Any wedding pro knows—getting a business up and running is one thing (and it’s certainly an accomplishment worth celebrating!), but building a profitable, growing business is another. If you’ve hit the five-year mark and find yourself stuck in a bit of a rut, chances are there are some moves you need to make to propel your brand further and climb your way out of that plateau. Today, then, we’re breaking down 5 things every wedding planner should invest in after being in business for five years. Read on for our top picks for smart, strategic, brand-building investments.
1. A Brand Refresh
From the clients you’re taking on to your overall stylist preferences, chances are a number of things have changed since you first founded your business. You’re likely not the same person or business owner you were five years ago—and you may not even offer the same services you once did. Taking the time to invest in a refreshed (or even a completely overhauled) branding strategy is one of the best moves you can make at this point. From refreshing your brand look-and-feel to updating your website, invest in redefining your brand to make sure it speaks your ideal client and communicates the quality of your work. The story you’re telling should reflect who you are today—not who you were five years ago.
2. Business Management Tools
The five-year mark is the perfect time to reassess your workflow—and there’s no better way to streamline your processes than with the right business management tools. If you haven’t yet invested in a project management platform that organizes your contracts, invoices, and workflow all in one place, it’s time to do so. You may even want to consider hiring a CPA to take care of your bookkeeping and taxes. Streamlining your administrative tasks through the implementation of outsourced professionals and smart business management tools frees you up to spend more time on marketing and business development—two things that are worth their weight in gold when it comes to growing a profitable business.
3. Wedding Planning Tools
While we’re on the topic of your precious time—and spending it wisely—wedding planning tools are essential for freeing up your time so you can focus on brand-building tasks. After five years in business, chances are you have your planning process down pat—but if you’re still recreating things like checklists and timelines from-scratch for every client, it’s time to do yourself a favor and start working from customizable, intuitive templates. Timeline Genius is a perfect example of this—it’s a great investment that allows planners to generate, customize, revise, and send out wedding timeline templates faster than ever before. (Hear that? It’s your to-do list thanking you.)
4. Your Professional Education
Listen—we know as much as the next wedding pro that building a business often requires burying yourself in it. But, if you’ve come up for air five years later and don’t exactly recognize the industry around you, it’s probably a good idea to make an investment in your professional education. Keeping up on trends via Instagram and wedding blogs is one thing—but knowing the ins-and-outs of the industry, having an awareness of all of the amazing wedding planning tools and business management tools at your disposal, and growing a creative network is another. If you’re feeling like you could use some reconnection and an industry refresher, wedding planner workshops and networking events are great places to start.
5. Marketing Your Wedding Planning Business
Comfort is great (we can feel ourselves sinking into the couch with a great glass of wine as we speak)—but, if you’re hoping to take your business to the next level, it’s time to get out of that comfort zone and get back to the grind. Marketing your brand is always a wise thing to invest in—but this is especially true after you’ve been in business for a while. Don’t let complacency get the best of you—no matter how successful your business is now or how comfortable you may be with things, if you feel your brand has bigger and brighter accomplishments ahead, it’s time to hustle. You’re in business to make money, after all—and that can’t happen without consistent, strategic marketing efforts.
Overall, from business management tools to wedding timeline templates, there are so many smart investments you can make to take your brand to the next level at this point. It’s all about redefining your brand story, investing in tools that free you up to spend more time on important tasks, and never forgetting the importance of a good hustle. Cheers, planners and pros, to a brand that gets better with time!
Want even more pro tips for building your wedding-planning business? Browse the rest of the Timeline Genius blog.
