The Wedding Business Magazine January 2018 Issue

January 2018

Tack l ing Prof essional Fat igue and Burnout w it h Arianna Huff ingt on Join us as w e chat t o one of t he m ost inf luent ial w om en in t he w orld, about t ak ing risks and doing som et hing she is passionat e about .

"Risk t aking is t he cornerst one of em pires."

Est ee Lauder

In This Issue..

Our Cont ribut ors From t he Edit or Quot e of t he Mont h

4- 6 8 3- 5

#WEDEXPERT w it h Kellie Daab

12- 15

#WEDSOCIAL w it h Shannon DePalm a

18- 21

#WEDEDU

22- 29

#WEDFEATURE w it h Kat Schm oyer

32- 35

Our Favourit e Things

36- 37

#WEDBIZ w it h Heat her Wait s

38- 41

In Their Shoes w it h Christ ina Matt eucci

42- 47

Academ y TV

48- 49

#WEDBIZCOACH w it h Em m a Et heridge

50- 53

#WEDPRO w it h Arianna Huff ingt on

54- 59

#WEDPR w it h Meghan Ely

60- 65

Grow ing a Successf ul Long Term Business w it h Em ily Sullivan

66- 69

Top Tips #WEDSEO w it h Kat hy DalPra

70 72- 81

Em pow ering Ot hers w it h Tonya Dalt on Q&A

82- 87 88

#WEDINSPIRE Wit h Lynn East on

90- 95

#WEDPROMO w it h Heidi Thom pson

96- 99

Show case

100- 101

#WEDDIGITAL w it h Bill Tzizik

102- 105

#WEDVENUE w it h Lindsay Lucas

106- 109

Building a Business w it h Mim i So

110- 113

#WEDGURU w it h Sam Lloyd

114- 119

Giving Back w it h ONEHOPE w ine

124- 127

#WEDLEGAL w it h Christ ina Scalera

128- 131

Em bracing t he Nat ural w it h Chris-Tia Donaldson The Publishers

132

Contr ibutor s Christ ine Ligt hart Christ ine Ligt hart is t he Direct or of Educat ion f or t he Int ernat ional Academ y of Wedding & Event Planning and is t he Founder of The I- Do Crew.

Websit e: w w w .idocrew .com .au

Heidi Thom pson Heidi Thom pson is t he best - selling aut hor of Clone Your Best Client s and t he f ounder of Evolve Your Wedding Business. She specializes in business and m arket ing st rat egy f or w edding prof essionals.

Websit e: w w w .evolveyourw eddingbusiness.com

Kel l ie Daab Kellie Daab, Wedding Business Archit ect , and f ounder at iDo Collect ive is a w edding indust ry t hought leader, aut hor, and business st rat egist .

Kellie helps event indust ry prof essionals creat e brands t hey love, st rat egies t hat w ork, and processes t hey love!

Websit e: w w w .idocol l ect ive.com Meghan Ely OFD Consult ing ow ner Meghan Ely has over a decade of experience in t he w edding indust ry.

She is also a prom inent nat ional speaker on a broad range of w edding m arket ing and w edding PR t opics.

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

Kat hy Dal Pra Kat hy t akes t he overw helm out of SEO, sales and w ebsit e conversion so w edding businesses can t urn m ore curious visit ors int o high paying client s.

Websit e: brideappeal .com

Shannon DePal m a Shannon DePalm a is a m oney m indset coach f or f em ale ent repreneurs. She built and sold her f irst w edding business in 2 years and believe every w om an should have an am azing relat ionship w it h m oney.

Websit e: w w w .shannondepal m a.com

Em m a Et heridge Em m a is t he f ounder of The Wedding Biz Coach and support s w edding- prenuers t o grow t heir w onderf ul w edding businesses by t eaching real- lif e, pract ical, act ionable st rat egies t hat w ork.

Websit e: w w w .w eddingbizcoach.com

Heat her Wait s Heat her Wait s is t he f ounder of Prof it able Weddings, a com pany geared t ow ards helping w edding prof essionals t urn t heir passion int o a prof it able business and President of Bloom t ast ic Inc, a w edding f lorist in Colum bus, Ohio since 2004.

Websit e: w w w .prof it abl ew eddings.com

Sam Ll oyd Based in Kent , Sam LLoyd is a w ell- connect ed Wedding Venue Consult ant and is t he f ounder of The Wedding Ow l. Sam has ext ensive, pract ical know ledge of t he Event s Indust ry, venues, and suppliers.

Websit e: w w w .t hew eddingow l .com Christ ina Scal era Christ ina Scalera is t he att orney and f ounder behind TheCont ract .Shop, a cont ract t em plat e st ore f or creat ive ent repreneurs, w edding prof essionals, and coaches.

Websit e: w w w .christ inascal era.com

Lindsay Lucas Lindsay Lucas, Wedding Venue Business Consult ant and Founder of Lean On Me Event s, is passionat e about helping venue ow ners build a st rong f oundat ion f or success, coaching t hem on how t o creat e a sust ainable venue in an ever evolving m arket .

Websit e: w w w .l eanonm econsult ant s.com

From the Editor KYLIE CARLSON The beginning of any new year is excit ing as it brings t hat w onderf ul air of possibilit y w it h it . Suddenly, w hat didn't seem possible t he previous year now seem s like som et hing w ort h t aking a risk on.

Taking risks in business is scary, but ult im at ely it is w hat w ill keep you m oving f orw ard. The key is know ing w hich risks t o t ake and t hen m aking sure t hat if t hey don't w ork t hen t he fallout isn't disast rous.

I have t aken m ore risks t han I care t o rem em ber and t he ones t hat never w orked w ere t he ones w here I ignored m y gut inst inct . I'm about t o t ake anot her risk in m y career in 2018 by launching a brand under m y ow n nam e.

You'd t hink by now I w ould be past all t he nerves, insecurit y and sleepless night s t hat com e w it h t aking risks, but I'm not . I am const ant ly quest ioning m yself. Will it be a success? What happens if it doesn't w ork? Will anyone act ually be int erest ed? And so on.

How ever, t he one f eeling I have above all else is one of excit em ent .

That f eeling t hat only com es w hen you are t aking a risk and doing som et hing new t hat you are passionat e about .

For t his f irst issue of our m agazine f or 2018 w e t hought it w ould be f un t o explore t his a litt le f urt her by asking our cont ribut ors and expert s t o share t heir insight and know ledge on t aking risks w it hin t heir careers.

We have som e fant ast ic st ories t o share w it h you and a w ealt h of know ledge, t ips and advice. So dive in and enjoy t his bum per issue of t he Wedding Business Magazine.

Kyl ie x

The Styled Shoot Team INDUSTRIAL GREENERY WEDDING SHOOT -

Planning, St yling & Coordinat ion: Lace Sixpence Weddings & Event s Venue: The Barn at Barra Cast le Phot ography: KAD Phot ography Florals: Kim Dalglish Florist Bridalw ear: Ivory Grace Mensw ear: Georgian Dress Hire / ASOS Linen & Furnit ure Hire: Count ry Flavours of Alf ord Décor: Illum in8 , Bella Balloons, VM Bespoke St at ionery: E.Y.i.LOVE Cake: Cakes by Kirst y Macarons: Alm ondine Drinks: Tipple in a TukTuk Transport : Deeside Classic Cam pers Lt d Hair St ylist : Michelle Reid Hairdressing Makeup Art ist : Nik k i Sheran MUA Models: Bradley Boyd (Groom) , Hannah Duncan (Bride), Clare Webb (Bridesm aid)

Quote of the Month

?

If you dare

nothing, then

when the day is over, nothing is all you will have gained.

NEIL GAIMAN

?

Risking the Fork Knowing When It's Time to Pivot

BY KELLIE DAAB

# WEDEXPERT Wedding prof essionals carry a unique set of sensabilit ies. We are passionat e, creat ive, hard- w orking, dedicat ed, and im aginat ive. We devot e all of our energy t o grow ing our business, innovat ing, and providing cust om experiences f or our client s. Loyalt y, ingenuit y, and com m it m ent could be our m iddle nam e. That 's w hy facing t he f ork m aking a pivot in your business - f eels so incredibly risky.

I rem em ber very clearly com ing t o t he end of m y 11t h year in business as a w edding planner. I f ound m yself w ondering w hy client s f elt m ore diff icult t o m anage. I couldn't decipher w hy em ails f elt harder t o send and t he last t hing I w ant ed t o do w as book m ore client s. I didn't underst and w hy t he high of sending t he gorgeous bride dow n t he aisle w as fading. I st ill loved being creat ive. I loved w eddings. I loved m y net w ork of vendor part ners. But som et hing inside of m e knew t hat I needed som et hing m ore. It w as t im e t o m ake a pivot . My purpose needed t o be f ound in a diff erent place.

As hum ans, w e are incredibly risk adverse. Know ing t hat w e m ay have t o m ake a m ajor pivot in our business is one of t he m ost risky posit ions w e could f ind ourselves in. Our businesses put f ood on our t able and even m ore im port ant ly, our reput at ion is our great est asset .

Popular know ledge m ight indicat e t hat by being an ent repenuer you are t he kind of person t hat 's even m ore w illing t o t ake a risk. St art ing a business t hat 's sust ainable is a risk all on it 's ow n. But , being an ent repeneur is act ually m ore about seeing an opport unit y and having t he conf idence t o t ackle it . It m eans know ing w hat risks are w ise and w hich opport unit ies are t he best .

Which leads t o t he quest ion, how do w e know w hen it 's t im e t o t ake t he risk and m ake a business changing pivot ? Here are a f ew t hings t o consider:

SOMETHING ISN'T THE SAME Oft en w e set out in our business w it h a very def ined purpose. To creat e som et hing new. To bring joy t o ot hers. To solve a problem our client s face. Int ernally t here's a drive you can't alw ays explain. Unt il t here's not .

What used t o m ot ivat e you no longer f eels t he sam e. The t hings t hat used t o excit e you now f eel diff erent and you can't exact ly explain w hy.

Is it t he client ? Is it m e? Am I bored? It 's not alw ays easy t o f igure out w hy som et hing about your personal passion and business just don't f eel t he sam e. But you're f inding it harder and harder t o do and f eel t he sam e w ay you've f elt bef ore.

YOU'VE HAD A SPARK There's a new idea or direct ion st irring inside of you. Maybe your new idea changes t he scope of t he services you off er. Pot ent ially t he spark t akes you in a com plet ely diff erent direct ion. But you can no longer ignore t hat litt le f ire in your belly urging you t o t ry som et hing new or t o t ake a new road. Even if you don't know w here it w ill lead.

YOU SEE THE POSITIVE OUTCOME Because of t he logist ical nat ure of our indust ry, w e are incredibly w onderf ul problem solvers! We can hang anyt hing f rom t ent poles w it h a litt le w ire, right ? This also m eans t hat w hile you're st anding at t hat risky f ork spot in your business t hat you can very clearly see t he posit ive out com e and w hat t he pat h looks like t o get t here. You know exact ly t he st eps you should be t aking and you also see t he new end result s. And let 's adm it it ... you f eel so good about it inside.

OTHERS SEE IT IN YOU Maybe you've shared t hat litt le spark w it h som eone. Or, in m y case, som eone else lit t he spark inside of you. You're being encouraged t o m ake t he risky leap. Anot her person m ay see pot ent ial t hat you w ould have never assigned yourself. It 's easy t o discount t he value ot hers see in you, but m any t im es t hose closest t o us see som et hing w e cannot .

Those support ers are ready t o encourage you t hrough t his risky business pivot .

YOUR CLIENTS HAVE CHANGED As t im e progresses, t echnology advances, and t he econom y changes, so do t he client s and t heir expect at ions. Major changes in t he operat ions of your business are inevit able but t hat doesn't m ean t hat as t he business ow ner you're st ill aligning w it h t he sam e people and t he sam e service st ruct ure. There is a dist inct t im e in every business w here you m ay have out grow n client s t hat once w ere considered ideal. This grow t h st ep is oft en an indicat ion t hat it 's t im e t o m ake som e m ajor business changing pivot s.

YOU'VE RUN THE NUMBERS We love being creat ive but t his is st ill a business. So, if w hat your passion has called you t o do has left you barely m eet ing t he bills t hen it 's very clear som et hing is not w orking. That old saying "f ollow t he paper t rail" is t rue here. If your eff ort s are not m eet ing t he revenue goals you've set t hen it 's very clear som et hing m ajor needs t o shift in t he st ruct ure of your business.

St anding at t he f ork in your business st aring dow n t he opt ions w hile t rying t o decide if it 's t im e t o pivot can be t errif ying.

It conjurs up your personal insecurit ies, quest ions your abilit ies, and requires a harnessing of an im m ense am ount of courage. And oft en it leaves us asking is t he risk WORTH IT? I can t ell you it w as w ort h it f or m e. I gave up everyt hing I had built . I st epped out in a com plet ely diff erent direct ion. I opened m yself up t o t he scrut iny of m y peers. I st ood in f ront of t hem w it h courage and shared how t he w edding indust ry needed t o change. I've com plet ely changed m y purpose and w ho I serve and I know in m y soul I've m ade t he right decision. The leap w asn't easy. Challenges st ill exist . But I list ened and I m ade t he change. And it w as w ort h it .

When your pride t ells you it 's im possible, your experience w ill rem ind you it 's risky. Reason w ill t ell you it m ay be f oolish, but your heart w ill st ill w hisper "You've got t o t ry."

Words by Kellie Daab

The Cr eative Business Podcast Show Wit h David Tut era David is a leading w edding and ent ert ainm ent expert w ho is know n f or his art ist ic vision and unique creat ive t alent s. Wit h celebrit y client s such as Jennif er Lopez, Prince Charles, Elt on John and Barbara Walt ers, and m ore, he has creat ed an out st anding reput at ion f or him self t hat has led t o t rem endous business success. He is an inspirat ion t o all w edding prof essionals looking t o m ake a success of t heir ow n business.

Lear n Fr om The Exper ts

# WEDSOCIAL Aft er m ont hs of st rat egy, t aking courses, and putt ing m y hands over m y eyes in m y business. I got a real w ake up call t hat t here w as only 1 t hing left t o do? .I needed out side help. There w ere t hings t hat I m ust not be seeing because I f elt like I w as doing everyt hing t o hit big m oney goals in m y business but I w as falling f lat .

I had invest ed in courses and a couple sm all sessions here and t here, but I f elt ext rem e guilt around w ant ing t o spend over $1,000 on m yself. I had already spent m oney on m y business, I should be f urt her along and I should be able t o do it m yself.

What I knew m ore t han anyt hing w as t hat I didn't w ant t o w ast e anot her m ont h not hitt ing t he m oney goal I had set f or m yself. I had t his creeping t hought pop up int o m y head every couple of days, t alking about invest ing in m yself or invest ing in a business coach. Well t hat can't be right t hough, because t he m oney w asn't lying around.

I decided t hat t his w as t he leap I needed t o t ake t o f urt her m y business and I had t o m ake it happen anyw ay I could. Even if it m eant being a litt le risky w it h m y m oney I had t o do som et hing t o change m y current sit uat ion. Did it f eel good? No, not at all. It f elt painf ul, it f elt uncom f ort able, and it f elt m ore t han anyt hing, t errif ying. What if I didn't m ake m y m oney back? What if I w ent int o debt f or t his business?

I decide t o m ake t he paym ent t o t he group coaching program , I f eel excit em ent , a sense of relief, a diff erent w ave of em ot ions, t hat I hadn't f elt in a w hile. I w as act ually excit ed and not f earf ul or doubt f ul. I w as hopef ul about t he f ut ure of m y business again, I f elt energized, som et hing else I hadn't f elt in a w hile.

Leap Faster than it Feels Comfor table

BY SHANNON DEPALMA

Em ot ions of hope, inspirat ion w ave over m e and I can't believe I'm going f or som et hing t hat didn't seem available t o m e.

I can't believe I allow ed m yself t o have som et hing t hat just seem ed out of reach f or m e. I had denied m yself f or so long because I couldn't see how it w as possible.

That 's t he t hing about risks, t hey never f eel am azing at f irst . They f eel painf ul ,t hey f eel scary but our grow t h can only com e w hen w e push ourselves out side of our com f ort zones.

For m e, it began w it h spending over $1,000 on m yself, and even w hen it seem ed im possible, even w hen it seem ed risky, even w hen it seem ed not reasonable, I t ook t hat risk, because I knew t he saf est risk I could ever t ake w as on m yself.

Leap fast er t han it is com f ort able and if you're not f eeling at least one palm sw eat ing t errif ying em ot ion a w eek in your business, quest ion t hat , and t hen go out and do t hat t hing t hat m akes you f eel t hat w ay.

Words by Shannon DePalm a

# 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.

SOUTH WEST WEDMEETUP Dat e: February 26t h & 27t h, 2018 Locat ion: Honit on, UK Websit e: w w w.w edm eet up.com

ENGAGE!18 ITALY Dat e: April 25- 28t h, 2018 Locat ion: Cost a Sm eralda, It aly Websit e: engagesum m it s.com / engage18it aly

MOST CURIOUS WEDDING FAIR Dat e: 2nd- 4t h March, 2018 Locat ion: London, UK Websit e: w w w.am ost curiousw eddingfair.co.uk

BRIDE DUBAI Dat e: February 7t h- 10t h , 2018 Locat ion: Dubai Websit e: w w w.t hebrideshow.com

The beloved event has been a UAE St aple f or over 21 years, and ret urns bigger t han ever - w it h prom ise of being t he perf ect plat f rom f or fashion- concious f em ale shoppers, brides- t o- be, burgeoning indust ry f igures and st yle aff icionados alike!

Att endees can look f orw ard t o st unning fashion show s, live dem onst rat ions, inspiring t alks, on t rend advice, live m usic and plent y m ore - ensuring it cem ent s it self as one of t he m ust att end experiences of t he new year.

Som e of t he highlight s include an exclusive show case of w orld renow ned cake art ist Debbie Wingham?s diam ond encrust ed edible pieces, t he BRIDE Wedding Aw ards, an ESMOD fashion show, excit ing new w orkshops, and t he brand new ?Lucky bride com pet it ion!?

The Arabian Academ y of Wedding & Event Planning is an off ical part ner and guest judge at t he aw ards. See you t here!

BESAGE CONFERENCE Dat e: Decem ber 4t h- 7t h, 2017 Locat ion: Hilt on Head Island, Sout h Carolina Websit e: w w w.besageconf erence.com

I recent ly had t he honor and pleasure of bot h att ending and speaking at t he BeSage Conf erence in Sout h Carolina. I att end m any indust ry event s t hroughout t he year and t he t hought of one new t o m e w as excit ing. When conf erence f ounder Michelle Lorett a asked m e t o part icipat e, I didn?t have t o t hink t w ice; I w as im m ediat ely on board.

