There are times, especially in the fast-paced wedding industry, when you may start feeling stuck in your wedding business. Be it fewer clients than usual or a sudden lack of motivation – it can leave you feeling like you are in a constant battle.
But, you’re not alone. In fact, as a business coach who has worked with countless wedding professionals, I know that these feelings are all too familiar, and most people in the industry experience them more frequently than you think.
But, the good news is that there are ways to get back on track. And today, I am here to help. I want to share with you some of the tried and tested things that have worked for me and others like you to help kickstart your morale and motivation.
So, without further ado, here are the 8 things that you can do when you feel like you’re stuck in your wedding business.
1. Network With Other Wedding Vendors
Networking with other wedding vendors is an excellent way to break out of a rut in your wedding business. Connecting with other professionals in the same industry can open doors to an abundance of tips, advice, and experiences. What’s more, building relationships that can extend over time creates opportunities for collaboration and access to a wider range of resources and ideas so that you keep pushing forward!
It can also remind you that you aren’t the only one feeling stuck in your wedding business right now.
Networking with other wedding vendors can do more than just establish relationships; it can also help inspire new ways to differentiate your services. These conversations and interactions may lead you to innovative strategies for setting your wedding business apart from the competition. Furthermore, these connections can offer valuable insights and fresh perspectives, empowering you to tackle business problems and brainstorm new marketing plans with renewed optimism and purpose.
2. Do Creative Work Like Planning a Styled Shoot
As a wedding planner, feeling stuck can be frustrating but trust me, forcing yourself to get creative can help you break free from that feeling! One fantastic way to show off your skills and bring something unique to the table is by planning a styled shoot. It’s a chance to showcase your creativity and pull together something different and exciting.
Not only that, but styled shoots are also an excellent opportunity to connect with other vendors in the industry, building relationships that could lead to future collaborations. Styled shoots helped me get published in several features and even helped turn me into a two time published author.
So when you are feeling stuck in your wedding business, embrace your creativity and show potential clients what you’re capable of with a styled shoot that sets you apart from the pack. Want a little help? Grab my free guide for planning magazine-worthy styled shoots here.
3. Hire a Business Coach
I know I might be biased here but whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned vet in the wedding biz, hiring a business coach can help you get unstuck and help you take your business to the next level! A business coach can bring in a unique perspective and time-tested strategies to the table that’ll help you start making progress toward your goals.
Think we might be a good fit to work together? Join me inside my low-cost membership for wedding planners, The Planners Playbook! Want even more high-level support? Apply for my high-end mastermind WeddingPro Insiders.
4. Re-evaluate Your Pricing Structure
If ever feel stuck in your business, it may be a result of not charging enough. A moment of reflection and re-evaluation of your pricing structure could be just what you need to push forward.
Consider the value you’re bringing to the table and make changes as necessary. Remember, charging more means you can attract higher-paying clients and ultimately boost your revenue. Don’t be afraid to shake things up and ask for the compensation you truly deserve!
As a coach for wedding pros, pricing is one of the MOST frequently asked questions I get. If you really want to know everything I know about pricing, grab my guide in the shop here!
5. Update Your Website and Social Media Channels
Updating your website and social media channels can be a great way to reinvigorate your wedding business when you’re feeling stuck in your wedding business. Taking the time to make minor tweaks on your website, such as changing out some photos or adding new content, can help you reconnect with your business in an exciting way and remind you why it matters.
Additionally, updating these channels with fresh content is often vital to staying connected with customers and provides an opportunity for creative expression. Doing something creative can help spark creativity for other aspects of your business, too. So don’t be afraid to take the time to update your website and social media channels- it can be just the jump start you need when you feel stuck!
6. Attend Industry Conferences and Workshops
It’s 2023, and aren’t we all so happy to see each other in person again? I know I’ve already attended a few in person events this year and have a few more on the books before the year ends!
In-person events are a great way to stay connected with your industry and learn new skills, plus they give you the opportunity to network with like-minded professionals. Check out what’s available in your local area or online and jump on the chance to attend these events. You won’t regret it- I promise!
Will I see you at Wedding MBA? DM me and let me know you’ll be there!
7. Try a New Marketing Strategy
If your current marketing strategy isn’t delivering the results you expect, don’t lose heart – it’s time to get creative and take a fresh approach. There are tons of options to consider, from investing in targeted paid advertising campaigns to experimenting with emerging social media platforms. But with so many routes to explore, how do you find the right one for your business?
