On the daily I read questions, not only in my FB group (Becoming a Wedding Planner), but in many other wedding pro groups as well, asking about how to go about hiring help. There’s a lot of confusion that surrounds this topic, so I totally get why no one really knows what’s what. The truth is, it’s kind of a scary subject. It’s scary because we have to do right by the government and we have to do right by our people. If you get it wrong, there may be heavy fines and penalties that could collapse your small business. But scary or not, we need to face it head on. One of the best ways to get straight on a subject is to ask an expert.
Wedding Planner Team Members
That’s why I asked Ashley Ebert of The Abundance Group to share some of her knowledge with us on how to build a team. In this episode of the Wedding Planner Startup Support, she enlightens us on how a team can help your company grow, and some of the common mistakes wedding planners make when hiring a team.
A Little about Ashley
When Ashley started her wedding planning company, The Simply Elegant Group, she was a one-woman operation. She never dreamed that years later, she would grow the business to one of the largest planning companies in the country with a team of over 40 employees and over 4 million dollars in sales. As a natural-born connector, she now gets to share what she has learned about leadership and team development through her company, The Abundance Group. Her mission is to help over 15,000 creative entrepreneurs to build their dream business by building their teams!
Watch the Live Interview
Concepts to Engage On
Sometimes after the show has ended, the guest and I will have an expanded conversation about some of the nuggets they shared. Or sometimes we only touch on a subject I wish we would have discussed just a little bit more. Or the topics we talked about inspired other thoughts I want you to know more about. Either way, below you’ll find some gems I would like you to chew on.
Don’t follow the leader
When it comes to finding your wedding planner team members, you can’t assume that just because a well-known planner in your area hires help a certain way that it makes it on the up and up. For the sake of your business, do your own research or seek a payroll professional when deciding to hire help. A lot of wedding pros are confused on how an “assistant” is classified according to the federal government. It really comes down to their job description and how much control you want to have over them.
Being “nice” could have consequences
Doing a nice thing for your independent contractor (IC)—such as pay for their liability insurance—could change your relationship with your worker and could reclassify them as an employee. Ashley mentions this in our chat, and I thought it was such a good point that I wanted to reinforce it here. Training your IC will also make them an employee if you have them fill out a W-9. Read this article to find out the difference between an employee and an IC: Could Training Your Wedding Planner Assistants Actually Be Illegal?
You cannot have contractors sign a non-compete
If you are hiring contractors and not employees, then you cannot have them sign a non-compete agreement. A non-compete agreement is when an employee agrees to not compete with an employer after the employment time period is over. However, independent contractors need the flexibility to work for other wedding planners or themselves to make money. If you have them sign a non-compete but you are classifying them as an IC, it will not hold up to any type of litigation.
LINKS & RESOURCES:
Join us inside the Done-for-You Wedding Planner Business Accelerator!
Gusto
Independent Contractor Agreement
Assistant Wedding Planner Certificate
The Essential Day-of List
More from Ashley:
Website: https://theabundance.group/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theabundancegroup
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theabundancegroup/
Freebie: The Ultimate Guide to Building a Team