I w as part icularly att ract ed t o t he f ocus on ?m ast er level? educat ion, recognizing t he fact t hat over t im e, as an event prof essional, cert ain concerns and challenges fade aw ay and new ones arise. BeSage w as creat ed f or experienced prof essionals t o help address concerns like grow ing a larger t eam , m anaging em ployees and scaling your business w isely.

Michelle is t he m ost involved conf erence organizer in speaker present at ions I have encount ered. Aft er I subm itt ed m ine, she called m e t o go t hrough it line by line. Honest ly, it w as a bit of an aff ront at f irst f or som eone w ho is used t o people sim ply t rust ing t hat I have it under cont rol. How ever, Michelle?s review and suggest ions w ere t hought f ul, and I quickly t rust ed her process as a result .

On arrival at t he conf erence, I f ound a m ix of new att endees and ret urning f olks w ho w ere eager f or t he inf orm al reunion w it h t heir colleagues. The at m osphere w as w elcom ing and it w as great t o be around like- m inded prof essionals. The level of det ail t hat Michelle put int o t he conf erence, f rom t he gorgeous linens t o t he m enu select ions, w as adm ired by all.

There w ere m any educat ional highlight s. Tonya Dalt on of Inkw ell Press w alked us t hrough t he CEO m indset , covering how t o increase product ivit y w hile m aint aining t rue w ork- lif e balance. Terrica Skaggs had us in st it ches w hile w rit ing dow n not es f uriously about t he great apps and program s w e could int egrat e int o our businesses t o help boost product ivit y. And Krist y Rice f ocused on scaling a creat ive business f rom an aut hent ic place, rem inding us w hat happens w hen w e breat he.

I w as t hrilled t hat t he sessions w ere a m ixt ure of lect ure st yle as w ell as int eract ive discussions led by Michelle herself. In bet w een, w e w ere spoiled t o t he hilt w it h delicious m enus, and fant ast ic conversat ions.

I am so grat ef ul f or t he opport unit y t o part icipat e, and believe t hat BeSage is a great f it f or anyone eager t o elevat e t heir brand aft er f ive or m ore years in t he business. Like m any, I?m eagerly aw ait ing Michelle?s announcem ent f or t he next dat e.

Words by Meghan Ely

UNRULY WEDDING SHOW Dat e: Oct ober 29t h, 2017 Locat ion: London, UK Websit e: w w w.unrulyw eddingshow.com

When I heard about t he Unruly Wedding Show I knew I had t o get m y hands on a t icket . It appeals t o m e on so m any levels; as a f ellow w edding prof essional, as a bride- t o- be and as a big fan of Revelry Event s, t he London w edding planning duo and f ounders of Unruly!

What really appeals is t heir passion f or breaking w it h t radit ion and helping couples m ake t heir ow n rules w hen it com es t o w edding planning. Wit h show slogans like "#saynot ochaircovers" and "What do you m ean I can't have open f lam e? Have you seen m y Pint erest board?", t hey are really t alking t o t oday's brides and groom s w ho w ant t o break f ree f rom t ired t radit ions and rest rict ions.

If you are a m odern, st yle conscious couple looking t o creat e a t ruly bespoke "rulebook- f ree" w edding t hen t here w ere som e fant ast ic supplier opt ions show cased at Unruly... Dit ch t he classic t iered w edding cake and inst ead go f or a 3- D biscuit sculpt ure by Maid of Gingerbread. Surprise your guest s w it h an am azing f irst dance rout ine choreographed and t aught by Rachel Sparks Dance. For DIY couples Ollie's St udio w as on hand host ing calligraphy w orkshops and Pippa Ham ilt on Celebrant w as sharing her t ips f or sm ashing your vow w rit ing! And capt ure it all w it h t he unique phot ography of Through The Woods We Ran, w ho also docum ent ed t he w hole event (check out t heir coverage and t he ot her great exhibit ors on t he Unruly Inst a!)

I look f orw ard t o see w hat t hey com e up w it h t his year. St ay t uned f or t heir 2018 show inf o!

Words by Mart ha Tobyn

The UK Academy of Wedding and Event Planning is host ing t his w orkshop f or t hose looking t o push t he envelope creat ively by incorporat ing w edding, event and f loral st yling int o t heir business. Today's bridal couple are educat ed and know w hat t hey w ant . Gone are t he days of w orking w it h 10 diff erent w edding vendors t o creat e t heir w edding, t hey are looking t o hire a st ylist w ho can do it all.

This is an int eract ive and hands- on w orkshop designed f or up and com ing or est ablished w edding prof essionals w ho w ant t o expand t heir st yling services w it h f lorals, learn how t o creat e breat ht aking t ablescapes and how t o m arket your new services t o book m ore client s. And on t op of t his you'll get t o t ake hom e prof essional phot os of t he w ork you've produced t o boost your st yling port f olio!

Flor al and Wedding Styling Wor kshop

BOOK YOUR WORKSHOP PLACE HERE...

# WEDFEATURE KAT SCHMOYER, DEAR SWEETHEART EVENTS & CREATIVE AT HEART

Kat Schm oyer is a planner and designer at her com pany, Dear Sw eet heart Event s, and m ost recent ly, t he brains behind t he popular Creat ive at Heart conf erence. Kat st art ed her career in t he indust ry aft er planning her ow n w edding, and has been building her business ever since.

You st art ed Dear Sw eet heart s Event s and you w ere w orking f ull t im e w hile building your business. What advice do you have f or business ow ners w ho are juggling t hose t hings? What advice do you have f or business ow ners w ho are af raid t o t ake t he leap t o go f ull t im e w it h t heir business?

St art ing a business w hen you w ork a f ull- t im e job is one of t he hardest yet m ost rew arding t hings you w ill ever do. It is such a season of hust le & balance; t rying so hard t o grow your business so you can leave your f ull- t im e job, yet having t he const raint s of a f ull- t im e job w hile grow ing your biz. I learned how t o priorit ize m y t o- do's (in business & in lif e), and I learned w hat I w as w illing t o sacrif ice (and w hat I w asn't w illing t o sacrif ice). This t hen helped m e w hen I w as able t o leave m y f ull- t im e job, because I had priorit ies already in place! If you f ind yourself af raid t o t ake t he leap, ask yourself - - - w hat 's t he w orst t hat can happen?! If you have 6 m ont hs of livable incom e saved, you have t he space t o allow yourself t o t ry t o m ake your dream a realit y. If t hings don't go as

planned, you have a degree & w ork experience t o fall back on... but you only have a shot at your dream once!

What drew you t o t he w edding business? And w hat pushed you t o st art your ow n conf erence?

I becam e a w edding planner aft er planning m y ow n w edding! Cliche, but very t rue. I realized very quickly t hat I love ow ning m y ow n business. I love t he st rat egy and vision- cast ing it t akes t o be an ent repreneur! I st art ed Creat ive at Heart Conf erence because at t he t im e, I saw a need f or in- person educat ion in our indust ry t hat spanned all creat ives - phot ographers, planners, hand- lett ers, art ist s, designers. I w ant ed a space f or bot h product and serviced based creat ive prof essionals t o com e t oget her t o share inf orm at ion openly and honest ly, and grow business side- by- side.

Did you have any f ear w hen st art ing Creat ive at Heart ? How did you push t hrough t he f ear?

Oh I had so m any f ears! At t he t im e, no one w as doing w hat I w ant ed t o do so I had a huge f ear t hat it w ouldn't be w ell received. I also had huge f ears w hen em ailing educat ors. These w ere t he w om en I looked up t o and yet here I w as em ailing t hem asking t hem t o be a part of m y dream - it w as t errif ying! I pushed t hrough m uch like I did w hen I quit m y f ull- t im e job... I knew I had t o t ry, and I knew if I didn't at least att em pt it , I'd look back in 6 m ont hs, 6 years, 60 years and regret it .

"Oh I had so m any f ears! At t he t im e, no one w as doing w hat I w ant ed t o do so I had a huge f ear t hat it w ouldn't be w ell received."

As DSE and Creat ive at Heart Conf erence bot h cont inue t o grow, w here do you see yourself in 5 years?

Ah I don't know ! Our fam ily is grow ing (our litt le boy is due in May) so t hat def init ely changes m y perspect ive on business. My husband is also now f ull- t im e w it h our com panies so t hat also changes t hings. I hope in 5 years w e are st ill doing business & ent repreneurship t oget her. So m uch has changed in t he 4 years since I began DSE t hat I can't im agine w hat t hings w ill look like in 5 years, but I so hope and pray I'm st ill serving t he creat ive space and running m y ow n business w it h m y husband and our fam ily!

What is som et hing you w ish som eone t old you bef ore st art ing your businesses?

Things w ill NOT go as planned, and t hat 's not alw ays a bad t hing. Be open t o t he endless possibilit ies! I saw t his quot e on Pint erest I love, "Be st rict w it h your goals and f lexible w it h your m et hods," and I t hink t hat is so t rue of sm all biz lif e.

Did you alw ays see yourself ow ning your ow n businesses?

Nope! I had no idea w hat I w ant ed t o be w hen I "grew " up and now I know it 's t he ent repreneurial spirit in m e. I've alw ays had so m any ideas and so m any aspirat ions.

Int erview by Meghan Ely

creat iveat heart conf erence.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 our t op 5 inspirat ional ent repreneurs t o f ollow on Inst agram .

MARIE FORLEO Marie is a m ot ivat ional speaker, aut hor and business coach and f ounder of aw ard w inning MarieTV. Her 300K f ollow ers says it all! @m arief orleo

KYLIE CARLSON Wit h over 10 years in business our edit or Kylie shares her expert ise via her Business Hub f or Creat ive Ent repreneurs! @k yliem ecarlson

JASMINE STAR Jasm ine is a business st rat egist f ocussed on m arket ing, branding & building a pow erf ul m indset f or creat ive ent repreneurs. @jasm inest ar

AMY PORTFIELD Am y is an online m arket ing expert and f ounder of t he t op ranking Market ing Made Easy podcast . @amyport erf ield

JENNA KUTCHER Phot ographer, educat or, art ist , business coach and f ounder of t he uber popular Goal Digger podcast f or girl bosses! @jennkut cher

# WEDBIZ (not so) NEWS FLASH: Florist s hat e selling!! Phot ographers hat e selling!

St at ioners hat e selling!!

But you know w hat , you are leaving a LOT of m oney on t he t able? 10%, 20% even 30%!

So w hat should you do?

While m any w edding pros are putt ing t oget her t hier goals right now and picking m ot ivat ional sayings t o put on t heir bat hroom m irrors, I encourage you t o st art diff erent : st art w it h t he right m indset ! Sales is not a dirt y w ord. You do it every day, f rom doing your m akeup and putt ing on nice clot hes so your personal present at ion is good t o t he w ords you chose w hen you speak t o a client . You are selling yourself every day. Every. Day. Next , underst and t hat people don?t like t o be sold, t hey like t o BUY. Em pow er t hem t o m ake t he decision by giving t hem all t he inf o t hey need, present ed in a f riendly, non- t hreat ening w ay. You need t o be t he client ?s f low er- loving guru f riend sitt ing on t he ot her side of t he t able, guiding him / her t hrough t he process.

I get it t hough, you?re a right - brained, creat ive person w ho shutt ers at t he t hought of picking up a sales book. Well, I?ve got you covered- Follow t his sim ple, non- salesy t hree- st ep plan and you w ill increase your sales subst ant ially!

FIRST: Sell Relevance It needs t o m ake sense in order t o sell it . Think about it : som eone w ho builds com put ers doesn?t need t o buy a t horn st ripper f or his business, but a f lorist w ho handles a lot of roses does!

McDonald?s sells French f ries w it h t heir ham burgers. A depart m ent

How to Add up to 30% More Wedding Sales with a Simple, Three- Step Plan!

HEATHER WAITS

st ore off ers cleaner at t he count er w hen you purchase a brand- spanking new pair of shoes. A w edding f lorist could off er f low er girl basket s t o go w it h t he pet als t he bride just ordered. BOOM! You just added- on t o t he sale and m ake som e m ore m ullah.

SECOND: Solve a Problem Sales in general is based on t he fact t hat t he cust om er has a need or w ant (aka PROBLEM) and you as t he m erchant has t he solut ion. The m ore problem s you can solve, t he m ore relevant you becom e.

Have shopped on Am azon? There is a sect ion at t he bott om of your screen show ing you all t he ot her it em s ot her people bought w hen t hey purchased t he sam e product you are looking at . Rat her you realize it or not , Am azon is selling you.

Going back t o t he exam ple above, if you provide f low er girl basket s t o sell, you are solving a problem your client has? t hey need som et hing t o put t he pet als in! And you save t hem t he t im e of driving around t ow n t o f ind one or t he t im e of searching online f or t he perf ect basket .

Next , you w ant t o m ake t hem w ant it so bad t hat t hey sell t hem selves!

Think high- end ribbon opt ions t he bride can upgrade t o f or t he w rap on her bouquet or a pearl or rhinest one bracelet f or t he corsages.

When you off er t hese opt ions, let t he client hold t he it em s and f eel t he t ext ure, t he qualit y? let her put t he bracelet on her w rist and envision herself in it t he day of t he w edding? let t he client sell t hem selves.

THIRD: OFFER A SPECIAL PRICE Today?s consum er is super savvy and t hey can sm ell a rat ? t he sleezy car salesm an kind? a m ile aw ay. Since our indust ry is so visual, sell by show ing. Let t he client see t he f low ers, sm ell t hem , dem onst rat e how t hey w ill look arranged t oget her ? let t hem see and f eel t he sat in ribbons, t he pearl pins and t he rhinest one broaches.

If you f ollow t he plan so far? m ake it relevant and solve a problem ? you w ill discover t hat price t ypically w on?t be an issue. You w ant t hem t o t hink, ?w hat ?s anot her $50?? The best w ay t o present it t o t hem is t o bundle it t oget her. Using t he f low er girl pet als and basket exam ple, you w ould present t o t he client like t his: ?This f low er girl basket is just $50 and t hat includes t he pet als!!? By off ering it as a bundle, you w ill sell m ore!

Let ?s review your t hree- st ep plan: Sell som et hing relevant (f low er girl basket ) t hat solves a problem (client needs som et hing t o put t he pet als in and saves him / her t im e of f inding one on ow n) and off er a special price (bundle t he basket and pet als t oget her f or one price? and voila!

A sim ple, easy t o f ollow plan t hat w ill increase your sales as m uch as 30%!

Words by Heat her Wait s

IN THEIR SHOES CHRISTINA MATTEUCCI, DAVID BEAHM DESTINATIONS

Execut ive Direct or of David Beahm Dest inat ions, Christ ina Matt eucci plays a unique role w it hin t he special event indust ry as David Beahm?s right hand f or 16 years. Having execut ed soirĂŠes all over t he w orld, Christ ina has spent alm ost t w o decades perf ect ing t he ins- and- out s of overseeing event s f rom t he bird?s eye dow n t o t he m ost inf init esim al det ails. As David?s ?Num ber Tw o,? Christ ina has f irst - hand experience w it h t he im port ance of building, f rom t he ground up, a f unct ional and sust ainable inf rast ruct ure t o support a grow ing creat ive t alent .

Accessible, speedy, and except ionally precise, w it h an energy t hat buoys all w ho w ork w it h her; under David's t ut elage, Christ ina has becom e a respect ed and sought - aft er f orce in t he event indust ry.

Tell us a bit about your role at David Beahm Dest inat ions. How you got st art ed?

It is act ually a bit of a sad st ory t urned beaut if ul! I m oved t o New York f rom San Francisco t o att end Tisch School of t he Art s because I w as going t o be t he next big Broadw ay st ar. At least t hat w as m y great plan? t hough, it t urns out t he universe had ot her ideas. In May of 2001, I graduat ed f rom NYU. My grandm ot her died in June. My fat her died in July. The t ragic event s of 9/ 11 happened t hat Sept em ber. And aft er all of t hat , I said t o m yself, ?My cit y has been att acked, and I?ve lost som e of t he m ost im port ant people in m y w orld. The last t hing I am capable of at t he m om ent is audit ioning and w ondering f rom w hence m y next pay check w ill com e.? Inst ead, I t hought about w hat m ade m e happy.

For so m any years I f ound giddy joy looking t hrough bridal m agazines.

I st art ed subscribing t o t hem w hen I w as 12 or 13 years old. I w ould f lip t hrough t he glossy pages and I w as enchant ed by t he m ajest y, t he t heat ricalit y, and t he pageant ry of it all. So I t hought t o m yself, "Why don't I go aft er t hat ?"

I w as w orking a t hankless ret ail job at t he t im e t o m ake ends m eet , but I w ould com e hom e f rom w ork every day and spend hours sending out cover lett ers and resum es. But I had honed in on one m an: David Beahm . He had just designed Cat herine Zet a- Jones and Michael Douglas' w edding. Looking back on t hat t im e in m y lif e, I sincerely believe I w as naively st rat egic. I knew t hat t his David Beahm?s com pany w as young enough f or m e t o grow w it h him and alongside him . He lovingly says t hat I st alked him , but I w as sim ply w orking m y plan of att ack! I faxed him a cover lett er and a resum e every m ont h f or 8 m ont hs. I w ould send t he fax on t he f irst Monday of t he m ont h, and I w ould f ollow it w it h a phone call on t he f ollow ing Wednesday unt il he f inally picked up t he phone and said, "Alright , alright ! I?ve got it ! Let 's t alk? " I st art ed off sim ply answ ering phones in his off ice, but slow ly I carved out litt le t hings t hat I could do f or m yself, m aking m yself int egral t o him along t he w ay. Alm ost 17 years lat er, I'm Execut ive Direct or of his Dest inat ions brand, w hich m eans t hat I w ork on m ost of t he project s

t hat t ake place out side of our t ri- st at e area, as w ell as som e of t he m ore logist ically diff icult event s. I also w ork w it h legacy client s, t he fam ilies t hat have been w it h us f or years and years. So m uch of w hat our business is based on is building t rust and creat ing longst anding client relat ionships. For exam ple, w e had a call t his m orning f rom a couple w hom w e sent dow n t he aisle t he f irst year I w as w it h David, and now w e're doing t heir child's bat m it zvah.

What prom pt ed you t o be a speaker?

