Meet Mandi Young, the Founder and Owner of Trailblazer Design Agency, where she helps event venue owners transform their spaces into environments that connect with their ideal clients.
Mandi’s journey to entrepreneurship was anything but conventional. Growing up, she didn’t know business ownership was even an option. As a teen mom, she pursued higher education and climbed the corporate ladder, believing it was her only path forward. But her creativity and unique perspectives eventually led her to rethink how event spaces could look and feel. From the unconventional color schemes that once drew criticism to the cohesive designs that now set her venues apart, Mandi has built a career on ruthlessly embracing her vision. Today, through Trailblazer Design Agency, she empowers other venue owners to find success by staying true to their unique style.
In our conversation, Mandi shared the pivotal moments that defined her journey, the lessons she’s learned along the way, and the advice she would give to her younger self.
Tell us the story behind your company’s founding. How and why did you start working on Trailblazer Design Agency?
The Trailblazer Design Agency started as a branch of my other business in wedding venues. I loved building and designing locations that became a backdrop for so many beautiful days. Soon after opening, I started getting calls from other businesses and venue owners looking for guidance—what to do about social media, handling tours/sales, and how to make the building’s design more cohesive. I loved getting these calls and helping business owners through roadblocks on topics I could talk about until I was blue in the face. Starting a business focused on it felt like the logical next step.
Have you ever felt like you’re “different”? If yes, in what ways has this contributed to your journey as an entrepreneur?
Absolutely. I was the weird kid my whole life. I would like to say that it gave me thicker skin and a strong sense of self-acceptance, but that really took time, especially while running my business and building confidence. I found that the more I was true to myself and acted on my “weird” ideas, the more my business grew. Now my “weirdness” feels like a superpower—I can never see a space just as it is. Early in owning my wedding venue, I was getting a lot of criticism for its uniqueness. I wasn’t advertising pink and fluffy. I was using browns, greens, and oranges. That became a big advantage for me over time, and I’ve learned and refined even more from there.
My business grew the more I was true to myself and acted on my 'weird' ideas. Now my 'weirdness' feels like a superpower.
Did you always know that you wanted to be an entrepreneur?
I grew up not knowing that entrepreneurship was even a real option for people like me. My household was very focused on climbing the corporate ladder and being the perfect employee. After becoming a teen mom, I got my degrees and worked very hard to establish myself in corporate America from an early age. I thought that was the only option to provide for my son, get ahead, and beat the statistics. There was always a little voice in my head that wasn’t vibing with the corporate experience. So I created side hustles just to scratch that itch. I was a difficult employee. I was constantly pushing for real improvements and questioning processes, which was often at odds with leadership.
What were the most difficult and most impactful lessons you’ve learned since starting and running a company?
Just act. Try and fail, or try and hate it. It can be so easy to get caught up in trying to make it perfect or to feel like your business needs to align with those you idolize on social media. That often gets us caught in a cycle of never actually doing anything but dreaming. In my corporate career, I worked primarily in software. Agile development was all the rage. One day, it clicked for me that I had to take some of those same concepts to my business: just take action, iterate, and improve over time. This strategy moved me leaps and bounds ahead of the pace I was previously stuck at. And, most importantly, I figured out what I didn’t like quickly so I could change things.
Has your definition of success evolved throughout your journey as a founder?
In the early days, success felt like a specific number or a sales goal. But as I wore the business stresses on my body, I felt like I was sacrificing myself in the name of getting ahead. When my husband had to remind me to take care of myself in the most basic ways, I realized my success metrics were all skewed. It was a journey to get here. But, nowadays, my success metrics are based on the worry-free time I get to spend with my family and friends as well as my ability to challenge myself creatively.
How have you grown as a leader since starting Trailblazer Design Agency? What experiences have contributed to this growth?
In my corporate life, I was always gravitating toward leadership roles and wanting to help others tap into their full potential. The more time I spent in corporate, the more it felt like I would have to help them with my metaphorical hands tied. I was terrified of having a team and employees in my own business. I didn’t want to be like some of the bad bosses I had in corporate that broke people down or dimmed their light. It took some trial and error, but I was able to craft clear processes and support people based on where they want to grow professionally and ultimately end up. At the end of the day, leadership starts from a framework of clear and open communication. I strive daily to maintain that.
What would you tell your younger self if you were to start your entrepreneurial journey all over again?
About seven years ago, when I was 25, I actually caught myself saying, “I just don’t think I could make it as a business owner. It’s too hard. I think I’ll need to work under someone else.” It was only three years later that I launched my wedding venue. I wish I could go back to the younger me, slap her, and tell her to work on her self-confidence. I had let myself be beaten down by the corporate experience. I thought I was just there to help drive and strategize success for others. It took turning down my dream corporate job offer to realize I could do it myself.
What’s next for you and your career?
At this point, I’m ready to expand beyond the boundaries of my wedding venues. The Trailblazer Design Agency is my next step because I have fallen in love with creating spaces that can be a framework or a canvas to tell other people’s stories. I’m also seeing firsthand how much quality design and space planning impact the sales process and improves customer service. I’ve also enjoyed helping other business owners fall in love with their businesses because it finally feels more authentic to them. They now have the tools to navigate challenges—like that first bad review. Ouch.
