This Week in Weddings

While actually having a contract is basic Business Ownership 101, actually sticking to your contract and enforcing its policies is another story. In this week's episode of the This Week In Weddings podcast, we're chatting with a stationery designer about sticking to your contract, why it's important to do so, and how your contract and boundaries go hand in hand.

About our guest:

A graduate of Marymount University, Claudia received her specialization in brand identity at the Istituto Europeo di Design in Milan, then received her Masters in Industrial Design from the prestigious Domus Academy, also in Milan.

Prior to launching Fig. 2, Claudia worked as a designer for design firms in the Washington, DC area, designing and interacting with various types of clients. Since launching Fig. 2, Claudia has won several awards for her graphic design work.

In 2011, Fig. 2 officially launched at the National Stationery Show where Claudia created and sold a wholesale line of paper goods and wedding invitations sold in top tier stationery shops across the country and worldwide. Having now closed the wholesale and retail portions of the business, Claudia’s main focus is on creating custom wedding invitations and brand strategy and design. 

In this episode, listeners will hear about:

• Claudia's background and how she got started in the wedding industry and her progression from wholesale accounts to custom work
• A few work boundaries that Claudia specifies in her contract
• Having clients initial key portions of a contract
• Phrases about respecting your time that you might consider adding to a contract
• Project delays and how you may be able to incorporate that language into a contract
• How to deal with contract violations

Want to connect with Claudia?

• Instagram: @fig2design
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fig.2Design

In this casual episode of the This Week in Weddings podcast, Kimberly, Annie and Lance catch up on the craziness that has occurred with the quick increase in weddings. If you're struggling with the change of pace in the recent weeks, listen in! You're not alone!

When you own a small business, planning for retirement is not always easy. We're often working "in" our businesses and not "on" our businesses and that includes planning for the future. In this week's episode of the This Week In Weddings podcast, we're chatting with a financial advisor about ways that we can save for retirement, plan for the future, and ready our businesses for sale.

About our guest:

Ken Jones has been in the financial services industry since graduating with a degree in Economics from Texas A&M University. He has been serving business owners of small to mid-sized companies as a financial advisor for most of his 30-year career. In his role, he advises on everything from retirement planning to helping business owners sell or buy a business. 

Ken considers his practice just as much financial therapy as money management. 

In this episode, listeners will hear about:

• Ken's background and how he got interested in financial planning
• The different types of Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs)
• The importance of setting money aside for retirement and tactical ways to do it consistently
• Why a financial planner can help you plan for the future
• What small businesses should be doing in order to make sure their business is prepped to sell
• Why a transition plan can increase the value for your business in a sale
• brokercheck.com

Want to connect with Ken?

• Phone: 512-422-3893
• Email: [email protected] 

Another crazy, busy week, another re-release! We're digging into the This Week In Weddings archives with one of Annie's favorite episodes – Networking for Introverts with Alicia Keats.

The saying goes that it’s all about who you know, and being well connected in the wedding industry can certainly be helpful for building and growing your business. But when you’re shy or an introvert, networking can be terrifying. In this week’s episode of the This Week In Weddings podcast, we’re chatting with a successful wedding planner who has learned how to turn her introvert tendencies into strengths when networking and operating her business.

About our guest: 

With over thirteen years of experience, award winning wedding planner Alicia Keats has earned her place among the most sought after wedding planners in Canada. Alicia is known to be a passionate, devoted wedding planner who is always graceful under pressure. Her desire to create, not only an individualized planning experience but also to create an extraordinary, personalized wedding celebration for her couples, has earned her the reputation of being one of the best.

In addition to being named one of the best wedding planners in the world by Vogue Magazine two years in a row, her work has been featured in numerous publications and top wedding blogs including Wedluxe, Real Weddings Magazine, WeddingBells, Style Me Pretty, Junebug Weddings and 100 Layer Cake. In 2012, she was awarded the Industry Achievement award by her peers at the BC Wedding Awards as well as many WeddingWire Couple Choice awards over the years.

When Alicia is not planning weddings, she can be found cuddling her sweet baby boy, cooking with her husband or searching for the next tasty culinary experience.

In this episode, listeners will hear about:

• Alicia’s background and how she went from pursuing an acting career to becoming a wedding planner
• How Alicia’s shyness has served her well with building genuine relationships
• Alicia’s strategies for psyching herself up before attending networking events
• Strategies for networking when you’re a natural introvert, including Alicia’s go-to strategy for breaking the ice
• How being shy and introverted has successfully served her clients

Want to connect with Alicia?

• • On the web: http://www.aliciakeats.com/
  • Instagram: @aliciakeats

This week, we're digging into the This Week In Weddings archives to pull out an oldie but a goodie! Living Your Brand with Andrea Eppolito.

