{EP39}: How Systems Transformed Her Business with Desiree Adams

www.theweddingplannerintensive.com

This week I'm joined by a former star student of the Wedding Planner Intensive program, and she's going to be sharing her tips on developing systems in your wedding business! Desiree is an inspiration - a mom of 2, she has incredible drive and dedication and it shows. In this episode, we're talking all things systems - specifically, how implementing systems has resulted in a complete business transformation for Desiree. 

Join our community!
Instagram: @thewedpreneur_official

Facebook Group: The Wedpreneur HQ
Website: www.thewedpreneur.com 

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

Speaker 1 0:02

This is your host Mary SUA field and welcome to the web preneur podcast. Join me and my guests each week as I take a deep dive into wedding business. Best practices, examine challenges facing our industry and interview wedding industry experts and thought leaders who will share their strategies for taking your wedding business to the next level. Whether you're new in the industry or a seasoned pro, each episode is filled with valuable information aimed to help you build and grow the wedding business that you are dreaming about. I'm ready . A few are so let's get started.

Speaker 2 0:38

[inaudible]

Speaker 3 0:39

welcome to episode 39 of the smart business for wedding pros podcast. I'm your host Mary SUA field today. I am thrilled to bring you a first for this podcast. I did something I have never done before and I've reached out to an alumni of the wedding planner intensive program and asked her to come on the show and share her experiences when it comes to developing and implementing systems. I did this for two reasons. First, I wanted you to hear directly from a wedding professional who has recently gone through this process. I find that sometimes it's all fine and good to hear from the experts and the veterans of the industry. There's a ton of value to that, but I know for my own journey that it can be really, really powerful to hear from someone who is at or near the same stages you second. I think our guest today has an incredible energy to her and she's the perfect example of what can happen when you have drive, dedication and positive they going for you. So today I invited Desiree Adams from Verve event coat to join us on the podcast to talk about her experiences with systems after taking the wedding planner intensive program. So you guys registration for WPI open late last week and I've had a ton of questions about the program which I love. I'm always happy to answer your questions but I think hearing it from someone who's been through the program is probably even more helpful than hearing from me. So I'm super excited to share this interview. I do want to remind all of the wedding planners who are listening that this program is only offered a few times a year and it's limited to 30 wedding planners. This is a 10 week intensive program, which includes eight weekly live 90 minute sessions with me plus two weeks in the middle of the program to implement what you've learned. You get accountability groups as well, which means you'll have smaller groups of your peers to help keep you motivated, keep you on track and supported throughout the program. If you're interested in learning more, you can head to the wedding planner, intensive.com and of course don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions at all. I am so pumped to be writing this program again, this is the fifth time I've offered it and it just keeps getting bigger and better every single time. Seriously, it is jam packed with coaching and templates and training videos galore and in fact this week I'm going to be doing a sneak peek peek behind the curtain into the program in the wed preneur community Facebook group. So if you're curious about what the program looks like and what you get in the program, you'll definitely want to check that out in the group. All right. Let me tell you a little bit about the force of nature. That is Desiree Adams. Desiree is a wedding planner and upstate New York who creates heirloom occasions for modern couples. After seven years producing high level events for internationally recognized companies in Washington DC. She took a break to focus on her young children, but she couldn't stay away for long three years and three moves later. She founded Verba event co in 2017 focusing on efficiency and artful design. Desiree helps couples enjoy planning their modern weddings so that they still have time for hashtag all the things for her life is too short to waste on moments without meaning. She has received awards from the knot , WeddingWire and international live events association and her work has been published in inspired by this and wedding chicks. In the spring of 2019 she became one of the first wedding vendors to launch an Alexa flash briefing in ask the wedding planner wedding tips. In a flash. She answers questions that couples and vendors never even knew to ask. Currently she has almost a hundred tips and drops new tips three times per week. You guys, Desiree is a bundle of energy and she is so incredibly positive and inspiring. I can't wait for you to meet her , so let's do it.

