Best Practices for Successfully Managing Multiple Brands
Taking on multiple endeavors can be a major undertaking, but one that can be especially fruitful when you’ve identified specific gaps in a marketplace that you can fill. If you choose to branch out with several brands within the event industry, it can also help you to understand the different aspects that go into planning that you wouldn’t otherwise know while staying in one place.
I operate a venue with planning services and have stretched myself to learn every corner of that specialty. However, expanding to open a bakery has taught me so much about cakes and other popular wedding desserts, positioning me to support my clients more than I possibly could prior. It also takes one extra step off their plate when they learn they can get their cakes directly from the venue.
It’s a matter of balancing brand identities while serving customers through multiple avenues to increase profits, better serve your clients, and build recognition within your market.
If you’ve been considering creating a secondary (or tertiary) brand, here are the steps you must follow to ensure success across all of your brands.
Guarantee your first brand’s sustainability.
Growth may be an exciting venture, but it’s not one to be taken lightly. Before taking any actions to create a new brand, you must first ensure that your existing business is solvent and sustainable. Building a second brand—whether a side hustle or full-blown company—will take time and you must be able to step away from your current business and focus your brainpower on this new project. If your first brand is a full-time job taking up your whole week, you will need to make some changes to ensure that you have the time and energy to commit to your new goals.
This will look differently for everyone. You might be in a position to hire a team that can fill in while you’re gone or it might be as simple as automating certain processes that you can take off your plate. Simply put, your current business must be able to function effectively without you at the helm every second of every day because you are taking on a whole new to-do list to tackle.
Stay organized by becoming an avid note-taker.
Every person’s brain operates differently, so it’s up to you to determine how you work best. Some people love having programs and apps that are easily accessible from multiple devices. Others (like me) prefer old-fashioned, pen and paper methods. I have a notebook for each of my businesses that I use for ideating, planning, and general note-taking. If you like the virtual route, you may find that “digital notebook” apps, like Evernote or OneNote, are sufficient for your purposes.
No matter which method you use, get used to jotting down all of the ideas that fly through your head. As wedding professionals, we’re often on the go with hardly enough time to grab coffee. Our brains run a mile a minute. You can quickly turn to your notebook, the notes app on your phone, a voice recorder, or other note-taking platform to throw all of your thoughts down for later review.
When you do have time to sit down and review your notes, mull over them and focus on what’s doable. While auditing your notes, you might toss out some ideas or you might land on a brilliant concept — that’s the beauty of brainstorming as you go about your day. Thoughts come up at inconvenient times (like in the shower or in the drive-thru!), so having a system in place to capture those notions is essential.
Get comfortable saying “no.”
It’s natural for event pros to be people-pleasers. We want to exceed our clients’ expectations and ensure their happiness with our work. However, this is no reason to let anyone push your boundaries. As a creative person with ideas all over the place, it’s critical for you to say “no” to other people. People are time-suckers and spending too much time outside of your head can cause you to lose that creative spark. If you give away all of your waking hours to coffee meetings, mentoring requests, and the like, how could you possibly keep your brands running smoothly?
Learn to say “no” to others and you’ll rediscover the freedom of controlling your own schedule. Let them know it’s nothing personal; you’ve simply allotted your time to working on an important project already. This goes for saying “no” to yourself as well. If you’ve been pushing off creative work because you’ve been scrolling endlessly through social media, tell yourself “no” and get back to work.
If your boxes are checked and your ducks are in a row, then diversifying with a new brand can be a great move. Needless to say, it will still be challenging. You will make mistakes and you will fail at some things — that is to be expected. However, you will also make great strides and have big wins. That’s the way of business. Stick to your guns and pursue your passion. If you feel strongly about this step, follow through with it and trust that the rest will fall into place.
Dixie Bagley is the owner of The Farm in Rome, Georgia - a European farm estate with lodging set in the northwest Georgia mountains. The venue focuses on working with couples who want to give their guests a relaxed but thoughtful countryside weekend wedding experience. Having been in the wedding industry for 12 years, Dixie is a master of multi-tasking and wants to make everyone feel at ease. Dixie is an active entrepreneur in the wedding industry. In addition to owning and operating a venue, she also owns The Sweet Bar Bakery, Tillman Hangar, Dixie Events Planning and Business Consulting, and she holds a degree in exercise science from the American Council of Exercise and is launching her new initiative, The Southern Wedding Collective.
