“Dear Past, Thanks for all the lessons. Dear Future, I am ready.”
“The past is where you learned the lesson. The future is where you apply the lesson.” -Dale Carnegie
I don’t know about you, but this past year was filled with lots of unpleasant growing pains as a business owner. But it’s all about leveraging those unpleasant experiences into useful lessons learned. To do that, though, I had to unpack those experiences. I also had to analyze my “bad experience” with an outsider’s perspective. This means detaching myself from my personal feelings, almost going numb, so I can find a better method or solution. It’s important I take a step back, stop beating myself up, or blaming the should of, could of, would of with what went wrong, and look for new solutions.
Wedding and Event Planner Secrets Exposed
As we start the new year, I find that exploring the previous year’s lessons learned can be a helpful tool for professional growth. It’s one I believe all wedding planners should do. Recently, I asked our lovely Becoming a Wedding Planner FB community what big wedding and event planner secrets they learned this past year. It ended up being a great list of tips that I wanted to share and pass on for the next generation of wedding planners. Enjoy these juicy details and be sure to implement them in your business this year.
Don’t Spend Time, Invest in Time
As a wedding business owner, time management is always a challenge. There is just not enough time in the day to do all the tasks we have to do. I know there are days where you’re spread pretty thin, and we all know that when this happens, our clients are the ones who suffer. We miss details, emails, and sleep. Let’s give ourselves a break and invest in software, templates, or VAs to take on some of our workload so we can spend our time more efficiently and effectively. Check out the many templates we have for you in our shop so you don’t have to start from scratch.
Time is valuable and the only way to get more of it is to outsource. Just because I’m capable of doing all the things doesn’t mean I should…Valuing my time is a valuable lesson. –Morgan Huggins
Its Okay to Be Choosy
Despite what you may have heard in the past, beggars can’t be choosers. It’s 100% okay to be choosy when it comes to your client. Understand that not all lead inquiries you get are going to be your ideal client. In fact, taking on a few bad clients can hurt your reputation just as much as good clients may build it. You must be aware, though, that having a steady stream of “ideal clients” means your branding is on par and spot on. As a newer wedding planner, it takes time to hone in on who your ideal client is. And that’s okay because it often takes time and experience to really get a feel for who you like to work with. But this doesn’t mean you have to take on every Jane, Dick, and Henry. It’s okay to say, “no, thank you” to some leads. Remember, this is your wedding planner business, which means you get to work on your own terms and conditions. Listen to your intuition and don’t hesitate to take a pass if you see red flags (or even yellow ones, for that matter). If money is tight and you need the income, that’s okay too—just make sure you have solid boundaries in place.
Don’t take on every client just for experience. Make sure they vibe with you and vice versa. It is better for everyone if your personalities get along. –Ruby Straaten
Perfection Kills Progress
This is a personal struggle of mine. I absolutely hate it when things are not done perfectly the way I have envisioned them. But I’ve been in business long enough to know that something is often better than nothing. This is advice you should take on board too because perfection can kill progress. Who cares if your website isn’t perfect just yet. Or if your Instagram feed isn’t super eye-catching. These things can be updated at any time.
I was so worried about publishing my website until I was ready to take clients. But I am constantly needing to get ready. –Shanna Parrott
Success Takes Time
There is no such thing as overnight success in the wedding industry. If you’re seeing Pinterest pins saying otherwise, I’d be pretty darn skeptical. Success takes time. For some wedding planners success will come faster than others. This might be because they have a corporate background or hotel management experience, but even with these advantages, success is not immediate. It still takes time to become established because trust takes time to be earned. If you want to take the shortcut, then take a course, train with someone, or hire a coach. If you decide to DIY it, you might feel those growing pains a little more acutely, but small victories can still be accomplished. You just need to be patient and strive for everyday growth (no matter how small).
No success is an overnight success. Everything was accomplished by small and simple wins:)) -Aisha Nilsson
Set Healthy Business Boundaries
Keeping professional boundaries in place will serve you well as a wedding and event planner. For most of us, keeping our boundaries in check often comes from a not-so-fun learning experience we never want to repeat. That’s why having a strong contract in place is so necessary for all wedding planners. And when I say strong contract, I don’t mean something you got from Google. Check out Engaged Legal if you’re in need of limited liability. Though contracts are good for legal hoopla, it’s also a good idea to establish a list of policies you want your clients to follow. These could include things like having set work hours, setting client expectations, and establishing your communication preferences. If you need help creating your own policies, go here. The best way to prevent a problem to is be ready for it, or as the old saying goes, “plan for the worst, hope for the best.” Set your boundaries and stick to them.
Boundaries are important! –Jennifer JC
Push Through the Uncomfortable
If you really want to know why some wedding planners become successful while others don’t, it’s because they make positive changes by pushing through discomfort. They hear the word “no” from one person and then ask someone else. They see obstacles only as challenges that can be overcome. To grow as a business owner, we have to challenge ourselves to try new things that we might not be super excited to try. For me, personally, I hate being on video. I get super uncomfortable once I know I’m being filmed. But I also know that video content is one of the best ways to share information. So to overcome my video issue, I’ve been taking an improv class. I’m not yet where I want to be, but I’m getting there. Now it’s your turn: What’s stopping you from getting to the next step in your business?
Even when things seem lost, keep striving because success is up ahead. -Ruth Lastic
Keeping on until you get a breakthrough. –Basetsana Mokola Ntshime
Wedding and Event Planner Last Words
As we go into the new year, remember these important business tips and advice from your fellow wedding planners. These are wedding planners who have been in the trenches with you and can relate to what you’re going through. Keeping these things in the back of your mind when you hit a roadblock or when you’re feeling down about your progress will come in handy, so remember to save this post. We have all been there, trust me. Just remember, you’re never alone. If you’re a wedding planner looking to get ahead of the curve with a strategy session, check out my Power Coaching. It’s a great way to get you refocused.