Speaker 4 4:41

Hi Desiree, welcome to the smart business for wedding pros podcast. Hey Mary, I'm so excited to be here. Thank you so much. Well, I am thrilled that you have agreed to be on this podcast because you are the first, I think the first alumni of WPI, one of my star students who's agreed to be on the show and I am so excited to share your story with everyone today. Oh, thank you. That is really an honor because I loved being part of it, so I'm just happy to be able to talk about how [inaudible] is saying , I think the experience was and why I think it's so important for people to be thinking about this topic for sure. Amazing. Well , today we're going to be talking all about systems and how important they are. But before we dive into that, can you share a little bit about yourself with the audience today? Sure, of course. So I started actually not in weddings. I was, I'm a special event and meeting planner for a long time in Washington DC. I started in 2007 and I loved it because I did a lot of shows and gallows , there was an inaugural ball at one point. And um, it really appealed to my need for organization, you know, as a planner. Um, I love being organized and I loved managing the stage production aspect, but I also loved that I was able to be really creative with the set design or the decor and the aesthetic. So I did that for quite some time and then I had a baby and Oh, I actually also did some assisting day of just, there was a wedding planning company down there and I would randomly go and assist on a couple of weddings a year just because I liked , um, you know, expanding my experience. Fast forward to 2014 and I had our first child. So I took some time off. And then in 2015 we moved to Rochester in New York where my husband is from. And then in 2016 I had my second child, I on social media, I affectionately called them my interns and, and I decided that I really missed planning and events. I just, I love being a mom and you'll see on my social media that it's like a huge part of my world, but I miss using that part of my brain. So I decided that I wanted to get back into the industry and I met with a photographer that I knew and uh, we talked a little bit about the industry and then I decided that it was the time for me to go ahead and start my business. I kid because I think my child, my second was only like eight months old and I think I had, I was running on like, you know, six hours of sleep, which is like amazing. At that point you're like, Oh my gosh, I can like conquer the world with this men asleep. And I spent a long time like on my name, but it was awesome because I loved being like using that part of my brain. Um, so that's basically how I started my company. Um , because I realized I wasn't going to just, you know, I didn't , I didn't want to just tell people, Hey, I have this experience. If you know someone that needs help, like I want it to be really official and awesome from the beginning because I think I'm a perfectionist. Like most people are in this industry. So I want it to be really legit from the beginning. Um, so that's how I started my company and the people that I really have been loving and that I've been attracting are couples that, and I say on my website, you know, couples, modern couples who want to plan heirloom occasions in upstate New York. And it's really people that jive with the notion that their wedding is a time that they get to spend with their friends and their family. Um, they want it to be a really special occasion because these people have been with them through thick and thin and they really want to honor their friends and family during the wedding weekend. So , um, they, you know, it is about them, but really it's about thinking their friends and family . So we work really hard to plan a highly curated affair. That is when people walk away. I want them to think that was obviously John and Susie's wedding. That was nobody else's wedding. But John and Susie, like if they were, you know , gonna plan , the most amazing day, that would obviously be them. Um, and I find that more the couples, even though I'm based here in Rochester, which is in Western new, for people that are not familiar with the area, there's a big difference between like, upstate New York and downstate, which is basically like Manhattan. So, but most of my couples are actually on the East coast, so they're not necessarily always in Rochester . They're like in New York city or Boston or DC, et cetera . And then they're planning these destination weddings in the upstate New York area. So,

Speaker 3 9:15

so yeah. Amazing . Well that's and things of it going well for you then.

Speaker 4 9:19

Yeah, I think it's been, I told myself I wanted to grow organically and not be crazy rushed, you know, and trying to like set all these amazing milestones for myself, but I've been really, really pleased with how, how it's been growing. So I feel very thankful for that.

Speaker 3 9:34

That's fantastic. So what's your business name? Verb event co sorry I did that and say that. Okay. I've got your back to the everything of verb event co . yeah. Awesome. Well I think that that is so great. And um, I love your story of how you moved, cause I know it's not easy. It is not easy when you relocate. And to your point about having kids, I feel, yeah, because it was when my third child was about, I want to say like six months old that I was like, like this is fantastic. I'm so happy to have these children and someone give my brain something to do before I go insane . Like I cannot watch Dora the Explorer all day long. It's just not me. So that's when my first company was born. So I completely relate to that and it's really amazing. I think I hopefully you'll find, cause my kids are now older or they're , um , 11, 15 and 17 and they've, so they've grown up with this business. Like they really, they feel a lot of ownership with it and they're so inspired by it and they all want to own their own businesses for better or for worse. And so great. Yeah, it's , it's quite amazing. And you know, I love hearing about, you know, somebody of the wedding industry who are parents. I think it's so inspiring for their kids. So good for you. Thank you. So today we're going to talk a little bit about , um, systems, which I'm really excited about. Now. I know to all my listers, they might be rolling their eyes and being like most boring topic ever, but really , uh, I really love it. And I think that when we talk about how this wedding, this industry is so creative, I think sometimes we assume that that creativity has to be directed outward towards the event or the wedding or the couple. But really what I'm finding more and more is there are so many great ways to be creative and apply that creativity inside your business. And I really discovered that when I started developing systems for my business. So that's where that sort of organizational creativity really came into play for me. So , um, before we dive too deeply into systems, like what, before you took the wedding planning wedding planner intensive course, where, where you at with your systems? Like, did you have any, did you know ?

Speaker 4 11:52

Aye . So that's, I, I think I first discovered you was via your podcast and I think my company was probably, cause it's only officially like I just had this, it's , it's second birthday was this past September. So it's not even that old. Um , and I think I would describe it, you probably like a year end and, and I thought of myself as a very organized person. Like everyone knows me and they're like, she's crazy organized. However, I've never run a business. And I just was tired of trying to reinvent the wheel 5 million times because like again, like I think I get obsessed with making sure that the spreadsheet is the most efficient way of, you know, displaying the information that I need it to be displaying or whatever. And , and I would just reinvent my spreadsheets over and over again for like my budget or my accounting or even like the systems and processes that I have. Like even like the internal spreadsheets that I would use with my clients, I just felt like there's gotta be a better way. I know that there are people out there that have obviously done this before and have been doing it for a long time and it's in a much better place than where I am because I just, I don't know. But I don't know. And that's what I tell my couples is you don't know what you don't know. When it's frustrating. And as a business owner, if you're new, it's frustrating cause you don't know what you don't know. And there's nothing. I mean, and that's why I really wanted to invest in WPI because I was like, I am wasting so much time trying to, you know, feel my way through the dark with this stuff and I don't even know what else I could be needing or how else they could be organizing myself. So I wanted from the beginning to really have good systems in place to , um, to make sure that the business was running efficiently. I was using my time efficiently and I wasn't, you know, wasting time doing multiple different things. And that's why I think going through WPI was hugely important because not only did it give me a lot of the tools that I was looking for, but I feel like even even more so opened up my mind to all the systems that I could possibly ever need or that just how important it is to have like all these systems in place so that when I become even more busy and the company goes even further and I take on a team or you know, you want to replicate yourself. Like you have the systems in place, you've been building them and adding onto them as your change , as your needs change or as the, you know, the climate, you know, whatever. Um, the, the server, the S uh, sorry, the services that you're offering, all that as that evolves your systems are going with you so that you're not having to start from scratch. And I think that's really important because I know that , uh , as you know, because you've been through the program, I, I developed my systems in my second year of business essentially. And I think that that's kind of a sweet spot for a lot of people where you start to realize, Oh my goodness, there's so much to do, not in regards to