Honest ly, it happened during our yearly em ployee review. I had m ent ioned t he idea of public speaking t o David casually in t he past , and said t o him at t he t im e t hat I'd really like t o speak about m y relat ionship w it h him ? how w e com plim ent each ot her and our Yin and Yang dynam ic. I w ant ed t o bring a spot light t o ?Num ber Tw os? in t he indust ry ? t he passionat e event prof essionals, like m e, w ho w ork behind t he scenes t o m ake all of David?s ideas com e t o lif e. We w ere in t he m idst of m y review and he said, "Why aren't you speaking? Why aren't you pursuing t hat ? You have all t he m eans and t he t raining w it h w hich t o succeed. There is room f or bot h of us; do it !?

That w as really t hat kick in t he bum t hat got m e out t here pursuing it .

I st art ed off speaking f or Chapel Designers at t heir 6t h Annual conf erence in NYC, and t hen Kat hryn and Rebecca at Engage! w ere kind enough t o give m e a plat f orm in Puglia, It aly, aft er w hich I w as invit ed back t o Grand Caym an t o speak once again. It 's been a w onderf ul experience f or m e beginning t his endeavour and seeing just how m uch m y t opic resonat ed w it h em ployers and em ployees alike.

How did you know now w as t he right t im e t o t ake on t his new kind of vent ure w it hin your career?

"I consider myself a ?gut list ener.?Som et im es being a good gut list ener m eans t hat you're em boldened t o t ake risks, and som et im es being a gut list ener m eans you t ake t hings good and slow."

When I speak on m y relat ionship w it h David, w hat 's int erest ing is t hat ? because w e've been t oget her so long? it has evolved int o a real w ork m arriage. Som et im es you need your ?part ner? t o gent ly prom pt you and say, "It 's t im e. It 's okay. You can go and you can do t his, I believe in you." David and I do t hat f or each ot her; w e have each ot her's back. So he w as pivot al in t his decision, I can't st ress t hat enough. He w as pivot al not only in t erm s of endorsing m y eff ort s t o pot ent ial sponsor organizat ions; he w as relent less in inspiring m e t o cont inue pursuing it . He also t alked m e off t he cliff w hen I occasionally broke out in hives f rom nerves!

Ot her t han t hat , it just f elt good, and it f elt like t he right t im e. Once I st art ed speaking, t he response t hat I received f rom som e of t he sm aller speaking engagem ent s w as enough t o help m e build m y conf idence and say, "Okay, let 's do t his a litt le m ore proact ively.?

Do you consider yourself a risk t aker in business? Why or w hy not ?

I consider m yself a ?gut list ener.? Som et im es being a good gut list ener m eans t hat you're em boldened t o t ake risks, and som et im es being a gut list ener m eans you t ake t hings good and slow. I st rive t o list en t o w hat 's going on w it h m e int ernally. I att em pt t o keep m y f inger on t he pulse of t he event indust ry and our client s. And t ry t o say t o m yself, "Okay, is t his t he right m ove? Is t his st rat egy correct right now, t o t ry som et hing new ?"

Previously, w hen I had batt ed around t he idea of speaking w it h David, I w as t oo young t o do it . I didn't have enough experience, enough years behind m e, enough conf idence t o be able t o speak know ledgeably about w hat I do and w ho I am . I believe t hat w it h age com es grace and educat ion. And I'm st ill learning; I'm st ill reading; I?m st ill list ening; I?m st ill paying att ent ion. How ever, t his w as t he right t im e f or m e. So t o t hat end, I suppose I w as a risk t aker in t he endeavor, but I f elt very secure in t aking t hat risk.

What advice do you have f or ot hers t hat w ant t o t ake a risk but don?t know w here t o st art ?

You have t his litt le bit of lif espan on Eart h t o achieve your goals, and t o do w hat m akes you happy. For m e, public speaking has brought

anot her level t o m y career t hat I hadn't ant icipat ed; but one t hat is so rew arding and f ulf illing.

When som ebody says t o m e, "I w ant t o t ake a risk, but I don't know w hat t o do,? I say: do w hat m akes you happy.

Does som et hing excit e you? Does it inspire you? Does it m ake you energized t o get up in t he m orning and f ill your head w it h ideas w hen you go t o bed at night ? That 's w hat you need t o be honoring. Again, t hat goes back t o t hat relent less voice in your head and heart , t hat voice w e all t ry t o silence because w e are t oo af raid t o hear w hat it is saying. Are you list ening t o w hat your soul is t elling you?

What advice w ould you have f or t hose t hat have an int erest in speaking?

First of all t here's an old saying in t he perf orm ance w orld, "How do you get t o Carnegie Hall? Pract ice, pract ice, pract ice!"

You can't w ing public speaking. When I prepare m y speeches, t here are w eeks of t hought and hours t hat go int o t he cont ent because it has t o be engaging and it has t o resonat e. Every t im e I speak, I prepare diff erent ly because it 's a diff erent crow d. So w hen I'm going t o be speaking at The Special Event t his January, t hat 's going t o be a bit of a diff erent speech t han w hen I've spoken t o t he Engage group. If you're int erest ed in speaking, you have t o do your hom ew ork and you have t o hone in on w ho is in your audience, w hat t hey w ant and need t o hear.

How can t hey apply your expert ise t o t heir businesses and t heir lives?

Take sm aller opport unit ies t o speak and t ell your st ory because you only get m ore com f ort able, bett er at reading a crow d, and you only get m ore im passioned about your t opic w hen you have t he opport unit y t o volley it off of a great group. But be f orew arned: it ?s REALLY addict ive!

How im port ant is t he role of educat ion in t he event s indust ry, f rom your side?

I t hink people assum e t hat it isn't , because w hat w e do looks very easy, but educat ion is crit ical in w hat w e do? especially in t he design and product ion f ield. Alm ost every single m em ber of t he Beahm t eam

has a degree or experience in t heat re, m usic, or design? w het her it be set design, int erior design, or fashion design. We all have a background in art s t hat play int o our w ild fam ily and t he collaborat ive environm ent of our off ice. So, I can't st ress t he im port ance enough.

What are your goals w it h speaking, and w hat are just plans in general f or t he f ut ure?

Obviously m ore places t o go, m ore of t he w orld t o see in t erm s of David Beahm Dest inat ions. We w ant t o keep expanding t hat side of our business. David, I, and all of our t eam have a m ean case of w anderlust .

We love t o learn about new places and incorporat e t hem int o t he event s t hrough w hich w e t ell t he st ories of our client s. So f irst and f orem ost , t ravel.

In t erm s of speaking, I'll be in New Orleans at The Special Event in January. I'll also be speaking at a phot ographer's conf erence in Connect icut , called, "Inspire, Phot o Ret reat s" w hich I'm very excit ed about as w ell.

I'd love t o keep expanding m y speaking opport unit ies. I st rongly believe t hat m y t opic resonat es beyond t he event w orld. Being t he support syst em behind a creat ive pow erhouse: I liken it t o t he com parison of art ist s Georges Seurat and Jackson Pollock. I organize t hings w it h t iny point s of paint , and David m akes t he big, huge splashes on t he w all. I see t he inf init esim al det ails. He sees t he big pict ure. I t hink t hat dynam ic ext ends so far beyond t he event indust ry and dem ands att ent ion in ot her creat ive f ields. I have plans t o approach Tedx and st art dissem inat ing m y t opic t o larger art ist ic com m unit ies. Whet her it 's archit ect ure, phot ography, or fashion - t here are so m any diff erent creat ives w ho could benef it f rom how w e?ve m ade our w ork ?m arriage? sust ainable f or all t hese 17 years.

Int erview by Meghan Ely

dest inat ions.davidbeahm .com

ACADEMY TV

Free- t o- air videos f or aspiring, novice & 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.

The Inter national Wedding Tr end Repor t 2018

Taking r isks is all par t of the adventure but you do have to choose wisely to protect your mindset (and your pocket).

BY EMMA ETHERIDGE

# WEDBIZCOACH The w ord ?risk? alw ays m akes m e shudder because it f eels like a scary w ord, it f eels dangerous, it sends a t hought of negat ive doubt running dow n your body. But t aking risks, or opport unit ies as I like t o t hink of t hem , is all part of t he journey of building your w edding business. It ?s part of t he advent ure of being a business ow ner and if w e don?t t ake risks t hen w e can st ay st uck and not m ove f orw ard as quickly as w e w ould like.

Saying t hat , you do have t o be m indf ul of w hat risks you are t aking and you need t o t une int o your ent repreneur int uit ion bef ore rushing in and m aking decisions in your business.

Risks w ill com e up f or you along every part of your journey. When you are st art ing out t he f irst risk you w ill com e across is ?Should I act ually DO t his??. But you are sitt ing here reading t his, so I am prett y sure you have t he passion it t akes t o m ake t his w ork if you are just st art ing out .

As your business grow s, so do you and t his oft en leads t o you m aking bigger decisions and you need t o t urn t hat int uit ion on again bef ore m aking any decisions.

I w ant t o t alk about t w o of t he decisions t hat I see m any of m y w edding client s m ake and regret . #1 Spending £££?s on a w ebsit e and a brand t hat does not w ork f or t hem aft er t he f irst year.

Now, of course, it is really im port ant t o have a good w ebsit e and t o have a st rong brand in t his indust ry. At t he end of t he day brides w ill buy f rom your w ebsit e and you w ill need a st rong brand t o st and out BUT w hen you are f irst st art ing out you do not really know w hat you w ant t o off er and, m ore im port ant ly, w ho you w ant t o w ork w it h.

This clarit y about w ho your soul bride is does not happen f rom day one of your business. You need t o w ork ?in it ? f or a w hile t o really f ind t he sw eet spot f or you and w here you w ant t o f ocus your att ent ion. Only t hen can you st art t o bring in t he perf ect bride f or you ? t his is your

soul bride ? t he bride t hat you w ant t o f ill your order book w it h. Once you have got clarit y on t hat bride, only t hen can you really develop a w ebsit e t hat specif ically speaks t o t hem and w hat t heir desire is. So, bef ore you invest t housands of pounds on a w ebsit e w hen st art ing out , consider w het her a sim pler w ebsit e is a good st art ing point t o get you going. A w ebsit e t hat is st ill branded as you and t hat w ill allow you t o build your know, like and t rust fact or w it h your brides t hrough blogging and building up your expert ise, but one t hat doesn?t cost you t he eart h t o creat e. This invest m ent is one f or t he f ut ure. If you w ant t o get clarit y on your soul bride, w hy not grab my f ree t raining series because w e cover your soul bride in day one >>> #2 Not reaching out f or support sooner.

Whet her you are in your w edding business f ull t im e or t rying t o st art and build your business w hilst w orking anot her job, t here is one risk t hat m any business ow ners don?t even consider. And t hat is t he risk of your negat ive m indset t aking cont rol of your business. Mindset is a huge part of grow ing a business and is oft en not even considered because t he act ions such as ?post on social m edia? ?w rit e a blog? t ake over. But you need t o be in t he right m indset t o t ake t hese act ions t o grow a business and w hen you are sitt ing t here, alone, t rying t o t ake t his journey on your ow n, t he negat ive m indset can sw eep in and knock you off your f eet and t his is a big risk in your business. When I am w orking w it h m y client s inside of The Wedding Biz Club, m y m ont hly m em bership club, I see a huge shift in t heir m indset and t he w ay t hey st art t o approach t asks in t heir business and I know t hat t his change happens f rom t he support t hat t hey have. They are not alone anym ore, t hey have m e and ot her w edding business ow ners t o bounce ideas of and t o ask quest ions of (t hey are no longer t alking t o t he cat t o t ry and m ake t heir decisions!). One of t he biggest risks in your business can be t he risk of invest ing m oney t o grow your business but , honest ly, you need t o have t hat support if you are going t o grow because having support in your business is a core pillar t o t he success of everyt hing

you do. Many of m y client s say t hat t hey w ish t hey had invest ed in support sooner, even t hough it m ay have m ade t hem f eel a litt le uncom f ort able.

I oft en say t hat t here is som et hing beaut if ul on t he ot her side of uncom f ort able.

My f ive- st ep decision m aking process The last t hing I w ant t o leave you w it h t oday is how you can go about f iguring out w het her a risk is right f or you t o t ake or not .

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St ep One: Is t his risk in alignm ent w it h m y business goal ? w ill it get m e w here I w ant t o go?

St ep Tw o: What are t he pros of t his risk ? w hat w ill it act ually bring t o m e and m y biz?

St ep Three: What are t he cons of t his risk ? w hat could go w rong and w hat is t he im pact t his could have on m y biz?

St ep Four: Let it percolat e ? don?t rush int o a decision, let it sit w it h you and let it brew. See how it f eels w it h f resh eyes t he f ollow ing m orning.

St ep Five: Talk it out ? never underest im at e t he benef it of t alking it out w it h som eone else because t hey w ill not have t he em ot ion att ached t o t he decision and w ill oft en look at it far clearer t han you can.

I hope t his f ive- st ep process helps you.

The last w ord Som e risks w ill fail, t hese are all part of your journey and help t o build your st rengt h as an ent repreneur. So, em brace t he risks and if t hey fail, learn f rom t hem and m ove f orw ard.

To get som e m ore clarit y on your business, grab t he f ree 6 part t raining course here >>> Words by Em m a Et heridge

# WEDPRO WITH ARIANNA HUFFINGTON

Tackling Professional Fatigue and Bur nout Arianna Huff ingt on is t he f ounder and CEO of Thrive Global, as w ell as t he aut hor of f ift een books, including, m ost recent ly, Thrive and The Sleep Revolut ion.

She has been nam ed in Tim e Magazine's list of t he w orld?s 100 m ost inf luent ial people as w ell as t he Forbes Most Pow erf ul Wom en list . In August 2016, she launched Thrive Global, a corporat e and consum er w ell- being and product ivit y plat f orm w it h t he m ission of changing t he w ay w e w ork and live by ending t he collect ive delusion t hat burnout is t he price w e m ust pay f or success.

When you f irst st art ed Thrive Global, w hat w as your vision? Did you expect t o penet rat e t he m arket in such a prof ound w ay?

My vision w as w hat is t he cent ral m ission of Thrive Global ? t o end t he st ress and burnout epidem ic and help people have a healt hier relat ionship w it h t echnology. And, yes, t he response has been am azing, not just in t he U.S., but all over t he w orld, including in India, w here w e just launched. It speaks t o a real hunger f or change and t he increasing realizat ion t hat t he w ay w e?re living and w orking just isn?t sust ainable.

What w as t he biggest risk you t ook w hen you f irst st art ed out ? Did it pay off ?

The biggest risk w as sim ply leaving a very successf ul com pany w it h m y nam e on t he f ront door. I had long assum ed The Huff ingt on Post w ould

be m y last chapt er. But as I becam e m ore passionat e about t he connect ion bet w een w ell- being and perf orm ance, I f elt t he need t o t urn t his passion int o som et hing real and t angible t hat w ould help people change t heir daily lives. It w as a call t o act ion I just couldn?t ignore, and so I f ounded Thrive Global. And yes, it ?s def init ely paid off !

What is a risk you t ook t hat didn't w ork out ? What did you learn f rom it ?

One of t he biggest risks I?ve t aken t hat didn?t w ork out w as t he one I t ook w it h m y ow n healt h. I believed in t he collect ive delusion t hat burnout w as t he price w e have t o pay f or success. And I f ound out t he hard w ay t hat t his isn?t t rue. In 2007 I collapsed f rom exhaust ion. And w hat I learned w as t hat any success I?d had up t o t hat point w as in spit e of, and not because of w orking m yself t o exhaust ion. I?ve also now learned t hat w hen w e priorit ize our w ell- being, w e?re m ore creat ive, m ore product ive and m ore connect ed t o ourselves and ot hers.

Nearly every year, st at ist ics are released t hat event planning ranks as one of t he t op 10 m ost st ressf ul jobs in t he US. What st eps can a w edding prof essional t ake t o reduce t heir on- t he- job st ress?

That ?s not a surprise ? t here are f ew t hings m ore st ressf ul t han event planning, especially w hen t hat event is a w edding. And t he f irst t hing w edding prof essionals need t o realize is t hat t hey?ll be m uch m ore eff ect ive t aking care of ot hers and t he event if t hey t ake care of t hem selves. It ?s like t hey say on planes: secure your ow n oxygen m ask f irst bef ore helping ot hers. And in t he course of planning any event , t here are const ant em ergencies and challenges, and it ?s a lot easier t o solve t hem if you can react calm ly. So no m att er how m uch has t o get done, m aking t im e t o regularly recharge is t he best w ay t o ensure t he event is a success.

Burnout is a com m on concern f or event prof essionals w ho dedicat e nearly every w eekend t o t heir discipline. How can t his be avoided?

Yes, t here?s no w ay people in cert ain occupat ions can avoid w orking on w eekends ? especially w edding planners! But t hat cadence of f ive days

on and t w o days off has evolved f or a reason. And just because you have t o w ork on w hat is f or m ost people t he w eekend doesn?t m ean you can?t have a w eekend yourself. So it ?s ext rem ely im port ant t o rut hlessly priorit ize and schedule t im e off ? and I say schedule because if you don?t schedule it bef orehand, it just w on?t happen. So you need t o let people know bef orehand and not be shy about t elling people it ?s your day off ? just because t hey?re at w ork on Monday doesn?t m ean you have t o be.

Do you consider yourself a risk t aker in business? Why or w hy not ?

I do. When w e launched t he Huff ingt on Post , it w as a risk in t hat not hing like t hat had really been done bef ore. In hindsight , it seem s less risky t han it seem ed at t he t im e. And it w asn?t an overnight success. When w e launched one crit ic said t he sit e w as "t he m ovie equivalent of Gigli, Isht ar and Heaven's Gat e rolled int o one." I hadn?t seen all of t hose, but I knew t hat w asn?t a com plim ent ! But about a year lat er t hat sam e review er em ailed m e t o ask about blogging f or Huff Post (and I happily said yes, since holding grudges is one of t he m ost draining t hings you can do).

What 's t he best piece of advice you received w hen you w ere f irst st art ing Huff ingt on Post ?

That w ould be f rom m y m ot her, w ho alw ays said t hat failure isn?t t he opposit e of success, it ?s a st epping st one. Once you realize failure?s not a bad t hing, you no longer f ear risking it .

What advice w ould you give t o som eone w ho is just st art ing out in business?

To not accept t he def init ion of st ress and burnout t hat m y generat ion is handing off t o t hem . That m eans reject ing t he idea t hat burnout is necessary f or success right at t he beginning of t heir careers, w hich w ill help accelerat e t he cult ure shift .

What keeps you creat ive? How do you use your creat ivit y in business?

Making t im e t o unplug, recharge and connect w it h m yself. This m eans st art ing m y m ornings by m edit at ing and sett ing m y int ent ion f or t he

day, inst ead of reaching f or m y phone. I?m also m uch m ore deliberat e t han I used t o be about m aking sure I get enough sleep. And t oday?s business clim at e, w it h t echnology accelerat ing t he pace of change, requires using all t he creat ivit y, int uit ion and w isdom at your disposal ? and w e know t hat priorit izing your w ell- being enhances all of t hose.

