The Wedding Business Magazine April 2019

April 2019

We sit dow n w it h The Knot Worl dw ide t o chat about t heir recent l aunch and gaining conf idence in your w edding business

"Anyt hing is possible if you've got enough nerve." J.K.Row ling

In This Issue..

Our Cont ribut ors From t he Edit or

4- 6 8

Quot e of t he Mont h

10- 11

#WEDFEATURE w it h The Knot Worldw ide

12- 17

#WEDPR w it h Meghan Ely

18- 21

#WEDx w it h Tracy Butt erf ield

24- 28

#WEDEDU

30- 31

Int erview w it h Mart ín Berasat egui

32- 41

#WEDINSTA w it h Alex Tooby

42- 47

Our Favourit e Things

48- 49

#WEDSALES w it h Meryl Snow

50- 52

#WEDBIZCOACH w it h Michelle Lorett a

56- 59

#WEDCOPY w it h Jen Feroze

60- 63

Mindf ulness in Business w it h Danielle Rot hw eiler

64- 69

#WEDBRAND w it h Ashley Malone

72- 8370- 73

Top Tips

74- 82

#WEDPIN w it h Kat e Cullen

84- 87

Trend Inf luencer: Ef i Green, Yes St udio Bridal

88- 91

#WEDEXPERT Wit h Kylie Carlson

92- 97

#WEDSOCIAL w it h Christ ie Osborne

98- 100

Rebuilding Conf idence w it h Margaux Fraise

102- 107

Show case

108- 113

#WEDMAIL w it h Crist ina Barragan

114- 117

Building Conf idence in Business w it h Luxeova At elier

118- 121

#WEDTECH w it h Sandy Ham m er

122- 125

Sell More and Be Happy w it h Rachel Sheerin

126- 129

The Publishers

130

Contr ibutor s Al ex Tooby Alex t eaches ent repreneurs how t o m axim ize t heir eff ort s on Inst agram . By f ocusing on business grow t h rat her t han vanit y m et rics she?ssuccessf ully guided t housands of ent repreneurs t o m ore loyal f ollow ers, w eb t raff ic and sales!

Websit e: al ext ooby.com Ashl ey Mal one Creat ive Direct or and Ow ner of Ashley & Malone ? a bout ique branding and design agency specializing in t he w edding indust ry. Our m ission is t o give our client s t he conf idence t o succeed in t heir m arket place.

Websit e: w w w .ashl eyandm al one.com

Christ ie Osborne Christ ie Osborne is t he ow ner of Mount ainside Media, a com pany specializing in conversion opt im izat ion t hat helps w edding indust ry brands and businesses develop scalable m arket ing st rat egies t hat can beat t he algorit hm s.

Websit e: m ount ainsidem edia.com Crist ina Barragan I'm Crist ina Barragan, Ow ner and Chief Creat ive Off icer at Posh Peony, w e are a bout ique st yle st udio t hat provides f ull service design and educat ional w orkshops at a local and int ernat ional level. I also t each aspiring f loral designers and prom ot e com m unit y over at Fleursociet y.

Phot o credit : Spost o Phot ography

Websit e: poshpeony.com

J en Feroze Jen Feroze runs Jackdaw Edit orial - a copyw rit ing service f or t he w edding indust ry. She w orks w it h passionat e w edding business ow ners t o help t hem t ell t heir st ory, and give t heir brand t he voice it deserves.

Websit e: w w w .jackdaw edit orial .com Kat e Cul l en Kat e creat es plant dyed silk t ext iles f or t he w edding indust ry. She now also st yles f or f ine art brands, as w ell as running st yling and Pint erest courses t eaching ot hers how t o achieve sales and increase engagem ent w it h brides.

Websit e: w w w .k at ecul l en.co.uk Laura Perez Laura PĂŠrez is a prof essional w edding planner w it h over 10 years experience. Based in Barcelona, she is a specialist in dest inat ion Weddings,. Laura also w orks w it h t he Spanish Academ y of Wedding & Event Planning as a course consult ant and t ut or.

Websit e: cryst al event s.eu Meghan Ely Meghan Ely is t he ow ner of w edding PR and w edding m arket ing f irm OFD Consult ing. Ely is a sought - aft er speaker, adjunct prof essor in t he f ield of public relat ions, and a self- prof essed royal w edding ent husiast .

Websit e: w w w .of dconsult ing.com

Meryl Snow Meryl Snow is t he co- f ounder of Feast ivit ies Event s and t he creat or of The Triangle Met hod. Meryl t ravels t hroughout Nort h Am erica t raining client s t o help businesses get on t heir ow n pat h t o success.

Websit e: w w w .m eryl snow .com

Michel l e Loret t a Michelle Lorett a is a business consult ant and f inancial st rat egist f or w edding and event prof essionals. This year, her st rat egy business, Sage Wedding Pros, celebrat es 10 years of doling out indust ry expert ise.

Websit e: sagew eddingpros.com Sandy Ham m er Sandy Ham m er is t he co- f ounder and CMO of AllSeat ed, a collaborat ive net w ork f or planning event s t hat off ers t ools including f loorplans, 3D view, Guest List , RSVP, Seat ing, Tim elines, Mobile Check- In and m ore.

Websit e: w w w .al l seat ed.com Tracy But t er f iel d Tracy Butt erf ield is a t rust ed Wedding Indust ry Ent repreneur. Founder of WEDx, nat ional t raining f or w edding prof essionals and t he Four Count ies Wedding Aw ards. Ment or and Speaker. She is Direct or of Developm ent f or t he acclaim ed NAWP- UK Websit e: w w w .w edx.co.uk

From the Editor KYLIE CARLSON Conf idence is t he key t o having a successf ul w edding business.

In t he im m ort al w ords of Julie Andrew s ?I have conf idence in sunshine.

I have conf idence in rain. I have conf idence t hat spring w ill com e again.

Besides w hich you see I have conf idence in m e.?

I loved t his f ilm w hen I w as a kid and I st ill do, but one of t he reasons t his f ilm w as so popular w as because of all t he m essages w it hin it . This part icular m essage is one t hat has st uck w it h m e t hroughout m y lif e. If you have conf idence in yourself everyone else w ill have conf idence in you t oo.

I've lost count how m any t im es I've heard new w edding planners say "I've got m y f irst consult at ion w it h a bridal client but I have no idea how I'm going t o get t hrough it ." Conf idence. That ?s how you get t hrough it .

If you're sat in f ront of a pot ent ial client and m um ble, st utt er and st am m er your w ay t hrough your bridal couple aren't going t o have conf idence in you. How ever, if you shake t heir hand f irm ly, look t hem in t he eye and sm ile conf ident ly, even if you're shaking on t he inside, you're going t o m ake t hem f eel at ease and as t hough t hey are in t he hands of an expert .

Think about Julie Andrew s. She?d never been a governess bef ore, let alone t o 7 children, but she didn?t let t hat det er her. She m arched st raight up t o t he f ront door, shook t he hand of t he surprised but ler and announced her arrival w it h an exhuberant , "I'm here!" And t hat is w hat you need t o do t oo. Sprinkle a litt le Sound of Music fairy dust , puff out your chest and just go f or it . Aft er all, w hat 's t he w orst t hat can happen?

Kyl ie x

The Styled Shoot Team MODERN & RUSTIC ROMANCE STYLED SHOOT -

Coordinat ion & St yling: St one & Co. Event s Phot ography: Sarah Port er Phot ography Venues: Asylum Chapel and AMP St udios Florals: Bohot anical Tablew ear: St one & Co. Event s Furnit ure: Wild Wedding Com pany Props & Linen: Unit y St yling St at ionery and Mirror: Scritt o Bridal Dress: Aneberry Bridal Hair & Make Up Art ist : Alison Jenner Hair and Makeup Groom sw ear: ASOS Cake: Ever Aft er Wedding Cakes Bride Model: St arnow Models (Marlena) Groom Model: St arnow Models (Shane)

Quote of the Month

?

Optimism is the

faith that leads to achievement.

Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.

HELEN KELLER

?

# WEDFEATURE SITTING DOWN WITH THE KNOT WORLDWIDE

Sit t ing Dow n w it h The Knot Worldw ide Just last m ont h, The Knot and WeddingWire unveiled The Knot Worldw ide as it s new com pany nam e, f ollow ing t he m erger of XO Group Inc. and WeddingWire, Inc. in Decem ber. In t his issue, Julie Mead, Vice President of B2B Market ing, shares m ore about t his change, as w ell as her t op advice f or gaining and m aint aining business conf idence as a w edding prof essional.

What init ially drew you t o t he w edding indust ry w hen you began your journey w it h t he The Knot Worldw ide, f orm erly XO Group, nearly f ive years ago?

Earlier in m y career, I w orked w it h sm all businesses at Am erican Express. I really adm ire ent repreneurs in t he creat ive space - t heir passion and t alent f or m aking beaut if ul t hings com e t o lif e inspires m e, and I f ind it rew arding t o help t hem in t he w ay I know how.

I also spent t im e w orking w it h K- 12 educat ors, helping t hem build skills around using dat a t o personalize inst ruct ion and help every child learn.

Now I get t o w ork w it h m any t alent ed prof essional educat ors in t he w edding space - I love w orking w it h t hem because t hey are incredibly generous w it h t heir t im e and expert ise and are alw ays eager t o share w hat t hey?ve learned w it h ot hers. That kind of ent husiasm is cont agious.

Can you can expand m ore on t he FoundHERS init iat ive and how it t ies int o conf idence in t he w ork place?

Our FoundHERS init iat ive w as launched t hree years ago as a plat f orm t o share t he inspiring, honest and t rue st ories of w om en w ho are f ounders of t heir ow n purpose and m ission in lif e. Since our ow n com pany f ounding in 1996, The Knot has alw ays w orked t o em pow er brides by giving t hem t he conf idence t o break t he rules brilliant ly. The st ories shared t hrough our FoundHERS init iat ive are pow erf ul account s f rom inspiring w om en across various indust ries. These st ories help t o inspire and em pow er our users as w ell as our ow n t eam m em bers as t hey navigat e t heir ow n prof essional journey?s. Through t his init iat ive w e?re em pow ering all w om en t o ow n t heir purpose and m ission in lif e, w het her t hat is t hrough t heir career, fam ily, personal endeavors, passion project s or a com binat ion of t hose.

This issue's t hem e is building your conf idence as a w edding prof essional . Wit h t hat , w hat advice w ould you have f or t hose new ly ent ering t he w edding indust ry?

Take t im e out t o m eet and net w ork w it h ot her pros. St art ing out can be lonely and isolat ing. Many are solopreneurs, and since every w edding has an average of 14 w edding pros w orking t oget her,

"Everyt hing w e do is designed t o help em pow er and inspire our pros t o creat e and nurt ure t hese relat ionships so w e can w ork t oget her t o elevat e t he indust ry."

t he relat ionships t hey m ake w it h t heir peers can be t rem endously valuable t ow ards helping t hem book m ore business. Many pros f ind real f ulf illm ent w hen t hey m eet t he ot her pros t hey m ost enjoy w orking w it h - - t heir ?squad.? We t hrow part ies in cit ies across t he count ry designed t o provide t hese t ypes of opport unit ies f or pros t o connect , and t hey can be a great place t o st art .

Focus on def ining your aut hent ic brand and w hat set s you apart f rom ot hers. We hear f rom our pros t hat f iguring out how t o posit ion t heir brand in t heir m arket can be overw helm ing. In fact , in our recent survey of t he m arket , w e learned t hat just 18% of new bies f eel com plet ely com f ort able w it h m arket ing. Our m ission is t o help t hem , and w e do t hat t hrough f ull- day experiences w here t hey can get hands- on advice f rom ot her pros about how t o get st art ed. These experiences off er educat ional program m ing designed t o help w it h t hings like m arket ing, pricing, closing t he sale and m ore, as w ell as a seat ed lunch, cockt ail recept ion and an opport unit y t o speak one on one w it h a st rat egy specialist about t heir business challenges.

Conf idence in oneself is not a guarant ee- even as a w edding prof essional vet eran w it h years of experience. What advice w ould you give t o som eone w ho m ay be at t he t op of t heir gam e but f ear losing ground in such a f ast - paced indust ry?

Nurt ure your m ost im port ant relat ionships.

1) Relat ionships w it h couples you?ve w orked w it h in t he past are key t o your success in t he f ut ure - engaged couples place t rem endous value on your review s and w ord of m out h recom m endat ions t hey get f rom t heir f riends.

2) Relat ionships w it h peers - w edding pros share t he sam e challenges and goals. This com m unit y is t rem endously support ive and t he relat ionships you build here can not only keep you m ot ivat ed but t hey can help bring you new opport unit ies t o do t he w ork you m ost w ant t o do.

3) Your personal relat ionships. Weddings are unique in t hat t hey are alw ays creat ed f rom scrat ch and so pros m ust st art over every day w it h each new couple. It ?s essent ial t o t ake care of yourself t o avoid burnout ! Know w hat gives you energy and inspirat ion and m ake t im e f or it , w het her t hat ?s exercise or a day at t he spa.

Everyt hing w e do is designed t o help em pow er and inspire our pros t o creat e and nurt ure t hese relat ionships so w e can w ork t oget her t o elevat e t he indust ry.

As w e see t he shift t o serving Generat ion Z in t he years t o com e, w hat can w edding prof essionals be doing t o bet t er prepare t hem selves?

The m ost im port ant t hing pros can do t o prepare f or w orking w it h Gen Z is t o em brace inclusivit y as a value and show it in t heir w ork.

Generat ion Z def ines love m ore broadly t han previous generat ions.

They?re com ing of age in a t im e w hen sam e- sex m arriage is legal. Their view s on ident it y are m ore f luid w hen it com es t o everyt hing f rom gender t o religion t o race and et hnicit y.

Weddings are t he m ost im port ant expression of a couples? personal values. Gen Z- ers care about being associat ed w it h individuals, causes and brands t hat project inclusivit y as a value. They w ant t o w ork w it h w edding pros w ho ref lect inclusivit y in t heir w ork. For exam ple, t hey w ant t o see phot os of t heir pros? previous w ork w it h diff erent kinds of couples. They w ant t o hear w ords like ?couple? rat her t han ?bride and groom .? They w ant t o see t hat t heir pros have w orked w it h new and diff erent and blended def init ions of t radit ion.

XO Group Inc has seen a signif icant num ber of changes over t he last several m ont hs, m ost recent ly w it h t he launch of The Knot Worldw ide.

Can you t ell us m ore about t his new com pany nam e and w hat it m eans f or t he indust ry?

Lat e last year, The Knot and WeddingWire off icially m erged in order t o com bine our eff ort s t o accelerat e grow t h in our indust ry by off ering m ore value t o engaged couples and w edding pros t han any ot her com pany could do on a st andalone basis.

By advert ising across bot h The Knot and WeddingWire, pros can now reach t he largest num ber of couples searching f or t hem and gain access t o indust ry leading t ools, educat ion and analyt ics designed t o help t hem grow t heir w edding businesses.

Since t he m erger, w e?ve been com bining our educat ional program m ing and event s f or w edding pros in t heir local com m unit ies across t he US t o help t hem grow and succeed. And w e?ll cont inue t o w ork on w ays t o m ake t he pro/ couple experience m ore convenient and seam less now t hat w e are one com pany. Our ult im at e goal is t o drive m ore business t o our local pros so t hey see an ROI on t heir spend w it h us.

Int erview by Meghan Ely

w w w.t hek not w w.com

# WEDPR More t han ever, event prof essionals are vent uring int o t he w orld of speaking and educat ing. This expands t he w ealt h of know ledge in our indust ry, but it also m akes t he pool of applicant s far m ore com pet it ive.

For unexperienced pros, t his can be challenging. Speaking in f ront of a crow d is already int im idat ing ? pair t hat w it h t he idea of com pet ing w it h seasoned vet erans and you likely t hink ?m aybe next year? ?

It ?s t im e t o f orget t his t hought patt ern and build your conf idence as a speaker.

St art sm all Bef ore you dive int o nat ional conf erences, look int o local opport unit ies f or sm aller groups and w orkshops t o share your cont ent . Shannon Tarrant of Wedding Venue Map shares, ?I st art ed by speaking t o groups t hat I f elt w ouldn?t judge m e and t heir expect at ions w ere not so high, such as t he Girl Scout s, st udent organizat ions at local high schools, and Junior Achievem ent . These groups gave m e t he conf idence t o go aft er bigger opport unit ies.?

