What are you selling? A service? A product? This may be an obvious question to many, but be sure that you have a clear answer. If someone at a party asks you what you do, what would your response be? (You will be asked this at some point!)
Now, even more importantly, how are you going to stand out from your competition? What is it that you offer that makes you different? A unique, artistic approach? Streamlined planning worksheets? The social skills to make guests feel comfortable and at ease?
Having a clear vision for your business will help you to not only set up your business, website and promotional materials, but will also give you the confidence necessary to present yourself as a valuable asset when talking with prospective clients by phone or email. Sounding confident – even if you don’t feel confident when just starting out – is a key factor in gaining trust, and will ultimately lead to securing more contracts.
Brainstorm Ideas for Your Wedding Business
Before going any further, take some time to brainstorm your business goals and vision. If you could imagine the perfect working environment, what would that look like? Will you work out of your home? Meet clients at the local coffee shop? How about your home office? What would the perfect setup be? What would a typical “day at the office” look like? Remember—you’re just brainstorming at this point. But being able to visualize your workspace and day-to-day activities is a helpful exercise and should make you excited about the prospects that lay ahead.
If you don’t have the money to retrofit your office right now, don’t worry! Wedding businesses can start on a shoestring budget, and we’ll focus on the key items you might want to consider at this point throughout these articles. When business really picks up, you can always reward yourself with that ergonomic office chair you’ve been eyeing.
One final item to brainstorm is the vision you have for yourself as a businessperson. What kind of impression do you want to leave upon your clients, both before and after the wedding day? Are you professional? Organized? Easy to work with? Will your clients want to spread the word about your unique service?
If you start things out with a professional attitude and exceptional work ethic right off the bat, your clients will be well aware of it and you’ll nearly guarantee yourself word-of-mouth referrals for many years to come.
Next Lesson
Step 3: Setting Up a Wedding Business: Legal Considerations