Speaker 3 14:51

planning weddings for your [inaudible] , but for all of the backend stuff and all of the marketing and everything else. So I know that that's for me, when I started to feel very overwhelmed and feel like, you know what? And it's very similar to you. I felt like I kept recreating the same stuff and I just wasn't sure what was going to work best and right . I had like shiny object syndrome too. So I just see someone posts something about one way of doing it. I'd be like, Oh, that's how I should be doing it. And then I would see someone else and I'd be like, Oh no, that's how I should be doing .

Speaker 4 15:23

Exactly. And it's like, Oh, I like this tool and then do I invest in this project management system, do I invest in this database? There's, you know, and they're all great, but it's like, which one it's going to be the most effective for me for time, for you know, your expense, all, you know, the type of business that I have, you know, all those things. Because it is like as an owner or as a business owner or someone that's running a business, I feel like you understand what you feel like you need to be doing for your couples or your , your, your clients. And even so, I feel like I learned even more. But it's, you know, the back end of the business stuff too, that I just had no idea.

Speaker 3 16:00

Right. And I as most WPI alumni know, I have a tendency to have that shiny object syndrome with software programs too . So what I will say is in the program, for those who are wondering, I take you through quite a few different programs and let people kind of pick what's going to work for them because yeah, I have basically tried every program out there. It's a problem. It's great that we can have you as a resource to tell us now . Oh, that's a very nice way of putting it because Mary has a problem . So , um, what do you find most difficult about being a wedding planner in today's market? Like of all the things, and it doesn't have to be systems related, but I'm curious what, what you find to be the biggest challenge?

Speaker 4 16:44

I think so. It's interesting because I didn't, I never set out to think that I was going to own my own business or be like a solo preneur. I actually love the business side because I think maybe it's because it's the newer part of owning a company that I haven't been as involved with. You know, I've, I've been planning for a long time. Weddings are newer, but they're kind of, I'm more used to that. So I feel like running the business , um, is not more interesting, but it's a very, very interesting and also distracting part. But it's finding the time to wear all the hats and to do it effectively is definitely a challenge because you, you know, either you're neglecting your business or you're neglecting your clients or perhaps your family or your friends and your other relationships. I feel like balancing all of that is definitely , um, a source of frustration or you know, kind of anxiety for me. But then it's also, and since I'm still newer in the market in this area, I really wasn't sure where there's, you know, there are wedding planners in my, and then there's definitely wedding planners in upstate New York, but it's definitely finding the right clients that I think , um, my brand resonates with. I feel like, and I , you know, I actually just listened to your most recent podcast with , with branding, but it's, it's super important knowing the right clients that I'm trying to attract. And then I , I had it pretty and I feel like after WPI I had a really good booking season where the summer, like the couple that were thinking about for the next year. But um , but it's still, it's like I still want to find more of those clients and like this, this past year was great, but like what about 2021 like is it going to be the same? Um, knowing the right couples but then also being able to repel the right couples is also an interesting one for me too. Cause I feel like I get a lot of inquiries, but then it's like, okay nevermind. Which is fine. Right ? But I would rather just repel those people and then just, I just

Speaker 3 18:48

get like the really good ones, but tell me, Oh yeah, don't we all. Exactly. Well and I think that that's interesting that you mentioned, so you're talking about the podcast with Kim Wenzel and she did a great job of talking about sort of that brand messaging. And I, I do think, you know, one thing, I can't remember if I brought this up while I was interviewing her, but I do find that, you know, the clarity around who your ideal couple is and how to reach them. I think I'm, I think most people have a sense of who they are, but how to best develop a brand that really speaks directly to them and really doesn't speak directly to a lot of other people does evolve with time. Like I have definitely found that it gets a lot easier to the point where, you know, in my wedding planning company now, we really get the most amazing couples that approach us and we've refined it to the point now where they really reach out to us. So it does, it does take a little bit of time. And I also think it's okay to pivot a little bit. I definitely pivoted around my third year in terms of who I was marketing towards and it made a big difference. But , um, I've looked at, of course I stalk you on Instagram and I've seen your website of course. So I think you do a great job at it. And in terms of wearing all those hats, I think in a way that's part of why systems are so important. Because you know, where the marketers were , you know, where the accountants often we are the, you know, main people working with the clients most of the time. Plus we have to do all of our own administrative work and it can be really, really overwhelming. And I think, you know, when I talk about that second year when I really started to realize, have this sort of aha moment that I was like, Holy crap, I need something to change in my business. I need to be able to , um, basically use my time more effectively so that I could do what was really important in the

Speaker 4 20:47

so , um , right . You don't want to be spending unnecessary time working on client stuff that could be system systematize either, you know, done more efficiently in whatever way so that you can be doing stuff that's on your business or you know, watching more clients or whatever. [inaudible] absolutely.