Em ily Sullivan of Em ily Sullivan Event s gives a sim ilar suggest ion: ?It ?s a good idea t o st art sm all and do podcast s and w ebinars. Pract ice t hrough t hose avenues and believe in yourself !? Virt ual opport unit ies are a great w ay t o get a bett er f eel f or your cont ent , but in a less f orm al sett ing t hat doesn?t rely on visuals.

Sitt ing on a panel is anot her great low - st ress w ay t o get on st age f or t he f irst t im e. In fact , all of m y big breaks happened during panels over t he f irst f ew years. Inst ead of jum ping right int o solo gigs, consider gat hering a group of t rust ed colleagues and pit ching as a panel.

Building your Confidence as a Wedding Industr y Speaker

BY MEGHAN ELY

Just do it Half t he batt le is convincing yourself t o get out t here and do it . Explore opport unit ies t o get your f eet w et . ?A great w ay t o st art is t o enroll in your local Toast m ast ers club and even t aking im prov classes t o help you get out of your shell,? encourages Michael Coom bs of Michael Coom bs Ent ert ainm ent . Tarrant also t out s t he helpf ulness of Toast m ast ers as a resource.

Pract ice, pract ice, pract ice As usual, pract ice m akes perf ect . The m ore you f eel pract iced and prepared, t he bett er you?ll do ? period. ?Pract ice your present at ion out loud so you have a t horough sense of not only t he cont ent t hat you?re sharing, but t he cadence of your w ords and t he lengt h of t he present at ion,? elaborat es Britt ny Drye of Love Inc. Build in appoint m ent s w it h yourself t o pract ice, t hen t est t hem out w it h your f riends.

Observe ot hers Learning f rom ot hers is a valuable w ay t o gain insight int o new perspect ives and ideas. Kat ie Easley of Kat e Ryan Design says, ?I m ake a point t o list en t o ot hers speak ? even (or especially) on t opics t hat I?m fam iliar w it h. It helps m e t o see how ot her nat ional speakers draw in t heir audience?s att ent ion and explain new concept s t o a group of people w it h diverse backgrounds.?

In t he end, m ake sure t hat you have f un w it h it ! Educat ing your peers is a great privilege, but it can also be very enjoyable t o share your expert ise t o ot hers.

Words by Meghan Ely

of dconsult ing.com

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This is not a casual group of w annabes, but a highly f ocused, t ight ly- knit group of w edding CEOS.

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# WEDx Conf idence is an essent ial part of being successf ul. It w ill help you t o w in client s respect , earn t heir t rust and m ake t hem f eel com f ort able.

You are already passionat e about w hat you do so let t hat show t hrough.

We can all t alk about som et hing w e know, right ?! That 's conf idence right t here. But , w hat if you are just not f eeling it t oday? Here are som e t ips: 1. St at e of m ind Mindset is a pow erf ul t ool and allow s your f eelings t o det erm ine your act ions. Conf idence isn't necessarily som et hing w e f eel; it ?s m ore about w hat w e project and w hat w e w ant ot hers t o see. When you m ake an eff ort t o shift your m indset , all your ot her incredible personalit y t rait s and skills w ill shine t hrough.

2.Be prepared Bett er preparat ion w ill rem ove t he f ear. Take t im e bef ore m eet ings t o decide your object ives and do your research. Know w hat out com e you w ant t o achieve and visualise it - happiness and posit ivit y is inf ect ious.

Be believable, aut horit at ive and com m unicat e w ell.

3.Think out side t he box If you?re st uck, t ry doing som et hing ?out of t he box?, som et hing out of charact er, and dive int o your discom f ort zone. The rew ards and f eelings of achievem ent are huge.

You Have This!

BY TRACY BUTTERFIELD

4.Wear it w ell Dress f or no st ress. If you f ind an out f it t hat m akes you f eel m ore conf ident and is com f ort able and suit able f or t he occasion ? w ear it !

You can t hen concent rat e on t he conversat ion inst ead of t ucking in a t op or t ugging at a t ight pair of t rousers or skirt . It 's so im port ant not t o t ry and be like som eone else. What suit s t hem m ight not be t he best f or your colouring, your f igure or your personalit y.

5. Body language Bef ore you w alk int o a room t ake a breat h, hold your head up high and st and t all. When you greet people f or t he f irst t im e, sm ile, shake t heir hand f irm ly and have eye cont act .

Have presence. Folding your arm s and t rying t o m ake yourself sm aller is, in body language t erm s, prot ect ing yourself, saying ?I don't w ant t o be here.' If you?re sitt ing in a chair, f ill t he space - t his doesn't m ean act so cool you're lounging!

6. Don?t be af raid t o m ake m ist akes Everyone m akes m ist akes so don?t expect t o be perf ect . Mist akes are how w e learn. Take crit icism as f eedback and learn f rom it . Direct your f ocus t ow ard solut ions rat her t han problem s.

7. Be grat ef ul Give t hanks t o t hose around you f or t heir support , f riendship and cont act s. Expressing grat it ude regularly gives you m ore posit ive em ot ions. You?ll sleep bett er, express m ore com passion and kindness, and even have st ronger im m une syst em . Grat it ude journaling w orks because it slow ly changes t he w ay w e perceive sit uat ions by adjust ing w hat w e f ocus on. Also accept com plim ent s and recognise your achievem ent s.

8. Give yourself a break Lit erally! We are our hardest crit ic. Working const ant ly w it hout t im e- out t o breat h m akes us short - sight ed, short - t em pered and em ot ionally and physically drained. Take cont rol of your schedule ? cross out t im e in your diary t o enjoy t he ot her loves in your lif e ? fam ily, f riends or pet s ? go f or a w alk, learn a new hobby, go out t o dinner w it h f riends, dance and laugh, lot s! It gives you head space t o nurt ure a m ore conf ident you.

9. Think posit ive Repeat posit ive aff irm at ions daily: ?I believe in m yself and t rust in m y abilit ies t o succeed in all I do?.

Replace negat ive w ords w it h posit ive alt ernat ives in all f orm s of com m unicat ion. Inst ead of saying ?sorry f or t he delay? say ?t hank you f or your pat ience?. Save sorry f or t he t im es w hen you really m ean it .

You?ll be surprised how litt le you need t o use it .

10. You?re not alone.

When you have a dow n or doubt day ? call a close f riend or colleague and get support ? you?d do it f or t hem if t hey called, right ? They w ill help you see a diff erent m ore posit ive side t o t he sit uat ion and uplift your spirit , give you t im e t o rant or at t he least , a hug (or a glass of w ine!).

Conf idence is cont agious, t ry it !

Words by Tracy But t erf ield

w w w.w edx.co.uk

# WEDEDU Every m ont h w e share t he lat est w orkshops, conf erences and educat ional event s w e hear about f rom across t he globe.

I DO CREW CO- WORKING MEETUP Dat e: May 4t h & 25t h, June 8t h, 2019 Locat ion: Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne Websit e: w w w.idocrew.com .au

IADWP CONGRESO DE BODAS LATINO Fecha: 23 al 26 de sept iem bre de 2019 Lugar: Guadalajara, Mexico Websit e: w w w.iadw p.com Regíst rat e con el código ESSWA19

ENGAGE!19 BAHA MAR Dat e: June 10t h- 13t h, 2019 Locat ion: Nassau, Baham as Websit e: engagesum m it s.com

BUSINESS OF BEING IN WEDDINGS Dat e: May 25t h- 26t h, 2019 Locat ion: St Kilda, Melbourne Websit e: sessions.t hest yleco.com .au

PRIDELUX ATELIER Dat e: Sept em ber 13t h & 14t h, 2019 Locat ion: Shangri- La Hot el, London Websit e: bridelux.com / show/ pridelux- at elier

ILEA LIVE 2019 Dat e: August 8t h- 10t h, 2019 Locat ion: Minneapolis, Minnesot a Websit e: w w w.cvent .com / event s

GASTRONOMIC CREATIVITY WITH MARTÍN BERASATEGUI, WORLD RENOWNED CHEF

Mart ín Berasat egui, w orld- renow ned chef, aw arded f or his culinary passion and gast ronom ic creat ivit y, is t he chef w ho boast s t he m ost Michelin st ars in Spain as w ell as various Diam ond- aw arded int ernat ional rest aurant s; t he equivalent of t he Michelin st ar in t he Caribbean.

This passionat e, unpret ent ious, approachable and dow n- t o- eart h chef reveals t hat t he keys t o his success are educat ion, t raining, support and t he conf idence t hat he has in him self and in every single one of his t eam m em bers.

Who is Mart ín Berasat egui and how did you st art out in t he culinary w orld?

Mart ín Berasat egui is a ?kooky? chef, born in t he old quart er of San Sebast ian. I didn?t have a lif e like w hat everyone?s accust om ed t o now adays, w e w ould only go hom e t o sleep, and in t he bedroom next t o m y brot her?s and m ine, t he w ait resses slept . My parent s had a hum ble rest aurant , called Bodegón Alejandro, w hich is w here I w as born and w here I lived as a youngst er. We spent our days in t he Bodegon. The f irst noises I heard as a baby w ere of t he w ood- burning st oves, t he w hist ling of t he poult ry, t he f ish and t he noises t hat t he f ood w ould m ake as t hey w ere cooking on t he grills. They w ere

m om ent s of pure m agic f or a boy like m e, w ho w as dream ing of becom ing a cook apprent ice som eday. I w ant ed t he sam e prof ession as m y parent s and aunt .

As a boy, I w as bored at school. My fat her w as t he popular m an in t he rest aurant and I w as alw ays nearby; I w ould go f rom t able t o t able learning and list ening closely as t he pat rons t old t heir st ories.

In one t able t he t axi drivers w ere seat ed, at anot her t he but chers? and every st ory w as a lif e lesson. It w as clear t o m e t hat I w ould be f ollow ing in his f oot st eps. And t he day cam e w hen m y m ot her and aunt sat m e dow n and said ?Mart in, if you w ant t o becom e an apprent ice, t om orrow you can join us at 8am t o go t o t he m arket and you w ill w ork w it h us side by side, w e w ill be f inishing up around m idnight ?. And t hat w as m y day t o day as an apprent ice.

How did you grow and becom e part of haut e cuisine?

From t hen and unt il t oday, 44 years lat er, I st ill am an apprent ice and learning m ore and m ore each day. My m ot her and m y aunt becam e m y source of const ant support . My fat her passed aw ay young due t o a healt h problem , and I am t he only one of m y siblings w ho f ollow ed in his st eps.

I st art ed out as an apprent ice at 15; by 17 I w as w orking 6 days a w eek at t he Bodegon, but I w ant ed t o learn French pat isserie. I w as f ort unat e enough t o have t he opport unit y t o be t rained once a w eek, on t he one day t hat I w as not w orking. I even put a bed under t he st airs t hat led dow n f rom t he fam ily?s living space upst airs t o t he rest aurant on t he ground f loor, and w ould get up at 4am t o get a head st art and be ready by 5am , w hich is w hen I w as picked up by a f riend of m y fat her?s and driven all t he w ay t o Bayonne, France, t o t rain w it h t he past ry chef Jean Paul Heinard.

This w as a great opport unit y, as Jean Paul Heinard opened his doors t o m e and also int roduced m e t o AndrĂŠ Mandion, w ho also t rained m e.

During 12 years I w ould go, on m y day off, and cont inue m y t raining w it h past ry chef s, but chers, bakers? and t he day cam e w hen I sat m y m ot her and aunt dow n and t old t hem ?You have bot h w orked like m ad, I?ve got st rengt h (garrot e) t o t ake over t he rest aurant m yself.? My t hen girlf riend, now w if e, w as sitt ing next t o m e t hat day ? I ow e her 50% of m y success ? and 3 years lat er I w as aw arded m y f irst Michelin st ar.

I st ill rem em ber t hat day; m y w if e and I looked at each ot her, and t hen looked all over, around us, above us, under us ? w e couldn?t believe it and t hought t here w as a hidden cam era; it had t o be a joke. We w orked very hard f or t hat f irst st ar, and it changed our lives com plet ely. I have alw ays w orked hard, f or each and every single Michelin st ar, because each one you are aw arded is like t ouching t he heavens; but t hat very f irst one w as t he least expect ed, because a Bodegon- st yle rest aurant had never been aw arded a st ar.

That m ade m e dream as a chef. It w as at t hat m om ent w hen t he project t hat you all know t oday w as born: I am t he chef w it h t he m ost Michelin st ars in his ow n count ry. I?ve been aw arded 10, and in t he Caribbean I am t he chef w it h t he m ost Diam onds, 18 in t ot al. And f or t w o consecut ive years, m y rest aurant w as vot ed t he best rest aurant in t he w orld by Trip Advisor.

The conf idence t hat a business ow ner has in t heir business, in t hem selves, and t he fait h t hat t hey w ill be successf ul is very im port ant . Did you ever have a shadow of a doubt , did you need t o build up your conf idence at som e point or w ere you alw ays cert ain t hat you w ere going t o give it your all t o get t hat Michelin st ar?

I am t he kind of person t hat w orks very hard and doesn?t have t im e t o w orry. Behind every achievem ent t here is a lot of hard w ork, perseverance, drive; I don?t give up easily and I don?t get discouraged by a challenge. I have com plet e fait h in m yself and in m y fam ily and t eam m em bers, t hey are t he ones w ho have helped m e get t o w here I

am t oday. I am f ort unat e enough t o be surrounded by brilliant people w ho help m e achieve m y goals and live m y dream . I am living an absolut e dream , as a chef and as a person.

I also have fait h and conf idence in everyone else; w hen I speak of us, I don?t only speak of t he chef ? t he ?us? includes t he past ry chef, t he but cher, t he baker, t he gam e hunt er, t he m ushroom picker, t he f isherm an, t he w indow cleaner. At t he end of t he day, lif e is about com m on sense. My parent s educat ed m e in t he belief t hat , regardless of w hat prof ession I choose, I m ust t ry t o be t he best I can be at t hat prof ession, but also as a person. And I st ill do t hat , every day.

Were your t raining and educat ion key t o becom e a success or w as it your t alent t hat got you t o w here you are t oday?

No, nat ure blesses you w it h t alent and t hat t alent has t o be m olded and nurt ured. Educat ion and t raining are ext rem ely im port ant , and w hen you have been t rained correct ly you m ove f orw ard w it h gigant ic st eps, w hereas, if you are not t rained at all, or are poorly t rained, you cannot . I w as lucky enough t o have w onderf ul t eachers; each one of t hem dedicat ed t heir lives t o t heir prof ession. I am a son of all of t hat ; I have been blessed w it h such excellent t raining t hat it has allow ed m e t o be a pioneer and achieve w hat no one had bef ore m e.

From your t raining, you st art creat ing your ow n pat h in business, w it h your brand. I now t each, and I am t ransparent : I t each everyt hing I know, m y experiences and know - how, and t oget her w it h m y t alent , I can give t hese young people a w ell- rounded educat ion. Surprisingly, it is t hese sam e young people t hat have also helped m e t o ?go out in t he w orld? joining soul t o t echnology. Now I can speak w it h m y collaborat ors f rom around t he w orld, t raining t hem and helping all of our t eam m em bers even if w e are not in t he sam e count ry. That ?s w hat I call ?t he t echnological soul of t he Mart Ă­n Berasat egui haut e cuisine.?

If a doct or can perf orm surgery rem ot ely, w hy can?t Mart in educat e and t rain rem ot ely? For m e, educat ion and t raining are non- negot iable.

What t ips w ould you give t o t hose w ho w ant t o open up t heir ow n business, be it in t he w edding w orld or t he culinary w orld?

The m ost valuable t ip I can give t hem is enjoy yourself, have f un, m ake ot hers have f un. We are t ransport ers of happiness, not hing else.

The culinary w orld is not just Michelin st ars. You have m ent ioned w eddings, t here are m any diff erent w ays t hat t he culinary w orld off ers f ood, w it h diff erent price point s, and diff erent business pat hs and t hey are all good. There are 3 st ars, 2 st ars, 1 st ar, Michelin- st ar recom m endat ions; t here are gast ronom ic societ ies, rot isseries, hom e cooking, TV cuisine, f or exam ple Karlos ArguiĂąano, and m any, m any m ore.

