Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 106: Gain Control of Your Business One SOP at a Time, with Irene Tyndale

To gain control of your business, you need to map out your standard operating procedures (SOPs). Today’s guest explains where you can start.

Irene Tyndale is the Founder and CEO of Irene Tyndale Weddings & Events, an award-winning and full-service boutique event planning firm based in Atlanta. With a background in corporate event planning, Irene has over 20 years of industry experience. Her work has been featured in publications such as Modern Luxury and B Collective. Additionally, she is a leading industry speaker, author, coach, and educator.

In this episode, Irene challenges you to gain control of your business. Specifically, she highlights the importance of building relationships that later yield invaluable referrals, getting clear about the details of your procedures, and knowing your goals.

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Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 104: Stick Your Foot in the Door Before it Shuts – with Megan Gillikin

Imagine that you not only quit your job but also took out a small business loan. In addition to that, you’ve only been married for 3 weeks. And then you learn the business you bought is basically sinking. What do you do? Today’s guest made a choice:

“I decided that I was committed to figuring it out, even though the fear of failure and the fear of unknown and the fear of never getting out from underneath the reputation – those fears were super, super strong.”

Megan Gillikin is the founder and owner of The Planner’s Vault, an educational resource and community-based network for wedding planners. She is also the host of the Weddings for Real podcast as well as an industry educator and speaker. Additionally, she is the owner of A Southern Soiree, a wedding and event planning company that she rebranded and revitalized after purchasing it in 2010.

In this episode, Megan shares about the lessons she gained from purchasing and rebranding an existing wedding planning business. Specifically, she talks about how she uses the experience to now help other wedding planners achieve their business goals.

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Wedding Industry Biz

3 Workflows to Automate in Your Event Business

Automation this, automation that. We often hear automation touted as the be-all and end-all, but many event pros excitedly sign up for software like Zapier or IFTTT only to realize they don’t know what to automate. When you’ve been in business for so long, your usual routines and processes are just par for the course. Your manual workflows become muscle memory, so you might not even realize that there are easier options.

But with technology rapidly evolving, there are many solutions at your fingertips — you just need to know where to look. And while your first thought may be to head over to Google, your starting place is actually right inside your business.

Here are three key business workflows to automate and how they will free up your bandwidth for work that fills you up.

Sales Workflow

To be clear, you can’t put your whole sales process on autopilot. Prospective clients still expect to meet with a human, so there’s no getting around that. However, there are plenty of transactional touchpoints you don’t have to handle on your own! For instance, if a contract hasn’t been signed, there’s no need for you to open up your inbox and write a follow-up email. Instead, see if your contract software allows for automated follow-up emails and let it do the heavy lifting for you.

Outline your sales workflow and identify any steps that don’t require a human touch. Perhaps your email marketing platform can auto-drip a welcome campaign to every new inquiry. Maybe you can set up a payment schedule template in your invoicing software to send invoices whether you’re at your desk or on the go. Use the tools you have or find new software to support your needs!

Client Onboarding Workflow

New clients come with lots of questions and even more backend to-dos, but that doesn’t mean it’s all on you. You can likely leverage tools you already have—like your website, CRM, or email platform—to save valuable time and treat clients to a consistently impressive onboarding experience.

Think about the steps of your onboarding workflow. What is the first thing that happens after they sign your contract and pay the deposit? Do you send a welcome guide in an email? Is there a kickoff call involved? You can automate most of these steps! 

Don’t worry if none of your systems allow for trigger-based automated emails. You can still leverage good old-fashioned Gmail to save time! Find the emails you send the most and save them as templates in your inbox, so you never have to rewrite them over and over. You can also pre-schedule emails, allowing you to batch a whole set of emails at once. It’s not 100% automated, but it will save you time and energy!

Invoicing Workflow

Nobody likes manual invoicing, but even worse is having to chase down outstanding payments. So don’t do it! Look for invoicing software that supports payment schedules, so you can set it and forget it. Clients will receive invoices like clockwork, and if they’d like, they can even set up auto-payments so nobody has to think about it.

Better yet, find a system that allows for automated reminders. No more awkward email reminders every few days – let the software handle that for you! A streamlined invoicing workflow lets you step away from admin and helps your clients pay quickly and more reliably, so it’s one of the best things you can do for your event business.

Beyond these three workflows, there are likely plenty of other small tasks you can simplify to save more time in your day. And rest assured, once you set up a few automations, you’ll start noticing other tasks you don’t need to do so you can continue offloading all of that unnecessary work! 

