Share Funktastic Chats
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
By Mike Zabrin
5
77 ratings
The podcast currently has 44 episodes available.
Send us a text
💬 Show Notes
Welcome to another episode of Funktastic Chats Podcast! Today, we're chatting with Kate Furst from Zola, the fastest-growing women-led wedding planning platform. Kate shares her incredible journey in the events industry, celebrating nearly 11 years at Zola. She provides an inside look at how Zola has transformed from an e-commerce registry to a comprehensive wedding planning tool that serves both couples and vendors.
Kate dives into Zola’s innovative features designed to support wedding professionals, including free listings, dedicated account managers, and flexible pricing plans. She explains how Zola’s unique credit system allows vendors to connect with couples without the burden of expensive subscriptions. Kate also highlights the importance of community in the wedding industry, emphasizing Zola’s tools for vendor collaboration and peer reviews.
Whether you're a seasoned wedding pro or just starting out, this episode is packed with valuable insights on leveraging Zola to grow your business. Learn how to create compelling listings, utilize Zola’s “Say Hello” feature, and navigate the platform’s robust matching algorithms to connect with the right couples.
Don’t miss out on tips for personalizing your outreach, responding swiftly to inquiries, and maintaining authentic connections. Plus, discover how Zola’s new vendor dashboard and resource center can help you continuously improve your profile and attract more qualified leads.
🎙️ Create a FREE Zola Listing
Send us a text
Welcome to another episode of Funktastic Chats Podcast! Today, we're diving into how PartySlate can transform your event business with its innovative digital tools and strategies. Whether you're an event professional specializing in luxury corporate events, weddings, galas, etc., this episode is packed with insights just for you.
We explore how PartySlate helps event professionals build a robust digital presence, save time, and manage their portfolios effectively. Julie emphasizes the importance of passion, grit, and a clear mission in overcoming obstacles and achieving entrepreneurial success.
Founded in 2015, PartySlate has quickly become a leading platform for event inspiration and connections, raising up the level of local talent in the community that you're in. It is one of only five female-founded companies in Chicago to raise over $20 million in venture capital funding in the last decade.
Don't miss out on Julie's valuable insights and advice for event professionals looking to make their mark in the industry. She also discusses how PartySlate has tripled its audience over the last two years and continues to innovate with features like PartySlate Pro and AI-driven content management.
Visit www.partyslate.com to create a free profile, showcasing your best work and enhancing your marketing strategy to stand out from the competition.
Follow PartySlate on Instagram and Julie on Instagram for more inspiration and the latest industry scoop. Creating a free profile on PartySlate is an excellent way to grow your partner network and attract new clients. Use PartySlate to maintain an organized, always up-to-date portfolio, making it easier to share your best work and manage your social media content.
Make sure to check out our previous episode from 2020 for more insights on growing your event business. The link is in the show notes.
Remember, today we’re not just working in your business—we’re working on your business. Let’s elevate your event game with PartySlate!
Links
CREATE A FREE PARTYSLATE PROFILE
Follow Partyslate on Instagram
Follow Julie Novack on Instagram
Listen to more Partyslate Episodes
Send us a text
Today's guest is none other than Alan Berg! He’s the author of seven books, and in our last episode in 2021, we talked extensively about his wisdom in the business of weddings. Some of his popular books include "Shut Up and Sell More Weddings and Events," "Why Are They Ghosting Me?" and his latest, "Stop Selling and Help Them Buy Weddings and Events."
Alan speaks to thousands of entrepreneurs like myself and business professionals every year through webinars, live presentations, and onsite sales training. We're going to dive deep into actionable steps from his books and podcasts that have resonated with many of us in the wedding industry. Alan is all about small, incremental steps that lead to big results.
Now, what’s one thing that every wedding professional needs after a long, successful weekend of weddings? A glass of bourbon, of course! If you’re a bourbon aficionado, you’re going to love this episode too. Alan has a detailed process of experimenting with different types of woods and aging his bourbons, creating various blends that are just so cool. It's something Alan and I share a passion for, so you’ll enjoy the bonus dialogue at the beginning of the episode.
With more than 25 years in sales, marketing, and sales management, Alan Berg is uniquely qualified to help wedding and event businesses succeed. He was included in the "Top 100 Speakers to Watch in 2024" by Motivator Music on LinkedIn, alongside Tony Robbins, Gary Vee, and Dave Ramsey. He’s the wedding and event industry’s first Certified Speaking Professional and one of only 40 Global Speaking Fellows worldwide.
Since we first chatted with Alan on our podcast in 2021, he has started his own podcast, "The Wedding Business Solutions Podcast," which has over 200,000 downloads. Alan has extensive experience in sales, sales management, and marketing, ranging from publishing wedding magazines to serving as Vice President of Sales at The Knot. He’s an education expert for WeddingPro and consults for major industry websites in Ireland, Dubai, India, Australia, and the UK, as well as countless venues, hotels, bridal shops, planners, entertainers, and more. Alan has presented in over 14 countries, five of them in Spanish and recently in French, both of which he taught himself.
Tune in and get ready for an episode filled with actionable insights and a touch of bourbon magic!
Alan Berg's Website
www.alanberg.com
Wedding Business Solutions Podcast
https://podcast.alanberg.com
Send us a text
Why are couples taking longer to book you? Is your website ready to convert a cold audience? Is it relates to gen Z couples, promotion oriented advertising is a thing of the past. This year couples are more attuned to what makes your brand totally different and unique with personality.