I recom m end t hat people enjoy t hem selves, no m att er w hat t hey do.

And t hat t hey see t hose of us w ho have been in t his vibrant indust ry as approachable; t hat t hey f eel t hey can ask us f or advice, t ips, prof essional w isdom and know - how? w e are here t o help.

Int erview by Laura PĂŠrez Silvest re, Spanish Wedding Academy Phot os: Andrea Ferrara Phot ography

Mart ín Berasat egui, gran chef galardonado por su pasión culinaria y creat ividad gast ronóm ica, es el chef que acum ula m ás est rellas Michelin en España y cuent a con varios rest aurant es int ernacionales galardonados con Diam ant es, el equivalent e a la est rella Michelin en el Caribe.

Hom bre apasionado, hum ilde, cercano y accesible, desvela que la clave de éxit o son la f orm ación, el apoyo y la conf ianza que deposit a en sí m ism o y en t odas las personas que com ponen su equipo. ¿Quién es Mart ín Berasat egui y cóm o ent ró en est e m undo?

Mart ín Berasat egui es un ?chif lado? de cocinero, que nace en la part e vieja de San Sebast ián. Yo no hacia vida com o hacéis vosot ros ahora, nosot ros íbam os solo a casa a dorm ir y en las habit aciones de al lado de donde dorm íam os m is herm anos y yo, dorm ían las cam areras. Mis padres t enían una casa popular de com idas, el Bodegón Alejandro, que es donde yo nací y lo que viví desde pequeño. La vida la hacíam os en el Bodegón. Los prim eros ruidos que yo conozco de la vida son de aquellos hornos de leña, cóm o silbaban las aves, los pescados, com o sonaban al cocinarlos en aquellas parrillas. Eran m om ent os de m agia para un niño com o yo, que t enía en las venas que algún día quería ser aprendiz de cocina.

Yo quería el m ism o of icio que t enían m is padres y m i t ía.

Yo recuerdo que de niño el colegio se m e hacía aburrido; m i padre era el hom bre popular del Bodegón y yo le seguía; iba de m esa en m esa aprendiendo y escuchando las hist orias de los com ensales. En una m esa est aban los t axist as, en ot ra los carniceros? y cada hist oria era una lección de vida. Yo t enía claro que quería seguir en sus pasos. Y llegó un día en el que m i m adre y m i t ía m e sent aron y m e dijeron ?Mart ín, si quieres aprender de cocina, m añana vienes con nosot ras a las 8 de la m añana al m ercado y t rabajas a nuest ro lado; por la noche acabarem os a las 12- 12.30h de la noche.? Y así es el día a día de un aprendiz de cocina.

¿Cóm o creció hast a llegar a la alt a gast ronom ía?

Desde ent onces y hast a hoy, 44 años m ás t arde, sigo siendo t an aprendiz o incluso m ás que ent onces. Y las que m ás m e han ayudado m ás han sido m i m adre y m i t ía. A m i padre lo perdim os por un problem a de salud cuando era joven, y soy el único de m is herm anos que t iene el m ism o of icio que él.

Con 15 años com encé com o aprendiz; a los 17 t rabajaba 6 días a la sem ana en el Bodegón y quería f orm arm e en la past elería f rancesa.

Tuve la suert e de que m e abrieron las puert as para que pudiera f orm arm e 1 día por sem ana, el único día que t enía com o descanso sem anal. Puse una cam a debajo de las escaleras que bajaban de la casa fam iliar arriba al Bodegón en la plant a baja, y a las 4h de la m adrugada m e despert aba para prepararm e, ya que a las 5h de la m adrugada m e recogía un am igo de m i padre y m e llevaba a f orm arm e con el past elero Jean Paul Heinard en Bayonne (Francia).

Aquello hizo que Jean Paul Heinard m e abriera las puert as y pudiera am pliar m i f orm ación con André Mandion. Est uve durant e 12 años yendo a f orm arm e, en m i día de f iest a, a past elerías o a heladerías, panaderías, charcut erías? y llegó el día en el que m e sent é de nuevo con m i m adre y m i t ía y les dije: ?Habéis t rabajado com o una leona y una t igresa, yo t engo garrot e para llevar est o solo? Y de ahí viene lo de ?garrot e?. A m i lado t enía a m i ent onces novia, ahora esposa, que es el 50% del éxit o de Mart ín Berasat egui, y a los 3 años de ese día m e llegó la prim era est rella Michelin.

Recuerdo que el día que nos dieron la prim era est rella Michelin, m i m ujer y yo m irábam os a t odos lados, buscando una cám ara ocult a.

No nos lo podíam os creer. Trabajam os m uy duro para conseguirla, y aquello nos cam bió la vida. Yo siem pre he luchado por cada est rella Michelin, porque cada est rella es com o t ocar con las yem as de los dedos el cielo; pero la prim era est rella Michelin f ue la m ás inesperada, porque nunca a un Bodegón le habían dado una est rella.

Aquello m e hizo soñar com o cocinero. En ese m om ent o es donde nace el proyect o que hoy conocéis: Soy el cocinero del m undo que m ás est rellas Michelin t iene dent ro de su país. Tengo 10, y en el Caribe soy el cocinero que m ás Diam ant es t iene, que son 18. Y dos años seguidos, he sido vot ado com o m ejor rest aurant e del m undo por Trip Advisor.

La conf ianza del em prendedor en su negocio, y en que vaya a t ener éxit o, es m uy im port ant e. ¿Ust ed en algún m om ent o t uvo alguna duda, necesit ó t rabajar la conf ianza o siem pre t uvo la cert eza y la ent rega para seguir luchando por el sueño de conseguir esa est rella Michelin?

Yo soy una persona que lo que ha hecho es preocuparse poco y ocuparse m ucho. Det rás de t odo lo que ves hay m ucho sudor, m ucha perseverancia, m ucha am bición sana; no escat im o una got a de sudor nunca y no m e arrugo por nada del m undo. Tengo plena conf ianza en m i m ism o y plena conf ianza en m i fam ilia y en m is equipos, que son los que m e hacen grande. Soy una persona que vive rodeado de personas que m e hacen grande, y m e hacen vivir est e sueño. Vivo un sueño que nunca pensé que iba a vivir, com o cocinero y com o persona.

Yo t engo conf ianza en t odo el m undo; cuando hablo del nosot ros, no sólo hablo del cocinero - hablo del past elero, del charcut ero, del carnicero, del cazador en t em porada, del recolect or de set as, del pescadero, del que lim pia los crist ales. Al f inal, la vida es sent ido com ún. Y la conf ianza, t e la t ienes que ganar. Son f orm as y m aneras que m e dieron m is padres. A m í m e educaron, dejándonos elegir nuest ra prof esión, pero siem pre int ent ando ser lo m ejor en la prof esión y com o persona t am bién.

¿La f orm ación f ue clave para alcanzar el éxit o o f ue su t alent o lo que le hizo exit oso?

No, la nat uraleza t e da un t alent o y ese t alent o hay que t rabajarlo. La f orm ación es m uy im port ant e, y cuando est ás bien f orm ado avanzas con pasos de gigant e que si no est ás f orm ado, o est ás m al f orm ado.

Yo t uve la suert e de t ener grandes m aest ros, cada uno dejó su vida en su prof esión. Yo soy hijo de t odo eso; he t enido t ant a suert e y he t enido una f orm ación t an buena, que m e han perm it ido abrir cam inos que nadie ant es había conseguido.

A part ir de ahí, vas haciéndot e t u propio cam ino, y t u propia m arca.

Ahora yo doy f orm ación, de t odo lo que yo sé, que unido a la experiencia y t alent o que t engo, puedo darle a est a gent e joven una f orm ación com plet a. Luego, he com probado que ha sido con est a gent e joven que he podido ?ir al m undo? poniéndole alm a a la t ecnología. Ahora puedo hablar con m is colaboradores alrededor del m undo, enseñam os y f orm am os a t odos nuest ros equipos pudiendo est ar conect ados con la t ecnología. Eso es lo que yo llam o la cocina de Mart ín Berasat egui poniéndole alm a a la t ecnología. Si un m édico puede operar a dist ancia, ¿cóm o no puede Mart ín enseñar a dist ancia?

Para m i, la f orm ación es innegociable. ¿Qué consejos le daría a personas que quieran em prender, abrir un negocio en el m undo de las bodas o en la alt a gast ronom ía?

El consejo que yo les daría es disf rut ar, pasárt elo bien, hacer que se lo pase bien t odo el m undo. Nosot ros som os t ransport ist as de f elicidad, nada m ás.

El m undo de la cocina no solo es la est rella Michelin. Tu has hablado de las bodas, yo de las dist int as m aneras que hay de of recer gast ronom ía, con precios dist int os, y t odos los cam inos que se han abiert o en la cocina Española, son t odos buenos. Hay 3 est rellas, 2 est rellas, 1 est rella, recom endaciones de est rella Michelin. Luego hay asadores, sociedades gast ronóm icas, la cocina de casa, la de los

m edios de com unicación, la de Karlos Arguiñano, y de m ás y m ás gent e.

Yo aconsejo que la gent e se lo pase bien. Y que nos vean cercanos a los que llevam os m ucho t iem po en est e bonit o of icio, que nos pidan consejos, que nos pidan saber hacer, que nos pidan prof esionalidad, que nos pidan nobleza? nosot ros est am os para ayudar.

Ent revist a por Laura Pérez Silvest re, Spanish Wedding Academy Fot os: Andrea Ferrara Phot ography

w w w.m art inberasat egui.com

7 Tips to Boost Your Confidence in Business

BY ALEX TOOBY

# WEDINSTA As ent repreneurs, w e all share som e sim ilar qualit ies - w e?re innovat ive, driven, and passionat e. We possess t he creat ivit y, leadership, and expert ise needed t o becom e an aut horit y in our f ield. We?re com f ort able t aking risks and being resilient w hen t hings don?t go exact ly as planned.

How ever, w it h t hat com es anot her t rait - uncert aint y. Uncert aint y can t ake a t oll on our conf idence in business. Even t hough w e oft en excel in lif e, w e st ill quest ion if w e?re really t hat great . This t roubling m indset can negat ively aff ect our overall conf idence and success so it ?s im perat ive w e dit ch t he uncert aint y and becom e conf ident inst ead.

When you are conf ident in your approach and your business as a w hole, you?ll have m uch bett er luck w it h att ract ing and landing your dream client s.

I suff ered w it h im post er syndrom e f or a long t im e - w ondering if w hat I w as off ering w as really w ort h t he price t ag I slapped on it . But , as you gain conf idence in w hat you do, you sim ult aneously realize your value.

Here?s 7 t hings you can im plem ent t o avoid t he pat h of uncert aint y and st art f eeling conf ident in your business t oday: Ignore doubt ?What if I don?t succeed???What if t he crit ics w ere right ??

Chances are, you?ve had t hese t hought s. You?ve also likely had som eone t ell you t hat your idea has been done bef ore, you w on?t m ake it , and a slough of ot her discouraging rem arks. I?m here t o t ell you t o ignore t he crit ics. If t hey aren?t your ideal client , t heir input doesn?t have any eff ect on you or your business!

Let reject ion f uel you Unf ort unat ely you?ll face reject ion at som e point during your ent repreneurial journey. Reject ion in business can deliver a harsh blow t o your self- est eem , but only if you allow it t o. How you handle t he reject ion is how you successf ully redirect and m ove f orw ard. Treat each reject ion as a lesson. Why didn?t t he deal pan out ? What can be done diff erent ly next t im e? For every reject ion t here?s a new opport unit y if you t ake t he t im e t o learn f rom each one.

Forgive yourself Don?t dw ell on a m issed opport unit y or a pit ch t hat didn?t produce t he result you w ant ed. The m ost im port ant t hing t o do t o get back on t rack is t o f orgive yourself. Making m ist akes is how w e learn and grow in business. A m ist ake doesn?t m ake you any less qualif ied! Inst ead of seeing it as a set back, see it as an experience.

St op com paring yourself t o ot hers The realit y of being in alm ost any business is t hat t here?s likely som eone out t here doing it bigger and bett er. This doesn?t negat e your experience, value, or aut horit y!

Here?s your unique t rait - you are not your com pet it ion. Inst ead of f ocusing on t rying t o replicat e w hat t hey are doing or w orrying about how you st ack up against t hem , f ocus on providing your client w it h t he very best of w hat you uniquely have t o off er.

Know your w ort h We are our ow n w orst crit ics. Despit e how m any hours you spent on a project , how successf ul your last launch w as or how m any people you?ve helped, w e oft en never give ourselves t he credit w e deserve. To be conf ident in not only yourself, but your business w e need t o f lip t hat script and becom e our ow n, num ber one fans. Sounds cheesy? Sure, it is, but t he diff erence it w ill m ake in your out look on lif e and business is unm easurable. You are w ort h t he price t ag on your product and w hen you st art believing t hat you?ll eff ort lessly att ract t he person m ore t han w illing t o pay t hat price.

Make self- care a priorit y You?ve likely heard t he expression ?you can?t pour f rom an em pt y cup?.

It ?s t rue - you need t im e t o recharge and relax! You are doing yourself and your client s a disservice if you?re overw orked and underm ot ivat ed.

Self- care looks diff erent f or everyone, but it ?s im perat ive. Being ?busy? all t he t im e doesn?t necessarily lead t o m ore product ivit y. Do yourself a favor and schedule in som e you t im e.

Rem em ber, conf idence is a m indset . When you?re conf ident in your business, your success rat e w ill be exponent ially higher (and you?ll be happier, t oo!)

Words by Alex Tooby

alext ooby.com

OUR FAVOURITE THINGS In each issue w e share w it h you som e of t he t ools w e can't do w it hout , t hings w e've f ound w hen researching and som e gem s w e've been t old about by ot hers. They m ake our lives easier and save us huge am ount s of t im e w it hin our w orking lif e. In som e cases t hey are just great Apps t hat w e love t o play w it h. Enjoy!

This m ont h w e are sharing som e of t he best apps t o hel p you buil d conf idence in business.

TOTAL CONFIDENCE AND SUCCESS A hypnosis app t hat helps you t o ident if y w hat your great est personal st rengt hs are helping t o build your career conf idence. it unes.apple.com / app/ t ot al- conf idence- success

7 DAYS THIN, SLEEP, CONFIDENCE...

This is an all- rounded w ell- being app t hat f ocuses on diff erent areas of your lif e including conf idence. ? it unes.apple.com / app/ paul- m ckenna- 7- days

BUILD CONFIDENCE The Build Conf idence app is designed t o help users de- st ress and relax, w hich is such a big part of building your conf idence. it unes.apple.com / app/ build- conf idence

CONFIDENCE COACH Conf idence Coach is an excellent app t hat t akes a cognit ive approach t o building self- conf idence and est eem . it unes.apple.com / app/ conf idence- coach

SIMPLY BEING Sim ply Being is an app t hat can open t he doors t o self- discovery t hrough m ediat ion. it unes.apple.com / app/ sim ply- being- guided- m edit at ion

Building Confidence in Your Sales Approach

BY MERYL SNOW

# WEDSALES Becom ing a successf ul salesperson doesn?t happen overnight . Selling is a skill t hat t akes hard w ork, a bit of t alent , and t he underst anding t hat t he buyer alw ays com es f irst . Unf ort unat ely, m any salespeople fall int o a t ired, st ale rout ine t hat ends up f eeling inaut hent ic. It ?s easy t o lose t ouch w it h w hat buyers w ant , so here?s your rem inder of how t o be conf ident in your sales gam e and close your next deal.

List en closely There are f ew t hings w orse t han a salesperson t hat ref uses t o list en.

Whet her it ?s a quest ion, concern, or casual com m ent , your att ent ion should alw ays be on t he client . Buyers know w hen t hey aren?t being heard. When you f ocus on t heir needs, you are lett ing t hem know t hat you t ake t hem seriously and care about t heir com f ort and sat isfact ion.

Be clear and concise A great salesperson m ust have st rong com m unicat ion skills, w it h t he abilit y t o convey a m essage in a w ay t hat is easy t o underst and. It m ight be obvious t hat lying has no place in a sales sett ing, yet som et im es it seem s easier t o snake around cert ain quest ions and avoid giving f ull answ ers if t hey don?t play t o your advant age. Honest y is key, as is t he pow er of explaining t he process clearly and t horoughly. Rem em ber t hat t his is a signif icant f inancial invest m ent f rom t he buyer, so t hey appreciat e know ing all of t he det ails upf ront .

