Tired of running out of hours in the day? Or days in the week? Or months in the year? Katy and I like to say the days are long and the months are short, because we always feel like we’re doing so much, but it’s never enough time.

In this week’s episode of Own Your Business, I share my insights on how to free up more time to spend on priorities for your company. I’ll cover:

- My #1 tip to increase your productivity

- Why we become less effective the more we have on our plates

- 6 practical ways to say no more often

We’ve all heard the phrase, It’s a marathon not a sprint. But it’s not just about slowing things down. It’s also about going the distance. Many wedding pros start off at a breakneck pace, but don’t know how to take it down a notch. Even seasoned professionals still get stuck at high speed each year during peak season.

If you want a career that lasts - and you love doing it everyday, no matter what time of year - you have to operate with principles for long-term success. In this week’s episode of Own Your Business, I share:

- How booking too much business can sink your success

- 8 principles I learned actually running a marathon

- Practical ways to apply it all to your business this peak season

Do you dread peak wedding season? That time of the year when you have more work to do than hours in the day? It seems like no matter what you do to streamline your workflows or hire help to get you through, it just doesn’t work.

In this week’s episode of Own Your Business, I’ll explore how to create a “place of bliss” in your business. We’ll explore:

- How three different pieces create long-term success in your business

- Ways to make more money with less effort

- The one thing you have to know if you want to prevent burnout during peak season

We all start our companies for different reasons. What’s yours? Even more important to know - very, very clearly - is why you’re still driven to keep it going today. It’s easy to get distracted by what motivates others in their business. Or keep running in place on the hamster wheel that you’ve created for yourself. But the sooner you connect with what drives you the faster you can build a strategy for your company that’s viable in the long run.

In this episode of Own Your Business, I’ll share:

- Nine psychological motivations that influence human decisions

- How to identify what drives you as a business owner

- Why it’s important to keep it at the forefront of your long-term strategy

Blogging is not dead. In fact, it’s quite alive with your ideal clients. Why? Because when people want answers to their questions, they don’t go to your Home page or your About page or even your services page. That’s for later in the buyer’s journey. When couples are starting out their search for wedding vendors, they’re plugging in questions to Google and scanning the articles that come up. Those articles are almost always posts about specialized topics (aka: blogs).

In this week’s episode of Own Your Business, Katy and I talk about:

- How to create a blog with evergreen content

- What stage of awareness in the buyer’s journey to direct your posts

- Criteria for a successful blog, including how often to post and how long each post should be

- Ways to generate ideas for blog content that’ll hook your ideal clients

Instagram is where people go to kill time. Pinterest is the place where they fantasize about a better future. If you want to work with people who dream big - and have budgets to match - it’s time to put out content on Pinterest. On this week’s episode of Own Your Business, I chat with Carolina Guzik, a luxury photographer who made her mark in the industry by attracting clients with pin-worthy images. We discuss:

- Common misconceptions about Pinterest that hold wedding pros back

- Why couples use Pinterest - and how you can trigger their interest in your brand

- Ways Pinterest connects with other marketing strategies

- How to get tens of thousands of viewers without spending tons of time

Think SEO is for couples who aren’t your ideal clients? Think again. Potential clients don’t use Google when they’re lost. They use it when they’re starting out, including those who could be the perfect match for your services and price point. Tune in this week to Own Your Business for a conversation with SEO expert Sara Dunn, who dives into:

- 3 big myths about SEO that cost you business

- Why SEO works for services at ALL prices

- Top changes to make today for a better online presence

- How SEO ties into every other marketing strategy

Your network is your safety net when things go wrong and your fishing net to feed your business. So how do you go about building relationships - and capitalizing on them - in a way that feels authentic to you? In this week’s episode of Own Your Business, I sit down with Megan Gillikin, a master networker and one of the most genuine human beings I know to:

- Network successfully even if you’re an introvert or have imposter syndrome

- Surprise and delight couples during the client journey

- Connect with new friendors who align well with your brand

- Earn more referrals without sounding cheesy

It’s impossible to translate the experiences at Engage to someone who didn’t attend. The program is so immersive, and designed around, well, engaging with others at the event. But we can share our biggest takeaways with you. If you missed the New Orleans Summit - or you were there but want my perspective - tune in to this week’s episode of Own Your Business.

Let’s be honest: Planner referrals are a necessity if you want to move up in the wedding industry. Not only do they recommend clients, but they typically pay more and offer super interesting projects. But how do you get on a planner’s list in the first place? In this episode of Own Your Business, I sit down with Shannon Leahy, one of the most respected (and decorated) planners in the industry to dive deep into:

- Different ways planners refer vendors to their clients

- How information is shared with couples

- Important criteria planners consider before making a recommendation

- What you can do to get a foot in the door with planners like her

- How to lose your spot on a planner’s list