Motivational Monday :: The Predictability of Luck

"I've found that luck is quite predictable. If you want more luck, take more chances. Be more active. Show up more often."
- Brian Tracy

How to Set Up Automatic Payments with PayPal

Written by guest expert Terrica Skaggs of Fabuluxe Inc.

Before we get into Terrica's guest post, I just want to let you know that you can now follow her on Twitter under ChicWeddingGeek for tips and advice on all things tech related to your wedding business.


How to Set Up Automatic Payments with PayPal 

PayPal is one of the most popular and widely used payment processors in online retailing. If you are looking to accept payment via credit cards or online checks, it can be the answer to your prayers. Streamlining your online PayPal experience makes it all the better. You can set up a system to bill your clients automatically, without having to do anything on either one of your behalves.

In order to do this, you will need to set up a business account with PayPal. In doing so, you allow PayPal to charge you a nominal fee for processing your payments. The rates are lower than other online processors and physical merchant systems. Don't worry - you can claim these fees on your taxes, instead of unethically or illegally passing them to your clients. If you haven't set up a PayPal account before, you will need to confirm your account with your bank account and credit card.

First, Bill Your Client for Their Retainer
At the endorsement of your client's contract, they will need to submit their retainer to your company. Since this will be a lump sum, you will need to bill this separately to your client. Simply invoice your client through PayPal's Invoicing Tool or if you use Outlook, you can use the PayPal plugin to invoice them directly from an email message.

Second, Allow Your Client to Subscribe to Their Payments
Per your agreement, at the time of your client's next payment date, you should establish the beginning of their payment subscription. This will work best when the remaining payments are broken up into equal payments. For example, if the client's contract is for $1000, the retainer can be $500 and the remaining amount to be billed is $500. You could opt to bill the client $100 for the next five months.

Click on the Merchant Services tab, and then the Website Payments Standard link. You will be creating a subscription button (or link) for your client. Fill out the form accordingly based on your agreements, remembering to cease billing on the date that you wish to receive your last payment.

Following these steps will allow you to set up recurring payments for your contracts. Depending on how web savvy you are, you can have a "hidden" page at your site to handle all of your payments, using HTML with custom buttons, menus and forms.

Terrica is the resident tech guru for The Smart Planner and will be sharing tips and advice on all things tech each Thursday. Have a tech question for Terrica? Shoot us an email at info{at}thesmartplanner.com with Tech Guru in the subject line and we will try to answer it here. Follow Terrica on Twitter at ChicWeddingGeek for tips on all things tech related to your wedding business.

Meet the Planners :: Ivy Robinson

Name: Ivy Robinson

Location: Charlotte, NC

Company Name: Ivy Robinson Weddings and Events

Number of Years in Business: 6

Website: ivyrobinson.com

How did you get started in wedding planning?
By default! I was interning at CNN in Atlanta and my friend was one of the event planners for Microsoft. We both moved back to Raleigh, NC and she hired to be the creative partner for a linen/event company that was a family business. From there I learned all the aspects of planning events and mixed it with my design background and voila! I became a wedding planner.

If you had to start over what one thing would you do differently?
I reflect back to the day I left a salary job and jumped into the wedding planning scene full time. At times I would think, "what the hell did I just do, am I crazy?!?" I had no business plan, and just worked hard and still work hard today. I wouldn't change a thing!

What's your favorite item in your emergency kit?
Mints! It never fails . . . right before the ceremony the bride and/or groom always ask for a mint. They want fresh breath for that first smooch as Mr. and Mrs.!

What is the best piece of business advice you've ever received?
Missy McLamb, who is a photographer and a savvy business lady that I admire, once told me to find my weakness and fill that void in my company. When I started my company, my philosophy was a quote I once read : "If you do what you love and love what you do, you'll never work another day in your life."

What two people (past or present) would you have as guests at a dinner party and why?
Without a doubt, I would have Jackie Kennedy Onassis at my dinner party! I have always loved her style and sense of fashion.

Katie Couric - I used to want her job on the Today Show before I became a wedding planner! I think we would have lots of laughs . . . it would be an entertaining dinner party for sure.