Priorit ize t he buyer At t he end of t he day, you need t o show a prospect t hat t heir needs are of ut m ost im port ance. Make t hem f eel like t he w orld revolves around t hem by asking im port ant quest ions and com plim ent ing t hem . Involve t hem in t he process as m uch as t hey w ant ; w hile som e m ay pref er a hands- off approach, m ost buyers w ant t o know t hat t heir voice is being heard f rom t he init ial kickoff t o t he f inal execut ion.

Connect on a deeper level Everyone w ant s t o be liked and, now m ore t han ever, buyers are looking f or som et hing beyond a w orking relat ionship. They w ant t o learn m ore about you and your com pany, so don?t hold back on t he det ails. Learn about t heir dream s and goals, connect ing w it h t hem on a hum an level rat her t han keeping it t o a st rict vendor- client relat ionship.

You?ll not ice t hat cost isn?t a fact or in sales conf idence ? you can be self- assured in your selling gam e w it hout changing your pricing st ruct ure. Believe it or not , buyers care less about t he dollar am ount and m ore about w het her t hey?re gett ing a perceived ?deal.? If you are conf ident in selling t he value of your art , t hey m ay consider your cost liest package a deal based on w hat t hey?re gett ing in ret urn.

Learning w hat buyers w ant as a salesperson is a def ining point in your career. It allow s you t o break f ree f rom t he regular sales rout ine and t he m onot ony t hat com es w it h it so you can t ruly f ocus on w hat m akes a great salesperson: t rust , reliabilit y, value, and know ledge. Put t he buyer f irst , rem em ber t o m ake t hem f eel im port ant , and alw ays w ork hard t o m ake t he process easier f or t hem .

Words by Meryl Snow

w w w.m erylsnow.com

ACADEMY TV

Free- t o- air videos f or aspiring, new bie & est ablished w edding prof essionals.

We

t ake

you

behind- t he- scenes

at

conf erences,

w orkshops and indust ry event s, as w ell as going int o t he st udio t o produce som e great educat ional cont ent t o help you in your career in t he w edding indust ry.

No subject is off lim it s and w e cover everyt hing f rom pricing t o client consult at ions.

How to Over come the Fear of Failur e

# WEDBIZCOACH Conf idence is achieved w it h t im e and experience. One becom es m ore conf ident in t he losses t hey endure as m uch as t he w ins celebrat ed.

Conf idence com es f rom being able t o say: ?I survived t hat . And, I w ill survive t his t oo!?

But , even t he m ost conf ident business ow ner w ill share t hat t here are peaks and valleys t o t his f eeling. In 15 years of being an ent repreneur, t here are t im es I have f elt on t op of t he w orld, and ot hers t hat I have f elt oh- so- low.

What ?s a w edding prof essional t o do? Here are 3 Ways f or Building Conf idence as a Business Ow ner.

1. Hire Prof essionals f or Your Weak Spot s.

Many ent repreneurs m ake t he m ist ake of t hinking t hey need t o be good at all t hings. NO ONE is good at all t hings. The sm art est business ow ners recognize t heir w eaknesses and hire people t o t ake on t hose areas. St ruggle w it h social m edia? Hire a virt ual assist ant w ho specializes in t his. Can?t keep up w it h Quickbooks? Hire a bookkeeper.

Not sure w here t o begin? Make a HUGE list of all t he t asks you do as a business ow ner. Label t he ones you like and do w ell w it h a plus. Label t he ones you hat e or don?t do w ell w it h a m inus. Look at t he m inuses and f ind t he m ost crit ical areas t o begin w it h. Finding som eone t o relieve you of w eak spot s can m ake you f eel so m uch m ore pow erf ul as a business ow ner.

3 Ways to Build Confidence as a Business Owner

BY MICHELLE LORETTA

2. Get Educat ed.

Lack of conf idence can oft en com e f rom not know ing? not know ing how t o do t hings in your business. This is w here conf erences and online courses can give you an advant age. Educat ion can give you a fast t rack int o an area t hat m ay ot herw ise t ake years t o learn on your ow n.

Invest ing in educat ion not only gives you t he t ools t o use in your business, but also connect s you w it h ot her business ow ners w ho are facing t he sam e challenges.

3. Learn How t o Read Num bers.

I see a lot of w edding prof essionals st ruggling w it h t hings like pricing (how t o just if y a price t o a pot ent ial client ) and prof it abilit y (how t o know if t he business is doing w ell f inancially.) This is w here learning how t o read your f inancial report s, nam ely t he Prof it & Loss report , can be incredibly valuable.

When you know w hat your num bers are doing, asking a client f or $10k t o plan t heir w edding becom es a lot easier t o do. You know w hat t hat pricepoint w ill do t o your bott om line. You can w alk conf ident ly w it h t he know ledge t hat ?I?m Wort h It !? Not know ing t he f inancial aspect s of your business can leave you bew ildered and bef uddled, adding t o t hat lack of assurance and poise.

And? here?s a bonus st rat egy? w hen you need an INSTANT boost of conf idence: St and up, spread your legs hip dist ance apart , put your hands on your hips, st ick your chest out , t ake a deep breat h, and look out and upw ards. This is your POWER POSE. St udies show t hat doing t his pow er pose can give yourself a litt le boost of conf idence in a m att er of seconds. Go on, t ry it !

Words by Michelle Loret t a

sagew eddingpros.com

From Intimidated to Instinctive: Top Tips To Build Confidence With Copywr iting

BY JEN FEROZE

# WEDCOPY The w edding indust ry is a st rongly visual one. For t he m ost part , your business is likely t o be dealing in f inely honed, hands- on craft sm anship ? w het her your area of expert ise is f lorist ry, phot ography, planning, st yling, dress design or cake art ist ry. When it com es t o craft ing w it h language, you m ight w ell be out of your com f ort zone, and in fact , t he phrase I hear m ost oft en f rom m y client s is t hat t hey?re ?t errible w it h w ords?. They can w eave t oget her incredibly int ricat e f loral inst allat ions, w rangle m ult iple spreadsheet s and suppliers and dream up innovat ive, im aginat ive, det ail- f illed w edding days unt il t he cow s com e hom e, but sit t hem in f ront of a blank screen and f lashing cursor, or a f resh page in a not ebook, and t heir palm s im m ediat ely st art t o sw eat .

Sound fam iliar? Don?t panic.

Where There?s A Will?

I am f irm ly of t he belief t hat a large percent age of w hat m akes good w rit ing com es f rom t he f eeling t hat f uels it . Of course good gram m ar, clever const ruct ion and adept ness w it h im agery play a part , but you can get sw ept up in t he inf ect ious ent husiasm of a w rit er w ho is having f un; som eone w ho w ant s you t o experience t heir t rium phs and delight in t he det ails of t heir lif e and t heir business. In short , som eone w ho has t he w ill t o share t heir st ories.

Im proving your w rit ing is t heref ore oft en a quest ion of conf idence: st yling it out , gett ing playf ul, pract ising f or t he f un of it and losing som e of t hose ?I?m t errible w it h w ords? inhibit ions. Writ ing f or t he sake of w rit ing w ill help you t o com bat t he f ear you f eel, and w ill m ake sitt ing dow n t o w rit e client em ails, blog post s, w ebsit e pages and social m edia post s t hat m uch less of a w rench.

So, here are som e t ips and exercises t o help you put pen t o paper t hat bit m ore easily.

1: Building New Habit s Treat yourself t o som e new st at ionery, and keep a not ebook by t he bed.

Make sitt ing quiet ly t o w rit e a page or t w o part of your bedt im e rout ine.

These night ly w ords don?t have t o be prof ound: t ell your journal about t he noise in your head, w hat you at e f or dinner, w hat you?ve got on t he t o- do list t om orrow? but keep at it every day. Gett ing your voice dow n on paper in a sim ple, habit ual w ay like t his w ill help m ake w rit ing f or business f eel m ore of a nat ural im pulse, and you m ight w ell f ind you st art t o sleep bett er, t oo.

2: The Word Hoard This litt le exercise is som et hing I do bef ore each new piece of w rit ing, and it ?s a brilliant w ay t o f ocus t he m ind and t he vocabulary. I call it t he ?Word Hoard?. Spend 10 m inut es jott ing dow n every w ord or phrase t hat ?s connect ed w it h t he t hem e of w hat ever you?re w rit ing about . It doesn?t m att er how seem ingly prosaic t hey are t o st art w it h. You?ll f ind t hat t here are litt le nugget s of gold in am ongst t he obvious, and w ill be able t o approach your w rit ing w it h a ready m ade bespoke t hesaurus at your f ingert ips.

3: Know Your Audience As I?m sure you?re already aw are, sussing out your ideal client is a crucial part of your business m essaging and cont ent creat ion. You can only creat e t ailored, m eaningf ul copy if you know w hom it is you?re t alking t o.

Perhaps you?ve m ade a st art here ? w rit ing dozens of litt le snippet s and fact s about t hem : w here t hey shop, t heir favourit e f oods, w here t hey like t o go on holiday et c. While t hese litt le bit s and pieces are undoubt edly helpf ul, t hey?re not alw ays easy t o digest , and t hey don?t give you t he m ost layered or nuanced im age of a real person. I?d urge you t o t ake your ideal client w ork f urt her and w rit e yourself a creat ive charact er prof ile.

Give t his client a nam e and w rit e som e im aginat ive prose about t hem .

Not so m uch t he labels in t heir clot hing, but t he passions in t heir heart , t he t hings t hat keep t hem aw ake at night , w hat ?s shaped t hem as a hum an. The st ories you t ell w it h your business are going t o be direct ed at t his person, so t hey deserve a st ory of t heir ow n t o get you st art ed.

Believe m e w hen I t ell you t hat you?ve got it in you t o be a good w rit er.

Have fait h and m ore im port ant ly have f un, and you?ll f ind t hat your readers keep com ing back f or m ore.

Words by Jen Feroze

w w w.jackdaw edit orial .com

MINDFULNESS IN BUSINESS WITH DANIELLE, ROTHWEILER EVENT DESIGN

Danielle Rot hw eiler is t he ow ner of Rot hw eiler Event Design, a f ull- service w edding & event planning com pany based in t he NYC area.

For 10 years, Rot hw eiler Event Design has planned count less w eddings and event s across t he globe, f eat ured in The Knot , E! New s, People Magazine, New Jersey Bride, and US Weekly. Rot hw eiler is also a Huff ingt on Post Weddings cont ribut or.

What is m indf ulness? How can help w edding pros gain conf idence?

Mindf ulness is all about being in t he present m om ent and appreciat ing w here you are now and w hat you have right now. When w e're m indf ul, w e're f ocusing on t he good inst ead of w hat is lacking f rom our lives. No m att er w here a w edding prof essional is, w het her t hey are just st art ing out or have years of experience, anyone can gain conf idence w it h t his t ype of perspect ive. St art w it h t hought s of challenges you've already overcom e and t hen build your accom plishm ent s on t op of t hat . Not hing is t oo sm all, and t hat 's really im port ant t o rem em ber.

Wedding pros lose t heir conf idence by not giving t hem selves enough credit f or t he t hings t hey have already done. Then, t hey dam age t hat conf idence even m ore by t rying t o predict t he f ut ure, and t hose predict ions are negat ive because t hat 's all t hey are f ocusing on f rom t he past . We are a societ y of people t hat believes if you're proud or t alk

about your success, t hat you'll be perceived as arrogant or as som eone t hat t hinks t hey are bett er t han everyone else. But , it 's t ot ally OK t o pat yourself on t he back, even if no one else does. That 's how you st art building conf idence.

How has your journey in m indf ulness changed your business?

I am a nat urally com pet it ive person and I have/ had a t errible habit of never being sat isf ied w it h accom plishing t hings. I've learned t o act ually t ake t he t im e t o be m indf ul of even t he sm allest t hings t hat have gone right w it h m y business. You're not supposed t o "sw eat t he sm all st uff " but you are supposed t o celebrat e it . I'm not good at accept ing com plim ent s, and I'm alw ays pushing m yself t o be bett er t han w ho I w as yest erday.

Being m indf ul, t hough, has m ade m e st op t o act ually be happy and enjoy an accom plishm ent in m y business, inst ead of t hinking "w hat 's next ?" We put so m uch energy int o t hinking about t he t im es w e screw up...in m y case it 's t he couple I didn't book, or t he speaking gig I didn't get , or t he part nership I w as t urned dow n f or. When you f ocus on not hing except w hat you didn't get , you lit erally cannot put t oget her a list of t hings t hat you did get . Wit h a present m indset , t here's no room f or t his t ype of negat ive t hinking.

I hold ont o every last accom plishm ent , no m att er how sm all, w it h a m uch f irm er grip now ; t his allow s m e t o act ually go aft er opport unit ies I w ould've blow n off in t he past because I t hought "w hat 's t he point ?"

It 's not because I act ually t hought I w asn't good enough- f ull t ransparency here, I know w hat I'm good at . How ever, t hat m eant t hat f or every job or client t hat I didn't get , I w ould t ry and f igure out f or w eeks or m ont hs w hat w ent w rong. The w orst cases w ere alw ays w hen I f ound out w ho "w on" over m e. You absolut ely cannot do t hat t o yourself because, if f or no ot her reason, you w ill never know w hy you lost . On t op of t hat , it lit erally doesn't m att er. You have t o f ocus on w hat you can do t o be t he best you can be and t hat 's it .

Being m indf ul also has f orced m e t o drop t he excuses as a prof essional. I used t o get so angry at t he lack of t im e t hat I had. I am a w if e and a m ot her, and I w ould be so f rust rat ed t hat I had t o leave m y off ice w it h no chance t o get any w ork at hom e. That 's not being m indf ul. I've learned t o pract ice being m indf ul in every aspect of m y lif e, including as a w if e and a m ot her. I m ake t he m ost of t he t im e t hat I have available t o w ork and t hen I am present and in t he m om ent w hile spending t im e w it h m y husband and children. It doesn't seem t hat sim ple, but it really really is.

What do you t hink is get t ing business ow ners conf idence dow n? How can t hey change t hat m ind set ?

Wedding pros are in a nat urally com pet it ive environm ent , and, no m att er how m any t im es you hasht ag "com m unit y over com pet it ion", it 's not t hat sim ple. Our w ork is consist ent ly show cased across social m edia and everyone know s t hey have t o be present t hem selves on social m edia as w ell. Along w it h beat ing ourselves up over our ow n insecurit ies, w e double dow n by living on social m edia and gett ing f rust rat ed at our lack of f ollow ers and/ or engagem ent .

The problem is t hat social m edia is alw ays evolving and not only can it be hard t o underst and, it 's t im e consum ing t o learn about t he various plat f orm s. Wit h m ore and m ore couples t urning t o Inst agram , Pint erest , and Google t o f ind w edding prof essionals, m any pros are seeing t heir num bers go dow n. It 's m uch easier t o w rit e out a check and t ake out a f ull page ad in a w edding m agazine t han it is t o learn SEO. Wedding prof essionals need t o bot h underst and and accept t hat w hile t he couples are all st ill t here, t hey are diff erent , and your online gam e needs t o be t op not ch. What w ould increase conf idence? Booking m ore couples. It 's a very sim ple answ er, but how t o get t o t hese couples isn't sim ple anym ore. It is a serious t im e invest m ent t o learn t his st uff and t o st ay on t op of all t he changes. I have w orked w it h

count less pros t hat sit w it h m e f or just one session of how t o leverage Pint erest and I can see t heir heads explode.

The bott om line is, if you know m ore bookings w ould raise your conf idence, t hen you have t o change your m indset t hat w hat w as good enough last year, is not good enough t his year. You can hat e t echnology all you w ant , but you have t o get in a posit ive f ram e of m ind t hat is w illing t o learn because you know t he result w ill be m ore business.

How can w edding pros avoid com paring t hem selves t o ot hers in t he indust ry?

"St op scoreboard w at ching and put your f ocus on w hat it t akes t o put point s on t hat scoreboard."

That is one of m y favorit e quot es by Billy Alsbrooks, w ho is a m ot ivat ional speaker. It is easier t han ever t o see how "w ell" a com pet it or is doing. Here's t he t hing t hough: no one is going t o post an IG st ory about t heir lack of inquiries, right ? You're only going t o see t he good st uff...w hich is, incident ally, w hat you should be f ocusing on about yourself.

