Category: Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 099: Kelly Ann Peck Talks You Through Connection-Building Sales Tactics

By Erin Giberson on

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It’s a lesson learned during the pandemic that still rings true.

Today’s world may be digital, but you can’t underestimate in-person interactions in building relationships.

Kelly Ann Peck is the founder of Emerson Reese Creative, which provides business sales coaching for creative entrepreneurs and event professionals. With over 23 years of event industry and sales experience, Kelly’s track record includes generating over 15 million in sales and working with over 400 couples. She also produces the annual Strategic Business Planning Retreat and is a speaker at this year’s The Signature CEO Conference. 

In this episode, Kelly pinpoints the intersection of sales and special events to share her key connection-building methods. In particular, she emphasizes the value of figuring out what works best for you as well as drawing inspiration from what you enjoy doing.

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Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 098: Peggy Kelley Shares How to Create Work-Life Integration

By Erin Giberson on

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Ever feel like your business owns you and not the other way around? 

If you want to flip it, tune in: today’s guest empowers you to first design your life and then adapt your business to fit it.

Peggy Kelley is the owner of Timeless Celebrations, a full-service design and production company. Based in South California, Peggy has over 34 years of industry experience in hospitality, production, non-profit development, and entrepreneurship. Her background includes restaurant management for the Hamburger Hamlet chain and catering management for both Walt Disney Studio and The Huntington. Additionally, she is a frequent speaker and educator for The Special Event and The David Tutera Experience. She is also the creator and host of Late Nite Bride.

In this episode, Peggy draws on her industry and entrepreneurial success to share what you can do to practice an abundance mindset, get clarity about your desires, and develop community over competition.

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Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 097: Carissa Kruse Walks You Through Creating A Lead Generation Funnel

By Erin Giberson on

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When you’re growing your business, it’s tempting to put ads in all the places you think you should. Facebook. Pinterest. Wedding websites. 

But before you direct people to your site, everything else needs to be fine-tuned. Or it’s money wasted.  

That’s why this episode will help you make sure you have the right foundation in place first.

Carissa Kruse is the founder of Weddings by Carue, a multi-state wedding business that offers couples a range of photography, videography, photo booth, and DJ services, as well as invitations. Notably, Weddings by Carue is the winner of WeddingWire’s Couples Choice Award and The Knot’s “Best of Weddings” for six consecutive years (2016-2021).  Carissa is also the owner of Carissa Kruse Weddings, which provides education, resources, and coaching for wedding pros and entrepreneurs in the wedding industry. Additionally, she is a sought-after industry speaker who has been featured in numerous publications, including COSMOPOLITAN, Forbes, The Knot, Rent My Wedding, and WeddingWire.

In this episode, Carissa shares the marketing tactics that you need to use in order to scale your business.  Specifically, she walks you through the steps to create a funnel that attracts the leads you want.

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Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 096: Brittny Drye Shares the Right Way to Submit Your Work and Get Published

By Erin Giberson on

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You know getting your work published is a big deal. But how do you make it happen? Fortunately, this expert has the answer. 

Brittny Drye is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Love Inc., an equality-minded wedding blog and print publication that creates inclusive content for hetero and LGBTQ+ couples. Her thought-leadership has been recognized by The New York Times, Forbes, The Washington Post, Refinery29, OUT Magazine, The Advocate, and Cosmopolitan, among others.

She is also a nominated industry speaker and educator. Currently, she serves as the VP of Marketing for The National Gay Wedding Association. And, on top of these many accomplishments, she hosts Inclusively Yours, an LGBTQ-inclusive podcast.

In this episode, Brittny breaks down exactly what you should know and do in order to get your work featured in wedding publications. Additionally, she gives you a 15% discount on an annual subscription for The Love List when you use INSIDER15. 

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Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 095: Jordan Kentris Explains How to Mine the Data for Your Ideal Client Personas

By Erin Giberson on

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To get the best results for your business, you need to make sure you’re talking to the right person. That is to say, your ideal customer. To do that, you need to know your client personas, which today’s guest is here to talk about.

Jordan Kentris is the founder and owner of A Good Day, a boutique design firm providing hand-crafted wedding invitations and stationery. A UX designer by trade, he also helps business owners develop their branding through research, logo design, audits, and additional branded elements.

