings,  Monx Design House is set apart by Johnson’s commitment to donating a portion of every event’s proceeds to charity.

Johnson’s philanthropic motivation stems, not only, from her good nature but also her mother’s positive influence. “When I decided to do this I really wanted to be able to give back," Johnson said, “I get that from my mother, I think my mother is the ultimate philanthropist.” Her mother’s giving of her time and dedication to finding creative ways to raise funds for important causes inspired Johnson to identify organizations that are near and dear to her own heart to benefit from her event’s donations.

Johnson is thrilled with the growth of her company and is fully engaged in its success. She maintains the childcare that she had when working in medical sales and uses her time efficiently to grow her business while remaining close and involved with her children Olivia, 5, and Lorenzo, 3. The flexibility and control that she has over her schedule allows her to be present in the lives of her children while remaining devoted to her projects and business.

As an event planner, nights and weekends are often booked so Johnson limits herself to two weekend events per month. Evening events are also carefully scheduled according to her family’s needs as well as her client’s.

Johnson takes great pride in what she does and looks forward to seeing all of the events she plans come together and flawlessly unfold.

One non-profit event that Johnson is particularly looking forward to this year is The Swap Soiree that she developed in conjunction with fashion coach, Susan Kanoff. The soiree benefits the local YWCA and brings women together to exchange clothing and accessories. The fall Swap Soiree will be held on November 3, 2011 at Chester’s in Lawrence.

Johnson has skillfully combined her experience in sales, passion for event planning, entrepreneurial spirit and desire to give back to create a business which allows her to be productive, creative, helpful and, most definitely, a successful woman in business.

To learn more about Monx Design House visit www.monxdh.com, email monique@monxdh.com or call 978-771-1061.