Speaker 3 21:08

I also found through creating WPI that , um, especially I think in our industry in particular, but I know that I ended up spending an awful lot of time and you know, if you're driving and you're listening to this, throw your hands in the air if you could appreciate this. Uh, I spent a lot of time making all of my templates look really pretty. Like where I just like, because we're, you know, we're such, especially as wedding planners, we're just so visual and our brands are so important to us. And as I was creating my systems in my second year of business and then again when I was sort of refining them and redoing them to present in WPI, I realized, okay, we have to prioritize when it's important to make these, like these outward facing templates need to be totally on brand and those inward facing templates that only you are going to see don't have to be such a high priority to be beautiful. So that was really hard. Like I would still feel really pretty though, even the internal ones . But you know what? You know, what I ended up doing is I only made them pretty when I really had time. Like it wasn't very, the priority wasn't having something functional. And then eventually , um, eventually I actually got to the point where as you know, I delegated a lot of them pretty work to a graphic designer because you know, we can't do all the things

Speaker 4 22:35

right and exactly. And it's like you can, you can pay someone a lot less than what you're billing yourself out as to make it even more awesome. So just being able to hand that off as a really smart thing I think.

Speaker 3 22:48

Absolutely. Okay. So as you know, WPI is focused primarily on developing systems within your wedding planning business. So , um, it's also a group coaching program. So unlike a lot of program programs, the weekly sessions are live and you have a group of other wedding planners from around the world in some cases to work with and share your experiences. But so did you find there was a benefit to participating in a program that was delivered live and with other wedding planners? Like what was the advantage there for you?

Speaker 4 23:20

I definitely think it was, I've taken other courses before, not necessarily with wedding planning, but like marketing or branding or some with wedding planning. And I think that when you are doing it with a group, like you have a class and your life, it makes you super accountable for sure . Um, it forces you to participate and to do the work. At least for someone like me, I feel like, and I probably have like that, that syndrome that carries over from high school. Like I always sit in the front row and you know, very type a, like, gotta gotta do this gotta before , while all that stuff. But I feel like it really, you know, we, we had developed a sense of community within our group, so we were cheering on each other. We were holding each other accountable. You know, if people fall off and don't do the work, then, then it's just not benefiting you because you purchased it. You know, you're participating in it and it's, if you don't do it now, are you really gonna do it later on? Um, and I tell myself this, I think there's some stuff even still at the end that I still didn't get to and now I'm like, great. It's like October, November. Like things are going to quiet down. Like I'm going to sit down and like make sure I still go through the other things that I wasn't able to get to because it became like summer budding season and it was crazy. But I feel like being able to be with a class and you go through it and we can kind of talk to each other about it and share, you know, are not commiserating but like, you know, saying like what we struggled with and like encouraging people and then actually like showing up to do the work and making sure that we, you know, did it is hugely beneficial because I've , you know, you could just not do it and then you're just wasting your money and then you're just back where you were, which is sad.

Speaker 3 25:07

Yeah, it is that, and you know, it's funny, I, so I signed up for two very, very, very pricey courses this year. And , um, both of them , one of them had live Q and a every week and then the other didn't. The other was prerecorded and it's shocking. I didn't, I thought I would be better than that. I thought I would be the one that would like do all the work in both courses no matter what and I wouldn't fall behind and all that stuff. But I kept up with the one where there were live sessions and I really got through like one module right on the course and I keep thinking I'll get, I'll get to it, I'll get to it, but I haven't and it's been like eight months

Speaker 4 25:46

just show up because like it's live. Like you might miss it, you might, it's like, you know, having FOMO but you might, you paid for it, you might not get to ask your question again or whatever. And so you know, there's definitely I think a benefit for it being live for sure.

Speaker 3 26:00

What was the first system that you created when you started WPI? Like, what was the biggest aha moment where you're like, Oh my gosh, I need to implement that one right now.

Speaker 4 26:10

Oh, I think the really good one was that was I think life-changing but pretty much was. Um , I had a Oh , welcome packet for my couples that I gave them. Um, I think I called it an introduction. I have like an introduction packet and then a welcome packet. So the introduction packet is basically what we walk through when we have the sales call and then I have a welcome packet that they get once they have signed on as a client. But I really think that having , um, a really amazing introduction guide that walks them through all the benefits, not just like the features but the benefits of what you are going to get when you booked me was vastly helpful cause I had a good one and I thought, but I feel like laying it all out there and then even like refining the script that I was using to be able to talk to these potential clients. Just, it just made me feel so much more confident in one charging my price to asking for the sale. Three being fine with it if they weren't comfortable with the price and just saying like, okay, if you don't see the benefit, which I feel like I did a really good job explaining, then you're just not a good fit for , for, for me and which is fine. Um, so I feel like that, I mean even, and I said that it's like even while I was taking the course and I just finished the packet, I think I booked two clients without even before I had finished WPI with the new packet. And I really feel like that was, I've , I might've booked them with the other one, but I really feel like this packet was just huge with making me feel more comfortable with the sales process. Cause I feel like I'm not a natural salesperson and I never liked the sales process, but I feel like this made me much more comfortable with the whole experience from, from my end working with the potential couples for sure. Oh I love that.

