New Series on Balancing Family + Entrepreneurship

One of the most frequent topic requests I receive for The Smart Planner is on how to balance having a family with entrepreneurship and be successful at both. 

We'll be featuring a new series on The Smart Planner with candid conversations with real moms who juggle these tasks every day.  There will be no June Cleaver stories here; no snapshots of women blogging from their blackberries while vacuuming in heels and pearls, all the while chatting with a client on their bluetooth about the chartreuse crinkle taffeta linens they've selected for their wedding reception.  Each of these ladies are a work-in-progress because - let's face it - kids or not, we are all simply works-in-progress. 

These women will share about things they've learned along the way as well as things they're still learning in regards to balancing family and career.  I'm excited to hear what they have to say and to learn from them, and I hope you'll join us!

Staying Ahead in a Changing Industry

I have been told, on more than one occasion, that I just don't understand what it is like to be a mom and own a business.  This is true - I don't know what it's like to be a mom.  I do know that once I have children my schedule will change drastically and I am not naive about that.  I am looking forward to having a family of my own at some point, and one of the main reasons I started my own company was so that I could create a lifestyle where I could one day have the freedom and flexibility to focus on my kids.

That said, I also don't know what it's like to have a two-person income to contribute to my expenses.  I have never been married, I don't have an additional job outside of Blue Orchid Designs and The Smart Planner, I've never taken out a business loan and I don't have a trust fund to live off of.  If my two companies don't make money, neither my professional nor my personal bills get paid.  Not some of my bills; none of my bills. 

If writing a blog in addition to the planning and consulting work I do was not beneficial to my business, I would not do it.  If it did not help pay the bills (however indirectly) or open up amazing, career-advancing opportunities for me, I would not do it.  The truth however is that it has been beneficial and has even allowed me to recently raise my prices, despite the struggling economy.

Like it or not, social media is here to stay. You can adapt and restructure your work day and workflow to include it (I do not write my blog posts at night - they are written in advance as part of my 40 hour week block schedule and they are scheduled to post automatically) or you can continue to pretend that blogging and social media is not important and that it is just a fad.  If you choose the latter, you will get passed by.  The choice is yours.

Meet the Planners :: Heather Canada

Name: Heather Canada

Location: Jacksonville, Florida

Company Name: First Coast Weddings and Events, Inc.

Number of Years in Business: Six

Website: firstcoastweddings.com

Blog: firstcoastweddings.com/wordpress

How did you get started in wedding planning? 
I graduated from college with a degree in Public Relations, with hopes of becoming a corporate meeting planner. I decided that I wanted to get some experience from the venue perspective, so I took a job in the convention services department at an 800-room resort in Orlando, Florida. I was happy learning about hotel operations while managing the local corporate market, and then I was assigned the wedding market as well. I'll be honest, I didn't like weddings. But once I realized how unique and fun they can be, I was hooked. I moved to the Jacksonville area in 2001 and took a job at a country club, where I got to focus on weddings and club events. Shortly after moving to North Florida, I realized that there was a lack of professional wedding planners in the area, and I founded First Coast Weddings and Events in 2002.

If you had to start over what one thing would you do differently? 
I would have taken advantage of local (and free!) business resources earlier, like the Small Business Development Center. Their advice is priceless.

What's your favorite item in your emergency kit? 
That's a tough one, but I would say Hollywood Fashion Tape. It has a million uses!

What is the best piece of business advice you've ever received? 
I've always loved this quote from Walt Disney: "All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." Even though it's not business-specific, I feel like it definitely applies to starting your own company and keeping it going!

Which two people (past or present) would you have as guests at a dinner party and why? 
My grandmother, who passed away when I was 13, because I would like to get to know her as an adult; and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, because she was such an amazing and strong woman who overcame so much in her life.

What are your three favorite blogs besides thesmartplanner.com? 
There are over 75 blogs subscribed in my Google Reader, most of which are wedding related. Two marketing blogs that I love are Gravitational Marketing Blog and The Wedding Marketing Blog.

Engage!09 Registration Opens Monday

If you're considering going to Engage!09, I just wanted to remind you that registration is opening this Monday, February 2 and is expected to sell out the same day. Set an alarm on your calendars so that you don't miss out.

You can learn more about Engage!09 at their website and on their blog. Hope to see you there!

Leadership as a Wedding Planner + Entrepreneur

Yesterday we talked about how to determine whether your staff is a team or an entourage, and I mentioned that generally this is directly related to the boss's leadership style.  I wanted to explore that a little more today.

The very nature of wedding planning appeals to people with a meticulous attention to detail and the ability to create order and processes that allow tasks to get done on a very finite timeline and often under a lot of emotional pressure.  There are no do-overs or second chances in weddings and the success of our company and brand, not to mention each of our clients' weddings, depends on getting it right the first time, every time. 