What are your three favorite blogs besides thesmartplanner.com?
dailycandy.com, asksheshe.com, and Southern Weddings

Motivational Monday :: The Pace of the Future

"The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time."
- Abraham Lincoln

Meet the Planners :: Melissa DiStefano

Name: Melissa Margarita DiStefano

Location: Gainesville, Florida

Company Name: MasterPiece Weddings

Number of Years in Business: 14

Website: MasterPieceWeddings.net

Blog: Adventures in Wedding Planning, Be a Planner, Let’s Eat Cake!

How did you get started in wedding planning?
It’s sort of a funny story, I assisted a wedding planner while in High School, and she was the epitome of everything you DO NOT want to be as a wedding planner. She was feared and scary! I vowed to never be a wedding consultant if that is what it meant to be in this industry. When I moved away to go to school at The University of Florida (Go! Gators!) I assisted a fabulous couple that are wedding photographers – loved them! They taught me everything right about the wedding industry! I had a family emergency and moved back home for about a month and when I came back my job was filled. So, I got a job assisting another wedding photographer – complete 180! He was mean, and terrible – I worked 20 hour days and got paid $25 (for the whole day)! I came home from one August wedding, it was 102 degrees outside - I was exhausted, had sweat in places I didn’t know you could sweat in, and my poor husband had waited up for me. I walked into the front door and laid down – started to cry and said “I might as well just become a freakin’ wedding planner!” as he stumbled over me on his way to bed, he said “well, then just do it” – the rest is history.

If you had to start over what one thing would you do differently? 
I try not to think too much about changing what I’ve already done. But I certainly would have taken more stock in myself, learned more from my mistakes in the beginning and really heeded the advice given to me early on. I was young when I first started wedding consulting; I thought I knew everything, but I had a lot to learn.

What's your favorite item in your emergency kit? 
Pins. Safety Pins - I think we use them for everything: fixing dresses, table linens, tuxedo’s, jewelry repair.

What is the best piece of business advice you've ever received? 
When you start to get to busy, double your prices. I thought he was crazy when he said it, but in reality I should have done it much sooner. You’ll have half the clientele, and the same money. In my case, I had to more than triple my prices. But that first hike was hardest!

Which two people (past or present) would you have as guests at a dinner party and why? 
I am going to stick with past . . . first, would certainly be my Grandfather, Sidney.  He passed away a number of years ago now, and I feel there is so much more I wanted to learn from him. One of my biggest regrets in life is not taking his dancing lessons seriously. I miss him so much! The second would have to be my sister-in-law Autumn.  She passed away at 21.  There are so many things that I’d like to talk with her about, I would have loved to be there for her more, and give her a bit more guidance. She certainly left us too soon.

What are your three favorite blogs besides thesmartplanner.com? 
Gosh, there are so many that I love! Okay, this is definitely the hardest question - Bespoke, Weddex, Southern Weddings (although there are so many more.)

Decluttering Your Office + Your Mind

Yesterday I spent the day with Faith, a woman (and a great friend) who specializes in image consulting for politicians and businesswomen.  Faith is great at streamlining and getting things done and I knew I needed her help.  Yesterday we tackled my closet and wardrobe.  Her goal is to create 100 outfits out of clothes you already own and then pare down the rest, only adding pieces where needed.

My situation was a little different.  We took a hatchet to my wardrobe, donated almost all of it to a woman's shelter, went shopping for some key things and now almost all of my clothing is on less than fifty hangers in my closet.  This may seem unfathomable for some, and trust me, we laughed about it all day, but having a streamlined wardrobe feels fantastic.  If you're in Arizona, you can hire Faith to do a similar overhaul for you.  It is money well spent and you won't regret it.

I was so inspired by my new closet that I took the same approach to the bane of almost every wedding planner: magazines.  Yes, flipping through wedding and fashion magazines is all in a day's work for any bridal consultant, but the stacks can quickly add up, increasing both office and mental clutter.  If you're anything like me, you have about a dozen of the cute magazine holders from Ikea gracing your shelves and they're busting at the seams with copies of both domestic and international wedding magazines.  Do we really need all of these on hand on the off-chance that the one we haven't flipped through cover-to-cover contains the winning cake design for the bohemian-chic client we may potentially have in the Fall of 2010?  Hint: the answer is no.