Speaker 3 28:00

And it is, that's funny that you say that cause that is one of my favorite sessions because I am a natural introvert. I know. It's really, it's really hard for people to believe that. Right ? I know, I know. But I really am. And learning how to sell was really, really challenging for me starting out. And um, originally I had a business partner and she really handled a lot of that. And then when she left I was like, okay , but I think you gotta suck it up because put on your big girl pants and you can do it. Exactly. And I really did a lot of studying. I , I'm you know that kind of researchy type. I read a lot of business books, I did a lot of studying and I realized that if I knew that what I was selling was really valuable, if I really believed in the services I was delivering and if I really believed in my value to the couple then and I could translate that whether through, you know, the conversation at the consultation stage or even better in the information guide that they get, then it made me feel so much more confident. Like I just felt like once I knew how to share the value that I believed in myself, it became really apparent to people and I saw people respond a lot differently to that. I also love what you say about having the confidence to be okay if they didn't book you. That takes some backbone. But I think when you know your value, when you believe it in like deep, deep, deep down and people say no to you, then you're just better able to say, you know what? We must not have been a good fit and that's okay.

Speaker 4 29:36

Right, exactly. Cause I don't want, I don't, and I've heard of other people talking about this vendors, if you don't want to be, you don't want to book someone that feels like they are really reaching and stretching just to, to, to pay for you, but not really believing your value. Because I feel like they will always be second guessing and you're always going to have to prove yourself or prove yourself to them, which is just so stressful. And especially if you're working for them with them for a year, that is a super stressful experience. So if they're not onboard, Liz , you know when we have that, that call, I'll follow up with them twice and then I'm okay with them. You know, going with somewhere else.

Speaker 3 30:15

Yes. I talk quite a bit about the hell yes client, right? The clients that call , yes, they are so excited to work with you. And part of getting them to that point or attracting them is really, you know, being able to communicate that value. I really think that that communicating the value, communicating what stands apart for you as opposed to your competitors is one of the bigger challenges that this industry faces.

Speaker 4 30:42

[inaudible] I feel like, and I think even going through the course and doing the other systems, like I really spent, I spent like so many hours on my process for the full service client. And prior to that I was basically using psych cause I use Trello to interface with my couples. And it was basically like a monthly checklist of these are the things that we're going to be doing. And it was, you know, it was good and, but I felt like the, the arch checklist with my client was really driving my action items. But obviously there's so many more action items I'm going to be doing that isn't in there that I don't want them to see. But I would, I would forget about those things. And so I felt even more confident when I was talking to my potential couples, how amazing my back end, I'm like, you don't even want to see this because it is so crazy gray and awesome. But you know, this is what you, you see, which I feel like you're probably getting overwhelmed by this. But like that's, you know, even just a touch at the top of the iceberg when it comes to like everything that I am doing. But you don't have to worry about that because I've got it. It's all in a system. Nothing gets overlooked. It's all there so that everything keeps moving forward and you don't even have to worry. And they, I think they really, really loved that cause they wanted to know that they're in good hands and that's all they care about.

Speaker 3 31:59

Absolutely. And so I had a question actually because , um, as of this recording, so today is Monday, we're doing this streamlining with systems masterclass on Wednesday. And I had , um, one of the, I've sent out a few emails about it. I'm sure some of you listening. Got it. Thank you for reading my emails and not unsubscribing. So , um, so I got a question from a reader who is like, how can systems possibly help you get new clients? Oh, I know. And I was like, Oh honey, let me tell ya. You know, one of the benefits is when you create these systems in your business, you can show them during the consultation. I mean I don't recommend taking them step by step cause there's so many and it's cop a complex. But I definitely have had consultations where I whip out my laptop and I'm like, so just so you know, this is what it looks like for us. This is the system we use. These are the tools that we use. We'll send you a video on how to use this tool that walks you step by step through it. And you know, as you know for wedding management, we use a secret sauce. It's a booklet that we use and when I show that to potential couples, their minds are blown. So that's how , those are just a few examples of how your systems can really turn into a sales tool,

Speaker 4 33:19

right? No, because they, they don't, again, they don't know what they don't know. So they don't even know what they're missing. And being able to show them at least a part of the process. And even if it's just like the smallest part of the process and they're like, if this is this, this tiny little thing that is blowing my mind already. Like think of the things that I don't even know about and I think because you have these systems in place, you're able to spend more time on your business rather than you know, working on the client so that you're able to be more efficient so that you can be getting more couples. You can even be surveying more people because your, your, your process is so much more refined.

Speaker 3 33:55

[inaudible] plus when you develop those processes and I yes, I know where you're going. When you develop these processes then you are setting the ground to be able to expand your team and even if that's delegating to a virtual assistant, some of your processes, the more administrative backend stuff or if you have goals to add planners to your team. I have had additional planners on my teams since the first year and I will, I cannot imagine going back like it's just, and the only reason we've been able to do this is because we had these like impeccable systems in place so that I can rest assured that my clients were getting the same, you know, exceptional treatment and service from every one of our planners.