One of the drawbacks, however, to the types of personalities that this job attracts, is that many planners tend to be control freaks.  It is easy to buy into the misconception that in order for all of the above to get done well, you must have your personal thumb on everything.  In fact, the opposite is true.

Have you ever found yourself thinking or believing any of the following?

• Training the new employee or intern will take too much time and/or energy. It's just easier if I do this task myself.
• If I want it done right, I have to do it myself.
• I have very high standards, and no one else can understand or do things the way I really like.
• I'll let my team handle these tasks, but I'll leave enough time to re-do them myself (entourage alert).  
• There's nothing I can learn from my employees or interns.  I am here to teach them; after all, I have been doing this longer and am the leader.
• Being a control freak is my personality, and it is just the way it is. I've tried for years to change it and it is just impossible.
  
• I have a strong work ethic and because of that I need to oversee each detail personally. Anything less would be me being lazy or a disservice to my clients.
  

Recognize yourself in any of the above statements?  Not to worry, you're in good company.  I have struggled with all of these and still struggle with some of them.  The process of growing and maturing as a leader and entrepreneur requires constant self-evaluation and the willingness to relinquish certain areas of control.  And then, when you feel you have arrived, you learn that there is even more you can continue to delegate and let go of so that you can focus on tasks that grow your business in better ways.

Good leaders have an element of genuine humility about them. They recognize that they do not know everything, are open to feedback and always continue to seek new opportunities to learn and grow, both personally and professionally.  Good leaders lead by example and treat others as they'd want to be treated.  They respect their team and allow them to have their own opinions, even if they disagree.   Because they surround themselves with talented people and allow each of them to operate in their giftings, good leaders are more flexible and roll with the punches more easily because they are not trying to control or micromanage everything.  Good leaders have more time to focus on the big picture because they allow their staff to handle the day to day production and running of their business.

The number one book on leadership I recommend is one by Henri Nouwen called In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership.  Whether you are a Christian or not doesn't matter, so please keep an open mind and don't write it off because of the title.  This book explains and presents leadership principles in a way that are applicable right away and to any situation.  I am a huge Seth Godin fan (if you hadn't noticed by now), but this book trumps any of the books on leadership that Seth has written.  If you apply the principles Nouwen lays out, again regardless of your religious affiliation, you will notice beneficial changes in how you and your team operate. 

Do You Have a Team or An Entourage?

Working with other people is a part of life.  It happens in every career that I can think of and in the wedding industry it is no different.  Even if you work from a home office, and have a staff of one assistant to help you on the day of events, you still are in the role of working with other people.  This post is written for companies who have more than three people working in them, but it could probably be applicable to anyone.

Many wedding professionals claim to have a team working for them, but what they really have is an entourage.  This distinction is usually directly tied into the owner's leadership style, which we will explore more later.  Here's what I mean by team versus entourage:

Team
A team has a multi-tiered hierarchy, meaning there is an owner, a coach (manager), team captain and then varying roles.  If everyone tries to play goalie, your team is going to be ineffective.  When a team has defined roles and a hierarchy, they can be a powerhouse because each person is operating in their own strength and giftings.  If the owner is out of town, decisions can still be made because there is a coach or captain, or both, who have the freedom to make certain decisions.  A team is able to respect each other as adults and know the boundaries between being close-knit and becoming unprofessionally familiar.  A team knows the difference between being busy and being productive, and automate where needed to cut out busy work.

Entourage
An entourage, on the other hand, has a hierarchy of one.  There is one person who has authority to make decisions and it is generally the owner of the wedding company.  People who work in an entourage generally don't have the freedom to express their opinions in public.  You'll recognize them at industry events, because they never leave their boss's side and barely utter a word.  An entourage may appear to be a team, but they are usually nothing more than a group of employees who are micromanaged and come running whenever the boss snaps their fingers. They may each have titles, but you can never figure out who really does what because the owner has their hands in everything. An entourage is generally never given real responsibility because the owner can never accept the fact that their employees could be better at something than he or she is. An entourage is usually in a flurry because they believe that the more active they are the more productive they are being.

Now from the definitions above it may seem that people working in an entourage would be depressed and miserable in their jobs.  This is often not the case.  Many people working in entourages do so because they genuinely want to work for and learn from their boss.  The issue here however is that many of the owner's poor leadership traits are getting passed down to the employees and the cycle of unproductivity and poor business skills continues.  Entourages also lead to burnout, for all involved.  So what may seem to be working in the short term is often inflicting long term, invisible damage.

Questions:

• Do you have a team or an entourage?
• If it is an entourage, what can you do to make it more of a team? (If it is simply a matter of creating hierarchy structure, I recommend reading and applying the principles in The E-Myth Revisited.)
• How much freedom do each of your employees have within their roles?  How much authority do they have to make decisions without you having to weigh in?
• Would each of them answer the questions above in the same way you did?

