Category: Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 130 – Kristin Banta on Design, Point of View, and Taking Risks

By Emily Tuipulotu on

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

In a market saturated with wedding planners and designers, how can you stand out and land your dream clients?

According to Kristin Banta, it’s your point of view. This is your intrinsic way of seeing the world that makes your contributions and work unique.

Kristin Banta is the CEO and Creative Director of Kristin Banta Events. She has served high-end wedding clients, Hollywood elite, and renowned companies to create events that are immersive and unforgettable experiences.

We are extra excited to talk with Kristin, because she was our second guest ever on Wedding Industry Insider exactly 7 years ago. And as the landscape of wedding planning has changed, her insight is more valuable than ever.

Kristin is a master of design, so this is a must-listen if you want to offer full design as part of your planning services. But even if that’s not your niche, she’s got great encouragement and advice to make sure your point of view shines through your work.

Read More “WII 130 – Kristin Banta on Design, Point of View, and Taking Risks” →

Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 129 – Finding Freedom by Budgeting with LoriAnn Kuntz

By Emily Tuipulotu on

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

You didn’t start your wedding planning business because you wanted to balance books and calculate finances. But not having a firm grasp on your accounting can hinder your growth and cause a ton of unnecessary stress.

So you need to find a way to keep track of your business’s finances without it becoming your full-time job.

Today, LoriAnn Kuntz joins us on Wedding Industry Insider to talk all about money, budgeting, and financial planning in a way that’s exciting and easy to digest.

LoriAnn is the founder and CEO of Profit Priority, a bookkeeping and financial management service that helps creative entrepreneurs make better (and more confident) decisions and get back to the work they love.

After all, you became a wedding planner to serve couples, create experiences, and find freedom in your work. LoriAnn shows us how nailing down your business’s finances can allow you to do all that in a much more fulfilling way.

Read More “WII 129 – Finding Freedom by Budgeting with LoriAnn Kuntz” →

Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 128 – Andrea Liebross on the ‘Messy Middle’ of Entrepreneurship

By Emily Tuipulotu on

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

You’re making strides in your wedding planning business, and it’s starting to look how you envisioned. But how does it feel?

Are you finding joy and balance in all aspects of your business?

Oftentimes, creative entrepreneurs see the profits they hoped for, get the bookings they wanted, and see growth in their business. But it feels off.

Maybe you’re burdened by the many roles you have to play as a business owner, or maybe there’s a feeling of guilt over the time you put into your work, or you simply feel stuck.

This is what Andrea Liebross calls the messy middle of entrepreneurship. Andrea is a life and business coach and author of “She Thinks Big: The Entrepreneurial Woman’s Guide to Moving Past the Messy Middle and Into the Extraordinary.” She was kind enough to join us on this week’s episode to talk about this tough time that happens to most entrepreneurs.

The good news? It’s totally possible to move through this time and find the growth and freedom you envision for yourself (and your business!).

Read More “WII 128 – Andrea Liebross on the ‘Messy Middle’ of Entrepreneurship” →

Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 127 – Steven Greitzer Talks about AI for Wedding Planners

By Emily Tuipulotu on

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

Are you eager to use AI to enhance your wedding planning business, or are you avoiding artificial intelligence altogether?

No matter where you are with AI, today’s episode is for you. We’re finally talking all about this technology and how it will affect the future of wedding planning.

We were looking for insight and advice about how wedding planners could use AI, so we turned to Steven Greitzer, a venture capitalist, wedding tech entrepreneur, and ceremony officiant. His company Provenance offers a way to deliver high-quality ceremonies, vows, and toast fit for the modern wedding (without it becoming a crazy burden to the wedding planner or a scramble the week of the wedding).

We start the podcast by discussing how Provenance can help planners offer a white-glove service while having better control over the speeches and ceremony at a wedding.

Then, we dive into everything AI. Steven has excellent advice for how wedding planners can begin utilizing this tool to free up more time for tasks that require a high-touch, personalized service. He’ll convince even the most resistant planners to embrace AI in small ways.

Read More “WII 127 – Steven Greitzer Talks about AI for Wedding Planners” →

Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 126: A Marketing Strategy in Minutes with Tayler Cusick Hollman

By Emily Tuipulotu on

Tayler Cusick Hollman, founder of Enji

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

You know marketing is essential to your wedding planning business. But hiring a pro may be out of reach, and figuring it out on your own can be overwhelming.

That’s where Tayler Cusick Hollman comes in. Her program Enji helps small business owners develop a customized marketing strategy in minutes. It takes out the guesswork, fatigue, and expense of this daunting (yet critical) task.

In Tayler’s words, Enji makes it “stupid easy and fast” to make a custom marketing strategy that you can implement right away.

The best part? Tayler’s background working as a marketing strategist for wedding planners means Enji is ideal for pros just like you.