You have no idea w hat t hose com pet it ors did t o get over 10,000 f ollow ers. You don't know t he journey of t hose com pet it ors. Maybe t hey bought f ollow ers. Maybe t hey have an am azing SEO t eam . Maybe w hat ever. Inst ead of det erm ining t he w ort h of your business based on w hat you perceive t he w ort h of com pet ing businesses are, t ake t his opport unit y t o learn f rom t hem .

Personal st ory: a vendor I w ork w it h has a very pow erf ul f ollow ing and every t im e I see her IG st ories it 's like...OMG, w ho does she not know ?

I f ound out t hat t his is only her f ourt h year in t he w edding indust ry.

She is super t alent ed, I love recom m ending her com pany, and I underst and w hy ot hers w ould w ant t o w ork w it h her as w ell, but she

has est ablished relat ionships and such a st rong business t hat I could not believe she w as only celebrat ing her f ourt h year.

Inst ead of com paring num bers and beat ing m yself up f or not being "as good" as her, I reached out t o her inst ead. We have a very good relat ionship and even t hough she isn't a w edding planner, I knew I could learn f rom her. Since I've given her plent y of business since Day 1, I didn't f eel bad picking her brain f or t w o hours (plus, I paid f or t he drinks as a "t hank you"). The point is, I knew she could t each m e a lot and I t ook advant age of t hat . That m eant being vulnerable and adm itt ing t o som eone t hat t here are areas in m y business t hat I'm not happy w it h.

Don't com pare your business t o anyone else's in t he indust ry. You have no idea w here t hey cam e f rom or how t hey got w hat t hey have. If any of t hese people in your lif e are ones t hat you can act ually t rust , I w ould t ake advant age of t he relat ionship and ask f or help. We all can learn m ore but you have t o ask t he quest ions. Should you not have an est ablished f riendship w it h anyone like t his w here you f eel you can be open and honest , t hen seriously w at ch w hat your com pet it ion is doing.

What do t hey do diff erent ly f rom you? It w on't t ake you long t o f ind out . Just shift your energy f rom gett ing f rust rat ed w it h how m uch bett er t hey are, and use t hat energy t o m ake yourself bett er.

Int erview by Meghan Ely

Photography by Claire Loves Love

rot hw eilerevent design.com

# WEDBRAND I don?t know w hat you w ere doing aft er January 1st , but I know I w as hooked t o m y Net f lix learning t he organizat ional w ays of Marie Kondo.

Frant ically purging old clot hes and object s t hat I just didn?t have use f or anym ore. While I can?t say t hat every draw er and closet in m y house is perf ect ly f olded in t hirds...organizing and sim plif ying m y hom e lift ed m y spirit s and gave m e a litt le pep in m y st ep, if you w ill.

I couldn?t help but w onder how a w edding indust ry pro could apply a sim ilar approach t o t heir business t o gain conf idence and m ore dream y client s!

Focus on t he client s t hat give you energy ? an ideal client can som et im es f eel like a unicorn ? t hat just doesn?t exist . But I can guarant ee t hat once you?ve spent t im e cult ivat ing and learning t he charact erist ics of w hat m akes t hem an ideal m at ch f or you. You?ll not ice w hen you get t o w ork w it h t hem , it light s up your creat ive w ork and gives you m eaning behind all t he hard w ork t hat you?re putt ing out t here. Once you are m ore est ablished, you can be m ore choosy on t he client s t hat ignit e your passion and m ake w ork enjoyable.

Purge w ork t hat you?re not proud of ? a st rong port f olio doesn?t m ean show ing every piece of w ork you?ve ever creat ed. Oft en t im es an older piece of w ork t hat looks dat ed or perhaps a st yle of an event t hat just didn?t f eel perf ect can lead you t o att ract t he w rong t ypes of client s. Or discourage a pot ent ial client f rom reaching out t o you. Less is m ore on a w ebsit e port f olio, so f ocus on t he w ork you?re w ildly proud of because t hat conf idence w ill shine t hrough t o client s w ho appreciat e your unique st yle.

How To ?Spark Joy? Within Your Br and!

BY ASHLEY MALONE

Organize your w ebsit e by each page ? I know updat ing your w ebsit e can f eel like a daunt ing t ask. So inst ead of t ackling it alt oget her, f ocus on one page at a t im e. Make sure your w ebsit e f low m akes sense and you?re guiding your audience f rom page t o page. Plus m ake sure t o add a clear call- t o- act ion on each page. Your services page should link t o your cont act page. Your about page t o your services and your port f olio t o your services and/ or cont act page. Rem ove any cont ent t hat ?s repet it ive and updat e all your im ages so t hat you?re speaking t o t he st yle of w ork you w ant t o att ract .

Sim plif y your process ? if you?re overw helm ed by your process, it ?s likely t hat your client s are t oo. Creat e a list of each it em and schedule a t im eline f or a t ypical project . Sim plif y t he st eps as m uch as possible and spread out t he st eps f or your client so t he experience is joyf ul.

You be you, let t hem be t hem ? t hanks t o Inst agram and t o som e ?celebrit y? business ow ners, it ?s alm ost im possible t o not get dow n on yourself w hen you f eel like everyone is doing bett er t han you. At t he end of t he day, you are yourself and t hat is som et hing you can?t cont rol.

So if you aren?t being lift ed up by f ollow ing cert ain account s, unf ollow and f ocus on your ow n gift s, t alent s and t he reasons t hat m ake you shine as a brand. We?re all diff erent and it ?s really t he special ingredient t o any t hriving brand.

So st art now, m ake a t o- do list and begin sim plif ying and t ailoring your brand. Crossing t hese t hings off your list w ill help you ?spark joy? w it hin your brand and m ake you f eel accom plished as w e all ent er int o t he second half of t he year! Crazy, right ?

Words by Ashley Malone

w w w.ashleyandm alone.com

Top Tips Fr om Industr y Exper ts WHY IS CONFIDENCE ESSENTIAL TO A BUSINESS' SUCCESS AND OVERALL SUSTAINABILITY?

Harm ony Walt on, Founder of The Bridal Bar says...

Wit hout t he conf idence behind w hat you're selling, buyers w on't buy.

For t hem t o t rust you, you have t o t rust yourself f irst . If you believe in w hat you have t o off er, you have t he abilit y and gut s t o ask f or w hat you w ant . And it 's am azing w hat opport unit ies com e w hen you ask f or w hat you w ant .

Cat hrin D'Ent rem ont , Ow ner of Cat hrin D'Ent rem ont Weddings says...

Believing in yourself is t he core of your energy source w it h a huge dash of passion f or w hat you do. You need bot h t o drive yourself every day and also have ot hers believe in you. This w ill build a long t erm relat ionship and t rust w it h people you w ork w it h.

Britt ny Drye, Founder + Edit or- in- Chief of Love Inc. Magazine says...

Conf idence is so im port ant - - if you don't have conf idence in yourself, w hy should ot hers have conf idence in you? Whet her it 's init ial int erview s w it h pot ent ial client s, or m anaging a crew day- of, being conf ident in your w ork enables you t o perf orm your best . Figuring out w hat conf idence m eans t o you as a person and business ow ner w ill help you f eel m ore com f ort able and self- assured.

Meryl Snow, President of Snow St orm Solut ions says...

It happens t o t he best of us ? you get int o a slum p; your st at e of m ind is a bit ?blah? and your creat ivit y w anes. Maybe you need t o kick- st art your business and get som e f resh perspect ive, ideas, and m ot ivat ion.

Top Tips

If you cont inue t o do t hings t he sam e w ay you alw ays have, you can?t be surprised if don?t see any new result s. Don?t be af raid t o t ry new t hings rekindle your passion f or your business and you w ill see result s.

Rob Farrow, CEO of Aisle Planner says...

Conf idence breeds conf idence on bot h sides of your business.

Conf idence is derived f rom experience, a solid know ledge base (t hat cont inues t o grow !) and personal abilit y t hat is recognized and validat ed by bot h peer prof essionals and past client s. As a business ow ner, you need t o be m ore t han just an expert in t heory. You need t o an expert in execut ion.

Cassandra Heilbronn says...

The conf idence of a business ow ner is int egral t o it s success, part icularly in a service based indust ry. If a client senses t hat a business ow ner does not have t he conf idence w it hin t hem selves, t hey m ay becom e hesit ant in recom m ending, or even cont inuing t o w ork w it h a person. A client w ant s t o know t hat t he business ow ner can have t heir back and have a project com plet ed w hen it s needed m ost .

Michelle Anderson, Direct or of Com plet e t he Look says...

Conf idence is essent ial t o business because it provides you w it h t he belief in your abilit y t o succeed. Wit h t he a healt hy level of conf idence you are able t o overcom e your f ears, set goals t o st ret ch your lim it s and creat es a belief syst em t hat st im ulat es act ion t o achieve your set goals and st rive f or m ore. Conf idence provides t he f oundat ions and inst ills t rust f rom your client s in your abilit y t o accom plish w hat you say and ensure sust ainabilit y f or your business w hen you m eet t hese goals.

WHAT TIPS WOULD YOU HAVE FOR SOMEONE WHO IS NEW TO THE BUSINESS TO GROW THEIR CONFIDENCE?

Susannah Dale, Direct or of Revelry Event s says...

Not t o look at m ist akes you m ake as failures t hat knock your conf idence but as learning opport unit ies t hat grow your conf idence.

Som et im es you've got t o 'fake it unt il you m ake it ' and pret end t o be m ore conf ident t han you are.

Don't get caught up w it h w hat your com pet it ors are doing. Everyone is show ing t he best side of t hem selves and t heir business, but do t ry t o learn f rom and support your peers, you'll f ind t he indust ry t o be f riendly and collaborat ive if you engage w it h it .

Britt ny Drye, Founder + Edit or- in- Chief of Love Inc. Magazine says...

Learn how t o receive const ruct ive crit icism and do som et hing about it .

It 's easy t o succeed w hen you are alw ays having w ins, but w hat m akes a business LAST is succeeding aft er receiving "nos." Taking f eedback and delivering som et hing even bigger and bett er t han your original plan does w onders f or boost ing conf idence.

Be aut hent ic. There's no bett er f eeling t han w hen you're able t o do w hat you love w hile st ill being t rue t o yourself.

Bruce Russell, Founder / Managing Direct or of Bruce Russell says...

It 's im port ant t o surround yourself w it h posit ive people, w het her t hat be indust ry colleagues, em ployees, or even t he vendors you w ork w it h. It t ook m e som e t im e t o realise t hat t hose w it h negat ive energy bring t hem selves up by pushing ot hers dow n. This is your business you need t o give it t he right 'f ood' t o t hrive.

Cat hrin D'Ent rem ont , Ow ner of Cat hrin D'Ent rem ont Weddings says...

Know ledge! Learn a litt le every day about your craft including f ields t hat m ay only be a litt le part of your w orld. Lif e experiences are a huge part in creat ing t he 'YOU'.

Louise Beukes, Founder of BLOVED Blog and BLOVED Hive says...

Don't com pare your beginning w it h som eone else's m iddle! It 's a noisy w orld out t here, and it 's all t oo easy t o get caught in t he t rap of com paring your journey w it h everyone else!

Michelle Anderson, Direct or of Com plet e t he Look says...

I believe t hat in order t o grow your conf idence you need t o learn t he f oundat ions and pract ice t he perf ect pract ice unt il it ?s perf ect . This ensures t hat w hen you creat e your client s dream t hat you have unw avering conf idence in your abilit y t o execut e t heir dream w it h f lare, grace and gum pt ion.

Kat e Cullen, Ow ner of Kat e Cullen says...

Know your w ort h - don't be t em pt ed t o low er prices or do m ore t han you have been cont ract ed t o do t hrough lack of conf idence. Once you see t hat people value w hat you are off ering your conf idence w ill grow. Learn all you can f rom t hose already in t he business; research, plan and have all t he inf orm at ion at your f ingert ips w hen speaking t o client s. Don't be af raid t o st ep out of your com f ort zone t hough - t aking t he next st eps and up- scaling our businesses com e t hrough conf ident ly t aking posit ions of m ore responsibilit y.

WHAT TIPS DO YOU HAVE FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN IN BUSINESS A WHILE AND HAS STARTED TO LOSE THEIR CONFIDENCE?

Meryl Snow, President of Snow St orm Solut ions says...

Rem em bering w hy you st art ed your business in t he f irst place. Likely you had a passion f or w hat you do. Bring back t hat passion. More t im es t han not w e get lost in t he "business" responsibilit ies (w hich is ext rem ely im port ant .) How ever, now m ay be t he t im e t o ref lect on THE WHY. Cassandra Heilbronn says...

Take a st ep back and re- evaluat e. Quit e oft en t here is a cause f or a loss of conf idence, w het her it be one event , f eedback received or fat igue.

Given m any people are t he soul of t heir business it is im port ant t hat t hey st ep aw ay f rom a sit uat ion and reset bef ore cont inuing. It m ight be a day or t w o aw ay, or it could be a couple of w eeks. In t he long run you w ill be bett er of f rom t aking t hat break and re- evaluat ing.

Anot her opt ion is out side assist ance in t he f orm of a business coach.

While you m ight engage t hem f or a couple of sessions t o deal w it h an im m ediat e issue, if t he connect ion is right , you m ay use t hem in t he f ut ure and have t hat 'vent ing point ' t o help you prevent any conf idence issues in t he f ut ure.

Kat e Cullen, Ow ner of Kat e Cullen says...

Don't be af raid of failure - w e learn f rom our m ist akes and can t urn t hem int o pow erf ul m essages f or ourselves. Re- read glow ing t est im onials w henever you f eel low - rem ind yourself of all t he w onderf ul t hings you have achieved in your business and st op t o adm ire how far you have com e. Surround yourself w it h posit ivit y - f rom people t o client s. Som et im es a bad experience w it h one client can colour our judgem ent or conf idence, but it is im port ant t o rem em ber t his us just one, t ry and f ocus on t he perf ect jobs inst ead. Exam ine w hy t hat one bad experience has happened and f ind w ays of avoiding it in t he f ut ure.

Take a break now and again t oo - it can be t em pt ing t o keep pushing on w hilst f eeling low, but som et im es a short break aw ay f rom your business can give you clarit y.

Cat hrin D'Ent rem ont , Ow ner of Cat hrin D'Ent rem ont Weddings says...

We all have been t here. I t hink lif e it self is a roller coast er ride. If you loose conf idence - look back and ask yourself w hy you st art ed your business in t he f irst place. Keep creat ing and surround yourself w it h like m inded people. In t im e it w ill all com e back t he conf idence and passion t hat drives you.

Louise Beukes, Founder of BLOVED Blog and BLOVED Hive says...

Rem em ber w hy you st art ed. Think back t o t he very m om ent you f irst conceived your business, you had a brilliant idea and knew you w ere t he perf ect person t o carry out t hat idea. Som ew here bet w een t hat point and launching our businesses, w e can som ehow inner conf idence and am bit ion but it is st ill t here!

WHAT TIPS DO YOU HAVE FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN IN BUSINESS A WHILE AND HAS STARTED TO LOSE THEIR CONFIDENCE?

Susannah Dale, Direct or of Revelry Event s says...

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Do st and up f or yourself

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Do get expert help e.g. legal/ f inancial so you can be conf ident in all areas of your business

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Do learn f rom your m ist akes

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Don't w allow on w hat w ent w rong

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Don't push ot hers dow n t o build yourself up

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Don't be scared t o t ry new t hings

Bruce Russell, Founder / Managing Direct or of Bruce Russell says...

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Don't const ant ly com pare yourself or your business t o ot hers - Do w hat 's right f or you and your business.

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Self care is im port ant t o m aint ain m ent al w ellbeing. A clear head is f ocused and w ill help you m ake t he right decisions f or your business.

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Be posit ive.

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Deal w it h issues head on, accept t he result s, learn f rom t hem , and m ove on.

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Conf ide in people you t rust - w het her t hat be indust ry colleagues, personal f riends, or individuals in a diff erent business alt oget her.

Som et im es just saying t hings out loud can be just t he answ er your w ere looking f or.

Harm ony Walt on, Founder of The Bridal Bar says...