Leadership and Teambuilding in the Wedding Industry

Prior to opening my own wedding planning company, I held an executive leadership position at an international non-profit organization.  My job included event planning as well as training volunteer teams who were going into high-stress, war-torn countries to do humanitarian aid.  I learned so much about leadership and team-building while I worked there, both from hands-on experience and from the tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of dollars of intensive training that the organization invested in their executive staff.

As wedding planners and entrepreneurs, many of the same lessons apply.  We are responsible for running an event with many moving parts and many autonomous contributors, who must work as a team even if we don't work together on a daily basis or for the same company.  We are responsible for setting up our businesses in a way that is healthy, both physically and emotionally.  We are responsible for hiring and managing a staff (however large or small) that will promote our respective brands and work together to deliver quality service and products.  And on top of all of that we still have to plan weddings and also have a non work-related life.

This week I'll be sharing some of my observations on how the lessons I've learned on leadership and teamwork apply to the wedding industry and how we can be better at creating systems and companies that allow others to thrive and help us achieve harmony and balance in our lives.  I'll also be asking some tough questions that, if you step back and answer as objectively as possible, may help you see some weak areas that need to be improved or some habits that you need to scrap all together.

I don't have all the answers, but I have endured a series of "pressure cooker experiences" at an early age (some best shared over a glass of wine and not online) and some bumpy roads that have taught me lessons that many don't receive until much later in life.  While I don't wish to repeat any of those experiences or wish them on anyone else, I do want to share what I've learned thus far with you so that we can all be better at what we do.  

Motivational Monday :: Fail in Originality

It's better to fail in originality, than succeed in imitation.
- Herman Melville

Meet the Planners :: Amy Nichols

Name: Amy Nichols

Location: San Francisco, CA

Company Name: Amy Nichols Special Events

Number of Years in Business: 3

Website: amynichols.com

How did you get started in wedding planning? 
I spent years working as a corporate event planner in the financial services industry and was helping friends with weddings on the side -- I didn't really think it was a viable career, but loved doing it and friends turned to me for creative ideas. In my free time, I started interning with celebrity wedding planners when I lived in NYC, and then again when I moved back to California, spending a stint working with two amazing planners in Beverly Hills. I always wanted to go out on my own someday, and as fate would have it, I was laid off for my job working at JPMorgan Chase and decided, now is the time to start my own business. Three years later, here I am!

If you had to start over what one thing would you do differently? 
Not much. I think in general I have a very good business sense - I am SUPER practical and in general pretty conservative when it comes to money. I didn't make too many rookie mistakes like spending money on print advertising (which most planners can't afford), and I still don't have a retail space/office where I meet with brides. I find it is more economical to meet brides elsewhere. In addition, early on I joined the Association of Bridal Consultants which armed me with such good information on how to start my business, and I took as many classes as I could. I also knew that no matter what, I'd need an iron-clad contract and good insurance - both general liability and E and O coverage.

What's your favorite item in your emergency kit? 
I think every wedding I've ever been at, I'm asked for safety pins. They're simple and can fix a myriad of snafus. I also like having bottled water and straws for brides in the event they're parched. All of the tapes (blue tape, duct tape, gorilla tape) can come in handy too. Thankfully I don't have to use them often!

What is the best piece of business advice you've ever received? 
Hmmmm. This is a hard one. I'm going to go back to the best general advice I received from a high school teacher who said, "No matter what, get a degree in English. If you're a good writer, you can do any job". That advice has proven very true to me throughout my career. I am so surprised by how many people who can't write a proper business letter or email. Our image is so important to us as planners, so poorly written correspondence is a big no-no to me.

If I were to give a piece of advice to recent college grads who want to become planners I'd say, whatever you go, get some general job experience in the "real" world before becoming a planner. Work in an office, learn general business propriety, how to write an email, how to behave professionally. You'll meet people that will help you grow as a person and professionally. What newbies don't realize is that often most planners just work on their own or with one other person. Getting some general experience is key to starting your career. I worked in financial services for nine years before starting my own business and would never trade that.

Which two people (past or present) would you have as guests at a dinner party and why?
I'd have to say my dad's father and my mom's mother. Both died before I was born and I would have loved the opportunity to know them.

What are your three favorite blogs besides thesmartplanner.com?
Darcy Miller's The Brides Guide, Weddingbee, and Style Me Pretty.  I've also recently discovered Real Weddings, an Australian wedding magazine. Their website allows you to download (for free) all past issues. Some great stylish ideas there!

{photo courtesy Karina Marie Diaz}

Blogging Workshop Recap

Yesterday was the Winter 2009 Blogging Bootcamp for wedding professionals that I taught. It sold out at 23 attendees, and was the perfect size for fostering conversation and interaction.

The workshop was an all-day, six hour event and while I was preparing for it, I was worried I was going to run out of content. The opposite turned out to be true, and I had to speed through some things to ensure that some of the attendees could catch their flights back home in time.