Marketing is all about experimenting! Don’t be afraid to test what works for your business or try calculated risks to grow your customer base. I always suggest wedding professionals experiment with their marketing, and that’s precisely how I tackle it in my own business.
The key is to stay curious, keep learning, and be willing to invest in the approaches that work best for you!
8. Take a Break and Recharge
When running a wedding business, it is important to take regular breaks and recharge in order to avoid burnout. Take it from me – burnout can lead to decreased productivity, missed deadlines, and an overall decrease in quality of work. Taking a break allows you to step away from the everyday demands of running a business and gives you time to reflect on what you’ve achieved and come up with fresh ideas. It also gives you the opportunity to clear your head, get outside your comfort zone, and build new skills that can help you grow as a business owner.
Taking breaks also helps reduce stress levels which can have an impact on both your mental and physical health. When we experience too much stress, our bodies become overwhelmed, which leads to exhaustion and difficulty concentrating. By taking regular breaks throughout the day or week or months of wedding season, we give ourselves time to relax and recharge so we can come back feeling more focused and energized. This allows us to stay productive without burning out quickly or feeling overwhelmed by the demands of our work.
Finally, taking breaks helps maintain mental clarity, which is essential for staying on task with weddings and other projects. Regular breaks allow us to reset our thoughts so we can approach tasks with renewed energy and enthusiasm. They also give us time for self-care which is necessary for keeping ourselves balanced mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically, etc., in order for us to be able to run our businesses effectively.
If you are heading into wedding season and are already feeling burnt out or stuck, head to this post here for more tips!
Stress in the Wedding Industry
Let me finish with some real talk here. Wedding planning is undoubtedly one of the most stressful jobs in the world. It requires an incredible amount of organization and detail-oriented multitasking and often involves managing a large budget and navigating complex legal contracts. On top of all this, wedding planners are responsible for ensuring that each and every aspect of the wedding comes together perfectly – from selecting venue arrangements to choosing catering options to coordinating with vendors, family members, and friends. With so much on your plate, it can be difficult to find time to focus on your own mental health and well-being. I KNOW how it is, and that’s why taking care of yourself first is so important.
No Matter How You Feel Now – You Won’t Be Feeling Stuck in Your Wedding Business Forever
Feeling stuck in your wedding business is not uncommon, but it doesn’t mean you have to STAY stuck. By networking with other vendors, doing creative work, hiring a business coach, re-evaluating your pricing structure, updating your online presence, attending industry events and workshops, trying a new marketing strategy, and even just taking a break and recharging, you can reignite your passion and grow your business. So don’t give up – use these tips to get yourself back on track and achieve your goals.
Want to skip to the good part where I invite you to join me inside of my wedding planner’s membership, the Planner’s Playbook, to not only get better at your craft but also network with other wedding planners just like you? Head here and get on the waitlist now.
Explore More Wedding Industry Resources
- How To Avoid Wedding Season Burnout
- 8 Steps to Spring Cleaning Your Wedding Business
- The 5 Stages of Scaling Your Wedding Business You Need to Know About
- Honeybook Plans: Which Honeybook Plan Should You Choose For Your Business?
- How This One Thing Can Help You Avoid Burnout After Wedding Season
- Top Networking Tips for Wedding Planners in 2023
- What Is Analysis Paralysis, What Causes it & How To Overcome It
- Amanda Joyce Weber Teaches Us How To Fix Our Broke Money Mindset
For More Wedding Planner Business Secrets Follow Me On Instagram
I’ve come to realize that many of us want to have a village, but we don’t recognize that we have to be a villager first.
My friend carla @c10ike is one of those rare exceptions and I want to introduce you to her!
When I started my planning business, I had no contacts and no real idea what I was doing. I was so green it makes me laugh to look back on it now!
And somehow, I got lucky enough to be taken under the wing of this incredible woman who showed up for me then when I was a little baby business owner, and has kept showing up ever since in more ways than I could possibly count.
She’s taught me so much over the years, and I don’t mean in the traditional sense of teaching someone something. She simply lived her life, and I paid attention.
She modeled what it means to be a friend.
A sister.
A daughter.
A wife.
A mother.
