Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah K Wolf
Hi Sarah K, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started out as a Parks & Recreation major in college, knowing that I wanted to eventually go into event production. After a brief, chaotic, wonderful stint in LA, I moved to Austin where I had previously interned with the Austin Music Foundation. To be in Austin around 2008-ish was full of possibilities, cost of living was still reasonable, and everyone was willing to open doors to help each other out. My early jobs weren’t great, but I took every opportunity to network, volunteer, and get to know people in town. Eventually this led to real event producer jobs and I quickly grew my experience and résumé. After positions in venue management, social media management at ad agencies, and a couple freelance gigs, I landed a position at The Austin Chronicle as their Marketing & PR Director. This opened the door for me to get to know Austin’s media scene and really sparked a passion in me for local, independent media. While at the Chronicle I got to work on some amazing events, including the Austin Music Awards, SXSW events, and the Hot Sauce Festival (the largest of its kind!). This also gave me a chance to get comfortable with media interviews at other outlets in town, and I regularly visited local radio and tv stations to talk about Austin happenings. I loved it!
After about 8 years at the Chronicle, I left to pursue a position at a local nonprofit to help animals (my other passion). Nonprofit work is not for the faint of heart, and I recommend everyone get a chance to do this kind of work if possible.
I’ve always taken on freelance work on the side, I guess it’s the busybody in me. Right after the pandemic my side work was starting to boom and I had a decision to make – turn down potential clients or take a chance on myself and go full time with my own business. I chose the latter and became full-time with my brand Good Party, offering marketing, event programming, PR, and brand consulting.
Now I get to work with an amazing variety of clients, including a rapidly growing law firm, breweries, hotels, and even my favorite local paper – The Austin Chronicle. On the public facing side, my brand Good Party ATX promotes events in town that give back to good causes and ways to get involved in Austin. I appear weekly on the CBS Austin morning show We Are Austin and share weekend event picks and adoptable dogs, something that I look forward to every week. We’ve gotten so many dogs adopted from this show and it’s incredible to get a chance to support local businesses in this way (tune in on Fridays!). I’ve also had the honor of emceeing some really awesome fundraising events in town, including the Austin Parks Foundation’s Party for the Parks, Austin Wildlife Rescue’s Caring for Critters Brunch, and Austin Humane Society’s Puppy Bowl.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t necessarily been a smooth road, but it also hasn’t been as rocky as I expected. I put off starting my own business for years because I was too worried about what people would think or if clients would want to work with me. Once I jumped in, it all came together and other women-owned businesses in town were there to help support me along the way. Austin is an incredibly supportive community, especially if you yourself help others along the way.
I’m so thankful for some of my early clients who believed in me from the start, including Cofer & Connelly Trial Lawyers, The Austin Chronicle, Independence Brewing, The Magistery, and many more.
We’ve been impressed with Good Party ATX + Lucky Dog Tarot , but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Something that folks might not expect from me is that I have yet another side project outside of my own business. I’m Austin’s first (and maybe only?!) dog tarot reader. I started Lucky Dog Tarot a few years ago as a fun, silly way to get people to come to a yappy hour and support a local rescue. I was shocked by how well it was received and I began getting booked at more events around town. I have special cards that I use to tell the dog’s fortune (which is always happy, just like dogs!) and raise money from these readings that I give back to local rescues like Austin Pets Alive, Austin Humane Society, and Happy Hearts Dog Rescue (to name a few). I’ve even been interviewed on most local tv outlets for Lucky Dog Tarot, and was featured in Austin Monthly’s “Best of ATX” 2023 issue and was an Austin Chronicle “Best of Austin” finalist as well. I predict good things for Lucky Dog Tarot in the future!
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success means building a life that I’m happy to live every day. To me, this means having a balance between a robust workload and also plenty of time for things that matter (my dog, travel, couch time with a good scary movie). For some, success might mean hiring more employees and opening up new offices – and that’s great! I knew for myself that I wanted to keep my businesses on the smaller side so it’s more manageable for me and gives me the most important thing – freedom.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.goodpartyatx.com and www.luckydogtarot.com
- Instagram: @goodpartyatx / @luckydogtarot
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahkwolf/
Image Credits
Annie Ray, Keelyn Costello
