What we have learned so far.
We have recently moved from Evansville, IN area which we called home for over 3 years and in business just as long! Wow, I cannot believe it has been 3 years since achieving one of my dreams, becoming a wedding planner!! #blessed Now that the dust has settled and we are adjusting to the new house in the Cleveland-Akron-Canton Ohio area, I finally got a chance to put my thoughts into words….
There are many things we have learned with being a small business owner and tackling them with a smile and confidence has sometimes been a struggle. To be honest, the things we have learned we could have never imagined being a struggle. But that is the way the world works and facing them together as a team was a blessing. Yes I said as a team, most just know me as the face of River Top Event Coordinating, but Jason (my husband) does a lot behind the scenes to keep this business running smoothly!
Trusting my gut: Yep, got to do it. Normally when I do something magical happens, like the new layout for blog posts and newsletters. Which I am totally in love with. Make sure you sign up for alerts and tell your friends to sign up too! But ignoring my gut can lead to not so good things too, like scams and non-ideal clients. Somethings you have to learn the hard way and I am glad I did earlier rather than later.
Taking time off: This is the reason why we have office hours, schedules and bi-annual phone shut down vacations. With taking time off it allows especially me to recharge, refocus, and reconnect. Family is a huge deal to us and we try not to take advantage of family time, since we do not get one on one time with our family often. So when we do we try to make an intentional point to put the phones and work away and be present. When this period is over, it makes coming back to work enjoyable, manageable, and productive. We try and give a heads up when we plan to take time off to all of our clients. We know you have questions, concerns, and general planning stuff and we will get to all of that just not as fast as we normally do.
Relationships: The last and most important thing we have learned is to establish meaningful, long lasting, and beneficial relationships. This applies to vendors in particular. Without a great pool of vendors to choose from a successful wedding cannot be executed. Establishing these relationships has not always been easy, but always well worth the effort. The main tool we have used is our Rising Society group, we meet on Tuesdays once a month and chat about what it means to be a creative business owner. It has been amazing all the connections made and struggles shared. We are all in the same boat trying to lift one another above the waves. Seriously best group ever! We also have been heavily involved in the Engaged River Valley Magazine. We love participating and designing the smaller photoshoots, which gives us a chance to showcase not only what River Top Event Coordinating can do but what other local vendors specialize in. When we do these shoots, we try and get smaller up and coming vendors to showcase to allow them to reach a bigger audience as well. They always turn out great and are so much fun!
I am sure there is a ton more to learn as that is a part of growing a small business. We are eager for this process and next year on the goal chart is to attend a wedding planner conference to learn new skills, tips and tricks, and connect with other planners.