Is your business model a true reflection of who you are? Are you carrying out your brand's image in your every day life? In this week's episode of the This Week In Weddings podcast, we're chatting with event planner Andrea Eppolito, of Andrea Eppolito Events about living your brand. From what you wear and how you present yourself in public to having an understanding of the restaurants your ideal client frequents, this week's episode is all about keeping your brand top of mind.

About our guest: 

Having worked a wedding show at fifteen, Andrea fell in love with the beauty, the timeless traditions, and the transformative qualities of weddings and events. During her time at UNLV, she planned weddings while working in restaurants and studying her craft. In 1998, Andrea opened the iconic Bellagio Resort; the first of many she would ultimately come to work with.

Andrea founded her eponymous event planning business, Andrea Eppolito Events, in 2011. In the years that followed, her work received numerous awards and has been featured by the likes of BRIDES, WedLuxe, Grace Ormonde, and more. Renowned for designing weddings with soul, and called "vibrant, chic, and impeccably organized” Andrea prides herself on the deep relationships she creates with her clients and partners.

A custom magazine she gifted to her clients went viral in 2016, leading to the creation of The Wedding Editorialist. This self publishing platform creates story-driven issues published both online and in print. The Wedding Editorialist believes that every story deserves to be told, and services couples, creatives, and venues.

Committed to collaboration and education, Andrea is a keynote speaker, eternal student, and eager participant in think tanks and book clubs. Born in New York, Andrea lived bi-coastally between there and LA before relocating to Las Vegas, Nevada. After over 20 years she considers herself "nearly a native" of the city she now resides in with her husband and children

In this episode, listeners will hear about:

• Andrea's background and why luxury weddings are a fit for her
• Why looking the part is important when running a business
• How to familiarize yourself with high-end restaurants without having to spend the money on a 5-course meal
• How Andrea has added to her business through the Wedding Editorialist

Want to connect with Andrea?

• Website: http://www.andreaeppolitoevents.com/ 
• Instagram: @andreaeppolito
• Facebook:@andreaeppolito 
• Email: [email protected]

McDonald's may have coined the term "special sauce" but we all have something unique that sets us apart from our competitors.  Do you know what yours is? In this week's episode of the This Week In Weddings podcast, we're chatting with a wedding industry copywriter about the importance of identifying and promoting your unique brand position as well as how to figure out what yours is in case you're not quite sure. 

About our guest:

Taylor de la Fuente is an award-winning writer, champion for inclusive language and the owner of Lemon Tree Editorial. As a website copywriter serving the wedding industry, Taylor writes authentic and inclusive web copy for wedding pros who want to sell their services while they sleep. Before starting Lemon Tree Editorial, she worked in journalism, SEO and marketing. 

In this episode, listeners will hear about:

• Taylor's background in copywriting and what she does in the wedding industry
• What "special sauce" means when it comes to being a wedding industry entrepreneur
• How to find your special sauce through your peers and past clients
• Once you determine your special sauce, where on your website that should live
• The importance of having confidence to turn away potential clients

Want to connect with Taylor?

• Online: www.lteditorial.com
• Instagram: @lteditorial

Building any business takes hustle and grit. But constant hustling without taking a break is a sure way to hit burnout. In this week's episode of the This Week In Weddings podcast, we're chatting with an established wedding planner about her thoughts on hustling, resting, and how the two go hand in hand. 

About our guest:

Spreading her metropolitan style throughout the low country, Terrica has been creating exquisite weddings and events in the Golden Isles area for the past fifteen years.

Specializing in modern Southern weddings, she believes in creating custom experiences inspired by her clients’ love stories while infusing technology and efficiency. A contributing board member of the North American Academy of Wedding and Event Planning, Terrica’s weddings and expertise have been featured in The Knot, Reader’s Digest, Martha Stewart Weddings, HLN tv, Style Me Pretty and a host of others. In addition to leading a rockstar team at her planning and design firm, she also owns The White Lounge— a contemporary wedding planning studio for couples and wedding professionals.

A wave maker nominated for Honeybook’s 20 on the Rise and a current Educator with The Knot and Wedding Wire, she launched her new wedding industry education system, “Here Comes the Brand“. Terrica is an ardent educator of those in the wedding industry, also hosting the “She Doesn’t Even Go Here” podcast. As an avid lover of cake and champagne, you'll find her at home in the Golden Isles with her four “fabutots”, and when not entertaining family and friends, she’s frequently binging on RuPaul’s Drag Race and Game of Thrones.

In this episode, listeners will hear about:

• Terrica's background and how she got started in the wedding industry
• Why it's important to hustle for your success instead of wish for it
• The importance of setting boundaries and periods of rest as a business owner
• Why keeping focused on your own business instead of comparing yourself to others is beneficial to your success
• The pros and cons of Clubhouse
• Tips for protecting your peace 

Want to connect with Terrica?