I was so excited that Jody Taylor-Smith from Good Taste Events in Seattle flew in for the workshop. I met Jody at Engage!08 last June and she is classy, fun and hilarious. We clicked instantly and it was such a treat to see her again:

Pictured here is Heather Tansill from Good Taste Events in Seattle, Dana Dunphy from Once a Bride in Colorado (with a brand new project in the works!), Keri Chantler from Twirl Boutique in Scottsdale and Jennifer Thinnes from Outstanding Occasions in Phoenix: 

Melissa Jill Hester from Melissa Jill Photography:

Cicely Rocha-Miller from Life Design Event Planning, me, and Kelly Ashworth of Kelly Ashworth Design (who was our guest expert last week here on The Smart Planner):

Loren Petrowski of I Do Monday Morning in San Diego, Mary Driscoll King from My Wedding Film (the person responsible for pushing me to really get this workshop off the ground) in the back row, and then Jody Taylor-Smith and Heather Tansill from Good Taste Events in the front:

Keri Chantler of Twirl Boutique - a shop that focuses specifically on bridesmaids. Keri and her business partner, Jenni Hailer, have created Boutique in a Box™ , an innovative concept that allows other women to license their own Twirl Boutique. If you're interested in the retail side of weddings, and want to be involved with an amazing company that services a niche market, you can get more information on their program here.

Kimberly Jarman of Kimberly Jarman Photography hosted us in her beautiful studio and totally saved me by working some Powerpoint magic when my computer wouldn't mesh with hers:

Stuart Thurlkill of Eyes 2 See Photography generously offered to be my "official workshop photographer" (I just made that title up - sounds important, doesn't it?) and I am so glad because it means that there are actually photos to share! Here is another group photo that Melissa Jill took so that Stuart could be in one of them - I'll let you pick him out of the crowd:

From left to right, back row: Melanie Little from Paper Mango, Darby Simon from My Wedding Film and Darby Elizabeth Photography, Heather Tansill from Good Taste Events, Kelly Ashworth from Kelly Ashworth Design, Cindy Wagner from Wagner Photographics, Dana Dunphy from Once a Bride, Jody Taylor-Smith from Good Taste Events. Middle row: Loren Petrowski from I Do Monday Morning, Debbie Orwat from Save the Date Events, Wendy Robinson from Sacred Moment Weddings, Jeanne Birmingham from White Poppy Floral, Cicely Rocha-Miller from Life Design Event Planning, me, Tammie Billey from Largo Photography, Keri Chantler from Twirl Boutique, Kim McDowell from The Event Essentials, Julie Gambrell from Classic Creations. First row: Kimberly Jarman from Kimberly Jarman Photography, Stuart Thurlkill from Eyes 2 See Photography, Carolyn Wells from Carolyn Wells Photography, Emily Edwards from Your Heart's Desire Weddings, Jennifer Thinnes from Outstanding Occasions, Heather Crabtree from Outstanding Occasions, and Mary Driscoll King from My Wedding Film. 

Thanks to everyone who came! I am totally flattered and humbled that you took an entire day out of your busy schedules to hear what I had to say.




{Photos by Eyes 2 See and Melissa Jill}

5 Popular Topics on The Smart Planner

If you're new to The Smart Planner, or just in the mood to reminisce and refresh your memory, here are five of our more popular posts from the past year:


Giving Vendor Recommendations for Day-of Coordination Clients

Selling Wedding Inspiration Boards

Setting Your Standards as a Wedding Planner

Posting Your Prices on Your Website

Using a Block Schedule to Manage Your Time

Which post on The Smart Planner has been your favorite?  Which topics would you like to see more of?

Motivational Monday :: Doing Things Differently

If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten.
- Tony Robbins

Meet the Planners :: Simone Hudson

Name: Simone Hudson

Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Company Name: 5Senses Events Design

Number of Years in Business: 2.5

Website: 5SensesEvents.com

Blog: lilorangebook.blogspot.com

How did you get started in wedding planning?
I started out planning parties in LA and moving into PR events in New York. Weddings are a natural progression for my love of celebrating, living life to the fullest, and being around happy people. My favorite part of a wedding is being the last person the bride talks to before walking down the aisle. It’s a pure and unhurried moment.

If you had to start over what one thing would you do differently?
If I could start over, I would have sought advice from my contemporaries as well as my elders. My contemporaries would be more free-spirited in vision and thought while my elders would have provided the traditional business sense that keeps one grounded.

What's your favorite item in your emergency kit? 
Deodorant, especially in August.

What is the best piece of business advice you've ever received? 
“My goal is to own a business, not to own a job.” - Liene Stevens.  As common sense as that seems, it really spoke to me. Also, you are interviewing your clients as much as they are interviewing you – it has to be the right fit both ways.

Which two people (past or present) would you have as guests at a dinner party and why?
Hmm . . . first the dinner party would have to be on the veranda of a plantation style house near the sea and I would want my grandfather Stephen and my mother, who’s been deceased since I was 5. I would want my mother because I do not remember her and I’d love to see if I am like her. My grandfather- because my mother and I were the apple of his eyes and she died very young and he never saw me past age 12. I’d love for him to see me now.