On today’s episode of Wedding Industry Insider, Tayler shares her wisdom about mindset for small business owners and then offers a step-by-step crash course on marketing. You’re going to love her insight.

Read More “WII 126: A Marketing Strategy in Minutes with Tayler Cusick Hollman” →

Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 125: James x Schulze Tell Us How to Book Luxury Weddings

By Emily Tuipulotu on

James x Schulze

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

“Who are you?” “What do you need?” “How can I help you reach your goals?”

These are the kinds of questions that can elevate your business and bring you closer to your dream clients. 

In today’s episode of Wedding Industry Insider, we’re learning how building authentic relationships can help you book more creative and high-paying weddings. 

James Christianson and Otto Schulze are the founders and co-owners of James x Schulze, a luxury wedding photography brand that was named one of the Top Wedding Photographers in the World by Harpers Bazaar.

They also help others break into the luxury market through Sage Journey, their training program that’s tailored for wedding photographers. 

In this week’s episode, we get great advice from James and Otto that will help all wedding vendors –  especially planners – elevate their work and appeal to high-end clients.  

Best of all, you can put their advice to work today. After listening to this episode, you’ll have a list of tasks that will help you move into the luxury market. 

Read More “WII 125: James x Schulze Tell Us How to Book Luxury Weddings” →

Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 124 – Branding (in 4 Simple Steps!) with Kaleigh Wiese

By Emily Tuipulotu on

Kaleigh Wiese - Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

“Your brand is your reputation.” 

For some wedding planners, branding is one of the most fun parts of being a creative entrepreneur. But for others, it seems like a daunting, out-of-reach process.

No matter where you are with your branding, today’s episode is for you!

Kaleigh Wiese is a brand strategist who has worked with creative small businesses for 20 years. She aims to help entrepreneurs (especially those in the wedding industry) find and embrace their “innate uniqueness.” Her work has been featured in Huffington Post, New York Times, Fortune, and Martha Stewart Weddings; and she has been a featured guest at events and workshops across the country. 

Eddie and Kaleigh discuss the start-to-finish process for branding, including a four-step guide for establishing or fine-tuning your company image.

We’re really excited about this conversation, because while branding always comes up in our podcast, this is our first episode focusing entirely on this vital aspect of entrepreneurship. 

Read More “WII 124 – Branding (in 4 Simple Steps!) with Kaleigh Wiese” →

Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 123: Crafting Enchanting Wedding Experiences With Ashley Smith

By Erin Giberson on

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

Think of the moment that you knew you wanted to do weddings. Do you still plan from that place of inspiration? Because this planner taps into that feeling to create enchanting experiences and challenges you to do the same.

Ashley Smith is the Principal of Ashley Smith Events, a team of experience-based designers specializing in destinations globally. With almost two decades of experience and a background in International Business and Hospitality, she brings out-of-the-box thinking to event planning and production. Known for creating magical dreamscapes, her work is featured in Carats & Cake, The Knot, Junebug Weddings, Ruffled, 100 Layer Cake, Green Wedding Shoes, Refinery 29, California Style & Culture, Bizbash, and other leading industry publications. Additionally, she has made the Best Planner list by BRIDES for the last five years (2017-2022).

In this episode, she recalls helping at a summer wedding in Spain and witnessing the father of the bride become overcome with emotion. Moved by the moment, she gained a new outlook on weddings and became passionate about cultivating unique and personalized events. In particular, she encourages you to embrace adventurous ideas and take risks in order to create authentic and memorable celebrations.

Read More “WII 123: Crafting Enchanting Wedding Experiences With Ashley Smith” →

Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 122: Diana Ganz on Her Approach to Growing a Successful Business

By Erin Giberson on

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

If you think your business isn’t big enough to create change, then catch the lessons from today’s guest. With her business partner, she disrupted an industry and brought in over 20  million dollars in revenue last year.

Diana Ganz is the Co-founder of SuitShop, the premiere destination for affordable, size-and gender-inclusive, and yours-to-keep suiting. A graduate of MIT’s Sloan School of Management, Diana teamed up with her childhood friend and fashion design guru Jeanne Foley to give couples a better option for their wedding attire. Launched as The Groomsman Suit in 2016, they rebranded as SuitShop to also include non-binary and women’s suits. Ultimately, SuitShop lets consumers purchase a quality, well-fitting suit for a price that’s less, or at least comparable, to the costs of traditional tux rentals. With virtual appointments as well as five showrooms, SuitShop is revolutionizing the purchase of suits and tuxedos for everyone. 

In this episode, Diana shares how SuitShop grew from an apartment launch to a multi-million dollar business. Specifically, she breaks down the business approach that has fueled SuitShop’s success.

Read More “WII 122: Diana Ganz on Her Approach to Growing a Successful Business” →