How do you see t he m edia shift ing in t he f ut ure? How can it evolve?

One of t he biggest shift s in recent years has been t he explosion of cont ent . People consum e new s and m edia all t hrough t heir day in diff erent w ays, and t he new s m edia is m eet ing t hem w here t hey are.

That also m eans t hat t he line bet w een old m edia and new m edia has disappeared, and t hat t rend w ill cont inue, since t he dist inct ion no longer m akes any sense.

Clearly t here are challenges in t he m edia business, but w hat m akes m e opt im ist ic t hat t he indust ry can evolve t o m eet t hem is t hat w e?re also in som et hing of a golden age of journalism right now. There?s so m uch great w ork being done and t he hunger f or st ories and good journalism has never been st ronger. I t hink t hat no one m odel is going t o be t he silver bullet f or all out let s and plat f orm s. But as long as t he dem and f or good journalism st ays st rong ? and I believe it w ill ? m edia out let s w ill experim ent and f ind m odels t hat w ork.

Int erview by Meghan Ely

w w w.t hriveglobal .com

"t oday?s business clim at e, w it h t echnology accelerat ing t he pace of change, requires using all t he creat ivit y, int uit ion and w isdom at your disposal ? and w e know t hat priorit izing your w ell- being enhances all of t hose."

# WEDPR What a grand t im e t o be in t he w edding business! Royal w eddings don?t happen every year, and w it h t he last eligible Brit ish prince f or at least anot her t w o decades planning his t his May, w edding pros have a t ruly unique opport unit y right now t o leverage t he m edia f ury t hat surrounds t hem f or a bit of t im ely PR. Wondering how you can t ake advant age of t he at m osphere and w eave t he royal w edding int o your PR eff ort s? I?m glad you asked! Here?s a rundow n com plet e w it h real sam ple t opics inspired by t he w edding of t he year.

Let ?s st art w it h t he basics. On m agical May 19, 2018, Henry Charles Albert David, Prince Henry of Wales KCVO, or our beloved Prince Harry w ill m arry his beaut if ul f iancĂŠe of f ew er nam es, Am erican act ress Rachel Meghan Markle. Harry, of course, is t he younger son of Prince Charles, t he Duke of Wales and t he lat e Diana, Princess of Wales, and younger brot her t o Prince William , Duke of Cam bridge.

How t o Address Wedding Invit at ions t o Friends w it h Tit les How t o Honor a Lost Loved One at Your Wedding If you have obsessively f ollow ed t he lives of Diana?s t w o boys since t hey t ook t heir f irst st eps, you?re not alone. Charles and Harry have a special place in t he w orld?s heart s and t he m ajor event s in t heir lives have, t heref ore, an added m yst ique. Younger brot her Harry enjoyed a w ild yout h, f ollow ed by a dist inguished m ilit ary career and f inally a rom ant ic court ship w it h Ms. Markle.

Wedding Part y Honor Code ? Things NOT t o Include in Your Toast Everyt hing You Need t o Know about Milit ary Weddings

Elevate your WeddingPR with the Royal Wedding

BY MEGHAN ELY

Meghan is an Am erican t elevision and m ovie act ress, born in Los Angeles, Calif ornia in 1981. She has been divorced once and is a recognized hum anit arian.

Second Wedding Trends f or a Modern World 10 Charit able Favor Ideas Play it One More Tim e: An 80?s Hit Playlist f or Your Wedding Recept ion While w e can only speculat e at t his point w hat Meghan w ill w ear, w ho w ill be invit ed and how t he w orld of w eddings w ill be inf luenced by Harry and Meghan?s I Dos, w e can cert ainly predict t hat t he press is ready f or a f ield day, and m edia out let s w ill be hungry f or st ories about , associat ed w it h or inf luenced by t he engagem ent and w edding.

How t o Score an Invit at ion t o t he Royal Wedding (View ing Part y) 20 Dresses Meghan Might Wear on t he Big Day 5 People You Wish Would Be Invit ed t o t he Royal Wedding But Won?t What t o Do When Your Best ie Doesn?t Invit e You t o t he Wedding As a m att er of disclosure, I have som e personal experience w it h royal w eddings and PR m agic. OFD Consult ing w as only in it s second year w hen Kat e and Will m arried. As a lover of all t hings Royal, it didn?t t ake m uch t o convince m e t hat t his high prof ile event w as just w hat I needed t o gain som e nat ional att ent ion. I w as able t o t urn m y ow n royal w edding view ing part y int o nat ional TV coverage w hen Good Morning Am erica sent a t eam t o f ilm and air our f un! The key w as t im ing, experience and ent husiasm .

Dest inat ion-Them ed Weddings at Hom e Big Part ies in Sm all Packages ? Making Tight Venues Work Living t he Dream ? Turn Your Personal Passions int o Wedding PR Magic

Harry and Meghan?s w edding is an opport unit y f or every w edding prof essional t o leverage a current event f or exposure. Here are just a f ew of t he w ays you m ight capit alize on Royal Wedding Madness: Reach out t o your local m edia and off er your expert advice or com m ent ary Creat e and leverage cont ent such as blogs and m em es f or your ow n w ebsit e and social m edia plat f orm s Sign up f or HARO (htt p:// helpareport er.com) f or regular updat es about report ers seeking st ory ideas, m any of w hich could m at ch a w edding- relat ed t opic Hold a Royal Wedding inspirat ion shoot Have a good t im e w it h it ? host your ow n view ing part y and com e up w it h creat ive w ays t o incorporat e t he t hem e in everyt hing you do Also, not e t hat t he w edding w ill be inf luent ial in t he indust ry. Som e of our predict ions f or t his include: While 2018 t rends are already underw ay, w e expect t o see t hem pivot in response t o w hat w e discover are Meghan and Harry?s choices in fashion, dĂŠcor, f ood and ent ert ainm ent Second w eddings w ill em erge as a t opic as w ill t rends specif ic t o t hem May 19 w ill be bot h a popular dat e f or w eddings and a t aboo one f or t hose w ho m ust w at ch it live; t here m ay even be invit ees w ho t urn dow n an invit at ion so t hey don?t m iss a m inut e of t he t elevised w edding

The UK w ill becom e a popular w edding and honeym oon dest inat ion, except near t he act ual w edding w hen t ravel could be t oo chaot ic Whet her you?re an avid fan of t he Royals or have just a passing int erest in current event s, your w edding business can benef it f rom t he m edia act ivit y surrounding Harry and Meghan?s w edding. Sim ply t hink creat ively about w hat m att ers t o couples in relat ion t o t he w edding, and you?ll have m ore cont ent t han you can possibly know w hat t o do w it h!

Words by Meghan Ely

GROWING A SUCCESSFUL LONG TERM BUSINESS WITH EMILY SULLIVAN - EMILY SULLIVAN EVENTS

Dest inat ion planner Em ily Sullivan specializes in ext raordinary celebrat ions w herever her client s m ay t ake her. And it 's because of som e big career risks she t ook along t he w ay, t hat she has creat ed t he job f or herself t hat she's alw ays w ant ed. Here she shares m ore about her ow n evolut ion and how her career pivot s have landed her right w here she w ant ed t o be.

What drew you t o t he w edding indust ry?

Gett ing m y st art in m akeup w as a bit diff erent and not t he norm al t ransit ion f or a planner. I st art ed just having a passion f or special event m akeup but hospit alit y has alw ays been a nat ural gift of m ine so once I st art ed it w as a perf ect f it .

How did you m ake t he change f rom Get Polished Beaut y t o Get Polished Event s, and lat er Em ily Sullivan Event s?

Early on in business (about 8 m ont hs) a m akeup client t old m e t hat I seem ed very organized and w ould I consider being her day of coordinat or. up unt il t hat point it w asn't som et hing I had necessarily considered but I said sure and w ent f or it . Wit hin 6 m ont hs, w e w ere st eadily booked f or coordinat ion and w ant ed t o t ry f ull service as w ell.

It w as a learning process but again having t he nat ural abilit y t o problem solve and st ay organized laid t he right groundw ork. I w as know n as Get Polished so it w as a nat ural t ransit ion t o Get Polished Event s, but I alw ays f elt kind of st uck w it h t he nam e. I st art ed t o underst and t hat I am a huge part of m y brand and people are draw n t o m y com pany because t hey w ant t o w ork w it h m e specif ically. As I began speaking nat ionally and gett ing m ore recognit ion as an indust ry leader, I w ant ed t o keep it connect ed t o m e t hus becam e Em ily Sullivan Event s.

You grew quickly as a w edding planner and t hen m ade a decided shift t o cut back- w hat led t o t his m ajor pivot and w hat w ere t he result s?

Burn out !! Not having t he right syst em s in place. Years of grow ing t oo quickly w it h t oo m any st aff. St aff t hat w eren't in t he right posit ions or being m anaged correct ly by m e, as I w as overw helm ed w it h event s 90% of t he t im e. Just couldn't keep it t oget her t he w ay t hings w ere and I ult im at ely w asn't enjoying it .

How did you f ind your ideal client ? What advice do you have f or w edding pros t rying t o f igure out w ho t heir ideal client is?

Trial and error :) I w ork w it h all diff erent st yles and budget s and t hat keeps m e f resh and challenged, but I m ainly look f or personalit y t rait s and key w ords in our init ial consult at ion (m any t im es done over t he phone) t o det erm ine if w e're a good f it . i.e: m y client says t hings like, I w ant all of m y guest s t o have a great t im e, I w ant t o show case t he cit y, I w ant t o enjoy planning. They don't say: This is t he m ost im port ant day of m y lif e, I've been planning t his w edding f or ever and just need you t o execut e, I'm a m icro- m anager.

Many w edding prof essionals have a hard t im e seeing t he benef it in m oving f rom high volum e t o f ew er w eddings at a higher price point .

What w ould you t ell t hem?

It 's a litt le scary at f irst , and st ill is som et im es. I alw ays f eel like if I'm not w orking t hen I'm doing som et hing w rong, but w e've added revenue in ot her w ays and increased our prices so w e're able t o give every event t he att ent ion it deserves.

What do you w ish you had know n w hen you st art ed in t he indust ry?

To w ork On m y business, not IN m y business. Not t o grow so quickly and t ake client s out of desperat ion rat her t han being sm art about w hat I t ook on. I w ished I had know n not t o get t o att ached t o em ployees and t o separat e and be a bett er leader rat her t han f riend.

How do you view your business diff erent ly t han you did w hen you f irst becam e a business ow ner?

I t reat it like a business now know ing t hat everyt hing t hat com es along isn't f un and I don't alw ays w ant t o do som e of t he less appealing jobs (payroll, sales t ax, bookkeeping, et c) but t hey are necessary t o grow a successf ul long t erm business.

Int erview by Meghan Ely

w w w.em ilysullivanevent s.com

HOW INDUSTRY PROS EXPERIENCE RISK TAKING IN THEIR BUSINESSES...

Every elem ent of your business w ill involve risk t aking at som e point .

Generally w e get m ost nervous w hen t hat risk involves spending m oney, w het her you are a st art - up or an est ablished business.

For m e I know I am good at t he services t hat I provide but m arket ing has never been m y st rong point and I get t ied up in knot s know ing w here t o best spend m y budget . To reduce any risk you need t o do a f orecast and t hink about t he best possible scenario and t he w orst possible scenario and you need t o clearly ident if y how m any sales/ cont ract s you need t o break even and m ore im port ant ly t o go int o prof it .

Wedding fairs are a great exam ple. You could spend ÂŁ50 - ÂŁ200 t o exhibit at a t ypical Sunday aft ernoon or m idw eek evening 3 ? 5 hour expo. Now t hat ?s not a huge out lay and it m ight be a great place t o t est your st rat egy or see how people respond t o your services and product s. But you m ight not be guarant eed a large f oot fall ? t hat ?s t he risk you t ake in invest ing in a sm aller and less scary event . But it could also m ean t hat if you pick up 1- 2 bookings or sales t hat you are int o prof it . On t he ot her hand if you choose t o exhibit at a m uch bigger w edding fair over m ult iple days w it h a guarant eed 4 f igure f oot fall t hrough t he door, t hen you w ill probably pay 4 f igures t o att end. If you are unsure of your services or pricing t hen t hat is not likely t o be t he best risk f or you. But f or a m ore est ablished business w it h a higher price point t his m ay prove t o be a bett er risk as you have a bigger select ion of pot ent ial client s t o approach.

I alw ays ask m yself a series of sim ple quest ions ? can I f inancially aff ord t o t ake t his risk? That is f ollow ed up by if t he w orst case scenario happens and I m ake no m oney f rom t his w hat ot her benef it s have I gained? Finally I ask m yself w hat if I don?t t ake t his risk? Will not t aking act ion hold m e back? What could I lose by not t aking t he risk? Then it ?s a sim ple balancing act t o see w het her it is t he right m ove f or you or not .

Dee McMeeking, Wedding St ylist and Floral Designer

Top T ip

SEO Is Like a Fine Wine - It Gets Better With Time

BY KATHY DALPRA

# WEDSEO In t he era of social m edia, new s, f eeds and post s f ly by at t he blink of an eye. If you?re not m oving at t he speed of light , you?ll get left in t he dust . But not w it h SEO? Like hanging ont o a f ine w ine t hat t ast es bett er w it h t im e, t he m ore pat ient you are w it h your SEO, t he m ore you?re rew arded.

But just as w ine requires t he right t em perat ure and condit ions in st orage t o t ruly im prove, so your SEO needs t he proper st rat egy and eff ort . And w hile t here are hundreds and m aybe even t housands of ?signals? t hat can inf luence your ranking, t here are a f ew age- relat ed SEO fact ors t hat can pack a pow erf ul punch.

Here are 5 t hings you m ight w ant t o know about t im ing and SEO so you don?t t hrow in t he t ow el prem at urely - plus m y personal t ips f or m axim izing result s in each area.

(To t ackle Social SEO in 5 Minut es a Day, sign up f or t his f ree em ail series f rom m e.)

DOMAIN AGE Your dom ain is t he address w here people can f ind your w ebsit e on t he Int ernet , such as brideappeal.com or w w w.w eddingacadem yglobal.com , bef ore appending addit ional charact ers t o lead t o a specif ic page (ex. brideappeal.com / blog). It ?s t he m ain .com , .co.uk, .com .au port ion of your w eb address.

The longer your dom ain has been act ively in use, t he bett er.

Even if your dom ain nam e w as once ow ned by som eone else bef ore you t ook over, t he age st ill count s. The im port ant part is t hat t he dom ain has been act ively used on a w ebsit e (on t he sam e t opic) f or m ost or all of t hat t im e period.

Why does dom ain age help ranking?

Because search engines look at a m ult it ude of com m on sense elem ent s t o det erm ine how helpf ul, aut horit at ive and t rust w ort hy a sit e is. And one of t he easiest w ays it can det erm ine if a sit e is t rust w ort hy and not just som e f ly- by- night , spam m y dom ain t hat ?s not act ually being run by real people is t o see how long t hat dom ain has been around.

Logic w ould have it t hat if a dom ain has been act ively in use f or m any years, it is likely att ached t o a st able, reput able com pany or person.

Google w ant s t o only rank t rust w ort hy sit es. So having an old dom ain t hat ?s been around f or a w hile is good f or est ablishing your w ebsit e?s t rust w ort hiness - w hich cont ribut es t o your ranking.

Takeaw ay Tip: Don?t dom ain hop. Pick a dom ain nam e t hat w ill st and t he t est of t im e and st ick w it h it . Each t im e you st art over w it h a new dom ain, you st art over w it h your SEO. WEBSITE AGE Your w ebsit e is not your dom ain, but it is locat ed at your dom ain address.

Conf used? Try t his: Your w ebsit e is w here all your cont ent is (pages, post s, im ages) and

your dom ain is w here it lives. It ?s like your hom e. Your house is t he physical building on your land (w ebsit e), w hich is locat ed at your st reet address (dom ain).

Ok - now t hat w e?ve cleared t hat up?

The longer your w ebsit e exist s online (on your one, aged dom ain), t he m ore it w ill grow in ?aut horit y? - assum ing you?re not hiding it under a rock.

If you regularly net w ork online, are act ive on social m edia and blog, chances are t hat ot her people are m ent ioning your w ebsit e online t oo.

And t he m ore t im e t hat passes, t he m ore people can m ent ion it t hrough social shares, blog ref erences and links.

All of t his ?buzz? about your w ebsit e cont ent is m ajor f or SEO. St udies consist ent ly show t hat t he highest ranked sit es are t he highest linked sit es. Building buzz is a pow erf ul rank boost er. And com pounding t hat buzz over days, w eeks, m ont hs and years? Even m ore im pact f ul.

Takeaw ay Tips: As per point #1, keep your w ebsit e on t he sam e dom ain.

Try not t o t ake dow n your w ebsit e f or long periods of t im e, such as w hen you are developing a new one, as t hat m ight send t he m essage t o search engines t hat you no longer exist or have an unreliable online presence.

Try not t o change t he f ull URLs t o your cont ent t oo m uch because t his is t he ?address? people use t o share and link t o your cont ent . When you st op using t hat ?address?, you run t he risk of losing t he SEO buzz you?ve built up over t im e. (There are w ays t o m inim ize t his, but t hat ?s anot her subject alt oget her.)

PUBLISH TIMING Just because you hit ?publish?, doesn?t m ean search engines know about it . Alt hough your f resh new blog post is ?live?, it ?s not necessary in Google?s library, so t o speak.

Bef ore Google can be aw are of your cont ent and, t heref ore, rank it , your new blog post m uch be ?indexed.?

Indexing is w hen a search engine discovers your new cont ent and adds it t o it ?s huge dat abase - so t hat it can ret rieve it lat er on w hen som eone searches f or a t opic like t he one you w rot e about .

So, if you have a blog post about 17 Shades of Red f or Weddings and a bride searches ?shades of red f or a w edding?, Google m ight just pull your highly relevant art icle f rom it ?s m assive dat abase and serve it up t o t hat bride in t he search result s. That ?s gett ing ?ranked.?

Once Google ?indexes? your new blog post , it becom es eligible f or ranking f or any num ber of keyw ords relat ed t o w hat ever t opic you w rot e about .

Unf ort unat ely, it can t ake t im e t o get indexed. Search engines like Google don?t craw l every single w ebsit e out t here every single day. They priorit ize based on w hich sit es are t he m ost aut horit at ive (ex. St yle Me Prett y, WeddingWire), w hich sit es updat e t heir cont ent oft en and ot her fact ors. So, as a sm all business t hat isn?t a f ull- t im e publisher, it m ay t ake a w hile bef ore Google get s around t o visit ing your sit e again.