What are your three favorite blogs besides thesmartplanner.com?
La Tartine Gourmande – J’adore food and traveling!, Once Wed, and Swanky Tables.

{photo by Joanne Bartone Photography}

Engage!09 Scholarship Opportunity

For those of you who may be interested in attending Engage!09 :: Something Blue, Rebecca Grinnals and Kathryn Arce are generously offering one scholarship opportunity to a deserving wedding professional.

Here is more information from the Engage!09 blog which launched yesterday, along with the Engage!09 website:

We recognize that there are many “rising stars” in this amazing industry and want to afford those who may not be in a financial position to attend this event an opportunity to do so.  We’re thrilled to be able to offer a scholarship to one very deserving recipient to attend engage!09 something blue.  This scholarship will cover the $2000 attendance fee and the recipient will be responsible for travel costs and accommodations.

You can click here for more information and for details on how to apply.  The deadline for applications is next Friday, January 23rd and the recipient will be announced on Friday, January 30th. 

Registration opens February 2nd and is limited to 125 attendees. This event will sell out quickly so mark your calendars so you don't forget to be at your computer to register that day!

How to Know When Your Designs Are Overkill

Written by guest expert Kelly Ashworth of Kelly Ashworth Design

How to know when your designs are overkill:

I am a "less is more" kind of gal. So I am a big believer in simplicity when delivering information to potential clients. With that being said, there are a few things you can do to avoid falling into the "design overkill" category.

• Don't over stylize your fonts. You can underline, italicize, or make your fonts bold. Just don't do it all at once. And for the love of all things holy, don't use comic sans!

• Don't use too many "effects". If I see something with a lot of drop shadows, gradients or other special effects, I feel overwhelmed. Practice restraint in your presentation. You wouldn't wear five necklaces, dangly earrings and loads of bangles to a client appointment, would you? (And if you would I ask you to scale back, please).

• ALL CAPS AND LOTS OF EXCLAMATION POINTS ARE NOT NECESSARY TO GET YOUR POINT ACROSS!!!!!!! You are not promoting a monster truck rally. You don't need to shout.

• Don't purchase stock photography or artwork if you've seen it somewhere else before. Stock sites are great resources for images, patterns and graphic elements, but you need to dig deep to find something that fits your needs and hasn't been done to death.

How to Be Consistent in Your Brand Image

Written by guest expert Kelly Ashworth of Kelly Ashworth Design

Consistency in Brand Image

One mistake I see on a fairly regular basis is inconsistency in branding. Just because you're slapping your logo on everything doesn't necessarily mean that it's coming off cohesive and consistent with your audience.

• Are you speaking in the same voice? If your website is written in an upbeat/bubbly tone, don't switch to sarcasm for your brochures.

• Does your logo change with the tides? You need to maintain visual consistency to create brand awareness. If you are creating a logo using typography, avoid "trendy" fonts that you're seeing everywhere else. You may start to look dated in the matter of a season or two.

• Large companies create Branding Guidelines to maintain consistency. Consider doing the same for your business - it should include a list of acceptable colors, sizes and uses. For example, when I worked at La-Z-Boy many moons ago, their branding guidelines called for a specific color to be used for all color ads and printed materials. They had a minimum size requirement to ensure the brand was being promoted successfully. And they issued placement guidelines so that all logos were used in the same area on the page.

• If you need a little inspiration, I would highly recommend any of the Annuals put out by Communication Arts or Print Magazine. You will see award winning campaigns that clearly demonstrate effective branding.

4 Tips for Hiring A Graphic Designer

Written by guest expert Kelly Ashworth of Kelly Ashworth Design

Four things wedding professionals should look for when hiring a graphic designer:

1) In addition to the obvious (referrals and a strong portfolio), I would say one of the most important things would be good chemistry.  If you meet with a graphic designer and walk away feeling any combination of excitement/relief/motivation, you have most likely found a good match.  But not every designer will mesh with your personality, so go with your gut. If you aren't "feeling it", it's probably best that you keep looking.

Also keep in mind that many designers approach your first meeting as a two-sided interview. I'm interviewing potential clients just as much as they are interviewing me. Come prepared, know your business and ask questions.

2) Will this designer be flexible (within reason)? Will you feel comfortable telling this person you don't like their concepts? Are they invested in producing the best work for you?

Ask for references if you haven't been personally referred to a designer.  And when speaking to references, ask about the process as a whole, not only the finished product. Did they meet deadlines? Were there any unexpected costs? Did they set your expectations accordingly?

3) As with anything, beware of a designer who seems overly pushy. Hiring a designer will likely put a dent in your marketing budget, so again - make sure you have a good gut feeling before proceeding.

4)  If you have set a deadline for your designer, please remember that in order to meet this deadline you will need to be prompt with feedback, changes and approvals.  It drives me nuts when a client wants something "yesterday" but will only get back with me once a week.