We're talking about the power of retargeting leveraging Tik-Tok, Instagram, Meta, and Google to show your ads multiple times and in multiple places.
Mark Chapman is the founder of The I Do Society. Compared to a typical advertising agency, The I Do Society wants to be your partner, not only in creating and managing your ad campaigns, but delivering to you the right strategies to convert a cold audience.
Mark and The I Do Society makes sure that if you're going to be spending money, that every other bit and piece the couple is going to explore about your business is ready to go!
The I Do Society Website
Send us a text
One of my favorite things that makes Terrica different is that she speaks very plainly, so much so you'll think it's a therapy session or your favorite biz bestie. She embraces this role to help over 4000+ wedding pros scale their businesses.
Terrica has spent the past eighteen years crafting exquisite weddings and events that captivate and inspire. Her exceptional talent has earned recognition in esteemed publications such as The Knot, Reader's Digest, Martha Stewart Weddings, Style Me Pretty, and more.
Beyond her creative endeavors, Terrica's passion for sharing knowledge takes her around the globe, where she imparts wisdom at workshops, retreats, and conferences. Known affectionately as the Mother Hustler, through her educational platform, HustleQuarters, she has empowered over 4000 wedding professionals to confidently elevate their pricing strategies and refine their sales processes.
A respected educator for industry giants like The Knot and WeddingWire, Terrica's expertise recently graced the cover of the Spring/Summer 2024 issue of Event Therapy magazine, further solidifying her status as a trailblazer in the wedding world.
Today's topics include:
...and more!!
Connect with Terrica
Follow Terrica on IG
Terrace's Website
HustleQuarters
Event Therapy Magazine
Send us a text
Stand out from your competition as the top choice for your ideal clients, no matter how much you charge and join Heidi's FREE LIVE CHALLENGE MAY 20TH! The Stand Out and Get Booked Challenge
Today, we're here with Heidi Thompson. She's the bestselling author of "Clone Your Best Clients" and the founder of Evolve Your Wedding Business, where she specializes in business and marketing strategy for wedding professionals. Heidi helps wedding professionals grow their businesses and reach their goals without going crazy in the process. Her business and marketing expertise have been featured on several wedding and business outlets, including the Huffington Post, social media, Examiner, Wedding Business Magazine, HoneyBook, WeddingWire World, and she serves on the advisory board for the UK Academy of Wedding and Event Planning.
My favorite topics that we covered in this episode include:
More About Heidi Thompson:
Evolve Your Wedding Business: https://evolveyourweddingbusiness.com
Follow Heidi on IG: https://www.instagram.com/evolveyourweddingbusiness/
Get Heidi's book, "Clone Your Best Clients" https://www.amazon.com/Clone-Your-Best-Clients-Guesswork/dp/0692878238
Send us a text
Hey, event pros! We're talking about the next generation of Open-Air Photobooths by a company called Photobooth Supply Company, otherwise known as PBSC.
If you own a Salsa Booth, you most likely know my guest today, Simeon Weinraub, co-owner of Jovial events and rentals, and The Pasadena Photo Booth Company. An event company located in Pasadena California, serving the greater Los Angeles area with party decor, balloons, photo booth services, and other party rentals.
Before working in events, Simeon spent nearly three decades working in film and television production. And then spent some time teaching video, photography, and audio production.
He sees the Photo Booth business and its challenges as an opportunity to share his technical knowledge and apply it to help his clients and other operators in the industry to create memorable experiences.
Mentions:
Photo Booth Supply Company
Jovial Events (website)
Jovial Events IG
Send us a text
Hey, remember this episode?! How Releventful CRM Filled The Gap in The Event Industry. If you haven't had a chance to listen, or maybe you're currently using something like Dubsado, 17hats, Honeybook, or Active Campaign, you should seriously give that episode a listen!
We recorded that episode 3 months ago now, and so I wanted to share my thoughts on Releventful 3 months later. One might say I'm a SUPER USER, as we run our entire event entertainment business from it all day every day!
It's an all-in-one tool kit that keeps event industry professionals organized & connected. Whether you're a caterer, DJ, venue, or wedding planner, Releventful can help you grow your business with specialized tools and features unique to each industry. Get started today with a 14-day free tiral!
Mentions:
Use my Releventful referral link to save 10% off your first three months!
Send us a text
Carissa Kruse is a Wedding Business Strategist and serial entrepreneur who has been in the wedding industry for over 10 years and has built multiple businesses. She's the founder of Weddings By Carue, a multi-state and multi-service wedding business. She has coached hundreds of entrepreneurs through launching and scaling their businesses with strategy and funnels. In her first year alone, she went from zero to $130,000 without any contacts experience or support. She is firmly anti-hustle and teaches your clients to build a sustainable wedding business with long-term vision that does not rely on 24, 7 posting or a flash in the pan strategies.
This is part 2! Today's topics include:
LISTEN TO PART ONE HERE
Carrissa Kruse Weddings
Weddings By Carue
Send us a text
Today we're here with Daniel Wright, Creator of Releventful. It's more than an event platform - It's actually a customer relationship and business management platform. Whether you're a caterer, DJ, venue, photographer, or wedding planner, Releventful can help you grow your business. This CRM provides event industry business owners an all-in-one toolkit that saves both time and money keeping you organized and connected.
Today's Topics Include:
Mentions:
Use my Releventful referral link to save 10% off your first three months!
DJ Vault Webinar
The podcast currently has 44 episodes available.