Here are some things to keep in mind as you sort through your own magazine collection:

• If it's more than 2-3 seasons old, toss it.  Wedding magazines tend to focus on trends and not the classics, and chances are that the once-fresh ideas in the magazine will be outdated or overdone or both.  If there was an article or photo that particularly inspired you, tear it out and scan it so that you have access to it on your computer.  
• If you have a studio space or wedding library that brides can peruse, keep the last 2-3 seasons and organize the rest in binders.  Purchase some pretty three-ring binders from See Jane Work (you can also find some cute ones at Target on occasion - but stock up when you do - they don't last long there) and some clear plastic sleeves.  Insert the magazine clippings of the photos you love into the sleeves and voila! You now have all the best inspiration on hand for your clients and the rest of the magazine can be recycled.  I recommend organizing these binders by subject: cakes, bouquets, centerpieces, tablescapes, etc.
• If you are too sentimentally attached to your magazines or are having trouble being objective, bring in a friend to help you.  Again if you're in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, Faith can help with this too.  
  

Every time your eye sees something it has to mentally process it.  Clutter - even organized clutter - takes up mental space that could be better spent focused on something else.  Letting go of what you don't need (and trust me, you really don't need much) will help you channel your energy onto important projects.

Mammoth Men Charity Raffle Winner!

Congratulations to Lara Casey and the ladies at Bliss Event Group and Southern Weddings for winning the prize we donated for the Mammoth Men charity raffle!

The prize was a seat at The Smart Planner Blogging Bootcamp in the city of your choice.  You can view a full list of cities on The Smart Planner Workshops website.  Simply shoot me an email at workshops{at}thesmartplanner.com with the city you'd like to attend in and I will get you on the list!

Motivational Monday :: Courage

"Those who lack courage will always find a philosophy to justify it."
- Albert Camus

Meet the Planners :: Elizabeth Bailey

Name: Elizabeth Bailey

Location: Maryland

Company Name: Elizabeth Bailey Weddings and Events

Number of Years in Business: 23

Website: elizabethbaileyweddings.com

Blog: elizabethbailey.blogspot.com

How did you get started in wedding planning? 
Shortly after I got married, my family’s business in which I was employed was sold so I was looking for a new career. I had looked for a wedding planner to help me when I was engaged and there were no planners in my area. It wasn’t that I had any great interest in weddings, I simply figured there was a need to be met and I took a certification class in New York and “became” a wedding planner.

If you had to start over what one thing would you do differently? 
I can’t think of anything I would have done differently. As it turns out, there were a lot of things I did in the early years of my business that were beneficial. For example, in order to stay busy, I went to work for an event florist as a second job. The florist did all the very high end Jewish weddings in town and I learned more in those couple of years than I could have ever imagined. I know more about Jewish weddings than most of my Jewish clients and I can name just about any flower. I also got the opportunity to work in every high end venue in town and got to know the staff there.

What's your favorite item in your emergency kit?
Although I reach for all types of pins the most, I love my tailor’s chalk and Hollywood Fashion tape.

What is the best piece of business advice you've ever received? 
There are really three pieces of advice I live by:
1) Mind your own “business”.
2) Even if you are on the right track, you have to keep moving forward or you will get run over.
3) Work as if everything depends on you and pray as if everything depends on God.

Which two people (past or present) would you have as guests at a dinner party and why? 
Thomas Jefferson would be my first choice as a dinner guest. In addition to being the 3rd president of the United States, he was a farmer, a governor, a vintner, a lawyer, an architect, an author, an inventor and the founder of the amazing University of Virginia. I would hope the dinner would be at Monticello!

My second choice for a dinner guest would be Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. As first lady she was a symbol of fashion for women all over the world as she brought a French influence to the White House not only clothing, but in food (a French chef) and interior décor (with a French interior decorator). She was stylish and chic and one of the most influential women in fashion. When she was in her mid-forties (and twice widowed) she re-invented herself as a book editor. When she died I remember part of the statement her son John read to the media: “She did it her own way and on her own terms and we all feel lucky for that”. Her wedding dress and that of her daughter-in-law’s are probably the most famous wedding dresses in the world for their simplicity, elegance and sophistication.

