Own Your Business

No one spends more time with couples getting married than full-service wedding planners. They’re in the mix of it all, including: - Budget conversations between couples and with their parents - Mulling over how to pick what vendors - What are their priorities for the wedding - How they feel about each aspect of the experience And so. much. more. Which means if you want to know what’s going on in the mind of today’s couple you go to the planners because they know the most. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to waste time guessing about things, especially when it’s so easy to simply know something by asking others or looking it up. Who’s got time for trial and error? Or the stress that goes with faking it till you make it? So this week, I’m sharing a replay of a conversation I hosted last week with three top wedding planners, Caitlin Fulton Kuchemba, Megan Gillikin and Liz McKellar, to get their take on: - Vendor referrals and how NOT to approach planners - What couples want for their weddings in 2024 - How you can stand out in a crowded marketplace - Why planning timelines are all over the place - Value shifts from Millennials to Gen Z Buckle up. It’s a candid, real, and honest conversation about what works and doesn’t work anymore post-pandemic.

People ask me all the time what to expect for the upcoming season. Will inquiries be up? Down? Should I plan for it to be slower or busier? The short answer is unless we face another pandemic, the new normal is likely to be business as usual. Here’s what I mean by that: Go back to what you were dealing with in 2018 and 2019. THAT is what it will be like for the rest of 2023 and throughout 2024.Basically, you’ve got to stand out from the crowd to get enough inquiries from the right kinds of couples, and then you need to convert them with excellent sales skills. Simple right? Ha!So today, I’m bringing in copywriting ringer and my better half in business and life, Katy Taylor Jacobson, to share with you ways to cut through the noise and connect with you best buyers.Enjoy the conversation.

Katy and I may get a lot of the spotlight when it comes to our company, but it’s not just us doing the Good Work of helping business professionals reach their goals. Oh no, we’ve got an entire team working behind the scenes and directly with clients to make the magic happen. We’re currently at seven full-time team members, and we’re looking to bring back our eighth this fall.  I thought it’d be fun to have our senior copywriter join me today for a conversation about what it’s like to work on website projects for our company. What our clients learn during the experience. How they apply new insights to their business. What surprises them as they bring their website to life. Lauren Bryan has a lot to share after working on nearly 100 copywriting projects these past few years. I know you’ll learn more than a few things from her over the next half hour.

Do you remember that app Clubhouse? The one that had that brief two or three months in the spotlight over the 2021 winter? I loved that app. Maybe you did too, and it might be the reason you’re listening to this podcast in the first place. It certainly was my inspiration. One of the best things that came from my time on Clubhouse was a long-lasting relationship with John Bunn and Nick Miller, two videographers who run How to Film Weddings. John reached out after a Clubhouse binge I went on back in January 2021, and the three of us hit it off right away. I’ve been a guest on  their podcast several times, presented in their mastermind four times, and gave a talk at their last retreat. We’ve also done an advanced group coaching program called Momentum specifically for videographers, so if you’re interested in signing up for the next one this winter, reach out. But today, we’re turning the tables and bringing Nick and John on MY podcast to share their own business journeys as videographers. Because in addition to offering advice to their community, they’ve brought me on as a business coach and our copywriters as the wordsmiths for their websites.  Videographers, pay attention. But so should anyone who wants to elevate their business to charge more, feel proud of what you promote, and know with 100% confidence you’re doing the right things with your company.  This is the story of how you can work less and make more in the real world.

It’s hard to get it all done as a business owner. We often spend too much time as an employee of our company rather than the CEO. This weekend’s wedding is filled with fires you have to put out, but it takes away your opportunity to plan out next year’s success. In this episode of Own Your Business, I’ll walk you through: - Four different areas of your business that require months of work before you see rewards - Three things you can do today to put a plan in place for future goals - And the #1 thing you’ve got to do if you want to raise your prices for next year