Speaker 4 34:41

Exactly. I'm actually in the process right now of onboarding a virtual assistant because, and I'm glad because I have, you know, I have systems and processes in place, but I haven't worked with an MBA before, but I'm already pretty building processes so that, you know, we have a good experience, you know, they're as successful as possible, but then it's , I feel good that they're able to run the business as I would because I have the systems in place so. Well ,

Speaker 3 35:09

nursing is really important. I'm so glad to hear you say that. You know what's really ironic, I gonna make a confession to you. So when I at I'm a systems girl, everybody knows this. I'm a systems girl. I have like systems for my systems. And when I first hired my very first VA, I could not get myself organized. Like I could not slow down enough to create the system that she needed in order for her to successful. And she was really frustrated and she was like, Merry considering all I know about you, like I really need you to take you hours and create. And I did and it worked out great. It was lovely. But I was like, you know, it's the Shoemaker with no shoes in a way. [inaudible] seem to get it together. But um, it's great. And you know what, I was also just thinking too in terms of, it's not just about using your systems as a sales tool during the consultation process, but also the consultation process itself if you do it and it's a good system is its own sales tools. So if the process of someone inquiring with you and going through all of the different stages where you, you know, you move them from the inquiry to a consultation, whether it's a call or an in person meeting and then right up until signing that contract, if that experience is seamless to them and they enjoy the process and it's easy, then that system itself becomes a reason that they want to work with you.

Speaker 4 36:38

Right. It just shows them how enjoyable the experience is going to be because you have everything together and yeah, I completely agree.

Speaker 3 36:47

So I, and I've seen it and I think we've all experienced it when it's not easy when you're trying to work with someone and there's too many hoops to go through or they don't return their calls on time or you know, they repeat themselves in emails cause they forgot what they sent in the first email. And it can get frustrating. And I think psychologically it leaves us feeling a little uncertain and like we can't quite trust them 100%. Um , and especially when something is so important as a wedding, our couples need to know that we're super organized and that we're going to get back to them on time and that we've got it all together.

Speaker 4 37:26

Right. I agree. Yeah. I mean I , and I feel like sometimes when, cause I like the couples that I attract that I feel like I work the best with are people that appreciate the organization, but they are fine trusting me with that and they're not micromanaging. Um, I don't know if that would work with any other planners, but you know, having their trust to be able to do my job makes me some so much better at serving them because I'm not paranoid that they're going to be micromanaging whatever aspect, you know, it just makes it go by so much more smoothly and I feel , and I feel like there are going to be that kind of person that either maybe they're a better fit for wedding management because then they have the control or that they're just not good , not a good

Speaker 3 38:10

fit period. Hmm . Absolutely. It's funny because I've had , um, several couples way back when, I think in my first, you know, three to four years, I went through the cycle of engineers hiring me. So I had all of them, they must've like spread my word, spread the word somewhere about me. But I had all these engineers and they are like project management crazies, right ? Right. Know to all the engineers out there, love you guys. But they, and it wasn't until I really, I really had to sit down and say, listen, I have a system, here's what it is, here's what I'm doing in the backend. And it's hard because like you say, they don't know what they don't know. So they may see that it seems easy on , on from their end. And because it's easy, they assume that we're not doing enough work or they assume that there's nothing happening in the background. So there've been a few times when I've had to say, listen, this is my critical path and these are the like 80,000 steps that I'm taking behind the scenes to make your wedding flawless so you don't have to worry. And, and I can't even imagine that if I hadn't have had those in place, if I hadn't of had a system to show them, I think that I would've gotten micromanaged to death probably.

Speaker 4 39:24

Yeah. And I get it because, you know, they don't know what we're doing cause they don't know what our job is like. But having something like that as kind of like proof of credit , you know, validation that there is a process, you're not just like, Oh I'm just pulling it all out of my head. Don't worry. I've got it. But like we Lea , this is what I'm following I think would make them feel so much better. For sure.

Speaker 3 39:46

Awesome. So one of my favorite , uh, those sometimes challenging parts of taking courses and participate , participating in programs is figuring out what I'm doing really well in my business and where things could be improved. And you've talked about this a little bit, but what did you learn that you were doing really well already?

Speaker 4 40:04

I knew that I had a good process in place that, and I valued the process of working with my couples, but I , I definitely realized going through it that there was even so much more that I could have been or could be doing. And then also I think, you know, I think I had a good foundation for the sales process. And then, you know, definitely like tracking inquiries. I kind of, and like you, I'm a data nerd so I have like three spreadsheets where I track the inquiries and like, you know, I have like these formulas where like the percent that are booking and from where are they coming and all that stuff. So I love that. But I just like knowing that there was even more that I could , it might

Speaker 3 40:47

be doing and tracking. It's just amazing . I think we sound super nerdy about that. I promise. It's really awesome people just, yeah, I mean I think it's super helpful for , for anyone that's owning and like running a business to have these good processes in place for sure. And that's, you know, that's one of the things that I think surprises people is realizing that if you aren't tracking and you don't have to get, you know, as crazy as a three spreadsheet Desiree here, but if you , if you aren't tracking what's going on in your business, it's really hard to know where you need improvement and what's working and why it's working. So, you know , one of the things we teach in WPI as how important it is to evaluate all of your processes and evaluate how your client feels going through the process. And when you change something in your process for , for example, if you change at what point you send out the welcome packet or the information packet, if you change that to, you know, three steps later in your process and suddenly you find that your bookings increase , then you can pretty definitively say, well, this is the thing I changed. So perhaps that's the reason that, you know, the bookings have increased. And this allows you to get really smart about your business and really smart about , um, how you're running your systems and how your clients are feeling. And evaluating all , every step of the way. One of the most important things that I teach is evaluating, evaluating your team, evaluating your systems, evaluating how your clients feel along the way. Um , and making really smart pivots and decisions based on that.