What are your three favorite blogs besides thesmartplanner.com? 
I totally stalk elementsofstyleblog.com and also love habituallychic.blogspot.com and tastefullyentertaining.blogspot.com. There are dozens of blogs on my Google Reader that I follow each day.

How to Use Google Apps :: Part 2

Written by guest expert Terrica Skaggs of Fabuluxe Inc.

Conversations and Stars
At first glance, it appeared that Jane received less email now that she made her transition.  This is because Google Apps email uses the conversation feature.  All emails related to a single subject are now grouped together, regardless of the number of replies.  Jane finds this most helpful if she needs to back track over a specific detail discussed with a caterer or client, without having to scour through thousands of emails.  If she would like to keep a specific email to the forefront, she can "star" an email.  To easily access it later, she simply clicks on the "Starred" link on the left hand side to access all of her starred emails".  Again, no more sifting through emails to find something specific.  

The Canned Response
Far different from the autoresponder, you can use a “canned response” to send to clients, vendors, prospects, etc. , right from the Compose Mail window. For example, Jane has a typical follow up response she sends to potential clients that contact her for more information. Instead of typing the same email repeatedly, or leaving it to sit in a draft box, she uses the Canned Response feature. This allows her to input any number of frequently used responses to enter into her emails at any time. Of course, she is always able to edit them at her leisure. To set this up, Jane goes to the Settings link and then the Labs tab.

There are other great features/tweaks in the Labs section. Here are some of my favorites:
The New Offline feature-- You can access your mail and your mail's features through your browsers, even when you are offline.

Tasks feature -- If you find yourself with your email window open, having your To Do list front and center is most helpful.

Superstars! -- If you receive a lot of email that you want to keep track of, Superstars! allows you to keep those emails at the forefront, but categorized by different stars.

Signature tweaks -- Puts your signature above the quoted text in a reply email.

Forgotten Attachment Detector -- It looks for wording in your email that implies that you are attaching a file and reminds you when there is no attachment to your email before you send.

Custom Label Colors -- Phenomenal.  Makes for easy, visual label recognition.

Take some time to master using your new Google Apps email system.  In a few weeks, we'll revisit Jane and see how she is doing and introduce you to some other features of the Google Apps system.

Terrica is the resident tech guru for The Smart Planner and will be sharing tips and advice on all things tech each Thursday.  Have a tech question for Terrica?  Shoot us an email at info{at}thesmartplanner.com with Tech Guru in the subject line and we will try to answer it here. 

How to Use Google Apps :: Part 1

Written by guest expert Terrica Skaggs of Fabuluxe Inc.

So, now that we have you set up with Google Apps, exactly what are you supposed to do now? It feels like Gmail. It looks like Gmail. The only difference is that now, you can access your company email online. So how can we make this more user-friendly and beneficial?

To help me illustrate our Tech examples, I would like for you to meet Jane. Jane will be our hypothetical wedding planner eager to make her communications much more simple and efficient. Say hi to Jane. Thank you.

The Auto-Responder
Jane will now set up four accounts for her domain, janedoeevents.com. At her Google Apps dashboard, she will add the following accounts: jane@, staff@, blog@, and payment@, all as separate email accounts. Jane then logs into her account as staff@janedoeevents.com. Under the settings, Jane can set her vacation responder as her autoresponder for this account.

The Turn-Key Email System
To eliminate the need of logging in and out of separate accounts to check her email, Jane chooses to use her jane@ account as the "catch all" for all of the above accounts. To do this, she logs into her jane@ account and clicks on “Settings”. She then clicks on the “Get mail from other accounts” to add her additional company websites. She should also be sure to click the other link under Settings which says “Send mail as…” This will allow her to receive email from all of her company emails and send mail from those company emails—all from her one jane@ account. No more logging in to multiple accounts to check email!