Recently, BizBash recognized him as one of the Most Innovative People in 2020. Jordan was also a finalist for the NACE One Awards for 2020 Industry Innovator of the Year.  

In this episode, Jordan talks about how to get the most out of working with a stationer as well as what he recognizes as the attributes of successful planners. Specifically, he breaks down why it is imperative to know your ideal client and how you can evaluate or further develop your current client personas.

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Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 094: Aleya Harris Explains How to Market Yourself as the Expert Guide in Your Client’s Story

By Erin Giberson on

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Marketing your business isn’t easy. In fact, the hardest business to promote is your own. But to do it well, you need to be your client’s guide.

Aleya Harris, CPCE, is the owner of Flourish Marketing, an agency that helps wedding professionals get and keep a consistent stream of clients. Specifically, as a StoryBrand Certified Guide, she helps entrepreneurs produce results without choosing between profit and purpose.  

In recent years, NACE recognized her as the Emerging Member of the Year, and she received the President’s Award for Leadership in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Presently, Aleya serves as the marketing committee chair for NACE National and is the founder and head of the NACE Black Caucus. 

She is also a WeddingPro Educator, an industry speaker, and the host of The Flourishing Entrepreneur podcast. 

In this episode, Aleya shares how StoryBrand’s 7-step (SB7) framework helps you convey a clear message so that clients understand the value of what you provide. Above all, she encourages you to market yourself as the guide in your client’s story.

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Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 093: Randi Bushell Gives You the 3D Way to Make Faster Design Decisions

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In event design, each decision matters and every decision has so many variables.

That’s why today’s guest shares the tech tool that helps you accurately create and customize your event vision. 

So, just hit play to hear the full details!

Randi Bushell is the Founder and CEO of Merri, a 3D visualization platform made for event planning. With a background in retail and E-Commerce, Randi started Merri after planning her own wedding and finding it difficult to capture her design vision with 2D renderings. Now, she continues to revolutionize event planning with Merri’s all-in-one software solution for visualizing, designing, and booking events.  

In this episode, Randi explains how Merri gives you the tools you need in order to easily create and share customized, 3D event designs with your clients.

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Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 092: Renée Sabo Gives You 5 Steps to Effectively Position Your Business

By Erin Giberson on

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If you’re currently booking jobs that don’t have the necessary budget or feel like the right fit, then you need to position your business to attract the clients you want.

Because the clients that resonate with you are out there, and they will find you when you’re concretely positioning your company.

So, be sure to use this 5 step process, and tune in to hear the full details!

Renée Sabo is the Founder and Owner of Urban Soirée, a full-service wedding planning and design company serving the East Coast and destinations worldwide. With over 12 years of industry experience, Renée launched Urban Soirée in 2017. Since then, she has been recognized as ILEA Boston’s Top Planner in 2019 and named as the Best of Boston 2020 – Best IRL Wedding Planner by Boston Magazine. Additionally, she’s earned WeddingWire’s Couples’ Choice Award for three consecutive years, and she is also the host of The Confetti Hour Podcast.

In this episode, Renée explains how to leverage the power of positioning your business so that you reach the right market and attract your ideal clients. Specifically, she shares her 5 step process so that you can get started right now.

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Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 091: Courtney Hopper and Dana Kadwell Give You Tips for Building Your Dream Team

By Erin Giberson on

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Business growth leads many planners to weigh whether or not they should hire team members. 

It’s a decision that can feel risky. It also requires figuring out the best type of employee for your company in terms of both position and personality. 

Yet successfully expanding is so important because it’s hard to maintain doing everything yourself.

That’s why today’s guests share their approach for starting, building, and managing a team in a way that is attentive to both the people who work for you and the culture you want to create. 

So, be sure to tune in for this podcast episode!

Courtney Hopper and Dana Kadwell are sister entrepreneurs. Together they are the founders behind C&D Events, an event planning company that is based in North Carolina. Additionally, they offer coaching through their consulting firm, Hustle & Gather, which also features The Hustle & Gather Podcast. On top of these ventures, Courtney and Dana are together the owners of The Bradford and the soon-to-be-launched Anthem House.

In this episode, Courtney and Dana talk about the way that nurturing relationships fuels their success. Specifically, they share their approach for developing teams that not only support your business goals but also thrive together.

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