You?ve got t o be pat ient .

Unless you don?t w ant t o be pat ient - t hen f ollow my t ips below :)

There are m ult iple w ays t o get your new cont ent indexed quickly. One of t he fast est is t o go st raight t o t he source!

Inf orm Google direct ly t hat you have published new cont ent . Log int o your Google Search Console account (it ?s a f ree t ool so you should be using it ). Go t o Craw l > Fet ch as Google.

Ent er in t he URL of your new blog post in t he input f ield next t o your dom ain nam e. Click t he ?Fet ch? butt on.

When your post appears on t he screen, click t he ?Request indexing? butt on.

You?ll get a pop up w indow conf irm ing t hat you are not if ying Google of a new page on your sit e. Com plet e t he reCapt cha and t hen choose ?Craw l only t his URL? if you just w ant Google t o index your blog post or ?Craw l t his URL and it s direct links? if your post links t o ot her new or previously unindexed cont ent on your sit e.

Voila! You?ve just sped t hings up a bit . Assum ing it ?s a good, qualit y piece of cont ent , Google w ill likely add it t o it s search index soon.

Takeaw ay Tip: To accelerat e t he indexing process, subm it new ly published cont ent t o Google direct ly t hrough Google Search Console.

Make t his st ep a part of your st andard blog prom ot ion rout ine checklist .

CONTENT AGE The m ore t im e t hat passes since your blog post w as published (and indexed), t he m ore t im e you have t o prom ot e it . And t he m ore you prom ot e, t he m ore buzz you build.

The m ore buzz you build, t he m ore SEO m om ent um your blog post gains - w hich leads t o rankings and t raff ic.

They key t o m aking t his t im e principle w ork f or you is t o act ually prom ot e your blog post s. You should be rout inely gett ing eyeballs on your blog post s, even w eeks, m ont hs and years aft er t hey are published w hen it m akes sense (ex. evergreen t opics t hat w it hst and t rends.)

One of t he sim plest w ays t o cont inue publicizing your past cont ent is t o rot at e it in your w eekly and m ont hly social m edia sharing schedules.

Apps like Meet Edgar w ere built around t his concept .

Creat e a f resh post t hat ref erences t he cont ent along w it h a link back t o t he original post . Including a link t o t he original post is a non- negot iable st ep f or building buzz and SEO signals.

You don?t have t o m ake your repost bland eit her: Spice t hings up by t urning one ent ert aining quot e or act ionable t ip f rom t he post int o a beaut if ully branded im age t hat w orks f or Inst agram and ot her sit es.

Get f ollow ers involved by posing an int riguing quest ion t hat t he original art icle answ ers.

Is t here a t ip or how - t o in t he post t hat could be repurposed int o a short video or gif ? Creat e it !

Takeaw ay Tip: Keep old cont ent on Google?s radar by periodically sharing it on social m edia and st rat egically prom ot ing it t o inf luencers. The m ore buzz you creat e, t he m ore m ent ions, shares, blog com m ent s, view s, clicks and links you?ll build over t im e - all st rong fact ors t hat can boost it s ranking.

MARKETING TIME SEO is one of t he m ost reliably prof it able m arket ing t act ics I?ve ever experienced. You put in t he w ork and, in t im e, it yields new visit ors every single day on aut o- pilot - even w hen you t ake t im e off.

But SEO is a long t erm play.

Som e quick w ins can def init ely happen, but as a w hole, it t akes t im e t o rank in search engines f or m ult iple keyw ords. It also t akes a signif icant am ount of eff ort . The learning of SEO alone is one of t he great est barriers t o ent ry - it is not alw ays st raight f orw ard (especially if you?re t rying t o piece it t oget her f rom blog post s). And t hen t here is t he act ual underst anding, t he applying, t he t est ing, t he t w eaking, t he t racking?

Yeah, it ?s w ork.

Yet , all t his upf ront eff ort can result in hundreds and t housands of highly qualif ied prospect s t hat t urn int o FREE visit ors every. single. w eek.

Takeaw ay Tip: Be pat ient and be consist ent . Work on your w edding SEO every w eek. A st rat egic eff ort goes a long w ay, just don?t expect overnight result s. There w ill be a delay bet w een t he t im e you put f ort h t he eff ort and t he t im e rankings appear.

While it ?s t rue t hat t here is a signif icant learning curve t o SEO and t hat it could t ake w eeks, m ont hs or even years f or you t o st art seeing rankings f or various keyw ords, depending on t he com pet it ion in your niche, it is one of t he m ost rew arding m arket ing endeavors you can pursue as a w edding prof essional. SEO can result in hundreds or t housands of highly t arget ed prospect s visit ing your sit e every day - f or f ree - w het her you?re in t he off ice or not . But it t akes w ork, t im e and pat ience. So m ake SEO part of a w ell- rounded m arket ing program t hat m ay include ot her short - t erm plays, like ads, and st ick w it h it f or t he long haul.

Words by Kat hy DalPra

EMPOWERING OTHERS WITH TONYA DALTON, INKWELL PRESS Tonya Dalt on st art ed her f irst business in 2008, but aft er 5 years she decided t o m ove in a diff erent direct ion- one she w as m ore passionat e about . From t here, inkWELL Press w as launched in Novem ber of 2014 out of t he basem ent of her and her husband's hom e w it h a m ission t o t each w om en t o f eel organized and em pow er t hem t o f eel t heir very best . Launch day brought 500 orders and t he im m ediat e need f or em ployees. One m ont h lat er t heir launch w as nam ed one of t he Top Ten Facebook Cam paigns of t he Year by Jeff Bullas.com . By 2016, t he business has grow n by leaps and bounds and int o it s ow n building and st ill every business decision is driven by t he m ission set f ort h by Tonya.

Tell us about InkWell Press. How did you get st art ed?

My f irst career w as w orking as a t eacher in public school - t his w as t he job I t hought I alw ays w ant ed and I w ould event ually quit w ork t o becom e a st ay- at - hom e m om . Once m y children w ere born, t hough, I f ound t hat I really m issed having a job, so I st art ed a sm all business t hat I t hought I w ould do on t he side. That all changed f or m e aft er a phone call w it h m y husband, John, w hile he w as aw ay on a business t rip on t he ot her side of t he w orld. He f elt he w as m issing fam ily t im e w it h us. In t hat m om ent , I changed m y t raject ory - I decided I w ould grow m y litt le side business t o a point w here m y husband could leave corporat e Am erica f orever and w ork alongside m e. And, w it hin a year, t hat ?s w hat I did.

I f ound t hat I loved w orking - I never knew I could enjoy w orking quit e so m uch. John and I loved w orking t oget her, but a f ew years lat er in 2013 I f ound t hat I had lost m y passion and drive f or t hat business. It w as, aft er all, som et hing I had originally t hought I w ould do on t he side. It w as f right ening t o t hink of quitt ing t his business know ing t hat it w as t he sole incom e f or our fam ily - it paid our m ort gage, it f ed m y kids, it allow ed us t o live. But I w as m ore af raid t o cont inue living w it h a job I did not love.

I knew t w o t hings: I w ant ed John and I t o cont inue w orking t oget her and I w ant ed t o do som et hing t hat lit a f ire in m e. We knew w e w ould have t o m ake a huge leap of fait h, but t hat ?s w hat w e did. I spent t im e soul searching t o f ind m y passions - and I f ound t hem : em pow ering ot hers, t eaching and organizat ion. Out of t hose t hree seem ingly unconnect ed passions I built m y m ission st at em ent and used t hat as t he springboard t o launch m y new business, inkWELL Press - a com pany cent ered around t eaching product ivit y and providing t he m uch needed t ools. Because it ?s cent ered around m y passions, it has been m ore successf ul t han I ever could have dream ed - w e had 500 orders on our init ial launch and it has cont inued t o f lourish and grow int o a 7 f igure business. I?ve now expanded m y m ission t o include a podcast and courses cent ered around product ivit y so I can help ot hers f ind t he lif e t hey love.

What w ould you say is t he biggest risk you've t aken w it h your business?

Quit e f rankly, m y biggest risk w as t he act of gett ing inkWELL Press off t he ground. I w alked aw ay f rom m y old business w hile it w as st ill considered ?successf ul? and chased m y passion int o an indust ry t hat w as unfam iliar. That w as a huge risk because I w as leaving t he saf et y of a ?good? job f or t he prom ise of som et hing t hat it could be am azing...or could t ot ally fail.

I t ook t im e t o really underst and m y m ission, so allow ing t hat t o guide m e m ade all t he diff erence. I decided w e w ould open inkWELL Press a com pany t hat designs organizat ional product s f ocused around product ivit y and planning. It w asn?t enough just t o off er product s. To f ulf ill m y vision, I knew t here had t o be a part of t he business t hat

cent ered around educat ion - t eaching ot hers how t o f ind t heir ow n priorit ies and helping t hem creat e t heir ow n product ivit y syst em s. I had so m any hurdles t o overcom e in t hose f irst 12 m ont hs, t hat if I didn?t t ruly believe in m y m ission, it w ould have been easy t o be t aken off course.

The f irst obst acle? I w asn?t a designer. I didn?t know how t o m ake t he designs in m y m ind appear on paper - I had no idea how t o run t he program s needed t o creat e m y vision. But I didn?t let t hat st op m e. I had a f ire inside and I knew w here I w ant ed t o go, so I m ade a plan. I bought t he program s and com m itt ed t o w at ching t raining videos every day f or a m ont h. I baby st epped int o learning Illust rat or, t hen jum ped in t o inDesign. I f um bled, I w on?t lie. Anyone w it h f orm al graphic design t raining w ould have cringed t o see t he backw ards w ay I used t he t ools and how I Google searched f or t ut orials every t im e I att em pt ed som et hing new.

Yes, it t ook t en t im es longer t o creat e t hat f irst planner, but I loved every m inut e. Even w hen I f elt lost or didn?t know w hat I w as doing, I knew I w as f ollow ing t he pat h I w as m eant t o f ollow and t hat boost ed m y conf idence, so t he risk didn?t f eel as great .

How do you know w hen t he right t im e is t o t ake a risk? Is t here ever a right t im e?

I believe ref lect ion is an im port ant part of living an int ent ional lif e. I act ively t ake t im e each quart er t o sit and ref lect bef ore I begin w orking on any plans or goals f or t he com ing m ont h. I t hink ref lect ion is one of t hose t hings t hat people push aside because it can f eel uncom f ort able... w e don?t like looking at t he t hings t hat haven?t gone w ell and w e, honest ly, oft en f orget all t he good t hings w e?ve done.

Taking t im e t o ref lect and dig int o w hat you?ve been doing, w ho you?ve been and w here you have gone is so im port ant because it helps us see t he gaps on our pat h t o becom ing t he person w e w ant t o be in lif e.

It ?s during t hese ref lect ive exercises w here it ?s easier t o see w here you f eel like your lif e has gone a litt le slack or w here you need t o push yourself. I t hink w hen you t ake t he t im e t o t ake a real look at w hat you are doing, it becom es easier t o see w hen you need t o t ake a leap.

I don?t t hink t here?s a ?right ? or ?w rong? t im e t o t ake risks because every one of us is diff erent - and our pat hs are just as diverse as w e are. I t hink t he right t im e t o t ake a risk, is w hen you f eel like t hings have gott en a litt le t oo st agnant or you don?t really like w here you are st anding. Ref lect ion can w ork w ell as a m ot ivat or f or t aking t hose big risks because w hen you look at t he breadcrum bs of your lif e you can see w here you?ve been and w here it is you really w ant t o go.

Do you consider yourself a risk t aker?

Absolut ely. I t hink it ?s im port ant t o t ake big risks in our lives because I t hink it ?s so im port ant t o const ant ly be grow ing and evolving bot h personally and prof essionally.

Let m e add, t hough, t hat I?m a calculat ed risk t aker. I like t he old adage t o ?jum p in w it h bot h f eet ? and def init ely live m y lif e by t hat principle, but t hat doesn?t m ean t hat you leap w it hout looking.

For m e, w hen I decided t o close up m y old business, I didn?t m ake t he decision and t hen f ollow t hrough t he next day... I t ook t im e t o plot out and plan m y pat h. I asked m yself a lot of quest ions like: How w ill w e survive w it h no incom e? How m uch do I need t o save? When w ill I launch t he new business?

I gave m yself a set am ount of t im e t o dig deeply int o t hese quest ions I didn?t w ant t o get bogged dow n in t he planning and t hen never f ollow t hrough. Once I had som e answ ers, t hen I st art ed planning it all out ... and t hen I jum ped w it h bot h m y f eet .

I f ollow t his sam e principle f or all risks. I oft en laugh and say t hat running a business is like legalized gam bling! Everyt hing is a risk - how m uch product t o st ock, w hat course t o pour t im e and energy int o launching, w hat em ployees t o add t o m y t eam - but t hat ?s part of running a business, and if you play it saf e all t he t im e, you?ll never grow. Take t he t im e, t hough, t o m ake your risks calculat ed.

What advice do you have f or t hose t hat w ant t o t ake a leap in t heir career but don't know how ?

I t hink creat ing an act ion plan is t he secret f or accom plishing any goal

- and a lot of big goals do involve big risks. The m ist ake I see people m aking m ost oft en w hen it com es t o t aking risks, is t hat t hey decide t hey w ant t o do som et hing big, t hey m ake an announcem ent about it and t hen t hey just expect it t o happen. I believe one of t he key st eps people m iss, is creat ing w hat I call t he Act ion Roadm apTM w hich is a m ap of t he st eps t hat need t o happen in order t o achieve success.

I have a f ree dow nload at inkw ellpress.com / act ionroadm ap t hat w alks t hrough t he diff erent st eps needed t o help lay out a plan. The m ost im port ant t hing t o rem em ber is t hat it ?s okay not t o know how t o do som et hing - w e all st art som ew here. Just w rit e out w hat you do know you need t o do - oft ent im es, I t hink t he f irst st ep is research and t aking t he t im e t o discover w hat w e don?t know.

Sett ing deadlines f or each of t he st eps on your act ion plan helps keep you account able and gives you a m ini goal t o w ork t ow ards. Looking at t hese m ini goals helps w it h m indset because t hey f eel m ore achievable. If you only f ocus on t he bigger goal, it ?s easy t o get scared and t o w alk aw ay even if it ?s som et hing you really w ant .

The im port ant t hing is t o begin m oving f orw ard - just t ake t hat f irst st ep. Any m ovem ent , big or sm all, is m om ent um t o help propel you f orw ard t ow ards big changes and t he lif e you w ant .

How do you m arry risk and organizat ion? Are t hey m ut ually exclusive?

To m e, risk w it hout organizat ion is like gett ing in a car and deciding t o drive f rom Calif ornia t o Florida w it h no m ap or GPS t o guide you. Yes, you m ight m ake it t o t he Sunshine St at e - or you m ight end up in Canada! Even if you do m ake it t o your dest inat ion, t hat t rip w ill t ake you longer and w ill be m uch m ore diff icult .

Organizat ion can be an incredible m ot ivat or because it helps provide you w it h t he next st eps you need t o t ake. I hear f rom a lot of people t hat t hey f eel overw helm ed by big risks. But here?s t he secret ...Overw helm isn?t having t oo m uch t o do, it ?s not know ing w here t o st art . Taking t he t im e t o organize w hat you need t o accom plish w it h each st ep on t he pat h t o success t ells you w here t o st art so t hat you don?t f eel overw helm ed.

You can t hink of organizat ion as a st rong f oundat ion f or risks t hat w ould ot herw ise m ake you f eel unst able. In m y opinion, f or risks t o succeed it ?s key t o t ake t he t im e t o give yourself t hat st able base.

From t he init ial ref lect ion process t o m apping out t he plan, organizat ion can help big risks f eel easier and m ake you m ore successf ul in t he long run.

Have you ever t aken a risk t hat hasn't w orked out ? How did you deal w it h it ?

The beaut y of t hinking t hrough your risks and creat ing a plan is t hat you are m ore likely t o succeed. There?s alw ays going t o be som e risks, t hough, t hat don?t w ork out , no m att er w hat . When t hat happens, I t hink it ?s im port ant f irst t o t ake som e t im e t o acknow ledge how you f eel.

It ?s okay t o f eel sad or even f rust rat ed, but you have t o t ry not t o let it pull you dow n a black hole. Give yourself t im e, but t hen you have t o get back up again. And w hen you do, t ake som e int ent ional t im e t o t ake a good look at w hat happened - use t his as an opport unit y t o ref lect and learn. Take w hat you learn f rom failure and use it as a springboard as you m ove t o som et hing new.

Lif e involves risks everyday - w e can?t avoid t hem and w e can?t avoid t he occasional failure. What w e can do, t hough, is w e can m ake a choice. Choose t o see risk as opport unit ies, choose t o push yourself t o t he boundaries of w hat you know and choose t o let failures lift you up rat her t han pull you dow n. I love t he Thom as Edison quot e w hen asked how he f elt about all his failed att em pt s at invent ing t he light bulb. He said, ? I didn?t fail. I just f ound 10,000 w ays t hat didn?t w ork.? I w ant t o encourage you t o look at failure as discovering w hat didn?t w ork, and t hen f ind w hat does w ork. Go t ake risks and live big.

Int erview by Meghan Ely

ink w ellpress.com

I HAVE BEEN PRESENTED WITH WHAT SEEMS TO BE AN EXCITING OPPORTUNITY, BUT I CAN'T HELP BUT WONDER IF IT IS TOO BIG A RISK. HOW CAN I ASSESS WHETHER IT IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY OR A TERRIBLE RISK? You are right t o quest ion t he m erit s of an opport unit y t hat has com e your w ay. When I f ind myself in a sim ilar sit uat ion I t ake a st ep back and w ork t hrough t he f ollow ing st eps: 1. Gat her inf orm at ion t o f ully underst and t he opport unit y and w hy it is being present ed t o m e.

2. Ident if y courses of act ion I could t ake t o t ake advant age of t he opport unit y and list out possible out com es.

3. Review t he list and w eigh up t he opt ions t o evaluat e w het her t his really is t he right opport unit y f or m e.

I UNDERSTAND THAT I MAY HAVE TO TAKE SOME RISKS TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN BUSINESS BUT I AM VERY NERVOUS ABOUT THIS. CAN YOU OFFER ANY ADVICE? I pref er t he t erm 'calculat ed risks' w hen t alking about risk and business.