Do underst and t hat const ruct ive crit icism m akes you bett er - it 's not a bad t hing. Don't let ot hers' successes get in t he w ay of your goals. Do be pat ient ; it t akes t im e t o get t o t he t op. Don't quit w hen t hings get t ough.

Resilience is part of t he gam e.

Rob Farrow, CEO of Aisle Planner says...

Don?t believe everyt hing you see on social m edia or read online. St ay f ocused on your audience and your st ory. The easiest w ay t o get derailed is t o f ocus on ot hers and t ry t o keep up. You risk creat ing an inaut hent ic brand, an incapable business and dist rust am ong your f ellow pros and your client s. The only one you are racing against is yourself so f ocus on w inning your race and gett ing everyt hing you can do, done.

# WEDPIN Working in t he w edding indust ry you?ll be aw are of t he ?Pint erest Wedding? phenom enon. Couples designing t heir perf ect w edding using t he plat f orm and t hen expect ing you t o t urn it int o a realit y. But how do you get t hem pinning your cont ent , and t hen com ing t o you w hen t hey?re ready t o buy or book?

First of all, pin good pins. This m ay seem obvious, but t here are so m any pins t hat get repinned hundreds of t im es and t hey don?t even link back t o t he original creat or?s w ebsit e.

So, w hat m akes a good pin?

1. A beaut if ul im age. It should be prof essional and show case your product or service. Pint erest is visual, w hich m eans t he right im age is vit al, just as is it is on your w ebsit e.

2. The right size and resolut ion. ie vert ical 2:3 rat io (eg 600 x 900 or 1000 by 1500 pixels).

3. A good descript ion and t it le. Use proper sent ences t hat include plent y of keyw ords t hat people m ight use t o search f or your product or service. Think of it like a search engine rat her t han social m edia.

4. Alw ays link back t o t he relevant page on your w ebsit e, blog or online shop (eg Et sy).

5. Use a handf ul of hasht ags direct ly relat ed t o your niche (3- 5 is plent y).

6. Consider creat ing your ow n graphics or inf ographics, by adding t ext t o your im ages, and perhaps your logo.

7. Add your pins t o usef ul boards f or your client s. eg ?Ideas f or chic cit y w eddings?, ?Blue w edding f low ers f or bridal bouquet ? ? t hink about t he t ypes of t hings your client s w ill be searching f or.

Getting Booked With Pinterest

BY KATE CULLEN

8. Make sure you pin at t he right t im e (use an app like Tailw ind t o help ident if y t he best t im es and am ount s t o pin).

9. Add your product prices in your pin descript ion.

Make sure t hat w hat ever you pin, it is on brand (bot h in t erm s of phot ography st yle and cont ent ) and t hat you are driving t raff ic t o your sit e ? it ?s no good just repinning ot her people?s cont ent . Fresh cont ent is also m ost favoured by Pint erest , so use it t o get seen and get booked!

Next t o consider is creat ing great Boards. These w ill help your good pins get f ound t oo.

1. A good descript ive t it le and f ull descript ion. Again, rem em ber proper sent ences w it h keyw ords w ork best .

2. Add in t he w eddings cat egory.

3. Use a variet y of pin t ypes - f rom product s t o blog post , graphics and video cont ent (an increasingly em erging popular pin t ype on Pint erest ).

4. Get specif ic ? niche dow n as m uch as you can on your board t opics ? f ocus on one elem ent , colour, t rend, geographic area or w edding t ype. Pin plent y of your ow n pins m ixed in w it h ot her peoples.

5. Creat e group boards, invit e ot her com plim ent ary businesses t o join in pinning t o it w it h you.

6. Think about creat ing a f ew boards t hat f eed int o your ideal client ?s lif est yle aspirat ions, eg t ravel, design, DIY, reading, f ilm , f ood ? w hat ever areas you know int erest s t hem .

7. Creat e graphics f or your blog post s and creat e boards around t hem .

I recom m end sett ing yourself a t arget t o get your Pint erest account t o w ork harder f or you, eg creat ing say 2 new boards a m ont h, and pinning 20 t im es a day.

Don?t f orget t o look at your analyt ics and t rack your progress m ont h on m ont h.

Words by Kat e Cullen

w w w.kat ecullen.co.uk

TREND INFLUENCER MEET EFI GREEN, OF YES STUDIO BRIDAL

Finding Conf idence in t he Wedding Fashion Indust ry Ef i Green is t he ow ner of Yes St udio Bridal, a bespoke w edding fashion designer and t ailor t hat aim s t o help brides achieve t heir dream gow n.

Green provides a unique collaborat ive experience w here she w orks int im at ely w it h her client s t o creat e cust om designs, alt ering exist ing gow ns and re- designing and rest oring previously w orn dresses.

Your back st ory is a unique one- how did you f ind your w ay t o w edding fashion?

I discovered m y love f or dressm aking by init ially experim ent ing w it h ceram ic and st one sculpt ing. Through t his m edium , I began t o incorporat e fabrics int o 3D f orm s. I becam e fascinat ed w it h t he pliabilit y t hat fabric off ers, and t he challenge of using it t o creat e f orm over t he com plex hum an f igure. I int ensely st udied t echnical fashion f or several years learning t he skills of garm ent const ruct ion. During t his t im e, I st art ed w orking in t he fashion indust ry in Los Angeles w here I vent ured int o product ion and design in bot h cont em porary fashion and children?s w ear. Aft er 10 years, I knew t hat st aying in t he f ickle indust ry of fast fashion w as not a long- t erm goal, so I ent ered t he bridal w orld. ? And now t o w ork in Tel Aviv.

I m et m y husband 14 years ago in Israel w here w e f ell in love inst ant ly.

Aft er a w eek t oget her in Israel and nearly a year of em ails and Skype w hile apart , w e t ook a leap of fait h, and he m oved his lif e t o Los Angeles. We spent 12 years t oget her living in t he st at es bef ore w e decided t o m ove t o Tel Aviv. I quickly t ook Tel Aviv as an opport unit y t o est ablish m yself in t he Israeli bridal m arket , one of t he best in t he w orld.

How did your t im e at Monique Lhuillier prepare you t o t ake t he leap t o becom ing your ow n bespoke dressm aker and t ailor f or w edding fashion?

Working at Monique Lhuillier w as such an am azing honor and opport unit y. I w orked closely w it h an expert bridal t ailor, w it h over 30 years experience, w ho off ered m e an incredible am ount of know ledge in t he years t hat w e w orked t oget her. She m ent ored m e and helped pave m y w ay int o bridal and cout ure. I absolut ely love creat ing a garm ent t hat is m et iculously det ailed and ext raordinary, and I f ind t hat t he bridal m arket off ers a niche in fashion t hat st ill provides t he opport unit y t o creat e cout ure garm ent s.

How do t rends im pact you, if at all? What else inspires you w it h your w ork?

I st epped aw ay f rom fast fashion m ainly because I w as so unim pressed w it h t he w ay t he indust ry is built . Trends are changing so rapidly t hat design is being under- valued and t he space f or creat ive f reedom is ext rem ely lim it ed. In w orking int im at ely w it h m y client s on project - by- project bases, I f ind t hat t rends are less relevant . I f ocus on creat ing som et hing t hat is f itt ing f or t he personalit y and f igure of t he bride rat her t han t rying t o m ake her f it int o som et hing t hat is m om ent arily popular in t he m arket . I am alw ays inspired by det ails and t ext ures. I f ind t hat creat ing som et hing beaut if ul and com plex is an ext rem ely f ulf illing process, and t he m ore com plex t he det ail, t he m ore I am int erest ed in exploring it .

You also rest ore previously w orn fashion as part of your off erings. Tell us m ore of t hat process and how you overcom e t he challenge of m odernizing a piece w hile st ill honoring it s origins?

I love t he concept of rest oring som et hing previously w orn and breat hing new lif e int o it . It ?s such a great w ay t o incorporat e sust ainabilit y int o our lif e, especially in t he era of fast fashion. The process of rest oring or m odernizing is not lim it ed t o vint age, so I alw ays encourage m y client s t o reconsider an art icle of clot hing bef ore t ossing it int o t he garbage.

Seeing t he bef ore and aft er t ransf orm at ion of a garm ent is a very rew arding process and t he possibilit ies are endless.

Rest oring vint age requires m e t o caref ully handle garm ent s t hat are in delicat e condit ion due t o aging as w ell as t o keep t he int egrit y of t he piece w hen m aking m ore drast ic m odif icat ions. Modernizing provides t he challenge in com ing up w it h creat ive w ays t o m ake changes t o an exist ing st yle or f inding raw m at erials t hat can be incorporat ed t o reconst ruct and rejuvenat e.

In t his issue, our t hem e is building conf idence in your w ork. Wit h t hat in m ind, w hat advice w ould you give t o t hose w ho are eager t o m aking t heir ow n m ark on t heir ow n?

I f ind t hat lif e is a chapt er of t ransf orm at ions t hat push us t o evolve and experience our t rue great ness. Though circum st ance m ay never seem perf ect , t here is alw ays room t o t ake a sm all st ep f orw ard. I t hink t hat in m odern societ y, t here is a lot of pressure t o reach a level of success in order t o f eel happiness. I believe t hat t he goal should be t o f irst t o f ind happiness w it hin yourself and t hen t he success f ollow s.

Int erview by Meghan Ely

Photo by Hagai Galili

w w w.yest udiobridal .com

# WEDEXPERT WITH KYLIE CARLSON

Why Conf idence is Really a Business St rat egy and 7 St eps t o Make it Happen I had no idea t hat a lack of conf idence w as such an epidem ic in our count ry and t he w orld, unt il I st art ed coaching and m ent oring ot hers over a decade ago. It st ill blow s m y m ind each t im e I encount er a t alent ed and brilliant , w edding pro t hat has so litt le conf idence in t hem selves and t heir abilit y. And t his happens alm ost every w eek.

What I f ind so oft en w hen consult ing and m ent oring w edding pros is t hat som eone in t heir lif e (or som eone absent f rom t heir lif e) didn?t give t hem t he uncondit ional love and support needed t o cult ivat e an att it ude of f earlessness and t he unbridled conf idence t hat each of us needs t o m ake it out in t he big, scary w orld! Even w orse, som et im es t hose t hat are supposed t o love and support you act ually plant ed seeds of self- doubt and insecurit y in your t hought s, t hat you just can?t help but believe.

One of t he t hings I love about m y role at t he Academ y m ore t han anyt hing is building people up, show ing t hem how am azing t hey are, and holding t heir hand as t hey reach f or and achieve t heir dream s! And t hrough t his process, m y suspicions w ere conf irm ed t hat m ost of t he people I w orked w it h w ere not only lacking in conf idence, but w ere at a loss f or how t o boost t heirs in t he m idst of w earing m ult iple hat s and keeping lot s of balls in t he air.

What I now know is t hat w om en st ruggle w it h conf idence even m ore t han m en. In t he book t he Conf idence Code, Claire Shipm an and Katt y Kay t alk about t his epidem ic am ong w om en and out line st rat egies t o close t he conf idence gap bet w een m en and w om en. They say ?Conf idence is lif e?s enabler. It is t he qualit y t hat t urns t hought s int o act ion. And w om en need m ore of it ?. I agree, conf idence is def init ely a great lif e st rat egy f or t aking act ion. And act ion is t he diff erence bet w een having a dream and realising it .

In her book Lean in, Sheryl Sandberg says t hat m en w ill w alk int o a job int erview w it h 25% know ledge and 100% conf idence and w om en com e t o t he sam e int erview w it h 100% know ledge and 25% conf idence. So if you are an ent repreneur, especially a f em ale ent repreneur, conf idence just m ight be your m ost im port ant business st rat egy.

Isn?t it int erest ing t hat w hen w e are pre- t een or t eenaged girls w e t hink w e know everyt hing? w ay m ore t han our parent s, t eachers, m ost ot her adult s and def init ely boys. But som ew here in our adolescence or early adult hood, our conf idence does a com plet e 180 degree t urn.

Then t he f unny t hing about conf idence, or t he lack of it , is t hat even fairly early in business, m ost w edding pros know everyt hing t hey need t o know at t hat m om ent t o f ulf ill t heir w ildest dream s. They just don?t t hink t hey do. So I'm const ant ly reassuring t hose I m ent or eit her t hrough t he Academ y, on our blog, or our Facebook Com m unit y t hat you can st op searching f or t he answ er, and just st art list ening t o your gut and f ollow ing your heart . They w ill lead you right w here you need t o go. But I get it , t rust ing yourself is hard. It ?s t he chicken and t he egg. It t akes conf idence t o t rust ourselves but if w e don?t t rust ourselves, w e don?t ever build conf idence. So how do w e m ove f orw ard?

Aw areness t hat w e have a conf idence problem is t he f irst st ep. Then gett ing f rom w here w e are, t o w here w e need t o be on t he conf idence m et re requires w ork. Here are 7 key st eps t hat have m ade t he m ost diff erence f or m e?

1. Give up perf ect ionism .

So w hy are w e so lacking in conf idence? One big player in t his insecurit y epidem ic is perf ect ionism . And it ?s probably no surprise t hat w om en are m ore likely t o be perf ect ionist t han m en. In a cult ure w here w om en are expect ed give 100% at hom e, 100% at w ork and also look great and be in a good m ood, w e const ant ly st ruggle t o m easure up.

In her book Gift s of Im perf ect ion, Brene Brow n gives us m any opt ions f or em bracing our im perf ect ions t o increase our conf idence and get w hat w e w ant out of lif e. We grab ont o perf ect ionism because w e believe it ?s a survival t act ic. But it ?s act ually zapping every ounce of conf idence w e had t o begin w it h.

2. Just decide So if conf idence needs t o be our business st rat egy, and perf ect ionism isn?t an opt ion, w hat do w e do next ? Well st art by asking yourself t his quest ion? What could you achieve in business (and lif e), if you decided t o becom e t ot ally and blissf ully im pervious t o host ile crit icism and reject ion? The answ er of course, is you could achieve everyt hing. But t he key part of t he quest ion is w hat if you DECIDED? I t hink t he easiest and m ost eff ect ive w ay t o becom e conf ident is t o just DECIDE. Yes, it ?s t hat easy. Just decide t hat you don?t care w hat ot her people say or t hink of you. Decide it ?s ok t o m ake m ist akes and t o fail. Decide t hat any act ion is bett er t han inact ion. Just decide.

Because it ?s t he deciding and t he t rying and ult im at ely, t he surviving t he t hings t hat don?t w ork, t hat leads t o conf idence.

3. Em brace your f law s and ow n being 100% you Too m any days are w ast ed com paring ourselves t o ot hers and w ishing t o be som et hing t hat w e're not . Theodore Roosevelt said ?com parison is t he t hief of joy.? It ?s also t he t hief of conf idence. Everyone has t heir

ow n st rengt hs and w eaknesses. It is only w hen you accept everyt hing t hat you are and all t he t hings you're not , t hat you w ill be t ruly conf ident and successf ul. To have conf idence as your t op business st rat egy, you have t o be ok w it h being yourself and live t he st ory only you can.

4. Do w hat you Fear t he m ost The fast est w ay t o acquire conf idence is t o do exact ly w hat you're m ost af raid of doing. Surround yourself w it h people w ho w ill st and behind you w it h a sm ile, ready t o cat ch you if you fall, w hile you push yourself t o do t hose t hings t hat are m ost f right ening t o you.

And rem em ber t hat so oft en t he t hings w e f ear aren?t really t hat scary.

If your biggest f ear is being w rong or looking st upid, t hen you shouldn?t be scared at all. Everyone is w rong, every single day, hundreds of t im es. And looking st upid ? w e?ve got loads of pract ice at it . So w hy should w e f ear t hese t hings? What w ould happen if w e em braced t hem? What if t his f ear becom es our f riend? And if each t im e w e are w rong, or w e look st upid, w hat if w e rem ind ourselves t hat w e are one st ep closer t o gett ing it right ?

You're conf ined only by t he w alls you build yourself. Don?t build w alls based on your f ears or t hey w ill be t he t hing t hat st ands bet w een you and conf idence.

5. Change your m indset and redef ine success When you can say t o yourself w it h t ot al convict ion, I can alt er m y lif e by alt ering m y m indset (and att it ude), you have st art ed on t he pat h t o conf idence. In fact , you m ay even be half w ay t here.