Speaker 4 42:27

Right. I D I added , um, an evaluation process at the end, you know, based on being in WPI where I do an internal review and then, you know, like what worked well, what didn't work well, you know, comments about each vendor if I haven't worked with them, et cetera, et cetera. And I do still ask for feedback from the couple, you know, just to say like, I think, you know, I did it before but not really knowing, even like the right questions to ask that would be helpful for future. So it's not just like, it was great, it was awesome. Thanks. And really getting data as to what even could be improved even more so. Um, and actually asking for that and being okay with, you know, the feedback they get, whether it's good or bad, working with our couples so that we can just continue to improve. And you can say that with your couples. Like I always trying to improve the way I do things, whether it's feedback from my current couples or feedback from, you know, clients that are now finished working with me just so that I can continue to improve the service and Uplevel every single time I think is huge.

Speaker 3 43:33

[inaudible] definitely. I think , um, the first time I ever gotten negative feedback from a couple during the planning process was really hard to stomach. Like I was like, what do you mean I write so hard and I'm so passionate about it. And you know, and it was always given feedback is almost always anyways given, you know, with the good intention of helping you. And, and I think in particular, this couple knew that I was quite new at wedding planning and they've really, they were like the best cheerleaders. We're still friends today. Thankfully they have two kids now, still happily married. So , um, but it was really hard. And I remember thinking at the time like, wow, asking for feedback makes you really vulnerable.

Speaker 4 44:14

Oh my gosh. So hard. And that's why I , um , in one of my couples actually like it was one of my first couples. They, I mean they were saying, you know, we are having such a good experience and I feel bad because you know, when you're in a normal job you give quarterly or semi-annually reviews and there's not like a process to do that with you. Like we're loving it. But I wish that we could like review you more often. Like, like they were saying like on the, not like we could just tell it , you know, tell people how often you were or whatever. But so now I have a check-in, I think it's like three months, six months in, and then a hundred days out. There might be one more other one where I just take a pulse check and say like, how are things going? What are you liking that that's working with me and like how we communicate or whatever. And is there anything else that could be changing or doing differently so that we're not like 10 days before your wedding and you're still thinking, I wish she would stop doing that or whatever. You know, so that you can change it earlier on in the process so that it's just becomes a more enjoyable experience for them.

Speaker 3 45:14

That's fantastic. I love that tip and hopefully everybody implements that because I think it also makes it easier for us when we get more used to and skilled at asking for that feedback. Um, and knowing that we can change it in time for them still to have a really great experience with you. Cause I know that there's nothing more heartbreaking than thinking you were doing a good job the whole time and then getting like a three star review where they were like, well Hey, but I, you know, I wish we had more in person meetings or I wish, you know, whatever. So I think I like this process of checking in frequently. That's great.

Speaker 4 45:52

Right? And then hopefully if you do it earlier in , off in the process, then that's only good. And then they won't feel as bad when they, they, you check, you check in at six months and like, well we could do this. And then I feel like it won't feel as as harsh of a sting because it's, you know, whatever the word is, it's expected. Right. Yeah , exactly. Let's talk a little bit, yeah .

Speaker 3 46:15

More about what your experience was. So this program is called an intensive, partially because we cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time. Since the program wrapped up, has there been anything that has fundamentally changed about how you run your wedding business?

Speaker 4 46:34

I definitely think I'm much more disciplined with following my process. I still stray from it. And then I'm like, Desiree , you have to follow the process. Knowing that I have a process, I need to follow it. And you know, stick to it is super important because I think, you know, a lot of us feel like, Oh we can do it and it's fine and we'll get along. But then like when you add more volume and you get busier and busier, you can't rely on your brain. So making sure that you're following that process is super important. And then also for me not letting the clients dictate the process, getting their trust and their buy in to trust you to F to, to lead the process. But then also feeling comfortable like really comfortable and knowing that we don't have to talk about that right now. You know, we will get to that for sure. But like these are the things in the process that we need to be focusing on first so that everything moves along in the right direction and flows nicely from one thing to the next. Because I think as you know we talked about in the course, things are usually compounded on each other. So if you make a decision on this thing it will affect this stuff. So you first have to do this part of the process before you can move on to the fun stuff. Like the decor. Like I know we have to let's, let's do hair and makeup and transportation for us cause we just gotta do it. We want to get to the decor, but really like there are only so many transportation companies, we have to book this first and then we can do the fun decor stuff, which I think usually people want to do first.

Speaker 3 47:56

I love that. And we talk about in the program creating that roadmap, right? The roadmap, especially when it comes for full planning in terms of making the decision what order you're going to make these decisions and have these conversations about specific areas of the planning process. And I know for me, when I created that way back in, Oh my goodness, 2009 , um, it was really hard to do, but it really did help when I could say to my clients, okay , so when they would come to me at a meeting and be like, I want to talk about , um, the design and I would be like, okay, well our design meeting is in a month and a half and we can like, give me what your, what your concerns are or if you're , if you have something in particular that you want me to look at. Sure. But today we're actually going to be talking about, you know, transportation and entertainment and that it made it, one of the things that my clients , I noticed a difference in my clients implementing that was I was much more in control of the process as opposed to letting them control me and like letting them drive the conversation and all of the decisions. Because when they were doing that, I ended up all over the map all the time . It's crazy when this is , I'm really excited to ask you this question. So one of the first assignments that I give WPI students in the program is to document their short and longterm goals. So with all of the changes and improvements that you're making in your business, what are your longterm goals now? So what is the vision you have for your company moving forward?