Som e f orm of risk t aking can m ake t he diff erence bet w een good and great , but m aking risky decisions w it hout any t hought , is not going t o serve you w ell in business, or lif e generally. Inst ead, you need t o 'calculat e t he risk' based on your level of f ear and w hat you can act ually aff ord t o lose (t im e or m oney f or exam ple). To do t his, creat e a list of t he pros and cons and t he pot ent ial risks versus benef it s.

I SAY YES TO EVERYTHING AND IT EXPOSES ME TO RISK TOO OFTEN. WHAT CAN I DO? That is sim ple, learn how t o say no. You have t o learn t o say no t o som e opport unit ies, ideas and risks, so you can say yes t o t he best !

Q & A

# WEDINSPIRE WITH LYNN EASTON, EASTON EVENTS

As t he creat ive f orce and co- f ounder of East on Port er Group, a luxury hospit alit y com pany, Lynn East on provides st rat egic vision and a w ell- honed st ylist ic eye on all elem ent s of design and present at ion f or it s highly acclaim ed propert ies, including t he int ernat ionally- know n East on Event s. Their port f olio is m ost recognized f or Pippin Hill Farm and Vineyards, Zero George Hot el, and Cannon Green.

You and your husband Dean co- f ounded East on Port er Group back in 2012. Can you give us a litt le bit of background on how everyt hing cam e t o be?

The t echnical st art dat e f or East on Port er Group m ay be 2012, but it s genesis really dat es f rom m uch earlier. Dean and I have bot h been in t he hospit alit y indust ry f or our w hole careers. Dean w as in senior m anagem ent w it h Orient Express hot els, opening luxury hot els and rest aurant s around t he w orld, and I launched m y event planning com pany, East on Event s, in 1997. Bot h of us w ere busy and successf ul but w hen t he recession hit , w e, like m any people, paused t o cat ch our breat h and chart our next st eps. Ult im at ely our goal w as t o int egrat e our t w o areas of passion and expert ise in a w ay t hat w as m ut ually sat isf ying and w ould allow us t o spend m ore t im e t oget her. So, in 2008, w e st art ed const ruct ion on our w inery, Pippin Hill Farm and t urned it int o a culinary w inery and an event venue. That w as really how East on Port er Group got st art ed.

Tell us about w hat drives your creat ivit y? How are you able t o harness t hat ? There's so m any diff erent avenues here, eit her vineyard and hot els. Event planning, w hich has been a long- t im e love, how do you cont inue t o harness t hat creat ivit y?

Much of m y creat ive inspirat ion com es f rom t ravel. We are so lucky because our w ork, as an w edding planners, t akes us t o som e of t he w orld?s m ost incredible and unique dest inat ions, and you bett er believe t hat m y eyes and senses are w ide open, all t he t im e, t aking not e and drinking in beaut y. It ?s one of t he biggest perks of our prof essional lives, and it f uels our w ork w it h creat ive energy as w ell, so it ?s a w in- w in.

At all of our East on Port er Group propert ies and venues, our brand signat ure is a very t hought f ully produced guest experience. And oft en it ?s t he subt le, sublim e det ails t hat go int o creat ing t hat . For exam ple, once on our t ravels w e st ayed som eplace t hat w as so sim ple t hat you w ouldn?t t hink of it as luxury, except f or t he fact t hat as far as you could see candles surrounded you? and t hat w as all t he m agic needed. So w e brought t hat hom e, and t oday, in every one of our propert ies, w e have a plet hora of candles. Once on a visit t o San Miguel, w e w ere inspired by gorgeous hand- f orged lant erns w e saw, and so w e com m issioned t he art isans t o m ake t hem f or us, and t oday you?ll f ind t hose beaut if ul candlelit lant erns at all of our propert ies. We w ant all of our guest s t o f eel t ransport ed t o an experience of delight and beaut y, and t ravel oft en serves as our inspirat ion f or creat ing t hose m em orable experiences f or t hem .

Would you consider yourself a risk t aker in business? Why or w hy not ?

1000%. Som e people m ight be lucky enough t o have light ning st rike and f ind success w it hout risk, but t hat ?s m ost ly a fant asy. I?ve f ound in our w ork, and I t hink m ost successf ul ent repreneurs w ould agree, t hat you have t o be w illing t o endorse som e level of risk in order t o be successf ul. Being an ent repreneur is such a solit ary t hing? t here?s no corporat ion holding a saf et y net below you. When you're a bout ique operat ion? w hich is code f or com pany of one? and you?re t rying t o build your business, t here's no w ay you can get around t he risk.

Dean and I put our house 100% on t he line f or Pippin Hill. If it failed, w e w ould have lost our hom e. That w as cert ainly t he biggest risk I had t aken in m y lif e. When you?re a young ent repreneur, t hose risks are even m ore daunt ing, because t he dow nside can lit erally w ipe you out .

Once you build m ore of a solid base, t here?s m ore buff er and your risks can be a bit m ore st rat egic. I?m st ill not all t hat com f ort able w it h risk, but I underst and t hat it ?s part of grow t h, and I?ve seen t he rew ards of t aking t hem , and I?m w illing t o keep t aking t hem in order t o achieve t he grow t h w e w ant .

Are t here any risks t hat you've t aken t hat haven't w orked out ? And if so, how did you overcom e and learn f rom t hat ?

Fort unat ely, not hing really big. Sure, t here are lot s of sm all bust s and t hings t hat don?t go how you w ant along t he w ay. For exam ple, w e w ere once court ing a client in New York, and had f low n up t o m eet w it h her. When I got back t o Virginia, she called m e, and w e had a great f ollow - up conversat ion, and she says, "Well, m y m ot her w ould really love t o m eet you. Do you t hink you could pop by LA?" I'm in Charlott esville but I said, "Of course w e can pop by LA!" So w e f lew t o Calif ornia and pulled out all t he st ops? st ayed in t he kind of hot el t hat w ould be expect ed of us, et c. We probably dropped $5K, and ult im at ely did not get t hat client . We st epped back and said, "Well t hat w as prett y painf ul.? In t he end t hough, our eff ort s creat ed a connect ion w it h her, and she appreciat ed our eff ort and everyt hing t hat w ent int o t hat and she recom m ended us t o her best f riend. We got t hat w edding.

I believe t hat you just have t o be bold. When m y inst inct t ells m e t hat I need t o get on a plane t o chase som e business, I go. We've never been af raid t o go out on a lim b, and w e've done it a lot . You knock on t en doors, and one's going t o open. But you have t o be w illing t o knock on t he ot her nine t o be sure t hat one is going t o open.

What 's t he best advice you received, and do you f ind t hat it st ill rings t rue t oday?

Absolut ely. I can st ill rem em ber t alking about business w it h a fabulous It alian f riend of m ine w ho t urned t o m e and said, "Rem em ber t his: Charge m ore, t hey'll t hink you're w ort h it ." And I have lived by t hat . To m e t his m eans t hat you can?t expect anybody t o value you unless you value yourself.

What w ould you consider one of your great est successes - or your great est success?

The day I did t he ?happy chicken dance? in m y kit chen w as w hen Brides Magazine cam e out w it h it s inaugural t op 50 venues in t he Unit ed St at es, and Pippin Hill got on t hat list it s f irst year, and w e've been on it every year since. Then, Cannon Green, our propert y in Charlest on, m ade t he list last year. My biggest success, has been being able t o st ep out of m y w heelhouse as an event planner and t o creat e venues recognized as am ong t he best in t he Unit ed St at es.

That is our biggest achievem ent but underlying it is diff erent def init ion of success, w hich is being able t o develop t eam s and launch businesses t hat now operat e day t o day w it hout our hands- on involvem ent . This allow s us t he f reedom t o not only do m ore st rat egic visioning and pursue ot her business int erest s, but also t o t ravel and t o be w it h our fam ily. So, success f or m e is m easured by t he f reedom t o st ep back a litt le bit and t o w at ch t he businesses w e?ve creat ed f lourish, and not have t o be involved w it h t he daily m anagem ent det ails.

What excit es you about t he f ut ure of business? Where do you see hospit alit y and event s m oving in t he f ut ure?

In m any w ays, t he event s and hospit alit y w orld revolves around t rends, and believe m e, I?ve seen m y share. But w hat I f ind very com pelling is t hat our guest s and client s are all about seeking unique experiences.

Whet her it 's in one of our hot els or t he rest aurant s or w inery or at a w edding, people are looking f or an experience t hat connect s t hem t o t he place and t o each ot her. We?re hungry f or t hat . I w as reading about a planner colleague w ho grew up on a lake in Wisconsin, and has t hese f ond m em ories of sitt ing out side by a f ire, cooking grilled f ish and cat ching f iref lies. As m uch as w e love our t echnology and need our t echnology, ult im at ely t here's part of us t hat w ant s t o be unt et hered f rom our lapt ops and phones and w ant s t hat kind of f undam ent al, m eaningf ul, t angible experience. It ?s not about bells and w hist les; it ?s just real. And t hat ?s one of t he hardest t hings t o cult ivat e and t o give your client t oday. But I t hink t hat 's w here t he f ut ure in t he hospit alit y indust ry in general w ill be headed, and it cert ainly is t rue f or us, and f or our new hot el opening in Upperville, Virginia, in 2020 (hopef ully :). We?re so excit ed about t his project , w hich w ill be about giving t he guest t hose rich experiences t hey rarely t ap int o in t heir daily lives.

What advice do you have f or som eone w ho m ight be m ore adverse t o risk?

Ow n it . It ?s act ually very rat ional and perhaps sm art t o be risk averse. It m ight ult im at ely m ean less grow t h, but t here is som et hing t o be said f or not alw ays chasing grow t h. It 's not in everybody's DNA t o w ant t o go out on a lim b t o pursue a cert ain level of w hat ot hers m ight deem as success. So if som ebody is adverse t o risk, m y advice is t o be happy w it h w here you are. There are plent y of people w ho em brace risk and achieve w hat t he business w orld qualif ies as ?success,? but are never sat isf ied.

In t he end, being happy and sat isf ied w it h your w ork and a balanced lif e is, I t hink, t he ult im at e m easure of success. Your prof it m argin and asset sheet are rarely an accurat e ref lect ion or benchm ark f or t hat .

Int erview by Meghan Ely

east onevent s.com

# WEDPROMO Your business is only as good as your m indset . Your m indset has t he pow er t o sabot age everyt hing you?re w orking t ow ard or propel you f orw ard. I w ant t o help you develop a m indset t hat is going t o serve you and help you m ove f orw ard so w e need t o re- exam ine t he w ay you?re looking at cert ain t hings in your business.

Failure is not a bad t hing It really isn't , it ?s just how w e learn t hings. If you never cont inued aft er failing & learning, you w ouldn?t know how t o w alk. You have t o t ry t hings, fall on your ass, and t hen learn f rom t hat .

If you t ry som et hing and it doesn?t w ork, t hat ?s f ine. We?re all in t he business of experim ent at ion so don?t set yourself up t o t hink it ?s as binary as success or failure because it ?s not . It ?s a t est , everyt hing is and you t w eak it and m ove on w it h w hat you?ve learned. When som et hing doesn?t w ork t hat is act ually very im port ant because it ?s giving you dat a and f eedback and you can t ake t hat and f igure out w hat t o change? .or you can collapse int o a ball of sorrow and self- loat hing.

That is your choice. You decide how you view t hings like failure and how you react t o it ? no one else.

We?re all scient ist s here and business is a huge series of experim ent s.

The out com e isn?t t ied t o you or your w ort h, it ?s just an experim ent . If scient ist s looked at experim ent s t hat w ay t hey w ould have quit w hen t he f irst t hing t hey t ried didn?t cure every disease. That m indset shift is crucial in business.

Your Wedding Business Mindset

BY HEIDI THOMPSON

Evolut ion does not happen overnight Your business is f orever evolving (hence t he nam e of m y business) and t hat t akes t im e. Building a business is a journey, not a dest inat ion. You get t o choose if your journey be angst - ridden or an excit ing advent ure.

That ?s not t o say t hat everyt hing is alw ays rosy w hen you do have t he right m indset . Som et im es t hing suck and t hat ?s okay. Building a business is a journey on a roller coast er in t he dark and you?re building t he t rack as you go. It 's okay f or t hat t o be scary and f or it t o t ake t im e.

Because t his is a long journey, it ?s im port ant t o t ake st ock of your w ins as you go. Think in t erm s of m issions inst ead of t he big pict ure. If NASA only m easured it ?s success in t erm s of gett ing t o Mars, it w ould have failed at everyt hing it has ever done. Inst ead, t hey m easure t heir success by m ission. What did t hey learn? What did t hey f ind?

Every m ont h I have a CEO dat e w it h m yself w here I review all of t he im port ant m et rics in m y business like m y f inancials, w ebsit e t raff ic, em ail list grow t h, sales, et c. I also w rit e dow n w hat w ent w ell t his m ont h and w hat I achieved. This f orces m e t o st op and appreciat e t he progress I?ve m ade. It is so easy alw ays be looking f orw ard and m iss t he w ins along t he w ay. I also w rit e dow n w hat didn?t go so w ell, how I can im prove it and w hat I?m f ocusing on f or t he next m ont h. It sounds sm all but t hat review process really keeps m e on t rack and m akes m e celebrat e t he w ins, no m att er how sm all.

Feel t he f ear & do it anyw ay Having t he right m indset doesn?t m ean you?re not going t o f eel f ear or anxiet y. These are biological react ions t o doing t hings t hat seem scary or risky t o our lizard brain. Our lizard brain is t he m ost prim it ive part of our brain t hat cont rols t hings like our f ight or f light ref lex. It lives in a

const ant st at e of alert ness and f ear but t hat doesn?t m ean you should list en t o it .

Even fam ous people w ho perf orm all t he t im e on st age st ruggle w it h t his. Adele has panic att acks and in her ow n w ords ?t hrow s up quit e a bit ? bef ore her show s. She f eels t he f ear and she does it anyw ay.

Have you ever jum ped f rom t he high diving board int o a pool? When you?re up t here f or t he f irst t im e, it ?s t errif ying. That ?s your brain m aking sure you don?t kill yourself. Int ellect ually you know t hat t he pool and diving board have been engineered so t hat you?re not going t o die but it st ill f eels like a t hreat . Feel t he f ear, and do it anyw ay.

Every t im e you f eel f ear in your business it m eans you?re about t o do som et hing you?ve never done bef ore or som et hing big. That ?s your lizard brain looking out f or you. If your lizard brain had it s w ay you?d never do anyt hing t hat requires any risk and t hat w ould be a really boring lif e.

Thank your lizard brain f or t he heads up, and m ove f orw ard.

Words by Heidi Thom pson

SHOWCASE

The Shoot Team : -

Planning & St yling: Ebony & Ivory Weddings & Event s Phot ography: Dallas Love Phot ography Venue: Loft West End Flow ers: Happy Celebrat ions Prop Hire: Am ore Splendido Coff ee Cart : No Filt er Cold Brew Coff ee Videography: We Film Weddings Bridal Dress: Tutt a Bella Gow n Bridal Jew elery: Fairina Cheng Cont em porary Jew ellery Groom's Att ire: Harrisons Mensw ear Cake: Cakes by Kev Hair and Make Up: Beaut y in t he Bilbs St at ionery: Im age Ink Graphic Design Models: Sarah- Jane Woo and Drm sby Middlet on

Vint age Glam by Ebony & Ivory Weddings & Event s Our vint age glam inspirat ion f or t he shoot cam e f rom t he am azing locat ion, t he w hole venue scream s vint age glam and w e w ant ed t o m ix t he old w it h t he new t o creat e som et hing w e know w ill im press.

# WEDDIGITAL WITH BILL TZIZIK, CLASSIC PHOTOGRAPERS

Bill Tzizik is a co- ow ner of Classic Phot ograpers, an online com pany t hat provides high qualit y w edding phot ography and videography services f or t he budget m inded couple. What st art ed as a rent al t uxedo com pany has t urned int o one of t he m ost successf ul nat ion- w ide phot ography com panies in t he Unit ed St at es.

Aft er 24 years of ow ning Classic Tuxedos w hat m ade you m ake such a huge shift in your career?

The landscape of ret ail had changed signif icant ly, as w ell as t he psychology of rent ing t uxes- becom ing count er int uit ive t o t he cust om er. NADTA caused a decline in t he cost of clot hing in t he lat e 90?s so m ore and m ore people w ere buying inst ead of rent ing, and w hen t hey bought t hey w ere m ore likely t o shop w here t hey got t heir clot hing rat her t hen a t uxedo rent al shop. In an eff ort t o bolst er our sluggish sales, w e st art ed selling w edding phot ography at our brick and m ort ar t ux shops and aft er several years w it h t his hybrid m odel I realized w e needed t o be m ore disrupt ive. Brides buy everyt hing online, so w hy not phot ography? We ran som e t est s w it h online sales in 2015 and by t he end of 2015 w e sold t he rem aining t uxedo st ores and f ocused f ull t im e on perf ect ing our online business m odel.

How does running a brick and m ort ar st ore diff er f rom selling online exclusively?

Brick and m ort ar has far m ore overheads, w it h challenges of st aff ing and m anaging m ult iple locat ions, as w ell as t he logist ics of m oving t he t uxedos around all t he t im e. The real challenge in online sales is t he dem onst rat ion part of t he sale can be w ay m ore challenging t han having som eone in your st ore face t o face.

What did you not see com ing w hen sw it ching f rom t he business of t uxedos t o phot ography?

The m agnit ude of t he global decline of t radit ional ret ail. I knew it w as declining but I didn't f oresee t hat over f ort y percent of all ret ail in Am erica w ould st art being done online w it h Am azon.

How did you connect w it h people inside t he indust ry w hen you m ade your pivot ?

Com ing f rom ow ning a t uxedo rent al business, w e had already been m arket ing in t he w edding indust ry (specif ically engaged couples) f or years, so t ransit ioning t o a new product w asn't a diff icult change. We are happy t o be able t o rem ain connect ed w it h t he indust ry in t his new capacit y.

What advice do you have f or som eone w ho is considering m aking a huge career change?

The pace of change in t he new m illennium is not slow ing dow n. You need t o cont inue t o grow and evolve every day or your skills can becom e irrelevant fast . I have gained all m y success in w edding phot ography by em bracing t echnology changes and not looking back.

What is one of your biggest achievem ent s in your business?

I t hink our business concept as a w hole is our biggest achievem ent .

We w ant ed t o em brace t he changes in t he m arket and creat e

som et hing new and innovat ive so t hat w e w ouldn't fall prey t o t he t echnological advances t hat keep com ing every year. And now, w e've been able t o develop one of t he f irst f ully online nat ionw ide w edding phot ography businesses in Am erica.

Where do you see your business in 5 years?

I w ould like t o cont inue t o develop and im prove t he business m odel so w e can deliver t his great value t o even m ore couples t hrough t he Unit ed St at es.