A business owner.
A boss.
I learned generosity by watching her be generous.
Compassion, connection, leadership… none of it came from advice. All of it came from the way she carries herself and the way she treats the people around her.
She has taught me more than she will ever know by the sheer act of living loudly and joyfully in every corner of her life.
I am so lucky to call her my friend. So lucky to be one of the many, many people she has been a villager for.
Carla thank you for letting me grow up right beside you. I love you. 🤍
DAY ONE // WPI Spring Retreat 💜
This was our first real day together! The theme of this whole retreat was refinement, so we wasted no time getting into it on Day 1!
The women shuttled up to my home, walked through the gate to mimosas and the biggest hugs, and got their welcome totes filled with goodies I curated from female owned businesses that were mostly local!
Then we settled in, did some tapping to manifest all the answers we needed for the week, courtesy of our very own @ashley.peraino (who couldn’t join us this year, but was SO THOUGHTFUL to record a video for us!)
I opened with a talk on complexity, discernment, and self-trust (today’s podcast episode, BTW) simplifying your business and actually trusting yourself to lead what’s left.
From there the room took over. We had three incredible member gives: @c10ike on trusting your creative instincts, @ininkweddings on refining your creative POV, and @welldressedevents on generating real revenue through Google Ads (it’s giving… LEADS 😉).
In between we had small group discussions, hot conversations about where instinct and POV are out of sync, a homemade Caribbean lunch, and an afternoon of poolside snacks and conversation.
This is what the WPI room looks like. A talented group of women who came with one big business question and spent day one getting closer to the answer while having fun and getting their brains stretched!
All these gorgeous moments captured by our retreat photographer + my business bestie @c10ike 💜💜💜
Do it or delete it.
I said this recently to a coaching client, and now it’s sort of become our mantra inside WPI, because almost every business owner I know has a to-do list with 47 things on it (the same 47 things that were on last week’s list, and the week before that).
They don’t get done. They just travel from week to week collecting guilt, and that guilt somehow makes it even harder to get anything done at all.
After years of coaching women through this, you start to realize that most of those tasks don’t actually have dire consequences if they never happen. They just feel important because they’ve been living on your list rent-free for six months.
I want you to look at your to-do list right now and choose.
You do it… meaning you do it right now or at the very least put it on the calendar with a real deadline.
You delegate it… but only if it’s actually worth someone else’s time, not because you’ve been avoiding it and want to make it someone else’s problem.
Or you delete it… and I mean actually delete it, not shuffle it to a “someday” list where it will haunt you until 2027.
The guilt you feel about your undone tasks won’t go away if you magically “get more productive.” Instead I want you to see it for what it is: a list-curation problem.
What’s one thing you’re deleting today?
PS: I can confidently say these @aritzia sweatpants are 10/10
Syd from @ininkweddings spent $$$$ on a rebrand... and a year later, her gut told her to do it again.
She listened, and that’s how Messy Luxury™ was born.
The Behind the Brand series is BACK on the podcast, and this episode is one of my favorites yet. I’m excited to introduce you to Sydney Meyer (AKA ya girl, SYD) – a talented, vibrant, and dynamic wedding designer / planner based in Austin but serving clients worldwide.
I’ve been coaching Syd inside WPI since 2022, so I’ve had a front row seat to her evolution.
I’ve gotten to watch her build an iconic brand from the inside out, and it’s been one of the great joys of my coaching career. I’m so excited for you to hear her journey and some of the interesting twists and turns she’s encountered because boy, are they RELATABLE.
In this episode, we get into:
- What inspired her to start In Ink
- Why her first rebrand still didn’t feel right and how she knew
- The rock-bottom moment that forced her to build a business for HER, not everyone else
- How she trademarked Messy Luxury and turned it into the most recognizable design philosophy in Austin
If your business doesn’t feel like you anymore or if you’ve been searching for your unique creative POV, you’re going to LOVE this week’s episode!
Drop MESSY LUXURY in the comments and I’ll send you a link to listen!
A special shout out to all the photographers whose images reflect Syd and her great work: @alicialeighphoto @anastasiastratephotography @fallonstovallphoto @lightasgold @natalienicolephoto @haleyfolkman.photo @c10ike
All, Getting Down to Business, Goal Setting, Growing a Business, Mindset's To Fix, Podcast Show Notes
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