 

Elizabeth Sheils is the co-founder of Rock Paper Coin, the first software platform to bring together wedding planners, couples, and vendors into one system for managing and paying contracts and invoices. Elizabeth is also a lead wedding planner with award-winning firm Bridal Bliss, where she manages the Seattle team. In addition to recognition by Special Events in its Top 25 Event Pros to Watch series, she also earned a spot in The BizBash 500 for 2021.

Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 103: Use Your Greater Vision to Build a Sustainable Business – with Alia Wilson

If you find that you’re fighting imposter syndrome or your vision for your business is vague, then it’s time to figure out what’s driving you at your core.

Alia Wilson is the Owner and Creative Director of Firefly Events, a full-service planning and design company specializing in weddings, parties, and celebrations. With over 11 years of experience, Alia also provides coaching for wedding planners who are looking to grow their businesses. She is recognized as a top planner by BRIDES, Harper’s Bazaar, VOGUE, Martha Stewart Weddings, BizBash, and The Knot. Additionally, Firefly Events has earned features in more than thirty print and digital industry publications. 

In this episode, Alia talks about why building a sustainable business requires having a vision that’s greater than getting higher paying clients. And further, in order to create a job you want to go to, you must pinpoint your core motivation as well as respect the work you do.

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Wedding Industry Biz

10 Questions to Ask to Qualify Your Potential Client Couples

You’re ready to get more clients, but how do you know which ones are right for you? 

Start by qualifying leads in order to figure out which couples will be the best fit. 

Remember, it’s necessary to resist the urge to take on every client that comes your way. 

Because if you want to grow your business and earn what you deserve, then you need to make sure you’re working with your ideal clients. 

So, when you’re on a discovery call or or at a first meeting, be sure to ask these 10 questions.

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Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 102: How to Build and Lead a Successful Team with Jade Robinson

Want to build a team but can’t afford it yet?

Check out this episode to get actionable ways you can build a team from the ground up!

Jade Robinson is the Founder and Lead Planner of J.R. Events, an event management company in Jacksonville, Florida. Jade has over 12 years of experience producing corporate and non-profit events and has been planning weddings since 2015. Currently, she manages a team of 5 lead coordinators and 12 wedding assistants. Additionally, she oversees the intern program for J.R. Events and is a rising industry speaker on the topics of team-building, mindset, and leadership. Notably, J.R. Events has been voted the #1 Event Planner in the 904-area and has won WeddingWire’s Couples Choice Award four times since 2018. 

In this episode, Jade talks about the way that she embraced her own growth in order to build her highly-regarded team. Specifically, she shares the lessons that fueled her team-building success.

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Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 101: How to Become the CEO of Your Business with Brandee Gaar

Ever feel like your business appears successful on the outside but on the inside it’s chaos and weighing on your shoulders?

There’s only so long you can sustain juggling way too many balls. Staying up all night. Working all day. Working seven days a week. The weight of never getting to the bottom of your to-do list. That’s not sustainable long-term.

That’s why this guest explains when she realized she needed to change her business and how she did it.

Brandee Gaar is the founder and CEO of Blush by Brandee Gaar, which offers full-service planning for weddings and events in Central and North Florida. She is also a business coach, speaker, and consultant for wedding planners. Additionally, and with over fifteen years of industry experience, she is the host of the Wedding Pro CEO podcast

In this episode, Brandee talks about what you should do to move from overwhelmed and underpaid to a thriving business owner. Specifically, she explains how you should remove yourself from the day-to-day processes of your business.

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Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

WII 100: The Top 3 Lessons for Success from Tara Guerard

It’s the 100th episode of Wedding Industry Insider! 

So, be sure to catch this episode and register to join us for a live celebration of this milestone!

Tara Guérard is the Owner and Creative Director of Tara Guérard Soirée, a full-service event planning and design company maintaining offices in both Charleston, SC, and NYC. With over 20 years of experience, both Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar have named her a top wedding planner. Her second company, Lettered Olive, provides custom letterpress printing for wedding invitations, stationery, and announcements.

Tara has been featured in Southern Living, Traditional Home, Town & Country Weddings, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Brides. She has also made appearances on The Martha Stewart Show, The Nate Berkus Show, and the Style Network. Additionally, Tara is the author of Southern Weddings: New Looks from the Old South and Weddings by Tara Guérard.

In this episode, Tara credits her success to working hard yet simultaneously working smarter with each stage of her business. Specifically, she shares about what prompted her career-shaping decisions.

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Wedding Industry Insider Podcast

Join Top Industry Leaders for Wedding Industry Insider Presents Milestone Matinee!

