Mar 18 Flashback Friday: Are You Honoring Your Own Contract, Revisited

(Editor's note: Today, we're rolling out a new semi-regular Friday post series, in which we revisit some classic WeddingIQ posts to see how our perspective may have changed over time, and/or to provide some updated insight and resources on topics that remain relevant today!)

This month on the blog, we've been sharing content on topics related to the legal, financial and operational aspects of your wedding business. Of course, these are perennial responsibilities that we as business owners have to maintain consistently (which, admittedly, is sometimes easier said than done). We were fortunate to have attorney Autumn Witt Boyd share her knowledge of the importance of effective client contracts earlier this week, and another of our attorney friends, Annette Stepanian, has created a great set of customizable contract templates (with an exclusive afflilate link for WeddingIQ readers here!)

Mar 7

Mar 7 Hire Character, Train Skill

Guest Contributor

Wedding Industry, Relationships

We’ve all heard the business adage "Hire character, train skill." But what does it mean? How do you do it? And, finally, how important is it when it comes to your wedding and event business? In this post, I’m going to be speaking entirely about independent contractors as opposed to employees, as the process is a little different when hiring for short-term gigs rather than full-time work with a company. So, let’s get started!

Mar 2

Mar 2 Independent Contractors vs. Employees: What Wedding Pros Need to Know

Guest Contributor

Legal, Wedding Industry, Guest Posts

(Editor's note: We're thrilled to kick off our March content theme of all the operational "stuff" you need to manage in order to maintain a successful business - contracts, bookkeeping, client and team member management, and more. Today we welcome guest contributor Annette Stepanian, an attorney who's generously provided some fantastic advice for wedding business owners and other creative professionals. Take it away, Annette!)

You’ve decided to hire some extra help for your wedding business. Perhaps you’re now sending all of your graphic design needs to a local graphic designer or maybe you’ve hired an assistant to help with the day of work for an upcoming event.

Before hiring your next worker, it’s important to understand the distinction between what makes a worker an independent contractor versus an employee and what that means for you, the business owner. Improperly classifying a worker as an independent contractor can be quite costly for your business.

Feb 8

Feb 8 Managing Client Expectations and Families

Guest Contributor

Marketing, Clients, Wedding Industry, Guest Posts

(Editor's note: Today's post comes courtesy of guest contributor Jennifer Taylor of Taylor'd Events. Read more about Jennifer at the end of the post!)

When working with clients, setting expectations is of utmost importance. Not only does it prevent any boundaries from being crossed, but it is also a way to determine if you’re meeting (or exceeding) standards. While some may feel pressure from expectations, the truth of the matter is that no one can be happy without them – you’ll get stretched too far and clients will not be satisfied if you can’t meet unrealistic expectations.

Feb 5

Feb 5 Friday Five: 5 Things to Know Before You Meet With a Client

Guest Contributor

Clients, Marketing, Sales, Wedding Industry

As wedding professionals, haven't we all been burned by wasting time on meeting the wrong clients? Perhaps they weren't serious about potentially buying from us, or they were woefully unprepared, or we weren't going to be able to serve their needs regardless of how well we did in the meeting. Whatever the reason, none of us has time to spare on client meetings that aren't going anywhere.

So, in today's fun Friday Five post, here are 5 things to know prior to agreeing to meet with a client.