Introducing Guest Expert Kelly Ashworth

This week the talented Kelly Ashworth of Kelly Ashworth Design will be sharing some advice and tips on hiring a graphic designer as well as marketing and branding as it relates to the design elements you use to promote your wedding planning business.

With a background in advertising, Kelly launched her own company, Kelly Ashworth Design, a multi-faceted graphic arts firm featuring graphic design, web design, and custom invitation and stationery design.  Kelly's graphic design work can be found in such magazines as Arizona Bride, Phoenix Bride and Groom, Desert Living, YES Style, as well as on the refrigerators of wedding guests around the world.

In addition to being an immensely talented professional, Kelly is one of the most genuine, down-to-earth and nicest people you will ever meet.  As if that weren't enough, she is also hilarious and you can follow her on Twitter here.



{Photo courtesy EME Photography}

Motivational Monday :: Avoid the Crowd

"Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece."
- Ralph Charell

The Smart Planner News + Updates

I'm so excited to share that the Winter 2009 Blogging Bootcamp is sold out! If you'd like to sign up to be on the waiting list, you may do so here.

There will be wedding professionals from five states attending, and I am excited to see some familiar faces and meet some new ones.  I will be doing more of these workshops in the future, so be sure that you are subscribed to The Smart Planner (in your fave reader or via email) so you don't miss any updates.

Speaking of social media, here are some other places you can connect with The Smart Planner on the web:

You can follow me on Twitter.  Each week I do a different Twitter-only series (see the right side of The Smart Planner for previous series) that offer short thoughts on different topics.  This coming week's is entitled 'Teamwork' and will focus on groups working together, whether it is with your own staff, with other vendors on a wedding, or in a mastermind/accountability group.  The week following will feature a series called 'Go Big or Go Home' with thoughts on being authentic in business, playing for keeps and having the long-term in mind.

You can join The Smart Planner groups both on Facebook and/or LinkedIn.  Building genuine relationships is one of the keys to long-term sustainability in business and both of these groups allow you to meet other like-minded professionals in the wedding industry.

On the right side of The Smart Planner, you will notice a new feature called On The Calendar, which lists which industry events coming up that I'll be attending and/or speaking at.  Here is some more information on what's on tap so far:

I will be in Indianapolis in April, speaking on the topic of marketing at Eventology 2009, a business conference for wedding planners.  The official website is launching soon, and you can stay tuned for updates on the Eventology blog, as well as follow along with their official Twitter updates and be an Eventology groupie on Facebook.  Early bird registration is now open and you can sign up here.

In June, I will be speaking at Engage!09 :: Something Blue in the Cayman Islands.  This wedding business symposium is for professionals working in the luxury weddings market and is produced by Rebecca Grinnals of Engaging Concepts.  You may remember that Rebecca is one of the two must-follow wedding professionals on Twitter.  The Engage!09 website and blog launch on January 15th and you can also join the Facebook fan page for Engage!09 to receive sneak peek updates and meet other wedding pros as well.  Registration for Engage!09 opens on February 2nd and is expected to sell out fast, so be sure to mark it on your calendars so you don't miss out!

I receive several requests per week inquiring as to whether or not I offer individual mentoring sessions to wedding planners.  The answer is yes, personal mentoring sessions are now a branch of The Smart Planner, and more information can be found here.

Meet the Planners :: Amy Rubins

Name: Amy Rubins



Location: Minneapolis, MN



Company Name: Fête Perfection

Number of Years in Business: 2 years

Website: feteperfection.com

How did you get started in wedding planning?
After conducting insurance fraud investigations for over 25 years, I wanted a friendlier less risky atmosphere within which to work. Since I enjoyed food, wine and cooking I answered an ad for an on-call banquet server at one of the top country clubs in the area. I was quickly promoted to various positions of responsibility and one day the Director of Catering position opened and I took it. After planning many high-end galas and weddings, I struck out of my own for the flexibility to travel with my husband who does a lot of speaking across the country.



If you had to start over what one thing would you do differently?
I would have moved into a studio right away. Although there is added expense, I physically need separation from my work and my home life or I would never turn off and my husband would divorce me.



What's your favorite item in your emergency kit?
My lighters – when it comes time to all the last minute items, there are never enough lighters for all the candle lighting.

What is the best piece of business advice you've ever received? From my husband, just do it…don’t talk about it, make it happen.



Which two people (past or present) would you have as guests at a dinner party and why?
Ronald Reagan and Audrey Hepburn – both for their strong moral compass and their grace under pressure.

What are your three favorite blogs besides thesmartplanner.com? 
So You Want To Be a Banquet Manager, Parisian Party and Lazy Bride’s Blog.

Business Bookkeeping for Wedding Planners

written by guest expert Timothy Gill of The White Box of Wedding Design

QuickBooks Financial Software

With the New Year here, you may have told yourself that this year you want to “do it right” when it comes to keeping track of your business finances. Mixing your personal and business money has gotten confusing and you want to simplify your bookkeeping.