As you know, summer is a busy time for wedding planners. Which is why you deserve events that inspire you as well as offer ongoing industry education! 

Fortunately, Timeline Genius is doing just that – on July 12, 2022, from 1-2pm ET, and you’re invited! As the Wedding Industry Insider podcast reaches its 100th episode (featuring Tara Guérard!), Timeline Genius is celebrating this milestone!

Wedding Industry Insider Presents Milestone Matinee is a free virtual event that gives you the rare chance to hear a panel of our podcast guests talk about actionable steps for business growth!

The panel includes Tara Guérard, Brooke Keegan, Donnie Brown, Aleya Harris, Carrisa Kruse, and Jade Robinson, and everyone who registers will receive a digital swag bag (released on July 1st).

So, join us in celebrating this milestone achievement and be sure to save your spot now for our Milestone Matinee!

Meet our Milestone Matinee Panelists!

Aleya Harris, CPC, Owner of Flourish Marketing

As a StoryBrand Certified Guide, Aleya 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. Aleya appears in Episode 94 and offers specific strategies for your online marketing.

Brooke Keegan, Owner & Creative Director at Brooke Keegan Special Events

Brooke is also the owner of Aster & Park, a wedding and event planning service that provides partial, coordination, and full packages. With over 17 years of industry experience, both Harper’s Bazaar and Brides Magazine recognized her as one of the world’s top wedding planners. Brooke discusses the secrets to percentage model pricing in Episode 67 of the Wedding Industry Insider podcast.

Donnie Brown, Owner at Donnie Brown Weddings & Events

Donnie is known as the Dallas Celebrity Wedding Planner and Decor Specialist. Sought after as a leader in wedding and event fashion trends, Donnie’s client list is a virtual who’s who of society, celebrities and other clients who demand excellence and perfection for their wedding or special event. He was also featured on Whose Wedding Is It Anyway? and in publications ranging from US Weekly to Glamour. In Episode 10 of the Wedding Industry Industry podcast, Donnie shares lessons from his success, including what planners need to know and do if they ultimately want to produce luxury weddings.

Tara Guérard, Owner and Creative Director at Tara Guérard Soirée

With over 20 years of experience, Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar have named Tara as a top wedding planner. She is also the owner of Lettered Olive, which provides custom letterpress printing for wedding invitations, stationery and announcements. Tara has been featured in Southern Living, Traditional Home, Town & Country Weddings, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Brides. She has also made appearances on The Martha Stewart Show, The Nate Berkus Show, and Style Network. Additionally, Tara is the author of Southern Weddings: New Looks from the Old South and Weddings. Tara is featured in the 100th episode of the Wedding Industry Insider podcast!

Heather Vickery, Owner and Global Leader at Vickery and Co.

Heather is an award-winning business owner and global leader with over 20 years as an entrepreneur. She coaches individuals towards greater personal and professional fulfillment by helping them leverage their fear into intentional bravery. A celebrated public speaker, Heather inspires audiences and provides attendees with the tools they need to live bold and successful lives on their own terms. Heather is a single mom of four (all girls!) who left a decade-long marriage and came out (yes, of the closet) personally and professionally. Heather is also the author of the recent best-selling new release F*CK FEARLESS: Making The Brave Leap as well as Gratitude Journal: Shift Your Focus and Grow Grateful: A Gratitude Journal for Kids and Families. Additionally, she is the host and executive producer of The Brave Files and the co-host and producer of Was It Chance?. In Episode 29 of the Wedding Industry Insider podcast, Heather offers you 7 steps to achieve work-life balance.

Carissa Kruse, Founder of Weddings by Carue

Weddings by Carue is the winner of WeddingWire’s Couples Choice Award and The Knot’s “Best of Weddings” for six consecutive years. 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 COSMOPOLITAN, Forbes, The Knot, Rent My Wedding, and WeddingWire. Carissa appears in Episode 97 of the Wedding Industry Insider podcast to share how you can create a lead-generation funnel on your website.

Jade Robinson, Founder & Lead Planner at J.R. Events

Originally a New York native with family roots in Florida, Jade embraces a celebratory mix of Northern and Southern flair and brings over 12 years of industry experience to private, corporate, and non-profit event planning. She also manages a team of 5 lead coordinators and 12 wedding assistants. Since launching wedding services in 2015, J.R. Events is a 4x winner of WeddingWire’s Couples’ Choice Award (2018 – 2021, consecutively). Jade is an upcoming guest on the Wedding Industry Insider podcast.

ACT NOW TO SAVE YOUR SPOT

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Click here to sign up & save your spot now