And if w e redef ine w hat it m eans t o be happy and successf ul, com bined w it h a change in our m indset , t hen w e can be happy and conf ident every day. It ?s t hat easy. We get t o w rit e our ow n success st andards and w e can w rit e t hem so w e can achieve t hem . We don?t have t o set ourselves up f or failure, but inst ead can set ourselves up f or ult im at e happiness and success!

6. Love Yourself If w e learn t o love ourselves t hrough our successes and our failures, conf idence w ill f ollow. If w e learn t hat neit her our successes or failures def ine us, but t hat w e are w ort hy of love t hrough our ups and our dow ns, t hen a bad m om ent , doesn?t becom e a bad day, doesn?t becom e a bad lif e. A bad m om ent is just t hat ? a bad m om ent and since it only last s a m om ent , t hen how painf ul can it really be? ?At t he end of t he day, you w on?t be happy unt il you love yourself.? ? Lady Gaga Don?t ever be af raid t o show up as w ho you really are, because as long as you love yourself, no one else?s opinion m att ers. When w e're happy w it h t he person w e are, just t he w ay w e are at t his m om ent , no m att er w hat our w eight or t he size of our bank account s, w e w ill exude conf idence.

7. Take Care of you Take care of yourself. It m att ers. Most of us lack conf idence because w e f eel like failures m ost days. And no w onder w e do. We are up against im possible t o do list s and im possible expect at ions and as w om en, w e usually put our needs last on t he list behind client s, fam ily and everyone else.

Prom ise m e (and yourself ) t hat you w ill do at least one t hing each day t hat w ill m ake you f eel at least a litt le bit bett er t han you did yest erday. Because w hen w e t ake care of ourselves w e are at our best .

And w hen w e are at our best , w e have m ore conf idence. And a litt le conf idence breeds m ore conf idence. So ult im at ely self care = conf idence! I'm giving you perm ission t oday t o pract ice self care. And t o pract ice conf idence. Because pract ice m akes perf ect .

You're st ronger t han you seem , braver t han you believe and sm art er t han you t hink you are.

If t hese 7 st eps seem like m ore t han you can t ackle, don?t w orry. It st art s w it h just one t iny st ep. One t iny m om ent of know ing you are st rong, brave and sm art . In t hat m om ent , you w ill have conf idence.

And t hat one m om ent w ill lead t o t he next , and t he next .

And yes, som et im es insecurit y w ill st ill creep back in. But you w ill now recognise it as som eone you used t o know. And you can em brace it .

And t hen you can escort it right out of your lif e w it h a sm ile!

Conf idence t akes w ork, so st art t oday. Believe in yourself and know I believe in you t oo.

Words by Kylie Carlson

w w w.k yliecarlson.co

# WEDSOCIAL Big m edia com panies, ever- changing algorit hm s and t he new est crop of young com pet it ion can bury your business under an avalanche of Facebook advert ising and cont ent . When no one is seeing your com pany, how can you eff ect ively m arket and advert ise?

Fort unat ely, t here?s a w ay t o have your voice heard by t he client s you w ant t o reach, one t hat has benef it s beyond your ow n eff ort s: sim ple, old- fashioned collaborat ion.

Let m e t ell you about t he Aisle Societ y and how w e m ade our m ark despit e bigger com pet it ion.

When advert ising rat es plum m et ed f rom around $20 CPM t o less t han $1 CPM, bloggers w ere in danger of going under. We banded t oget her t o off er com panies m ore reach so w e could ask f or higher rat es ? it w orked! Toget her, w e t urned t he t ide and regained our f inancial f oot ing.

Here?s how you and your colleagues can w ield a m ight y im pact t oget her.

Give credit w here it ?s due.

Giving credit isn?t just a nice w ay t o acknow ledge colleagues and generat e good w ill. When done purposef ully, it can boost reach on Facebook and m ake it ?s algorit hm love you.

When you @m ent ion a colleague, t hey?re not if ied about your m ent ion.

Oft en t hey?ll go and like it , share it , or leave a com m ent . Because algorit hm s favor engagem ent , t his get s your post seen by m ore people.

Pro Tip: Don?t w ait f or your colleagues t o get pinged. Em ail t hem w it h a link t o your post and let t hem know you are prom ot ing t hem .

The Secret Weapon to Building Confidence in Your Facebook Marketing Str ategies

BY CHRISTIE OSBORNE

Engage online.

When you t ake t he t im e t o like, com m ent , and share ot hers? cont ent , colleagues are m ore likely t o ref er you. It also encourages ot hers t o ret urn t he favor, helping t o beat t he algorit hm . Anot her bonus is opening up exposure t o new leads w ho are f ollow ing t hose account s.

Modern couples expect com panies t o be t ransparent and available online. Most larger com panies drop t hat ball, so t his is a w ay you can set yourself apart and build real relat ionships w it h pot ent ial client s and part ners.

Be a local expert .

The size of a big m edia com pany and t he new ness of your com pet it ion can be t heir great est w eakness. What t hey gain in w idespread reach, t hey lose in dept h. You and your colleagues have an opport unit y t o gain m eaningf ul att ent ion by going aft er specif ic, highly local cont ent .

Rem em ber, people see inspiring w edding det ails and basic t ips and t ricks everyw here. By drilling f ocusing on local t ips and t ricks pot ent ial client s can?t f ind in m ainst ream m edia, you give t hem a reason t o like, engage in and share your cont ent .

You can even divide and conquer. Get t oget her w it h a f ew colleagues m ont hly t o discuss upcom ing edit orial ideas and collaborat e on how you can com plem ent and support ot hers in your band of collaborat ors.

Working as a t eam gives you st rengt h in num bers. Collaborat ion is an eff ect ive w ay t o beat t he big guys, beat t he algorit hm s and creat e a net w ork of support t o buff er any m arket ing challenges. Don't be af raid t o reach out and build a net w ork of your ow n f or increased reach and advert ising pow er.

Words by Christ ie Osborne

m ount ainsidem edia.com

REBUILDING CONFIDENCE WITH MARGAUX FRAISE, HARMONY CREATIVE STUDIO

Margaux Fraise is t he ow ner and creat ive direct or of Harm ony Creat ive St udio, an aw ard- w inning bout ique w edding planning f irm based in Sout hern Calif ornia. Since 2011, Fraise's goal has been t o design w eddings w it h int ent ion, inf using celebrat ions w it h her signat ure st yle yet st ill t ailored t o each couple. Her w ork has been f eat ured in num erous publicat ions and blogs, including St yle Me Prett y, Brides, Ruff led, and Green Wedding Shoes, am ong ot hers. Aft er batt ling st age 4 breast cancer, Fraise began rebuilding her conf idence, and t oday she'll share how ot hers can do so aft er unexpect ed challenges: Tell us about your journey t o Harm ony Creat ive St udio f rom t he corporat e w orld.

Bef ore st art ing Harm ony Creat ive St udio, I w orked in ret ail consult ing. I loved w orking w it h brands like Nike, Lucky Brand and Yahoo!, but t he corporat e w orld really st art ed t o get t o m e w hen t he recession hit in 2008 and t he com pany I w orked f or m oved int o m ore of a m anagerial role and w ay f rom creat ive, som et hing I def init ely did not have an int erest in. I st art ed t o look elsew here f or m ore creat ive out let s. I had

w orked w it h t he m arket ing and event s t eam at Yahoo! and really got a f eel f or event s. At t hat t im e a f ew of m y f riends w ere gett ing m arried and asked f or help, and it w as t hen I discovered m y love of w eddings. I realized t his w as w here m y heart w as at , and w orking f rom a ret ail consult ing background gave m e a unique perspect ive on event s: I know how people inst inct ively t end t o m ove t hrough spaces, and how t hey respond t o diff erent signs or prom pt s. I'm m ore aw are of how guest s int eract w it h object s or t ouch and f eel t hings, or w hy people respond t o diff erent t ext ures and t ext iles. I've st udied how language, colors and even shapes aff ect how people perceive design and value. I f irst just decided t o w ork part t im e f or t he ret ail f irm as I built up m y business, and t hen a year lat er I w as in a posit ion t o leave and give Harm ony Creat ive m y f ull att ent ion.

In t his issue, w e're f ocusing on building your conf idence in business.

How w as your ow n conf idence im pact ed w hen you w ere diagnosed w it h, and subsequent ly f ought successf ully, st age 4 breast cancer?

I?ve alw ays been a prett y conf ident person, but m y diagnosis and t reat m ent def init ely had a negat ive im pact on m y self conf idence.

During m y t reat m ent , I lost all m y hair, gained nearly 60 pounds and had m ult iple surgeries w hich m ade m e f eel very uncom f ort able in m y ow n body, w hich w ere all prett y devast at ing f or m y self conf idence.

I w as able t o rebuild m y conf idence t hrough a f ew w ays during and aft er t reat m ent : 1. For m ost of m y lif e, a lot of m y conf idence w as predicat ed on m y out w ard appearance, and w it h t he changes t reat m ent brought t o t hat I really had t o st art looking inw ard. I f orced m yself t o list m y good qualit ies t hat had not hing t o do w it h t he w ay I looked, and f ocus on t hose in m y int eract ions w it h ot her people. It ?s so int erest ing and hum bling t o realize t hat t hese are act ually t he t hings people t hought about m e: m y int elligence, problem solving, kindness, calm dem eanor, et c. Most people didn?t care about w hat I had been f ocusing on. When I realized t his it w as very em pow ering, and conf idence building.

2. Being a w edding planner, I w as alw ays t he one helping ot hers. I rarely asked f or help m yself, alw ays t hinking I could do it bett er or fast er t han it w ould t ake m e t o explain it t o som eone else. When I w as f orced t o ask f or help because of m y t reat m ent , it m ade m e realize t hat t here w ere people in m y lif e t hat w ere very capable and w ere t here t o help m e because t hey t ruly cared about m e. My husband, m y fam ily, m y em ployees and m y peers. Experiencing t his had a dram at ic aff ect on m y self conf idence.

Cat ast rophic m om ent s m anif est in m any f orm s and you oft en speak on how t o prepare your business f or t he w orst case scenario. What w ould be your t op t ips f or w edding prof essionals t o ant icipat e f or t he unexpect ed?

My num ber one t ip f or preparing your business f or t he unexpect ed is t o t ake a long, hard look at your cont ract . I act ually had a clause in m y cont ract w ell bef ore m y diagnosis t hat t alked about w hat w ould happen should an unf oreseen m edical em ergency or anyt hing like t hat happened t o m e so w hen t his happened I w as covered.

Make sure t here are clauses in your cont ract t hat spell out exact ly w hat w ill happen if you cannot f ulf ill your side due t o an em ergency or ot her unf oreseeable event , and w hat happens t o m onies paid and yet t o be paid. I w ill not e: t his does not m ean you get a f ree pass if you decide t o break your cont ract f or any ol? reason. These clauses are m eant f or em ergent sit uat ions and using t hem f or anyt hing less is act ually considered breech of cont ract in m ost cases.

Secondly, I t hink speaking w it h an insurance agent and f iguring out your business? specif ic needs is also param ount . For exam ple: Being a w edding planner does not involve any physical t hings. There?s not any equipm ent needed t o do t his job, not in t he t radit ional sense. I don?t have an ant ique lett erpress m achine, I don?t have a $5k cam era or t ons of sound and light ing equipm ent . But if I did - I?d m ake sure it w as insured. Addit ionally, m edical bills are no joke! If you?re not w orking f or

any reason t hose bills st art t o pile up and if you have m edical bills on t op of it even w it h good insurance, and m y husband has good insurance, it ?s st ill t errible at it st ill put s you in a hole. Luckily in m y sit uat ion he w as able t o keep w orking because m ost t he t im e I could t ake care of m yself, and w hen I couldn?t he w as able t o t ake t im e off w ork because his com pany allow ed f or t hat . But if you are a solopreneur, or bot h you and you spouse bot h ow n your ow n businesses I w ould seriously consider disabilit y insurance, or som et hing like Aff lec t o cover expenses.

If you have st aff : you could have a w hole diff erent set of insurance needs w it h regards t o payroll coverage, w orkers com p, et c. it ?s alw ays best t o w ork w it h an insurance com pany direct ly t o det erm ine t he best needs f or your sit uat ion and st at e Can your business act ually help you get t hrough a hard t im e? If so, how ?

In m y part icular case, I believe m y business w as inst rum ent al in m y recovery and gett ing t hrough t hose hard t im es during t reat m ent . I kept w orking on m y business as m uch as I could, as kind of a carrot at t he end of a st ick f or m y lif e ? som et hing t o f ocus on gett ing back t o. But t hat ?s m e, I know t hat ?s not going t o be product ive f or everyone. You have t o f ind som et hing t hat get s you t hrough t hose hard t im es, and yes, t hat can oft en be your business.

Given your ow n experience, w hat advice do you have f or w edding prof essionals t o gain t heir business conf idence back aft er a cat ast rophic event ?

The best advice I have f or regaining your conf idence aft er a cat ast rophic or ot herw ise unexpect ed event is t o m ake sure you are reconnect ing w it h your t rust ed circle of peers. The w edding business especially as w e all know is based on relat ionships, and ensuring t hat you are keeping t hose relat ionships going and product ive during your event (or short ly aft er if needed) can be exact ly t he t hing t o boost your

conf idence. These are t he people w ho know you, t rust you w it h t heir client s, and believe in your w ork. Lean int o t heir conf idence of you, and it w ill help your ow n as w ell.

Is t here anyt hing else you w ould like t o add?

Wit h a business as cyclical as w eddings, t here w ill alw ays be seasons w here you f eel m ore conf ident t han ot hers. We?ve all been t here ? I def init ely had t im es of low conf idence bef ore m y diagnosis. It ?s im port ant t o keep plugging aw ay, and putt ing good out int o t he w orld so it can be ret urned t o you. That m ay sound st range com ing f rom a cancer survivor, as I had a w hole lot of bad ret urned t o m e all at one t im e. But I prom ise it ?s t rue, even in t he t im es you least expect it . My business has really blossom ed since I ret urned back t o it aft er t reat m ent , because I w as able t o see it t hrough f resh eyes and w it h a new f ocus. I know you can as w ell!

Int erview by Meghan Ely

harm onycreat ivest udio.com

SHOWCASE

WEDDING IN THE ENCHANTED FOREST This m ont h w e are f eat uring t he beaut if ul real w edding of St ephanie and Kevin. Carole Bipat of Marry m e in Spain creat ed t his enchant ing f orest w edding w hich left her client s and guest s speechless. It 's pure m agic!

The Shoot Team : -

Wedding Planner - Marry m e in Spain Venue - Mas Terrat s Phot ography - Enrout e Phot ography Florist - Mait e m ach Videographer - Vision dpelicula Cat ering - Moncho?s Wedding Cake - Sw eet 180 grados Hair and m ake up - Teresa Snow ball DJ - Splendid Event s

# WEDMAIL Client com m unicat ion t hroughout m y sales process used t o m ake super anxious. Gett ing an inquiry, t alking t o t hem f or t he f irst t im e t o get som e det ails, and creat ing t he proposal w as t he easy part . How ever, w hen it cam e t o sending t he proposal and w ait ing t o hear back, it w as oft en ?cricket s?. Meaning, I w ould not hear back right aw ay or on m any occasions, at all. That period of w ait ing did som et hing t o m e each and every t im e. It t ore at m y soul and m ade m e quest ion m yself and m y business t o t he point t hat I w ould lose all conf idence. I st art ed t o second guess m y pricing, m y services, and even m y w ort hiness. It w ould all snow ball int o one big ugly m ess of self- doubt and it com plet ely did a t oll on m e everyt im e.

It w asn?t unt il I st art ed t o put syst em s and w orkf low s int o place t hat I saw t he light and not iced an alm ost im m ediat e change in m y client com m unicat ion and booking process. My prospect s w ere gett ing back t o m e w it hin t he deadline, t hey respect ed m y t im e, t hey acknow ledged m y expert ise and usually booked on t he spot or w it hin a couple days.

This w as a huge conf idence boost er! I no longer quest ioned m y process and each t im e I sent out a proposal, I learned t o ?let go?. I didn?t w ait around nervously f or a response. Inst ead, I let m y syst em s and w orkf low s do t he w ork, f ollow up, and close t he sale. I w as less em ot ionally involved at t his point but I w as conf ident t hat every single piece of m y process w as being execut ed in a t im ely m anner.