Labels
Unlike other email programs, Google Apps email does not have a folders feature.  Instead, it uses a robust filtering system.  To keep track of everything is sent to her and to be able to locate it easily later, Jane uses the labeling feature of Google Apps. Jane can click on the Settings menu, and go to the Labels tab to begin creating her labels. There are different filters that she can use to give each email a label. For example, Jane chooses to have a label attached to all emails sent to the staff@ account for easy recognition. To assist her with keeping up with client communications, she creates a label for each of her current clients, and uses the filter system to attach those labels to their emails. When a vendor related to a client sends her an email about their event, she simply labels that with the client’s label. That way, whenever she searches for emails related to that particular label or client—everything she has attached to it will come up.  (Because Jane is super resourceful, she uses different color labels for easy, visual identification)  You can also assign different labels to one email-- so if Jane discusses two different client events with a photographer, she can label them with the client A's and B's assigned labels.  The email will then show up in both client's search if Jane needs them later.

Win a Seat at a Blogging Workshop!

The Mammoth Men (made up of 12 wedding and portrait photographers including a great friend here in Arizona, Matt Sloan) are on version 4 of their now infamous mancations and The Smart Planner is a sponsor this time around.

They are currently doing a raffle to benefit two awesome causes - Stoked Mentoring and Yele Haiti - and one of the prizes is a seat at The Smart Planner Blogging Bootcamp in the city of your choice.  If you've already signed up for the workshop, you'll get a full refund on your registration if you win the raffle.

You can check out the raffle here and purchase tickets ($10 each) and you can live vicariously through their Spring Break on the rest of the Mammoth Men blog.  You can also follow them on Twitter here.

Motivational Monday :: No Short Cuts

"There are no short cuts to any place worth going."
- Beverly Sills

How to Switch Your Email to Google Apps

Written by guest expert Terrica Skaggs of Fabuluxe Inc.

In the world of vast amounts of applications that you could use to keep in contact with your clients - are you currently using the right choice for you and your business? Your choice should be based on usability, interface and the many benefits it could provide in easing your workload. I was a die hard MS Outlook fan as it had all of the functions I needed: email, RSS reader, calendar and contacts. I couldn't imagine switching over to anything else.

Then, Google Apps happened.

It needs to be noted that running your business account through a free Gmail account is not the same thing. I had tried this intially, but felt that if my clients were paying me thousands of dollars, having "on the behalf of gmail.com" when receiving emails from me or my staff was inexcusable. For that reason, I moved grudgingly moved back to Outlook. However, when my PST file crashed for the umpteenth time, I knew I had two options: burn my laptop in a crazed, obscenity-laced fervor, or research some other options. That other option was Google Apps. (For the purpose of this post, we will only introduce the email feature of Google Apps. There are other many ways to incorporate the other offerings of Google Apps into your business).

With Google Apps, you can run all of your email accounts through Google's fast and dependable program. While it isn't a software program per se, you do have the option of the new Offline feature. Additionally, you benefit from Google's 99.9% uptime as well as email features such as labeling, starring, and more.

To begin, you need to have access to where your email is currently hosted (not where you purchased it, but where you actually set up your email accounts). You must be able to change the DNS records for your email's accounts. This is imperative if you want to set up Google Apps correctly. Fill out the brief form and you are almost done.

Once you have completed the form, you are introduced to your new dashboard. This could (and should be) the new hub for your online workspace. Click on the email link to add different addresses to your account. For example, you may have an address for PR, prospects, members of your staff or your blog (pr@, blog@, etc). You will now be able to manage them all with the power of Google. It is strongly suggested that you add these accounts first.

Next, you will have to change some tech stuff like MX and/or DNS records where you currently email host your email, but it is very quick and painless. For security purposes, you will also have to verify that you own the domain for which you are setting up. Don't let this scare you - these are very easy things to change. The benefits, however, outweigh the time to get setup. This becomes extremely helpful if you have a staff and want to make sure that they have full access to their email. Instead of using programs like Outlook or going a bulky route of routing your business email through Gmail, now your staff members can go to http://mail.yourdomain.com and login to receive their email. And guess what: no more "Jane Doe Events on behalf of janedoe@gmail.com" showing up in your clients' and vendors' boxes. Instead, they will see an email that comes from your business domain.

