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.

The Myth of Work/Life Balance: How to Make Vacations Work for You

The Myth of Work/Life Balance: How to Make Vacations Work for You

Guest Contributor
Mindset

We hear a lot about work-life balance these days: from parents, colleagues and, well, anyone with a job. There seems to be this belief that work and personal life are completely separate and should be kept so through rigorous scheduling. It implies a "punching of the time clock" mentality in which a worker has set hours on the job that they happily leave behind at the end of the day.

I don’t know about you, but I have never experienced this type of employment, and increasingly, find that my work life and home life have completely melded into one another. When work is no longer confined to an office, when we are in constant contact with clients or when your colleagues are your friends, the lines become blurred - if not nonexistent. Instead, parents now bring their children to work, companies maintain virtual offices and friends start businesses together. More than ever, we are in charge of our own calendars on a daily basis, which is why scheduling down time is so important.  

How Being Less Educated, Less Informed and Less Inspired May Save Your Wedding Business

How Being Less Educated, Less Informed and Less Inspired May Save Your Wedding Business

Guest Contributor
Mindset

Last year, I wrote a post on whether inspiration would ultimately be the wedding industry's downfall. I remember feeling nervous when I posted it, because let's face it, certain "movements" and hashtags have become wildly trendy among wedding pros and other creatives. I worried that, by questioning the motives of the people behind it, I'd be seen as some kind of wedding industry mean girl. as negative, as judgmental. (It wouldn't be the first time. Some people really don't like being called out.)

Still, as with most of my quasi-controversial posts on WeddingIQ, I felt the topic needed to be discussed. And I stand by what I wrote, as well as my follow-up piece on how sugarcoating the reality of business hurts wedding pros and aspiring entrepreneurs.

This post is similar, but a little more personal to me. And it's not an easy one to write, that's for sure.

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