Building Confidence in Your Business with Email Marketing

BY CRISTINA BARRAGAN

The key piece t o helping you build your conf idence in your process is t o st art im plem ent ing syst em s, creat ing w orkf low s, and aut om at ing as m uch as possible. For m e, it w as m y nurt ure/ w elcom e series t hat I delivered via em ail over a f ew consecut ive days. This series allow ed m e t o int roduce m yself, set expect at ions, deliver educat ion, share value, and at t he sam e t im e qualif y m y prospect . Each em ail t hat w as sent (t hrough aut om at ion), allow ed m e t o creat e a t ouchpoint t hat w ould st art building t he t rust needed bef ore even gett ing t o t he sale.

This st rat egy w orked w ell because inst ead of pit ching t hem right aw ay, I w as allow ing t hem t he opport unit y t o st art building a relat ionship w it h m e. Bef ore, I w as just gett ing dow n t o business and unbeknow nst t o m e, I w as slow ly creat ing a w edge bet w een us. Bot h physically and em ot ionally. I w asn?t t aking t he t im e t o set a f oundat ion t hat w ould soon build t rust and m ake m y services irresist ible t hrough nurt ure.

That is w hy I w as leaving so m uch m oney on t he t able and f eeling inadequat e w hen it w as all said and done.

Aside f rom a nurt ure/ w elcom e series, having a syst em in place t o record and organize client inf orm at ion is t he next best t hing w ort h invest ing in. For m e, it is HoneyBook. Wit h t his CRM syst em , I am able t o creat e w orkspaces w it h all m y client s t o keep t rack of all client com m unicat ion and f iles so t hat m y process never m isses a beat . This has also been a huge conf idence boost er because I am no longer gett ing bogged dow n by m iscom m unicat ion, det ails t hat go m issing, and f orgett ing t o com plet e t asks in m y process on t im e. My client s also f eel at ease and t heir t rust in m e is never som et hing t hey have t o w orry about . Everyt hing ?lives? in t he w orkspace and I can access it virt ually anyw here. Believe m e, it is no f un having t o explain t o your client s w hy you dropped t he ball along t he w ay. Your prof essionalism is quest ioned and it st art s t o break t he t rust t hat w as built .

Conf idence is a crucial com ponent t o t he success of operat ing and building a business. The m om ent t hat you st art t o f eel a sense of anxiet y, lack of self- w ort h, or quest ion everyt hing you do in your business, it ?s t im e t o reevaluat e your process, f ine t une, and recalibrat e.

Wit h syst em s and w orkf low s in place, you are one st ep closer t o achieving t he boost of conf idence t hat w ill det er you f rom ever second- guessing t he decisions you m ake, and lead you t o a m ore int ent ional w ay of operat ing your business.

Words by Crist ina Barragan

poshpeony.com

BOOST CONFIDENCE IN BUSINESS JOBELIA CHRISTY JOSEPHINE, LUXEOVA ATELIER

Tips t o Boost Conf idence in Business Every ent repreneur has t heir ow n st ory and obst acle w hen st art ing and running t heir business. The biggest problem s are self- doubt , w orry, f ear, and overt hinking. Fear of failure, f ear of reject ion, f ear of m aking m ist akes, f ear of t aking t he risk. The risks faced by businesses, in general, are com pet it ive risks, econom ic or f inancial risks, innovat ion risks, and t ax or shipping or cost risks, especially if you sell your product or service int ernat ionally. Thinking t oo m uch about w hen your business w ill t hrive, how your sm all business can be t rust ed f rom a client ?s point of view, w hat gave you t he conf idence t o st art or expand your business, or w hy users or buyers should choose your business over com pet it ors w ill only lead t o self- doubt . These com m on t hought s have caused m any ent repreneurs a lack of conf idence. These problem s also can prevent you t o m ove f orw ard and achieve your goals. Just know t hat all you need is conf idence in your abilit ies, and t hat in it self is one of t he im port ant keys t o an ent repreneur?s success. Train yourself w it h opt im ism in m ind. Do your best , be pat ient , never give up, enjoy t he process, f ocus on t he f ut ure, and grow. That ?s t he w ay t o survive!

Here are m y 7 t ips t o boost your conf idence in business: 1. You m ust believe yourself t hat you are w ort hy, you are unique, and your business has a special niche t hat set s it apart f rom ot hers. If you are not conf ident w it h your ow n business, how ot her people can t rust your business?

2. You have t o know exact ly w ho your t arget audience is, including t heir age range, int erest s, and needs. It ?s also t o underst and t he right place t o sell your product or service, such as a m arket place, w ebsit e, social m edia, group, blog, or apps. If you really know t he t arget audience as w ell as t heir needs, it m akes a huge diff erence in how you can f urt her est ablish selling st rat egies w hen it com es t o solving t heir problem s and f inding t hat crucial cust om er sat isfact ion point . When you m ake your product or service easily accessible in t he desired m arket of your t arget ed consum er, m ore people w ill visit your plat f orm . This w ill reduce your f ear of reject ion and increase self- conf idence.

3. You need t o m ake sure you can eff ect ively com m unicat e and be consist ent about your business and your brand t hrough good cust om er service and m arket ing. Com m unicat ion is t he basis of est ablishing credibilit y. Once you can est ablish your business and your brand as credible and t rust w ort hy, you are on your w ay.

4. Try t o involve your client s by sharing your st ory or giving glim pses of behind t he scenes looks of product ion, sharing relat ed cont ent , sharing m ot ivat ion quot es, providing a Q&A, and engaging t hem on social m edia sit es. Also considering asking your cust om er f or f eedback t o collect and share it as a t est im onial on your social m edia. This can help est ablish you as a credible expert in your f ield and im prove your business.

5. Build net w orks by collaborat ing w it h ot her vendors or press m edia t o get f eat ured and f ind a part ner t o becom e your st ockist .

Your business w ill becom e m ore w ell- know n and t rust w ort hy!

6. Join a bazaar, event or pop- up boot h, or t ake an online or off line class. This can build credibilit y f or your business.

7. Don?t be shy t o ask your fam ily, f riends, or com m unit y group t o give you suggest ions t o im prove your conf idence in business.

Their advice m ay reveal som et hing t hat you never considered bef ore or som et hing t hat m ay be painf ully t rue but honest . You have not hing t o w orry about ! Use it t o build a support syst em t hat w ill help st rengt hen your skills and conf idence.

Words by Jobelia Christ y Josephine Jobelia Christ y Josephine is t he f ounder & ow ner of Luxeova At elier, an aw ard- w inning int ernat ional online at elier f rom Indonesia t hat specializes in handcraft ed display and keepsake glass boxes. Luxeova

luxeova.com

How Tech Can Help Build Confidence with Your Clients

BY SANDY HAMMER

# WEDTECH In any service- based f ield, t rust is t he key t o a posit ive client experience. Just as you need t o t rust your car m echanic and your doct or t o provide t heir specif ied services, you w ant your client s t o t rust you t o provide yours.

Now adays, as our t arget m arket shift s t o a younger dem ographic, w e see t he need f or t echnology on a quick rise t o m eet t he needs of t hese new er generat ions. Today?s client s are looking t o event pros t o be on t op of t rends and able t o m eet t heir needs in a fast - paced environm ent .

That oft en m eans leaning on t echnology t o be connect ed and innovat ive w it h your client approach.

Here are som e areas in w hich you can im plem ent t ech t o f ost er your client s? t rust and conf idence in your business.

Com m unicat ion More t han ever, client s are seeking inst ant grat if icat ion and w ant t heir quest ions answ ered right aw ay. Your opt ions are no longer lim it ed t o st rict ly em ails and phone calls; Millennial client s and beyond are open (and even pref er) t o com m unicat e via FaceTim e, t ext , social m edia, and live chat . Working w it h your client s t hrough t heir ideal channels w ill show t hat you?re bot h approachable and cont em porary, w hile ensuring t hat t he com m unicat ion lines rem ain open.

Client experience Com m unicat ion isn?t t he only piece of t he client experience, t hough; t here are m any ot her aspect s t hat can keep a client happy. St art t he process off on t he right f oot by digit izing your cont ract s so your client s

can sign w it hout m uch f uss. In addit ion, consider accept ing online credit card paym ent s t o sim plif y t he ret ainer paym ent process f or t hem . Not only w ill it be easier f or t hem t o pay, but you?ll also st art t o not ice t hat you?re gett ing paid fast er. Win- w in!

Dow n t he line, look f or w ays t o w ow your client s w it h t ech. Virt ual realit y, f or exam ple, is becom ing a cutt ing- edge w ay t o im m erse client s int o t he event experience. Use virt ual t ours t o show client s t heir vision bef ore t he big day, w hich can elim inat e on- sit e m eet ings and give t hem a real behind- t he- scenes look at w hat you?ve been w orking on. Plus, it ?s just a really cool experience f or a client t hat set s you apart f rom com pet it ors.

Vendor collaborat ion Digit al planning t ools can boost t he conf idence t hat bot h your client s and your creat ive part ners have in your process, w hich in t urn, builds your convict ion. Apps t hat allow you t o collaborat e w it h vendors and client s on creat ing f loorplans t o scale, m anaging seat ing chart s, and building t im elines in real t im e show s t he event t eam t hat you?re on t op of t hings and t hat all inf orm at ion is current and accurat e.

Using t echnology in your event business show s client s t hat you have t he know ledge as a f orw ard, innovat ive t hinker, w hich aut om at ically displays conf idence. Even if you aren?t t he m ost t ech- savvy, sim ply ut ilizing t ech t ools and lett ing client s know t hat collaborat ive digit al t ools are a part of your process inst ant ly enhances t he look and appeal of your brand.

Of course, w hen your client s are conf ident in your process, w hich builds your self- conf idence in all t hat you do. No one w ant s t o w ork w it h an insecure vendor; you need t o show client s t hat you are sure t o get t he job done eff ect ively. The m ore you can back t his claim up, t he m ore conf idence you?ll grow in all t hat your business has t o off er.

Wit h t he help of t echnology, event planning and execut ion becom es a m ore accurat e and eff icient process. Over t im e, t his successf ul approach w ill elevat e you t o becom ing a t rust ed and t op- t ier vendor t hat provides reliable product s and services t hat com e w it h an edge of innovat ion.

Words by Sandy Ham m er

w w w.allseat ed.com

SELL MORE & BE HAPPY WITH RACHEL SHEERIN, SPEAKER, TRAINER & COACH

Speaker, Trainer and Coach Rachel Sheerin is m aking it her lif e's m ission t o help people sell m ore and be happy. Wit h a background in t he event s indust ry, Rachel know s all t oo w ell how conf idence plays int o sales so f or t his issue, she digs int o t his w hile also speaking t o best pract ices f or self- care and avoiding burnout .

How does conf idence inf luence som eone's abilit y t o not only sell , but be successf ul overall in t he w edding indust ry?

How you f eel is how people t reat you. Feeling hot one day? Doors open.

Feeling blah? Traff ic?s a m ess, you spill som et hing on your shirt and your w ords seem t o fail you at every conversat ion.

People and t he universe rise and fall t o m eet you w here you are. If you don?t believe you?re great , how do you expect ot hers t o t rust you?

A lot of t im es people hear conf idence and t hey t hink fake, inf lat ed, and rude but it ?s a m isguided vision - conf idence is not ego, conf idence is t he know ledge of w ho you are, w hat you?re capable of, and how com m itt ed you are t o exceeding goals, high perf orm ance, et c. No one hires norm al - t hey hire special, and conf idence in yourself is a key ingredient in st anding out , selling like a pro and living a successf ul lif e!

If a w edding prof essional is sat isf ied w it h t heir ow n conf idence but needs t o f ind t he right t ools t o em pow er t heir em ployees, w here do you suggest t hey st art ?

The key is t o help your t eam m em bers know t heir f reak f lag and special sauce. They need t o know w hat m akes t hem diff erent , ow it helps t heir client s and how it m akes t hem great @ t heir job and valuable t o t heir t eam . And t hey need t o f eel em pow ered t o leverage t hose diff erent iat ors every day. That ?s w here you com e in. Put t hem int o sit uat ions w here t hey?ll excel w it h t heir diff erent iat ors - don?t give ext rovert s long t edious project s; spend less t im e t rying t o ?f ix? or im prove ourselves and inst ead put em ployees in sit uat ions t hat t hey?ll t hrive in.

You t ravel all over Nort h Am erica, speak ing t o w edding prof essionals specif ically on burn out , a t opic inspired by your ow n experiences.

Wit h t hat , how does burn out im pact conf idence in t he w ork place?

I like t o say t hat burn out is depression?s successf ul cousin - it looks great on t he out side, but inside you?re a w reck, and it t ends t o hit our conf idence at it s very core. When w e?re conf ident in t he direct ion w e?re going, people f ollow our lead. When w e?re burned out , w e end up sw erving in all direct ions t rying t o f igure out w hat w e?re doing, how t o f eel good again and not let anyone dow n. That kind of pressure event ually cracks us in t w o if w e don?t address it ..

You're a big proponent of self- care. What does self- care m ean t o you and how can a busy w edding prof essional carve t im e out t o int egrat e it int o t heir ow n day- t o- day?

I am hugely int o pract icing self- care in w ays t hat m att er t o you - each individual reading t his. Mani pedis w ork f or m any f olks, but I cat ch m yself w ishing t hey?d hurry up t he second I hit t he f oot soak. The point is t hat self- care looks diff erent f or us all, and f or high perf orm ers it ?s based in our m ot ivat ors - w hat m ot ivat es us t o f eel conf ident , happy and f ulf illed. I?m m ot ivat ed by know ledge - t he second I learn som et hing f rom a podcast , read a chapt er in a book,

or hear som eone delivering a keynot e, I get t his rush of renew al and energy in m y core - so every day I know t hat if I m ake learning a f ocus I can carry t hat f eeling w it h m e t hroughout t he day. So w hat m akes you com e alive? Learning? Gaining a useable skill? How about im proving som et hing aest het ically - your hair, your off ice, your journal, t he view out your w indow ? It can be as sim ple as calling a f riend, as rebellious as gett ing a t att oo, or as em ot ional as going t o a concert and scream ing your lungs out . What ever self- care is t o you, go seek it and w ash it all over yourself - because no one can give you t hat gift of care like you can.

If som eone cam e t o you and said t hat t hey w ant ed t o be m ore conf ident in business, but t hey're af raid of all t he st eps t o get t here, how w ould you approach t hat ?

I?d ask a sim ple, diff icult quest ion of t hem : ?What are you af raid of ??Seriously, w hat f ears are in your heart and m ind t hat keep you playing sm all, f rom holding back all your aw esom eness int o your career, com pany, indust ry and client experience? Are you w orried t hat people w ill t hink you?re a egom aniac? Concerned you?re an im post er, faking it and not able t o deliver on w hat you prom ise? Terrif ied t hat som eone?s going say ?You?ve changed,? as if t hat ?s a negat ive?

What ever you?re holding ont o, I?d encourage you t o explore it deeply and honest ly. What ?s brought int o t he light can?t hurt you nearly as bad, and t hat ?s especially t rue about f ears. We carry t hem around 24/ 7, but m ost of w hat w e f ear m ay happen never does. So t ake com f ort in t hat and do it anyw ays. Thank your f ears f or t rying t o prot ect you, but t ell t hem you are going t o get going on living your lif e f ully and you?ve got it f rom here.

Anyt hing else you'd like t o add?

At t he end of t he day, you?re prett y aw esom e because you?ve m ade it t his far. Look at you, learning and w ant ing t o be bett er. Kudos - m ost average people don?t seek out educat ion t o be t he best t hey can be.

But you do - w hich m eans you?re great . Keep going - w e?re all bett er f or you being here in our indust ry!

w w w.rachelsheerin.com

Int erview by Meghan Ely

The Publisher s The Int ernat ional Academ y of Wedding & Event Planning is t he global hom e of 7 online cam puses, each off ering, f lexible and int eract ive courses, f or passionat e individuals w ant ing a career as Wedding & Event Planners, St ylist s and Designers.

We are also deeply com m itt ed t o helping individuals w it h a desire t o launch t heir ow n businesses and are proud t o have been part of t he business success of m any of t he w orld's Wedding & Event prof essionals.

When you st udy w it h t he Academ y, you can st udy f rom anyw here in t he w orld, it 's as sim ple as connect ing w it h a Cam pus nearest you.

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