If I have just described your personal situation, I recommend you purchase QuickBooks Financial Software.  I’m sure you’ve heard of it before and you may be intimidated by it, but I have found it to be the best way to keep our company’s finances in order.

With this software you can keep track of every dollar you spend and assign it to a specific category. By doing this, at the end of each month or year, you can look back and know exactly how much you spent on advertising, for example. You can even create sub-categories to be more specific (Advertising-Print or Advertising-PayPerClick).

We also use QuickBooks for keeping track of clients - their contact information, wedding date, the original contracted amount, deposits made, and amount due. If you make a purchase from your own funds on behalf of a client, QuickBooks will automatically keep track of that purchase and it can easily be referenced in a client summary page.

If you bill a client based on the amount of time you spend working on their wedding, you can also keep track of that.

Printing checks is a breeze and we also handle our entire payroll through this program (for an extra fee).

I believe there are about 100 different reports available so you can get quick snapshots of your business such as your cash on hand, what you owe vendors, and what you still have coming from brides.

You may be wondering how complicated the software is and how long will it take you to learn to use it. It is actually quite user friendly with a home page that helps the user navigate in a logical manner. If you have never done any sort of accounting before, you may wish to purchase a tutorial book or try one of the many training options QuickBooks offers.

There is a free version of QuickBooks available for trial which you may want to toy with. I recommend the Pro version ($180) for anyone who provides only planning services, and possibly the Premier version ($400) for those who offer retail items for sale.

We bought our copy of the software from a boutique that was closing right around the time we opened up our studio. I recommend checking Craigslist or the classifieds to see if any businesses are closing in your area that may be offering their copy of QuickBooks for sale at a much cheaper price than retail. Or, it might be a great time to use one of those Office Max coupons they keep sending out.

Introducing Guest Expert Timothy Gill

Timothy Gill and his wife, Monica, own and operate The White Box of Wedding Design in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  The White Box is a boutique studio where brides can come, sip on Perrier and receive expert help during their wedding planning process.

If you have read Bespoke, the White Box blog, you have heard Monica affectionately refer to Tim as the CFO. Tim has a degree in finance and handles all of the financial and legal aspects of their business. He also enjoys teaching others about money and budgeting in both their personal and business lives.

I am thrilled that Tim has agreed to write a few articles related to business finances for The Smart Planner.  Look for his first guest expert article tomorrow and for others coming up.  He also writes a blog called The Dollar Dance, where he candidly discusses financial matters in the hope that people will stop dancing around the topic of money.

If you have financial questions, feel free to post them in the comments.  We can't guarantee that all of them will be answered, but we do want to ensure that we are covering areas that you would like some advice in.

You can follow Tim on Twitter here.

Wedding Photography Raffle to Benefit Charity

emilie inc photography is offering a raffle where the winner will win $5000 worth of wedding photography coverage (including a disc of the digital negatives and Emilie's travel expenses) for any time between now and 2012.

Raffle tickets are $50 each and proceeds benefit Pink Initiative, a non-profit organization comprised of wedding industry professionals and private donors dedicated to funding awareness, outreach, education and research for breast cancer.  Here is some more info:

Even if your booked clients already have a photographer, giving a raffle ticket as a gift to a prospective client at an initial consultation during the coming month would be a great tool in your own marketing efforts.

Anyone is eligible to enter, and they have until Valentine's Day to do so.  To enter, visit the official raffle page at the emilie inc blog.

To learn more about how your company can be involved with the ongoing efforts of Pink Initiative, please click here.

Motivational Monday :: Aiming High

"The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it."
- Michelangelo

Tips on Reading for Business

The only difference between where you are today, and where you'll be a year from today, are the books you read and the people you meet.
- Charlie Jones

My philosophy is that when I make mistakes as a business owner (and yes, that is definitely a when - not if - situation) I want them to at least be new mistakes.  There's no sense in reinventing the wheel and repeating the same errors past entrepreneurs have made.  So if I can learn from their wisdom and stories and apply them to any challenges that come my way, I am going to.  As a result, I try to read about one business-related book per week.  As you can imagine, this takes some discipline, but it is not as daunting a task as it may seem at first.  Here are some tips for including more business-related reading in your workflow:

Set a Goal That Works For You
I am aware that everyone reads at varying speeds, so I know that one book a week may not be realistic for everyone.  If that seems too much for you, make it a goal to read one business-related book per month.  This way by the end of the year you will have read twelve new books that will help shape your perspective and views on business.

Create Room in Your Schedule 
I do listen to e-books in the car and sometimes while working out, but I find that if I try to listen to them while I am working, I don't retain the information as well as I do when reading a printed copy.  In order to have time to actually read, you have to be purposeful about incorporating it into your daily workflow.  The best way that has worked for me is to use the block scheduling method and add a time slot specifically for reading.  It can be for 15-30 minutes each day before you check your email, or just after your lunch break, or whenever works best.  The key is to turn off and unplug from any distractions and be diligent about keeping that time specifically set aside for reading.