Over 1,000 people have watched or listened to the State of the Industry panel I hosted a couple weeks ago. We’ve had a ton of good feedback from wedding pros.  - Everyone said how refreshing it was to hear us talking about real numbers, rather than just what’s going on with a few businesses.  - Many of you shared how comforting it was to know that you’re not the only one feeling a slowdown.  - Some of you reached out in surprise that so many were so slow. - A few wanted more specifics on why this was happening - and what you can do about it. I’m pushing our regularly schedule programming back a week to do this episode, which will be like an FAQ follow-up for the State of the Industry panel. It’s also a peek into the kinds of conversations I’m having with my clients. Here’s a tale of two consultations from this week:  One client came to me because bookings were down. He felt maybe it was because the industry as a whole was feeling a decline. I’m glad he called, because an hour later, we’d identified a bunch of changes made to the proposal that needed to be tweaked, and packages and pricing that weren't communicating the value necessary to justify the higher prices.  Later that day, I had a planning and design client reach out to me saying she just filled her 2024 calendar at $20k+ fees for the first time ever. Why are some doing amazingly well? And others are on the struggle bus? The numbers show weddings are a little down, we might be in an engagement, spending is down and so are guest counts. But I don’t believe that’s a reason - and certainly not an excuse - for bookings being off by 50%. Or even 20%.  The macro-changes in the market are important to pay attention to. But as I’ll share, the cause of your success or concerns is likely what YOU have done - or not done - with your business. The best part about that is you can impact a different outcome by doing different activities. Tune in to find out what those are.

Last week I hosted a panel with three wedding market experts to discuss the state of the industry. - Where have we been - Where are we now - Where are we going We tackled big-picture topics like declining engagement rates, lower guest counts, and what to do as a business owner in our volatile market over the next 6-12 months. Hundreds of people attended the panel, but the conversation was too good to put on a file and never let it see the light of day again. So, I’m putting it on the podcast as an episode for our audience to hear - and look back on when you’re unsure about the direction to take in the coming months. Enjoy the conversation. It’s one that needs to be heard and shared in the industry, so if you feel like a colleague could benefit from it, send their way!

We all know how important it is to get referrals from clients and colleagues if you want to level up your business. Couples who come in on recommendations from others usually convert at 4-6x the normal percentages of people who inquire after finding you on social media, Google, or a listing site. But it’s not just about expanding your network. It’s also about strengthening it. Cultivating it. Deepening it.  In this episode of Own Your Business, I’ll share: - How other people’s recommendations got me where I am today - 3 tips to retain current referral partners - 1 simple way to make colleagues feel great about referring you business

As a business owner, you wear a lot of hats. Director of Marketing. Sales Manager. Creative Director. Head whatever-it-is-that-you-do. You can even try Bookkeeper if you feel comfortable doing some of the work before sending over to your accountant. But one hat you should never try to wear yourself is legal counsel. It’s too important. And there’s a whole field filled with landmines to step on and an army of opposing attorneys ready to pounce on you when you make a mistake. Today, I talk with Magi Fisher. Not only is she an attorney who specializes in creative fields, but she owns her own photography studio on the East Coast.  - We dive into plenty of hot-button topics you should pay attention to, including:Contractors v. employees - Sales tax - Intellectual property rights  - Image ownership - And, of course, contracts Enjoy the listen. I know you’ll find a lot of good advice in the time you spend.

Luxury photography is one of the most competitive fields in the wedding industry. And hardest to break into, because you have to be good at so many things. Yes, your craft. That’s a given. If your photos aren’t incredible, you’ve got no chance.  But beautiful images aren't enough to charge top dollar. Or book at five-figure prices consistently. On today’s episode, I sit down with Carter Rose, one of our clients who reached out a few years ago to get help making the move from premium to luxury. With just a handful of 1:1 sessions and a new website focusing on the right kind of client, Carter’s been able to increase his prices by 250% and halve the number of weddings he’s taken.  He’s proof that the “work less, make more” dream is possible.  If you’re a photographer, tune in. If you’re not - but you want to break into luxury in whatever field you’re in - you should tune in too. Because the formula is the same.  This has been one of my favorite podcasts to record. Carter is a savvy business owner, and we all have a lot to learn from his success.