Brooklyn —

During the recession, Karen Auster retooled her Brooklyn-based events-planning business, offering clients in-house design and marketing services she had previously outsourced to other vendors. To do that, Ms. Auster had to take some risks. She doubled her staff to six and moved the business from her home to an office on Flatbush Avenue.

With the economy improving, she’s seeing the benefits. She recently signed the Sky View Center in Queens as a client and will produce a variety of concerts and holiday shows there. She plans to meet with more potential clients in coming weeks.

“We’re closing deals,” she says. “It’s beautiful.”

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