All in Planning

Event Prep 101: Training Your Team to Avoid Event-Day Emergencies by Thinking Ahead

Event Prep 101: Training Your Team to Avoid Event-Day Emergencies by Thinking Ahead

Guest Contributor
Planning

As business owners, we tend to be full of passion and dedication to our work, and it's easy to assume that everyone we hire will feel exactly the same way. Unfortunately, this is a common mistake that often leads to under-training our team, a shortcoming we don't even realize until something terrible happens at a wedding and we're left to answer for it.

Sure, most of us with employees or contractors are fortunate enough to have fantastic, loyal, talented people representing our business. As I've often said at speaking engagements, though, other people will never be as invested in your business as you are. That's just a fact, and keeping it in mind as you plan your training will help you avoid many a headache along the way.

Work/Life Balance? What's That?! And Can It Exist in the Wedding Industry?

Work/Life Balance? What's That?! And Can It Exist in the Wedding Industry?

Guest Contributor
Guest Posts, Mindset, Planning

(Editor's Note: Today we welcome our friend and colleague Meghan Ely of OFD Consulting, with a fantastic piece on whether work/life balance is actually an achievable thing in the wedding biz. Read more about Meghan at the end of the post!)

Ah, the ever-coveted work/life balance. From my experience, most people tend to lean towards one side or the other – rarely is it a 50/50 split. In the event industry, it can be especially difficult to prioritize your time as we’re often dealing with weddings and events on the weekends and weeknights.

How to Create a Company Manual for Your Wedding Business

How to Create a Company Manual for Your Wedding Business

Guest Contributor
Planning

Earlier this week, we outlined how to create systems and workflows for your wedding business, and how to write job descriptions for yourself and everyone else on your team (including people you'll hire in the future). In today's post, we'll put together those things with some other important information to create your own company manual.

I know: "company manual" sounds pretty impersonal, doesn't it? Whether you call it that, or a handbook, or a field guide, or a bible, it's an important part of running a successful business of any kind. You probably received one in many of the 9-5 jobs you had before diving into the wedding industry, and it can benefit your business in many of the same ways it benefits the corporate giants.

How Job Descriptions Will Transform Your Wedding Team (Even If It Doesn't Exist Yet)

How Job Descriptions Will Transform Your Wedding Team (Even If It Doesn't Exist Yet)

Guest Contributor
Planning

When it comes to operating our business, we're all guilty of "making it up as we go along" - as a matter of fact, as creative entrepreneurs, this is where we excel.

We're the thinkers and dreamers, always striving to discover the "next big thing." We're also generally an idealistic bunch, as it takes a lot of optimism to risk starting your own business. It’s exciting to design a logo or choose colors for your fledgling company, and to brainstorm all the ways you can help clients create the event of their dreams. You may imagine sitting in your office or working on site, basking in the pride of having finished a job and the kudos that may pour in. These dreams are what propel us forward and motivate us to do this work every day, even when we don't know exactly what we're doing.

Pretty quickly, however, we become immersed in the very real, practical aspects of owning a business.  There are never-ending items to be accomplished, deadlines loom ever closer, and don’t forget the "big picture thinking" necessary to help a company grow and prosper. 

How Creating Systems & Workflows for Your Wedding Business Can Set You Free

How Creating Systems & Workflows for Your Wedding Business Can Set You Free

Guest Contributor
Planning, Productivity

One of the most common sources of frustration I hear from wedding professionals is that they feel “stuck” running the day-to-day operations of their businesses. They know they need to focus on being strategic leaders of their business in order to become more profitable and efficient, but that’s easier said than done. Rather than functioning as the CEO of their company, they’re the salesperson, the craftsman, the delivery driver and so much more.

Of course, I can relate. While my primary business is now run by an incredible team, it wasn’t always that way – I spent years toiling over customer service, sales and marketing, payroll, operations and more, and ran myself ragged. When you’re scraping by as a startup, or when resources are scarce, you have no choice but to put your head down and just do the work.

Still, that can’t be a long-term strategy for success.

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