017: Real Expert: Why It Takes Drive and a Little Luck to Build a Business with Janelle Thomson

042: Christine of CMG Events

Today's guest is Christine Garrison, the owner and visionary force behind CMG Events. CMG Events is an award -winning event planning and design company with planners based in Napa Valley, the Bay Area, and Los Angeles, California. CMG also plans and designs destination weddings in locations like Idaho, Colorado, Texas, Arizona, Hawaii, Italy, Mexico, and more.

Christine is passionate about creating unforgettable moments and she brings a blend of sophistication and creativity to each and every one of her weddings. Christine and her team have orchestrated hundreds of celebrations and have graced the pages of People Magazine, Vogue, Brides, and more.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Building a successful wedding planning business takes time and effort. It's important to be patient and persistent.

• Working for other companies and gaining experience in the industry can be valuable before starting your own business.

• Empowering team members and fostering a partnership mentality can lead to a more successful and cohesive team.

• Communication and organization are key in running a wedding planning business.

• Expanding to new markets may require building new relationships and establishing yourself in the local industry.

• Success in the wedding planning industry is achievable with dedication, hustle, and a long-term vision. Building genuine relationships with venues and vendors is crucial for success in the wedding planning industry.

• Strategic wedding selection, even if it means taking on lower-budget weddings initially, can lead to valuable venue and vendor referrals.

• Consistent branding and a focus on providing a high-quality experience are key to gaining trust from venues and vendors.

• Investing in a team that aligns with the brand's vision and values is essential for growth and long-term success.

• Offering coordination services can be a valuable source of passive income and help establish strong relationships with venues and vendors.

• Investing in education and growth, both personally and for the business, is necessary for staying competitive and evolving in the industry.

• Hustling, finding your people, and investing in your company are important factors for success as a wedding planner.

• Planner Life Academy plans to expand to Northern California, providing valuable education and resources for wedding planners in the region.

You can connect with Christine and the CMG Team

website | instagram

041: Ask Me Anything with Heather & Karen

On today’s episode, Heather & Karen from Blissfully Styled sit down to answer submitted questions from the Planner Life Community.

A little bit about the guest co-host today- Karen Sieger owner of Blissfully Styled. Karen is a genuine empath and always game for a celebration. There's nothing Karen loves more than immersing herself in event planning and designing. She is an advocate for her couples, infusing positivity, creating elegant designs obsessing over the tiniest of details. Her mission is to create blissful planning and wedding day experience for her couples and vendor friends alike.

These Ask Me Anything episodes are made possible by the community submissions. Where Heather and friends get to tackle your current challenges and your biggest questions.

In this episode, they discuss:

Karen's Journey:

• Karen reflects on how her upbringing shaped her personality, emphasizing her organizational skills and ability to stay calm under pressure.

• Discussion on Karen's transition from a successful corporate career to becoming a wedding planner, leveraging her management experience and love for event planning.

• Heather and Karen discuss Karen's vision for building a team and the evolution of her business model.

Planner Life Podcast Community:

• Heather addresses the transition in Planner Life Podcast leadership and emphasizes the importance of community and diverse perspectives.

• Heather confirms that she continues to plan weddings alongside managing Planner Life Academy, ensuring she stays connected to the industry's constant evolution.

Upcoming Workshops and Events:

• Discussion on Heather's shift in perspective amidst the uncertainties of recent years, embracing optimism and focusing on the present moment.

Your Questions Answered:

• Tips on networking, including introducing acquaintances to facilitate new connections and selflessly helping others.

• Butterfly and Dove Releases, highlighting their complexity and potential downsides and discussion of what is needed for a successful release.

• Coordinating Table Mock-ups, considering factors like investment level, rental company involvement, and venue accessibility.

• Holding Couples Accountable the challenge of keeping couples on track with wedding tasks, offering strategies like setting false deadlines and providing clear explanations for the importance of timely completion.

• Client Screening, the importance of screening couples during consultation process

• Adaptation, ensuring that you are tailoring processes to suit couples' needs and working styles

• RSVP Management and Design Mockup software - Aisle Planner, Canva & Merri

• Feedback Post Event, client interviews for feedback and seeking feedback from venues and vendors to improve services

• Should you post your pricing?!

• Advertising and Marketing, the role of advertising in supporting business

• General Tips and Insights

Thank you to all the planners who submitted questions! Be sure to submit your questions for our next Ask Me Anything Episode! Submit here.