• Online: http://terricainc.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cocktailterrica
• Instagram: @cocktailterrica
• Twitter: @terrica

We're constantly involved with negotiations in our daily lives – from discussing where to eat for lunch with friends to reviewing contracts with service providers. But as a wedding industry business, are you willing to negotiate in your own business in order to close the deal? In this week's episode of the This Week In Weddings podcast, we're chatting with a negotiation strategist about this very topic. 

About our guest:

A highly sought-after leadership and negotiation strategist, Elizabeth Suárez is committed to helping professionals and their organizations establish working environments where people are empowered to be skilled leaders and negotiators. After climbing the ranks of corporate America, she spent the last decade creating the impactful and interactive platform Negotiation Unleashed, a coaching, training and facilitation resource for professionals.  As a previous corporate executive turned negotiation influencer, she created this platform to guide leaders into thriving decision-makers and strategists.

Elizabeth holds an MBA from The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, and a BS in chemical engineering from Cornell University. She completed the Executive Management Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.   She is a graduate of the Center for Creative Leadership, National Hispana Leadership Institute (NHLI) and Leadership Denver.  She is a certified MBTI practitioner and mediator trained by the Colorado Council of Mediators and the Colorado Bar Association.

In this episode, listeners will hear about:

• Elizabeth's background and how she became an expert in negotiation
• Ways to negotiate that don't necessarily come down to price
• Elizabeth's thoughts on pricing your services in order give flexibility for negotiation
• Knowing when it's time to walk away from the negotiation

Want to connect with Elizabeth?

• Online: https://negotiationunleashed.com/  
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SalaryQueen/  
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/speakerelizabeth/ 
• Twitter: @elizabethsuarez 

As busy entrepreneurs with full plates, it's not uncommon to experience bouts of anxiety. Or maybe you're one who has always been wired to worry. In this week's episode of the This Week In Weddings podcast, we're chatting with a coach about anxiety, what it is, and some tips for combating it. From daily manifestations to breaking negative self talk, our guest is sharing her top tips for being the powerful you (and not the puny you).

About our guest:

Bambi Thompson, is a transformational speaker and “Brain Coach” for success acceleration and anxiety transformation, and an Occupational Therapist who has gone wildly woo. She’s the creator of the Slay Your Days Momentum Club, the co-founder of the Corporate Unicorn’s Women’s Success Summit in Maine, co-author of Dare to Be Authentic, and the former producer and host of Power Me Up Radio on the Amazing Women of Power Network.

She teaches success oriented women how to leverage neuroscience, mindset, the human energy body, and the Law of Attraction to build their lives and businesses from an energetic foundation. She provides the toolbox for living life with more ease and joy while achieving more with vitality, power, confidence, and success.

In this episode, listeners will hear about:

• Bambi's background in holistic healing, occupational therapy, and non-medicinal anxiety work
• The science behind anxiety
• Why entrepreneurs in particular often suffer from chronic worry
• Tips to identify negative self talk and quickly turn it around
• A quick exercise for immediately feeling relief from stress and anxiety
• The power in asking open ended questions as it relates to the law of attraction
• Bambi's Free Momentum Accelerator Success Kit: https://www.bambithompson.com/gift

Want to connect with Bambi?

• Online: https://www.bambithompson.com/ 
• Instagram: @bambithompson 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BambiThompsonCoach
• Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/c/BambiThompson

Being a perfectionist is often used as a badge of honor. But in actuality, the desire to make things absolutely perfect is likely holding you back from achieving great things. In this week's episode of the This Week In Weddings podcast, we're chatting with a coach and business strategist who explains why perfectionism isn't something positive to be proud of, but something based on fear that needs to be worked through.

About our guest:

Stephanie Hayes works with experienced entrepreneurs who have built successful businesses but aren’t sure what’s next. She helps them create a business model that works for them and a plan to get to their next level of growth so they can become more profitable, and do the work they really want to do. 

Stephanie has been working with entrepreneurs and small businesses for over 20 years, and has built a number of her own businesses. She launched her business strategy and coaching practice in 2015 so she can focus on helping solo entrepreneurs align their businesses with their big goals. 

Stephanie believes that business owners are looking for direct, actionable help and teaches her clients how to be self-sufficient and develop a foundation for continued growth. 

In this episode, listeners will hear about:

• Stephanie's background and how she became a recovering perfectionist
• How perfectionism is not a positive thing and actually can be debilitating and how entrepreneurs back
• The signs that someone is struggling with perfectionism
• The difference between being a perfectionist and having high standards or values
• Some small steps perfectionists can take to change their mindset
• Stephanie's podcast "Real People, Real Business"
• Stephanie's free download 14 Ways to Keep Perfectionism from Running the Show

Want to connect with Stephanie?

• Online: www.stephaniehayes.biz
• Instagram: @stephaniehayes.biz
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephaniehayescoach/
• Twitter: @stephaniehayes