Set Up Your Budget To Include Books
You can't read books if you don't plan on having money to buy them.  Create a line item in your business budget to include business and educational books.  Fortunately, reading doesn't have to be expensive, and it will be one of the best investments you make for both yourself and your company.  I have ordered many books through Amazon's used book program at reduced rates, and have even found some of them for as low as 21 cents!  Standard shipping for the used books is $3.99, so you can stock up your business library for less than $5 per book in some cases.  That is the equivalent of a latte at Starbucks.  If you don't want to purchase them, make a standing appointment to visit your local library. 

Last month I asked some of the wedding industry professionals on Twitter to share their favorite business books and beginning Monday on Twitter I will be featuring some of their recommendations, as well as some of mine in a series called "Leaders are Readers".  You can follow along on Twitter here.

Meet the Planners :: Eliana Baucicault

Name: Eliana Baucicault

Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Company Name: By Your Side Events

Number of Years in Business: 2 years

Website: byyoursideevents.com

Blog: blog.byyoursideevents.com

How did you get started in wedding planning? 
After many years planning personal and family events, I started on a journey planning my own wedding. While coming up with ideas for my big day, I was approached by many interested couples for help on their big day. I was fortunate enough to coordinate four weddings before my own and one just a weekend before my nuptials took place. I then decided to take my love of planning and my MBA and put it to great use.

If you had to start over what one thing would you do differently?
If I could start all over I would have taken the time to make sure I had all of my research and documentation ready for my business launch. I had weddings lined up before even having a business name. It takes tons of time doing research and preparing your company's vision to actually make an impact in this industry.

What's your favorite item in your emergency kit?
I have never done an event where I did not use my safety pin as well as scissors.

What is the best piece of business advice you've ever received?
I actually had the pleasure of speaking with the great Sean Low and he made me realize: you can have a target audience but what is your niche?

Which two people (past or present) would you have as guests at a dinner party and why?
I would have to say Liene Stevens of The Smart Planner and Terrica Skaggs from Fabuluxe.  Liene has been a daily inspiration and Terrica has been there for me during times when I least expected it and she is hands down one of the funniest people out there.

What are your three favorite blogs besides thesmartplanner.com?
Do I have to pick only three? I would have to say Southern Weddings, Ross Oscar Knight Photography, and Style Me Pretty.

Simple Way to Keep Old Emails

When it comes to keeping documents I tend to err on the side of "when in doubt, keep it", particularly when it comes to email.  It may be overkill, but in such a litigious society, I'd rather have all my bases covered and be able to pull past documents that have something in writing with a timestamp.  This method can eat up space really quickly, in both the offline and online world, so I'm going to share an easy way to keep all email without using up all your email space.

1) Create a new Gmail account. This account will be solely used as an email storage system, so it needs to be separate from any other email accounts you may currently have. 

2) Set up a rule in Outlook, or whichever email client you currently use, that automatically sends a copy of every new email you receive to this new Gmail account.  This ensures that you have the email both in your main inbox that you check daily as well as in the new gmail account.  Setting up the rule in Outlook automates this process so that it happens with each email received without you having to ever think about it.

3) Set up a rule in Outlook to automatically blind copy (bcc) the new Gmail account on each outgoing message you send.  Again, this sends a copy of your email to the Gmail storage account without you having to think about it or worry about forgetting to manually add the bcc each time. 

4) That's it.  You're done. All emails you send and receive are now automatically copied to a second account where you can access them at any time and you can save hard drive space and keep Outlook clutter free once a project is completed.

I recommend Gmail for this method instead of a Yahoo or Hotmail account for several reasons:

*Gmail is free and can be accessed from any computer, anywhere.  Unlike some of the other free email clients, however, it will not delete your emails due to inactivity.  Hotmail, for example, will delete your entire inbox if it has not been accessed in 30 days.  Yahoo has a similar policy.  Since this method is meant to be used as a storage account, chances are you won't need to check it every month, but you need to know those emails will be there when you do.

*Gmail has the Google search capability built into it.  This is probably the biggest benefit as I personally feel that Google's search tool is the best on the market.  If you've deleted an email from Outlook, but need to access it again months after a wedding or event is over, you can log into your gmail account, type an identifying keyword or two into the search bar, and it will pull it up instantly.  No need to sort through all the emails in the account trying to remember the month or date the email was sent and no need to have a complicated filing system.

*Gmail offers two gigs of free space to start with and the space available increases the longer you have the account.  If you use up all of the free space, and chances are you won't, you can either purchase more or open another Gmail account. 

While I do still recommend having a backup system such as Mozy or Carbonite in place, this method is a free and simple way to access past information quickly without it overwhelming your life or workflow.

Do you keep old emails?  Why or why not?