I didn't think I would be able to function without Outlook, as well as having to deal with a strictly online email client. Today, however, I can say it is the best choice I have ever made and has increased the productivity of myself and my staff. In the next segment, we will talk about real life practical uses of the Google Apps email feature and integrating it into your business.

Terrica is the resident tech guru for The Smart Planner and will be sharing tips and advice on all things tech each Thursday.  Have a tech question for Terrica?  Shoot us an email at info{at}thesmartplanner.com with Tech Guru in the subject line and we will try to answer it here.

Meet the Planners :: Wendi Hroncich

Name: Wendi Hroncich

Location: Seattle, WA

Company Name: Ethereal Events

Number of Years in Business: 4

Website: etherealevents.com

Blog: weddingplanningwithetherealevents.blogspot.com

How did you get started in wedding planning?
After graduating from college I decided that I did not want to move to Los Angeles and try to become a film actor, which had been my plan for the previous four years. I was bartending at a high end restaurant and did not like it very much, so to move to LA and continue to do so with the hope and a prayer of making it as an actor did not sound good to me. I read an article that featured wedding and party planners as the new and upcoming professions. The idea of planning parties for a living sounded wonderful! I started talking about it at work, and found out that my bar manager was a professional DJ and pianist. He gave me the contact information for a few planners he respected who may have been looking for an assistant or apprentice. My business partner was looking to transfer her business over to someone when she became a mom, so it was a perfect fit. I knew nothing of the industry except that I loved attending weddings. I knew this was not enough to be sure it was the carer for me or successful in the industry. I took the opportunity she was presenting me slowly and with great care. I apprenticed with her for a year, then became her assistant for a year, finally a partner in the company, and now owner of our/my company.

If you had to start over what one thing would you do differently?
I would not be so timid. When I first started with Ethereal Events I didn't take full advantage of the introductions or opportunities offered to me in fear of stepping on my mentor's toes. I didn't have the confidence or knowledge I have now, and I regret not being more true to my personality. Fake it until you make it means more to me now!

What's your favorite item in your emergency kit?
This one is tough. I'm torn between the practical items that get so much use like my sewing kit and fashion tape or double satin ribbon and double stick tape. I think I have to go with ribbon and double stick tape. I love adding just a little accent to places that could use a little color. Whether that be the brides maids bouquet cylinders or candy buffet jars a little colored satin ribbon adds a finishing detail; and double stick tape makes it so clean and easy. I love the person who thought of double stick tape! It's amazing.

What is the best piece of business advice you've ever received?
My mom always instilled how important it was to follow your dreams and pursue your passions in the life you choose. This translated into business advice when she said, "If you love what you do it will never feel like work." I have found this to be true. I am not always sure how I was going to make it all work, but I LOVE what I do. When I am with a couple or meeting with vendors it often doesn't feel like work. I feel like I am meeting with friends and having a wonderful time. Every day I try to create my dream and continue to following my passion.

Which two people (past or present) would you have as guests at a dinner party and why?
I would love to sit down with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and my father. I think I could learn a lot from both guests about myself and how to be the person I want to be.

I have so much admiration for Jackie's style and grace. She is an icon in fashion as well as a beautiful, powerful woman. She lived a very public life and maintained an elegance I strive to have.

My father could teach me a lot about my roots and his dreams for me. I lost my father at a young age and never really got to know him. I would love the opportunity to get to sit down and talk to him, really get to know who he was/is. I think he would also really enjoy the other company at the party!

What are your three favorite blogs besides thesmartplanner.com?
Being from Seattle I love: What Junebug Loves, as well as Earth Friendly Weddings, and Totally Tabletops.

Blogging Workshop in San Francisco

I am excited to announce that details have been finalized for The Smart Planner Blogging Bootcamp in San Francisco and you can register here!  The workshop will be on April 29th at Hotel Monaco.  Special thanks to Ashley at Creative Events by Ashley for helping make this workshop happen!

You can find a workshop in a city near you by checking out the speaking calendar in the right column of this blog. 

Motivational Monday :: Managing Your Time

It has been my observation that most people get ahead during the time that others waste time.
- Henry Ford