Ready to sign up for Aisle Planner? Use Code PLANNERLIFE

Ready to sign up for Merri? Sign up now

Want to learn more from Heather & Planner Life Academy? Be sure to grab your free rehearsal recording so you can master rehearsals this season.

FREE REHEARSAL RECORDING LINK

040: Steven Greitzer of Provenance

On today's episode, Heather Hoesch Olsen, interviews Steven Greitzer, who is the founder and CEO of Provenance.

After officiating weddings for years and feeling frustrated and shocked by the lack of resources for couples and their first time officiants, he founded Provenance in 2021 to modernize ceremony design. Today, tens of thousands of wedding planners, couples, officiants, bridal party, and other toast givers used Provenance's suite of tools to craft meaningful and personalized wedding ceremony scripts, vows, and toasts for modern day weddings.

In this episode, they talk about Stephen's entrepreneurial journey, his experience in tech, and how a wild ride at one tech company led him to rethink his vision and his future. You'll hear how much Heather loves the Providence tools and how you can use them to provide additional value for your clients and ensure every part of their wedding is well planned.

In this episode, hear more about:

• Stephen Greitzer, founder of Providence, shares his journey from working in the technology industry to starting his own company.

• He discusses his experience at Quibi and the challenges they faced. He then explains how he became an officiant for weddings and the lack of resources available for creating personalized ceremonies.

• This led him to start Providence, a platform that helps couples and officiants create unique and authentic wedding ceremonies. The platform also caters to other stakeholders involved in weddings, such as fathers of the bride, maids of honor, and wedding planners. Provenance provides tools for wedding planners to create personalized and impressive ceremonies, vows, and toasts.

• The tools include a ceremony builder, vow builder, toast builder, welcome toast builder, and thank you note builder. These tools help wedding planners de-risk potential chaos during weddings and ensure that every element of the wedding weekend is of high quality.

• Provenance has received endorsements from celebrity wedding planner Mindy Weiss and has a collaborative approach to the wedding industry.

• The company prioritizes customer service and solving real problems for couples and wedding planners.

Connect with Provenance:

website|instragram

Listeners can get 20% off our subscription to help clients write personalized and impressive ceremonies, vows, and toasts with code PLA20.

039: Jeannie Savage of Details Details

On today's episode, Heather Hoesch Olsen, interviews Jeannie Young Savage, owner of Details Details. Jeannie has established a reputation of excellent event management and producing original, fresh, and innovative design concepts. With two bachelor's of arts degrees from the University of California Irvine, and over 10 years of hospitality experience, she provides an insider's approach to assembling and managing vendors.

Jeannie's creativity and impeccable taste continue to produce elegant, extraordinary, and unforgettable events. With meticulous planning and a passion for perfection, she delivers results that are full of color, texture, and imagination.

In this conversation, we talk about Jeannie's start in hotels, how her passion for hospitality led her to create details, details. This conversation is chocked full of great advice, and it's easy to see why Jeannie hashad success for so many years, 20 years and counting.

In this episode, hear more about:

• Getting to Know Jeannie
• Academic and Career Journey
• Challenges and Rewards of Hotel Management
• Transition to Wedding Planning
• Building a Team and Navigating Growth
• Managing Team Dynamics and Client Relationships
• Navigating Industry Relationships and Personal Balance
• NDA Policy
• Client Referrals
• Design Process
• Budget Considerations in Design
• Social Media Strategy
• Advice for Newcomers

Connect with Jeannie:

website | instragram

038: Shannon Pruitt of Sunday Muse Design

In this episode, Heather Hoesch Olsen, interviews Shannon from Sunday Muse Design, a web designer specializing in working with wedding professionals. Shannon shares her journey from a background in wedding planning to becoming a web designer. The discussion highlights the importance of having a strategic approach to website design, understanding ideal clients, and incorporating SEO.

Topics in their conversation include:

- The Importance of a Strategic Website

- Working with New Clients

- Strategic Planning for New Businesses

- Setting Clients Up for Success

- Choosing the Right Platform

- Ensuring SEO Implementation

Heather and Shannon wrap up the conversation by discussing the importance of hiring the right web designer and budgeting for website redesign or upgrades.

Shannon offers practical advice for planners at different stages of their business and encourages them to take a strategic approach to website design.

Connect With Shannon:

https://sundaymusedesign.com/

https://www.instagram.com/sundaymusedesign

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