What inspires you, what challenges you and what have you learned from your
experiences to date?
I am inspired by truly creative people and surroundings - I find that inspiration comes from the most unlikely sources. Something as simple as the textured grain in a piece of leather, or the way a grouping of trees blends together will get my mind going and off to the races. That kind of “thinking” is vital in this business as well as any other creative outlet. You are only as good as your last event...so you might as well reinvent the wheel each time! I am challenged by people and organizations who have the “lemmings off the cliff” mentality. You know - “we’ve always done it this way because so-and-so does”, yada, yada. Please - ring the bell and get off that bus! The reason we have so many wedding “factories” is this very sentiment..but my theory is simple. “When you do what you’ve always done, you get what you’ve always gotten”. In other words - defy mediocracy and step away from the “box”. After 16 years (17 this coming March) in the business of planning weddings and events, one of the most important things that I’ve learned is that you’ve got to be a “soul survivor” if you want to stay in this game. Your heart, your being, your essence has got to be passionate about this field or else you won’t last.......
If you had to start your business over today, what would you do differently and why?
If I had to start it over today - I wouldn’t do anything differently - and here’s why: Way back when, technology was just starting to really explode for small businesses and enterprises - the Internet was ramping up slowly, but surely. Resources that are available now were not during that time period. Wedding planners were starting to come into vogue - but nowhere near the level of saturation our market has now. With these factors in place - I had to learn and actively participate in the building of and growth of my startup. I had to do the hard work, pound the pavement, make face-to-face contact with vendors, companies and individuals who could and would hire me to work with them. In short, I had to make myself “present” for anything I needed to happen. I couldn’t hide behind a technological “veil”...I had to show up. That is the one factor which I feel is missing today. Technology is used to “mask” or “elaborate” versus the notion of making human contact. In business - to be truly successful, what you know is great. WHO you know is better.
If there is one tip that you can pass on to other vendors, what would it be?
Oh - this is simple. Follow the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” If more people, especially in this industry, would understand and adhere to that mantra - we’d be a lot better off!
What is once change you have successfully implanted within your business that has allowed you to better navigate the current recession?
I didn’t lower my prices - I raised them. I’m not a fan of “slash & burn” or “discount pricing”. When you do that - it’s gonna be dang skippy hard for you to recover your business footing and reputation once the current economic crisis has dissolved. And contrary to all of the naysayers out there - it will pass. I preach this constantly - if you discount your services, were they worth the amount you were charging in the first place? Your cost of doing business - is your cost of doing business. Nothing changes - you still have a mortgage/landlord to pay, you still have marketing/advertising bills, you still have supplier invoices, you still have staffing & payroll, you still have a car note & insurance.....so why would you reduce your recognizable revenue stream? If you think you’ll get more business because you’ve cut your fees in ½ or 25% - whatever, you are halfway correct. Yes - your phone and email may indeed “blow up”, but it’s not going to be the kind of business or client you may want. People who select a vendor by price alone aren’t
generally looking for quality or value - they just want something cheap. And they will suck every ounce of patience, good will and professionalism out of you.
Here’s the “dish” - once things turn around, and consumer spending/confidence have returned to more “normal” levels...you are going to have a difficult time bringing your pricing back to “prerecession” rates. People are going to remember that you only charged $500 a little while ago and you’re going to have to “justify” why that same service is now $2000. Yeah - that’s not a conversation I feel like having...neither should you.
How do you see the industry evolving over the next few years?
Because I believe the market is truly over saturated - I think we’ll see a “correction” in the wedding & special events industry. Everyone and his mother is now a wedding planner, designer, photographer, videographer, florist...the list goes on. Many of these newer entrants to the game are former brides/grooms, friends, etc. who thought putting together their shindig was “super fabulous” and now they are confident they can do it for everyone else. This level of novice and hobbyist makes it tough for the true-blue professionals, however, we have something they don’t - experience and knowledge of our craft. That learning curve is amazingly important in the grand scheme of it all. Our abilities allow us to drop on a dime and put out fires quickly when stuff happens...and not stand there looking like deer caught in the proverbial “headlights”........
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