What do you love m ost about t he w edding indust ry?

I can't t hink of anyt hing m ore rew arding about t his business t han having t he privilege t o be a part of one of t he m ost im port ant days in t w o people's lives.

Int erview by Meghan Ely

classicphot ographers.com

7 Ways to Enhance A Vendor ?s Exper ience at Your Venue

BY LINDSAY LUCAS

# WEDVENUE ?No m an is an island? ? ?There?s no ?I? in Team .? ?Team w ork m akes t he dream w ork.?

We?ve all heard t hese m ot ivat ional quot es. And as cliche as t hey sound, t hey?re so t rue - especially in t he w edding indust ry. Why? Because an am azing w edding can?t be planned w it hout t he help of a w edding vendor t eam . And vendors like t o w ork w it h (and t heref ore ref er) ot her w edding prof essionals w ho m ake it easy f or t hem t o do t heir job. So, you can build t he m ost beaut if ul venue, but if you don?t priorit ize vendor experience, your venue w ill crum ble.

Here are seven t hings you can put int o pract ice now t o enhance a vendor?s experience at your w edding venue and have t hem singing your praises t o pot ent ial client s.

On w edding days, have a venue m anager onsit e t o handle basic m aint enance, like dim m ing t he light s, adjust ing t he AC, t roubleshoot ing, and answ ering quest ions concerning t he venue.

The w eek leading up t o a w eekend f ull of w eddings, have great com m unicat ion w it h vendors w ho w ill be w orking t hose w eddings. Many vendor t eam s, such as cat erers or f loral designers, have m ult iple event s a day and have st at ed t hat it w ould m ake a huge diff erence if a venue could answ er t heir quest ions w it hin a 24 hour t im e period. Make sure your responses are direct , but polit e. The last t hing you w ant is f or a vendor t o f eel like t hey?re a nuisance!

Allow t he phot o and video t eam s t o eat w hen t he bridal part y eat s. The bride, groom , and bridal part y are all celebrit ies f or t he night . They?ll be heavily phot ographed during all m ajor happenings. But , since no one w ant s a phot o of t hem selves shoveling f ood in t heir m out h, t his is t he perf ect t im e f or t he phot ographers and videographers t o eat , recharge, and be ready t o go f or t he rem ainder of t he evening. If you w ant t o go t he ext ra m ile, have disposable ut ensils and napkins on hand f or t hem so t hey don?t have t o bug t he cat erer f or t hose it em s.

If your propert y is large, have a designat ed golf cart f or vendors t o get around during t he day. This is part icularly helpf ul f or phot o and video t eam s. Couples have fallen in love w it h every aspect of your propert y and t hey w ant t o capt ure every nook and cranny. It w ould save t im e and m ake t he day run fast er if t he t eam s docum ent ing t he day had a golf cart on hand.

Tim e is a huge m ot ivat ing fact or in t his indust ry and is t he f oundat ion m ost vendors? packages are built on. Six hours f or t he silver package, eight hours f or t he gold, and t en hours f or t he plat inum . There?s no doubt t hat t he price of your venue is built on t his very f oundat ion. Let ?s all be respect f ul of each ot her?s t im e and w ork t oget her t o end event s w it hin t he t im e t hat ?s been allott ed. The venue m anager or coordinat or should help t he DJ and phot ographer t o execut e t he exit on t im e. And vendors should m ake arrangem ent s t o only arrive at t he venue during t heir designat ed t im ef ram e.

Say t hank you. I know t hat sounds juvenile, but our m om m as w ere right . A litt le appreciat ion goes a long w ay. People w ho f eel valued and appreciat ed w ill alw ays do m ore t han expect ed.

I?ve saved t he best f or last ? creat e a VENUE GUIDE. Yes, it ?s t hat im port ant . You need t o pack t his puppy w it h #allt het hings. This w ill be your bible, your backbone. Send it t o every bride and every vendor t hat w alks t hrough your doors. This w ill drast ically cut dow n on t im e answ ering endless quest ions t hat you?ve answ ered about a billion t im es already.

Bride w ant s t o know t he m easurem ent s of your m ant le? Send t he venue guide. A vendor has insurance quest ions? Send t he venue guide. Mom w ant s t o know w hat t im e t hey?ll be allow ed t o arrive on t he w edding day? Send t he venue guide. Are you beginning t o see how m uch t im e t his w ill save you? Good!

Here are som e exam ples of t hings t o include t hat vendors and client s w ill t hank you f or: policies and procedures, package inclusions, sam ple f loor plans, insurance requirem ent s, direct ions f or load in/ out , pow er locat ions, list of t ables and chairs w it h t he sizes and quant it ies, local hot els or B&Bs, helpf ul hint s, inf orm at ion on w edding insurance, FAQs, social m edia handles and cont act inf orm at ion.

Pro t ip: Updat e t he guide at t he end of t he year and resend it t o all of your pref erred vendors in January w it h a ?t hank you? em ail expressing your appreciat ion. Know ledge is pow er and equipping your vendors w it h necessary inf orm at ion w ill enhance t heir experience, and ensure your invest m ent is being w ell respect ed.

At t he end of t he day, venues and vendors all have t he sam e goal - t o exceed client expect at ions and give t hem an unf orgett able experience.

Why not bridge t he gap and w ork t oget her? Aft erall, t eam w ork m akes t he dream w ork.

Words by Lindsay Lucas

BUILDING A BUSINESS WITH MIMI SO, MIMI SO JEWELLERY

Mim i So is a New York Cit y based jew elry designer. She developed a passion f or jew elry and fashion w hile w orking w it h m y fam ily in t heir at elier and cont inued t hat passion t hrough college and st art ing her ow n business t hat is know n f or it s 'dist inct ive def init ive fashion vide,' t hat has att ract ed celebrit y client s f rom around t he w orld.

You com e f rom a fam ily of ent repreneurs, w hat advice did your parent s give you w hen you decided t o open Mim i So? Because I com e f rom a fam ily of ent repreneurs, t hey knew how diff icult it is t o st art and run a business ? and how m uch t im e and dedicat ion it t akes t o becom e successf ul. They also knew t he rew ard m akes t he journey w ort hw hile. In Cant onese, t here is a saying w hich sim ply t ranslat es t o ?w ork hard,? or in ot her w ords, be dedicat ed and do your best . My parent s advised and inst illed t his w ork et hic in m e, and I am f orever grat ef ul.

What is som et hing you w ish you knew w hen you f irst st art ed your ow n business?

Alt hough I cam e f rom a fam ily business, I w as young and t here w ere m any t hings I didn?t know w hen I f irst st art ed m y com pany. People som et im es assum e if you com e f rom a fam ily business, you have all t he answ ers and support but t hat ?s not alw ays t he case. I w as young and t rying t o prove I knew w hat I w as doing; t heref ore, I w as hesit ant t o ask m y parent s f or advice. Had I know n t here are business advisors w ho

help st art - ups w it h business plans, budget s, et c., I w ould have m ade it a priorit y t o w ork w it h som eone w it h t hat expert ise. I recom m end anyone going int o business t ake advant age of w orking w it h som eone w ho can help w it h a business plan, budget s, et c. f rom t he very beginning.

When you st art ed your business, did you ever t hink it w ould am ount t o being so successf ul and so sought out aft er by celebrit ies?

When I st art ed m y business I really w ant ed independence and t he f reedom t o creat e. I knew having aut onom y w as f or m e. I also knew I w ould m ake m ist akes along t he w ay, like everyone does, but f elt cert ain I w ould be able t o get t hrough t he rough pat ches. I w as very det erm ined! It never occurred t o m e t hat I w ould have a celebrit y f ollow ing, but it has def init ely allow ed m e t o have a lot of f un dressing t hem and creat ing one- of- a- kind pieces f or t heir red- carpet m om ent s.

I st ill get t ickled t o see st ars such as Gw ynet h Palt row, Halle Berry, Kat e Winslet am ong ot hers w earing m y jew elry.

What is one of t he biggest risks you t ook in your business?

The biggest risk I t ook in m y jew elry business w as t he decision not t o sell t he m ajorit y share of m y com pany t o t he conglom erat e, Richem ont in 2007. I w as not ready t o give up cont rol of m y brand even t hough it w ould have been a huge inf lux of cash t hat w ould have accelerat ed grow t h. Once you m ake t hat decision it 's m ade ? t here's no going back. It w as a huge risk because I didn?t have a built in f inancial net t o cat ch m e if t he business hit a long, rough period. The 2008 econom ic crisis occurred and it w as quit e challenging. So m uch so t hat I st ill com pare it t o a root canal w it hout t he Novocain. When you have f ew resources t o fall back on, you discover yourself and your t eam's abilit y.

I personally used t hat m om ent f or bot h inner and out er grow t h t o choose a creat ive pat h t hat w ould allow our com pany t o def ine it s core principles. All of t he collect ions each year f ollow ing have been inspirat ional, aut hent ic chapt ers of m y lif e using t he art ist ic m edium I know best . It f ueled m e t o evolve MIMI SO f urt her int o an aut hent ic brand dedicat ed t o craft sm anship, qualit y? w it h a bit of st ory- t elling.

Wit hout t he risk, our grow t h w ould have been very diff erent . Now w e have a dept h of hist ory w it h great t ext ure.

As your business has grow n do you f eel it is easier or m ore diff icult t o m ake changes t han have risk involved?

For m e, risk is alw ays diff icult . In fact , t he im pact of risk f eels t he sam e t oday, if not m ore int ense, t han it did w hen MIMI SO w as a young brand. I?ve dedicat ed so m any years and resources t o develop m y business t hat som et im es changes involving large risk f eel even bigger because m ist akes are cost lier and can aff ect m ore people.

Change and evolut ion are essent ial in business, but it is very im port ant t o w eigh risks, and be st rat egic and t hought f ul about your business decisions at all st ages.

When Richem ont off ered t o purchase a m ajorit y st ake in your com pany you declined. Why w as it so im port ant t o you t o cont inue your com pany w it h your vision in m ind?

Richem ont w as a great part ner and t he opt ion t o sell t hem a m ajorit y st ake of MIMI SO w as a huge opport unit y. I had t w o reasons f or declining t he off er. One w as personal, and one w as business- relat ed.

Bot h w ere equal in im port ance.

Personally, I w as a young m ot her w it h a 2- year- old and a new born w ho w as already const ant ly t raveling f or w ork, spending m ore days out of t he count ry t hen in t he count ry. I realized I w ant ed t o be in a posit ion t o be present once t he children st art ed att ending school because I f elt it w as essent ial t o t heir w ell- being. I had ?guilt y m om? com plex because you never get back t im e you m iss w it h your children. They grow up quickly, so I w ant ed t o do t he right t hing f or m y fam ily. If you sell t he m ajorit y of your business t o a fashion conglom erat e, you m ust be prepared t o w ork even harder t han bef ore- and be readily available t o t he new ow ners. The brand w as st ill so young and I realized I needed t o discover m y ow n pat h and cem ent m y vision f or t he brand.

To do t hat , I needed t o develop t he brand?s aut hent icit y t hat w ould persevere and evolve over t im e. When you becom e part of a larger ent it y, m any ot her fact ors dict at e decisions t hat m ay not be w hat t he original f ounder envisioned. It w as w ort h t he risk because w e know w ho w e are, as does t he public and com m unit y.

You serve on t he execut ive board f or CFDA and m ent or young ent repreneurs, w hat advice do you give t o t hem as t hey em bark as new business ow ners?

My advice is short and sw eet f or a rat her big quest ion! You m ust be t rue t o yourself and do w hat you enjoy and love. It m ay sound like an old clichĂŠ, but I'm living proof. Det erm inat ion and com m it m ent t o st ay in t he race t hrough t hick and t hin, requires a lot of dedicat ion, but is w ell w ort h it in t he long run.

Do you have anyt hing else you w ould like t o add?

The second piece of advice I can off er is t o be pat ient . Very f ew longst anding success st ories happen overnight .

Int erview by Meghan Ely

w w w.m im iso.com

# WEDGURU ?It ?s im possible,? said pride. ?It ?s risky,? said experience. ?It ?s point less,? said reason. ?Give it a t ry? w hispered t he heart . Quot e Unknow n.

Having set m yself up in business, just under t w o years ago, I f irm ly believe in t aking risks. But , f inding your niche and believing t here is a gap in t he m arket f or you and your product or services, isn?t easy and com es w it h som e sleepless night s.

First com es courage Having f ound t he courage and t aken t he plunge, despit e having an am azing career t o dat e, it is one of t he m ost rew arding t hings I have ever done w it hin m y prof essional lif e. How ever, w hat w as im port ant t o m e, w as t hat any risk, should never be at t he jeopardy of m y reput at ion, as t hat w as w hat I int ended t o f ound m y business upon. Secondly, it could not t hreat en t he relat ionship w it h m y husband, t he single m ost support ive person I know and t rust .

So, now, as a niche w edding venue consult ant , w hen m eet ing venue ow ners and discussing t heir desires and aspirat ions t o successf ully grow t heir business, I t alk openly about risk, applying t he sam e principles t o t heir business, as I w ould m y ow n.

First ly, I explain t hat , no m att er how big or sm all t he venue, t aking risks and achieving grow t h, go hand in hand. Then I m ake it clear t hat if t hey do not hing, t hey w ill gain very litt le and t hat in fact is a risk in it self and could result in t hem losing m arket share. Then, I m ake it clear, t hat w hen t aking risks ideally t hey need not only t he support of t heir f inancial backers but im port ant ly, also t heir nearest and dearest .

Finally, I m ake it clear t hat any risk m ust never com prom ise t heirs or t he reput at ion of t he venue, as t his is essent ial t o t heir survival in t he m arket place. In t his age of social net w orking and ot her m et hods of

The Business of Risk

BY SAM LLOYD

inst ant com m unicat ion, venue ow ners m ust be prot ect ive of t heir reput at ion and be ready t o respond t o any crisis t hat m ay happen during t he invest m ent , t hat could, unf ort unat ely, have an im m ediat e and long- t erm negat ive im pact on t heir business - as t he loss of t rust and conf idence of couples can have a direct and prof ound eff ect on a venue?s bott om line.

Why t ake risks?

Bef ore undert aking risk I recom m end venue ow ners should consider t heir ow n resilience, perseverance, judgem ent and vision, as t hese are crucial qualit ies essent ial f or det erm ining personal and business success during, w hat can be, st ressf ul t im es. Bef ore undert aking risk t hey should assess t heir ow n know ledge and skill set , and if t hey don?t have t he experience t hen buy in t hat experience, in t he f orm of a prof essional coach, or consult ant , as m ist akes can be cost ly. Prudent , planned expendit ure, on sound advice, is bett er t han cost ly m ist akes, t hat can have a long t erm negat ive eff ect . They m ust also caref ully consider t he underlying m ot ivat or; vanit y risk- t aking or ?nice t o have?, are unaccept able reasons t o m e, as t hey can underm ine prof it . So t hey need legit im at e reasons t o t ake risks.

Risk m ot ivat ors, f or venue ow ners, m ight include, t he desire t o: - increase prof it m argin ? invest m ent could enable a venue ow ner, and t heir exist ing t eam , t o eff ect ively m anage m ore t han one w edding a day, so radically increasing prof it m argin - increase capacit y ? m arket research and consum er t rends m ight have revealed t hat t he venue?s capacit y no longer m eet s couples needs or expect at ions, so expansion is a necessary risk - convert int o an all year round w edding venue ? t he venue ow ner no longer w ant s a seasonal venue but one t hat can deliver w eddings all year round

- increase m arket share ? t he ow ner could acquire anot her w edding venue and could capit alize on t heir exist ing business m odel, f or exam ple, already having a st rong sales t eam , and, if t here are already w eddings on t he books, could result in im m ediat e cash f low int o t he exist ing business - diff erent iat e f rom com pet ing venues ? perhaps t he m arket is becom ing sat urat ed and t he venue?s unique selling point (USP) is being underm ined - im prove t heir t echnology - w it h couples increasingly researching venues online, if a venue ow ner hasn?t cont inually been invest ing in t heir w ebsit e, t hey are likely t o be losing revenue - bett er support t he business t hrough a secondary business ? perhaps not having any or litt le onsit e accom m odat ion is putt ing couples off booking t he venue, but t here are out buildings ripe f or developm ent or land t hat could be developed - react t o couples? f eedback ? if venue ow ners collat e f eedback (f rom post - show arounds w ho didn?t go on t o book), it m ight be really obvious w here invest m ent is needed t o t ransf orm t he venue.

So how can venue ow ners ensure t hey are m aking sound risk- t aking decisions?

When innovat ing, t he level of risk can be m it igat ed by ensuring t hat all possible calculat ions have been m ade t o evaluat e w het her it is t he best opt ion m oving f orw ard. An exam ple f or a venue ow ner w ould be around t he com pany?s cash f low. When divert ing m onies t o a project t hey m ust be sure t hey have suff icient f unds t o m eet bot h t he project cost s, but also, it s ongoing f inancial obligat ions. So t hey need a good business plan; an accurat e and up t o dat e cash f low, st rong f inancial backing t o m aint ain liquidit y, as w ell as a realist ic f orecast on how long t he invest m ent w ill t ake t o payback.

Anot her considerat ion f or venue ow ners t o bear in m ind bef ore invest ing, is t hat couples, on average, book t heir w eddings 18 m ont hs in advance.

So if an aspect of t he risk m eans t hat t he venue could be disrupt ed bot h physically and visually - venue ow ners need t o fact or in, w hen t he w ork is best undert aken. For exam ple, ow ners need t o ask t hem selves can t hey cont inue t o deliver a qualit y service w hilst t he w orks are being undert aken? If t here is any doubt t hey should t hen consider w hen w ill it

be least disrupt ive t o t heir current booked couples (as t his could have a negat ive im pact on t heir reput at ion), or m ight it negat ively im pact on pot ent ial sales, so eff ect ing revenue negat ively? The f inal st age is t o consider a pricing st rat egy, such as a com pensat ion st rat egy f or exist ing couples or early- bird discount s f or new couples.

Fundam ent ally, considerat ion m ust be given t o anyone (including st aff and suppliers) t hat t he changes m ight have a negat ive eff ect upon, as if not t aken seriously, t his is how a venue can lose it s good reput at ion!

Once a decision has been reached t o t ake an inf orm ed f inancial risk, w hat are t he next st eps?

