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

Hi Susannah, how does your business help the community?

Style Up Group exclusively serves its local community of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, through events and business. We purchase our supplies locally, sell our packages locally, and all those local dollars (including for our staff) and taxes, stay here in Southeastern Wisconsin.

As a small business, we understand that we are representatives of our community. My staff and I reflect the communities from which we come. We’re Milwaukee born and raised which makes connecting with our customer base easy and fun. The networking aspects alone of owning and operating an event business here in the local community should be celebrated.

Philanthropically, we typically do 1-2 large donations annually, and smaller in kind donations throughout the year. In 2024, we are proudly donating to MIAD’s (Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design) Creative Fusion event which raises funds for student scholarships. The arts are very important to our creative company and we love seeing young people getting the resources they need to succeed and live out their passions.

Additionally we are active in our hyper local Wauwatosa (Milwaukee County) community and the Wauwatosa school district.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?

There are many lessons I’ve learned in the short 5 years that I’ve had Style Up Group, but there’s one lesson in particular that I always come back to. That is, don’t be afraid to try.

I learned this in business. When I started to shift the dialogue in my head from “that’s hard” and “I don’t know about that” to “well let’s see what happens if…” and “I’m going to see if I can,” I learned that I actually could do and learn much more than I gave myself credit for initially. And I never would have known these things had I not tried. Discovering your own worth by trying new things and succeeding is really empowering.

That’s why I don’t hesitate to try a new software, get on a new social media platform and learn it, launch a package that only sounds cool to me but I’ve just got a feeling other people might like it too. Try, try, try! Don’t ask yourself “What if I can’t.” Instead, ask yourself, “What happens if I can?”

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

This is such a fun question. First thing I need to know is what season are we talking about? Obviously winter activities in Wisconsin are going to look a bit different than summer. For the sake of giving a decent answer let’s pretend it’s summer.

Places I’d take them: at least a couple of the Milwaukee County Parks. We’re so fortunate to live in an urban area with countless beautiful parks where you can escape into the wilderness while still in the city. Some of the ones I love are Lake Park, Southshore Terrace, Hoyt Park and Doctor’s Park.

So if it’s summer, likely when we’re at one of those parks we’ll cross the Traveling Beer Garden. That means we can get beer (or root beer or anything else on the menu – the beer gardens are very family friendly), probably some sort of food truck dinner and listen to live music. The beer garden vibe in Wisconsin in summer cannot be topped.

We’d also check out some outdoor patios – that’s another thing we’re really good at in Wisconsin in summer. We can dine at Zocalo food truck park, or on the patio of Harbor House. No matter where we go, the vibes will be great!

I could go on and on about the nature, food and vibes at all the places I love in this city, but hopefully you get the idea.

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?
I dedicate this Shoutout to my kids. We are there for each other through thick and thin, and share so much love. They are my favorite business partners in the world and my top inspiration.

Website: https://styleupgroup.com/

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/style-up-group-llc

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

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@styleupgroup?lang=en

Image Credits
Elevate Brand Photography

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutArizona 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.