Wedding venue ow ners operat e in a highly com pet it ive m arket , so once a decision t o im plem ent change has been agreed, I recom m end t hat venue ow ners need t o, f or exam ple: - draw up a t im eline, set benchm arks and realist ic deadlines - const ant ly evaluat e and assess t he project , t o ensure it is in line w it h t he original goal, and if not t hen quickly adapt and ref ocus - put a cont ingency plan in place - put t oget her a m arket ing plan, t o ensure exist ing and f ut ure couples are com m unicat ed w it h eff ect ively and t ransparent ly, t o help increase t rust - f ocus on cont rolling pot ent ial negat ive out com es - com m unicat e and t rain st aff, t o ensure t hey are w ell brief ed and are delivering t he right m essage.

How ever, venue ow ners should also underst and t hat w hen risk- t aking, sadly, m ist akes are (alm ost ) inevit able, but t he lessons learnt are crit ical t o f ut ure success. So, t o help conquer t he f ear of risk- t aking, I recom m end, t hey t ake m easured and inf orm ed st eps, and w ork hard t o prevent any dam age t o t heir reput at ion. By correct ly m anaging t he business of risk venue ow ners can reap t he rom ant ic rew ards of invest ing in w eddings.

Words by Sam Lloyd

GIVING BACK WITH JAKE KLOBERDANZ, ONEHOPE WINE

Jake Kloberdanz is t he Founder and CEO of ONEHOPE, a Calif ornia- based com pany t hat sells w ine and ot her product s w it h giving back in m ind. Their prof it s are donat ed t o various charit able organizat ions helping t o raise aw areness t o t he public and encourage ot hers t o do good. Jake him self is a w ell know n nat ional speaker having spoken at TEDx, The UN, and several universit ies around t he count ry.

Where did t he idea of ONEHOPE st art f rom? What propelled you t o t ake t he leap t o launch a com pany f ocused on cause- cent ric com m erce?

I cam e up w it h t he idea f or ONEHOPE aft er m y close f riend f rom grade school f ound out she had Non- Hodgkins lym phom a. It w as t he f irst t im e as a young adult t hat I becam e t ruly in t ouch w it h m ort alit y. It also conf irm ed t hat if I w as going t o build a business, I w ant ed it t o m ake a diff erence in ot her people?s lives and leave a m ark on t he w orld.

In fact , ONEHOPE w as f ounded by a group of f riends in our early 20?s w it h one vision: t o creat e except ional product s t hat inspire people t o indulge w hile doing good. We loaded up our cars, hit t he st reet s and st art ed selling t he 168 cases of w ine. At t hat t im e our ?w arehouse? w as a 60 square f oot public st orage unit .

Through sales of our w ines, ONEHOPE gives back by raising bot h f unds and aw areness on t he risks of heart disease, helping shelt er pet s f ind t heir f orever hom es, providing people w it h clean drinking w at er and m uch m ore.

It ?s im port ant t hat w e can dem onst rat e t he t angible im pact t hat our donat ions m ake w hich connect s our consum ers t o how t hey are

direct ly aff ect ing t he w orld in a posit ive w ay? w het her it ?s helping a shelt er anim al f ind a f orever hom e or f unding a lif esaving vaccine.

To dat e, ONEHOPE has donat ed m ore t han $3M, including f inding f orever hom es f or m ore t han 52,000 shelt er anim als, providing m ore t han 18,000 hours of clinical t rials f or w om en w it h breast cancer, 2,000,000+ m eals f or children f ight ing hunger, and unit ing m ore t han 8,000 vet erans w it h t heir sense of purpose, and t he list goes on!

Did you ever have days or m om ent s w here you w eren't sure it w as w ort h t he risk? If so w hat w as t he sit uat ion and how did you overcom e t hat f ear?

I?ve alw ays t old m yself t hat t he biggest risk in lif e is not t aking chances. While t here have been occasions w here I quest ioned m y decision t o st art m y ow n business, a lot of t im es t hat doubt is t riggered by paying att ent ion t o out side noise and envy. I?m lucky t o be surrounded by a group of st rong co- f ounders and m anagem ent t eam , and I am conf ident t hat w e w ill cont inue t o build t he ONEHOPE brand and achieve our next big m ilest one, w hich is current ly t o t he biggest direct t o consum er w ine brand in t he U.S. What is som e of t he best advice you received w hen st art ing your business?

You?re only as good as t he people in your business. You don?t build a business, you build and inspire people, and t hose people build t he business. Relat ionships are everyt hing. Value and nurt ure t hem , w ork hard f or t hem and be honest even if it ?s t ough.

How do you st ay inspired and m ot ivat ed t o keep t aking risks in your business even aft er alm ost 11 years?

Aft er 10 years of risk t aking, I?ve learned t hat risk t aking and innovat ion is w hat dist inguishes organizat ions bet w een being leaders or f ollow ers, and being a f ollow er is scarier t o m e t han anyt hing. I have key advisors w ho are const ant ly challenging m e t o t hink out in f ront of t he curve.

When faced w it h challenges, I rem em ber t hat necessit y is t he m ot her of all innovat ion. There is alw ays a w ay t o do it bett er, so f ind it !

My fam ily, f riends, our co- f ounders, our t eam , and t he great er good keeps m e inspired t o keep doing w hat w e do.

What w ould you say t o som eone w ho is apprehensive about m aking a change or st art ing a com pany because of t he risk?

The biggest risk you can t ake is t o do not hing and be left w ondering.

Take t he f irst st ep t oday and t hen w orry about t he next st ep t om orrow.

You m ust be f earless as you t ake t hat next st ep. Bef ore you know it , you?ll look back and it w ill have been 10 years and you can look back on w hat you have built . You don?t have t o be great t o get st art ed, but you do have t o get st art ed t o be great som eday. Get st art ed, st op t alking about it , begin doing it !

How do you see your business evolving in t he next 5 years?

ONEHOPE w as proud t o t out 70 percent YoY grow t h f or t he last t w o years in a row, and t he brand is in t he t op 250 w ineries by volum e in t he US. of over 9,000 in 2017. We also launched 25 new w ines, obt ained 100,000+ square- f eet of new w arehouse space and sold m ore t han 1.3 m illion bott les of w ine. Addit ionally, w e have expanded our com m unit y of brand am bassadors t o nearly 3,000 Cause Ent repreneurs viaONEHOPE (CEOs). These Cause Ent repreneurs hold an average of 500- 1,000 w ine t ast ing event s a w eek, all of w hich raise m oney t ow ard t he host ?s cause of choice. They m ake an im pact in t he w orld w hile also earning an incom e.

By 2020, w e are t arget ing over $200 m illion in revenue and are excit ed t o cont inue t o grow our viaONEHOPE com m unit y t o 100,000+ Cause ent repreneurs and our overall ONEHOPE cust om er dat abase t o over t w o m illion. When w e accom plish t his by 2020, w e w ill be t he biggest direct t o consum er w ine brand in t he U.S. by a fact or of m ore t han t w o and t hen w e w ill set our sight s on grow ing t o be t he biggest in t he w orld.

Along t he w ay, w e w ill deliver product s t o m illions of people?s doorst eps t hat off er inspirat ion, hope and a rem inder t hat t hey CAN m ake a diff erence t hrough t heir everyday lif est yle in t he f orm of t he w ine, gourm et coff ee, art isanal f ood product s, and gift s t hey choose. In t urn, w it h t he donat ions m ade by t hose purchases, ONEHOPE w ill deliver hope t o m any m ore around t he w orld. Our hope is t hat w hen w e look back, w e w ill have inspired m any people t o do good and m any ot her organizat ions t o int egrat e cause- cent ric com m erce int o t heir everyday business m odel.

w w w.onehopew ine.com

How to Create an Exceptional Exper ience to Consistently Book Your Dream Clients

BY CHRISTINA SCALERA

# WEDLEGAL Cust om er experience is everyt hing, and it goes w ay beyond t he prett y colors in your logo. Paying a pro t o design your branding and creat e a cust om w ebsit e isn't going t o get you any t ract ion if t he experience behind it sucks. If you w ant t o consist ent ly att ract AND book your dream client s, you need t o go a f ew st eps beyond t he visual and f ocus on delivering an incredible cust om er experience. Rem em ber, act ions speak louder t han w ords (or logos, in t his case).

Here are 5 key w ays t o up your cust om er experience gam e so t hat you can w ork w it h m ore of your ideal client s: 1. Provide am azing service bef ore t hey're even your client . Make it easy t o f ind t hings on your w ebsit e. Answ er t heir quest ions quickly and clearly. And no m att er w hat , even if t hey?re cursing you and your unborn children, be t he nicest , sugary- sw eet person t hey?ve ever m et . Mirror t heir language and em pat hize, t hen f ollow it up w it h a sm all discount , f reebie or som et hing t hat w ould let t hem know you care (w it hout putt ing m ore w ork on your plat e). Not sure if your service is user- f riendly? Role play w it h a f ew people w ho aren't fam iliar w it h your business and get f eedback on how you m easure up as a cust om er care bear.

2. Throw conf ett i at t hem w hen t hey do inquire. (Ok, not really, but do exceed t heir expect at ions f rom t he m om ent t hey init iat e cont act w it h you.) The key is t o m ap out t he client journey you w ant t hem t o t ake w hen you?re in a nice, spacious place (i.e. not st ressed about serving client s, m aking m oney, et c.) Think about som e past experiences t hat you?ve had yourself as a cust om er t hat st ood out t o you. When w as t he last t im e som eone w ow ed you in t heir init ial cont act w it h you? Try t o recreat e t hat experience f or your ow n cust om ers.

In t his w orld of aut oresponders, it can be as sim ple as a personal em ail t hat show s t he passion and t hought f ulness you bring t o your w ork.

Heck, it can even be som et hing as sim ple as m ent ioning som et hing f rom t heir Inst agram account (w hich only t akes 5 seconds t o look up).

For exam ple, if you?re a w edding planner, you can ask your inquiring bride about her vision f or t he big day and t hen share a f ew phot os of sim ilar w eddings you?ve planned t o give her personalized inspirat ion.

Find som et hing she likes quickly ? m aybe she alw ays post s pict ures of her dog, and you can m ent ion her dog?s nam e in t he em ail. Or, m aybe you have som e valuable f reebies you can share in your init ial em ail, like a f ree w edding planning t im eline t em plat e. Bonus point s: Encourage t hem t o share it w it h t heir f riends as a ?gift ? (as ent repreneurs w e know you?re t he one gett ing a real gift ? t he gift of a ref erral!)

3. Consist ency, consist ency, consist ency. Keep your t one, voice, personalit y, et c. consist ent , not only in com m unicat ing direct ly w it h client s, but also in your indirect com m unicat ions, such as your w ebsit e, blog, and social m edia. Everyt hing you put out int o t he w orld regarding your business is an opport unit y t o reinf orce your brand, and consist ency is key t o gaining client s? t rust and building st rong w orking relat ionships.

4. Be som eone t hat people w ant t o w ork w it h. Nobody's going t o w illingly w ork w it h a dram a llam a or som eone w ho seem s am bivalent about t heir w ork. Even if you f eel like you?re holding it t oget her, apat hy and resent m ent w ill inevit ably com e t hrough loud and clear. Ideally, m ost of us w ant t o do business w it h people w e like, people w ho radiat e energy and ent husiasm , and, m ost im port ant ly, people w e can t rust . Personal connect ions are w hat keep cust om ers com ing back again and again, and w hat drives t hem t o ref erring you t o ot her people.

Quick t ip: Use t heir nam e all t he t im e! In em ails, on t he phone, anyw here! ?St udies? (I?m sure t hey exist ) show a person?s nam e is t he sw eet est w ord in t heir m ind ? w hy w ouldn?t you t ake t hat f reebie gim m ee?

5. Find som et hing t hat set s you apart and leverage t hat . Wit h so m any choices out t here, w hat ?s t he one t hing you have t hat m akes you and your business st and out am ong t he ot hers? If you?re off ering a service, is t here a w ay your approach is unique? Is your background unique? If you?re off ering a product , w hat m akes it diff erent t han com parable product s on t he m arket ? These are t hings you?ll w ant t o play up in your m arket ing and social m edia. This can be really scary at f irst ! Yes, by declaring yourself as THE black- and- w hit e- only phot ographer, you elim inat e a huge port ion of people w ho don?t like black and w hit e phot ography. But , you gain an even m ore loyal base of f ollow ers w ho w ill ref er you like crazy because t hey act ually KNOW w hat t o ref er you f or. You?re no longer ?just ? a phot ographer, you?re a black and w hit e phot ographer, or a ?classic? phot ographer, or a ?vint age st yle? phot ographer. You can also use t est im onials or product review s t o build your brand reput at ion f urt her. Not hing you can say yourself could be m ore pow erf ul t han act ual f eedback f rom a happy cust om er.

Now get out t here and creat e an am azing cust om er experience! I guarant ee you?ll be booking your dream client s in no t im e.

Words by Christ ina Scalera

EMBRACING THE NATURAL WITH CHRIS-TIA DONALDSON - THANK GOD IT?S NATURAL Chris-Tia Donaldson, t he law yer- t urned- businessw om an is inspiring w om en everyw here t o em brace healt hier beaut y pract ices t hrough Thank God It ?s Nat ural, her line of nat ural product s f or hair and skin.

She has been f eat ured in m ajor m edia publicat ions such as USA Today, Marie Claire, Black Ent erprise, Ebony, Heart & Soul, as w ell as m any ot her out let s t hroughout t he count ry. Her book Thank God I?m Nat ural: The Ult im at e Guide t o Caring f or Nat ural Hair is a #1 Am azon best seller, and w as recent ly hailed t he ?Nat ural Hair Bible? by Essence Magazine.

You w ent f rom corporat e att orney t o ent repreneur and hair care expert .

Can you t ell us a litt le bit about your journey and w hy you decided t o t ake t he leap int o ent repreneurship?

I becam e int erest ed in nat ural hair care back in 2002 w hen t here w ere very f ew product s on t he m arket designed f or kinky, curly and w avy t ext ures. This w as bef ore YouTube, Facebook and Inst agram , so t here w asn?t really a lot of inf orm at ion on t he t opic. Moreover, t here w as a pervasive belief am ongst black w om en, t hat long st raight hair w as som et hing t hat w e should st rive t o att ain, and t hat kinky, curly or w avy hair w as a curse of sort s or. As a result , I decided t o w rit e a book, Thank God I?m Nat ural: The Ult im at e Guide t o Caring f or Nat ural Hair, t o help dispel som e of t he m ost com m on m yt hs and m isconcept ions associat ed w it h t his hair t ext ure.

As I w as t raveling around t he count ry doing book signings at diff erent bookst ores, churches, libraries and hair expos, I alw ays had it in t he back of m y m ind t hat I w ant ed t o launch m y ow n product line. At t he t im e, t here w ere very f ew product s on t he m arket t hat act ually cat ered

t o dry nat ural hair, and som e of t he prices w ere just out rageous. So I w ant ed t o com e out w it h a line of product s t hat w ere not only reasonably priced, but delivered on perf orm ance and left t he w earer w it h soft er, m oist urized and m ore m anageable curls. I?m glad t o say t hat aft er years of research, w e?ve been prett y successf ul in achieving t his goal and now our product s can act ually be f ound in Target , Walgreen?s, CVS, Sally Beaut y, Whole Foods and online at Am azon or our sit e w w w.t ginst ore.com .

What part of st art ing TGIN f elt like t he biggest risk, and w hy?

I t hink t he biggest risk of st art ing t his com pany w as quitt ing m y day job. I graduat ed f rom Harvard Law School, so leaving m y day job w ould have m eant I w as leaving behind a great salary in exchange f or t he prom ise of a bigger pay off w it h m y ow n business. I also t hink t aking on f ull t im e em ployees f elt like a huge risk, because you f eel responsible t o t hem and like people are depending on you f or t heir livelihood.

What business risks have you t aken t hat didn't pay off ? What did you learn f rom it ?

It ?s not t he risk t hat I t ook. It ?s t he risk t hat I didn?t t ake t hat I regret .

Being a law yer m eant t hat I alw ays had t o be caref ul and develop a keen att ent ion t o det ail. A m issed com m a, a t ypo, or a m isplaced sem i- colon could be fat al t o your career. As a result , I have alw ays been ext ra- caref ul and t ake a long t im e t o m ake decisions. I?m current ly learning how t o m ake decision quicker, and t o be m ore f orgiving of m yself if I f ind t hat I have m ade a m ist ake.

Your st ory of breast cancer survival has inspired a lot of people. Can you t ell us about how t hat diagnosis im pact ed t he w ay you run your business? How did you grow and learn f rom t hat experience?

I learned t hat in lif e and in business, you have t o slow dow n in order t o speed up. When I w as sick and batt ling breast cancer, I had t o accept t hat I could only f ocus on so m uch. As a result , I had t o t rust m y t eam , and delegat e. This oft en m eant t hat I w ould go days w it hout checking em ails and som et im es w eek w it hout doing any subst ant ive w ort h. When I got back on m y f eet , I realized I had m uch m ore fait h in m y t eam and t heir abilit ies t o get t hings done, w hich allow ed m e t o

pull back and f ocus m ore on m aking st rat egic decisions vs being concerned w it h t he day t o day operat ions.

What keeps you driven everyday? How do you overcom e t hose inevit able days w hen you don't f eel driven?

Seeing a t eam of young w om en w ork f or m e learn and grow is w hat gives m e m ot ivat ion at t his point . Know ing t hat t hey are gett ing skills and opport unit ies t hat m any people t heir age w ould not ot herw ise have is super excit ing. We alw ays say w e?re m aking t his up as w e go along, but in t he process, w e?re learning a lot . It ?s an incredible f eeling t o w ork w it h a group of really sm art w om en, w ho are excit ed t o com e t o w ork everyday and t ackle new challenges (w het her it s st rat egic planning, hiring or m aking scalable business decisions, et c.)

What w as t he best piece advice you got w hen you f irst st art ed TGIN? Perf ect is t he enem y of good enough. Som et im es, it is bett er f or t hings t o be done and w ork on im proving t hem , rat her t han shoot ing f or perf ect out t he gat e. Also, w hen it com es t o product developm ent t he f eat ures and f unct ionalit y t hat m ay be ideal t o you, m ay not be w hat your cust om er is looking f or.

What advice w ould you give t hose t hat w ant t o st art t heir ow n business?

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Know your cust om ers. Underst and w hat m akes you diff erent and w ho you?re m arket ing t o.

Hire f or your w eaknesses. Out source t he responsibilit ies t hat you are w eak in, so t hat you can f ocus on t he areas w here you are st rong.

Surround yourself w it h people t hat are sm art er t han you. No one know s everyt hing. Accept ing t his early on w ill help you t o grow and scale your idea.

Have a plan. When st art ing and running a business, it ?s im port ant t o have a plan and set short and long t erm goals. Your goals can change, but having t hem w ritt en dow n w ill set you on t he pat h t o accom plishing t hem .

t hank godim nat ural .com

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.

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