Speaker 4 49:26

So I, this is , and I wrote this to you too, cause I still like, I feel like this is even more attainable. Maybe not, but I still want to be like kind of like the Gary Vaynerchuk not as, not as many swear words for sure. Or like the Jenna Kutcher of weddings. I don't, I want to be like at like super accessible and just like giving everyone all of my knowledge for free just because I feel like for vendors and for couples, it just, it's just a much better experience. I like the more education that couples get, the more that they know about our industry and like what we're actually doing and that we are people and that we're professionals, but we also have families, you know, it just makes them an even better people to work with. Um, and then I still, you know, I would love to have a small but mighty team, you know, some working local or some remotely just so that , um, you know, I , it does give me the flexibility to be able to, you know, be with my kids or whatever, but it's, it's, you know, it's not like we have to be in an office nine to doing , um, you know, having like weekly meetings. Like we can, we can be more flexible with that. And then also like, just having digital products of some kind. I mean, I just, I want to be like in all the places and I feel like because I have all these systems, I will be able to, you know , I feel like I'll be able to , um, we reach those goals faster because, you know, we can have systems in place to be able to like to do lunches or to do marketing. That's, you know, always happening and it's like this thing falls off because it gets crazy busy with weddings. So, you know, in like five years, I would love, I mean even before then , um, I'd love to have a team and I either have some planners that work with me and I travel for speaking engagements. I still want to be involved in the planning because I , it's, it's so enjoyable for me. Um, and like being on there on the day of like, I get like this huge rush, maybe not. And like after 10 years, who knows? Um, but still like really doing a lot with , um, the couples. But then also, you know, thinking about the future generation, I always loved teaching. I loved when , um, I worked as a consultant and we would have these new associates and they're like, teach me everything, you know? And I'm like, great. I would love it too . And I would just tell them like, and I was definitely like when I was growing up, one of those matter of fact like, well did you know X, Y, Z and you know, I was the big sister. And like I think it kind of annoyed my sister. But , um, I always had that role of like a nurture and like wanting to tell people and just give them information. So just, I don't know , I'm just being a really good contributor. I think to our industry, whatever capacity it is would be awesome. And then having, you know, diversified revenue streams be , it would be nice to some passive income, but, you know, just helping people as much as I can I think is, is really , um, gratifying for me. That's awesome. So you have a really unique way that you're educating your couples right now. Do you want to tell us about it? Yes, I am one of the first , uh, vendor wedding vendors that I know of that has a flash briefing on Alexa. And people are like, what's it Alexa? What do you mean? No, I'm kidding. Um, so yeah, I have a flash briefing on Alexa. And if you don't have an Alexa, it's, you know, are you familiar with it? Basically, it's kind of, I call it a micro podcast because you can say to Alexa, Hey Alexa, what's the weather? Or, Hey Alexa, you know, I'm add this to my shopping list, but you can also subscribe to either podcasts or a news briefing. So you can say, Alexa, what's the news? And if you have subscribed to like NPR or, you know, one of your favorite podcasts or two mine , which is called ask the planner. So it's a flash briefing and you basically get, and I think it's really helpful for vendors and for couples, but it is basically a 62nd little snippet of valuable information for your wedding planning. So it can either be something for the day , um, or the actual planning. Like, one of my favorite tips recently was , um, putting , uh , what is it called ? Those, those hot packs in, cause if it's really cold you have like those hand warmer hot packs that you break and you put them in the bride's dress. Um , or in like the grooms in the groom's pocket . So cause a lot of like, we know we're in upstate New York and it gets super cold really fast. So having those little hot packs in your dress or in the, in your pockets can help keep you one because I think a lot of people don't want to wear it like the coat or whatever. So just something like , like little tidbits of information that I think are super helpful because couples are like, Oh I never even thought about what is what I'm going to do when it's cold or I didn't even think about what I'm supposed to do if it rains two inches or seven inches two days before my wedding. Like that can actually affect your wedding, not just if it rains the day of, but if you know rains before it load and like do you sleep . Little things that little facts that I have picked up that I feel like could just help the world. So hopefully it's helpful for other people and I enjoy doing it. Um, I've gotten some people that have DMD me on Instagram that are, you know, the telling me like I really liked those, those tips. It's really great cause cause basically I want people to just basically in the span of brushing your teeth, you will get a nice little wedding tip knowledge bomb to hopefully help you plan your wedding day or if you're a there and just little tips for your couples.

Speaker 3 54:51

That is so cool. When you first told me about that, I was like, what are you doing? That sounds amazing. What a great marketing strategy.

Speaker 4 55:01

I thought it was really fun. That was I think one of the things when I told myself at the beginning of last year like I was going to do that and then it took me a long time. But I had, you know, I had, I built up a huge number of tips so that I could just start recording. Um , but yeah, I was really proud of that. I actually said I was going to do it and then I actually did do it and I'm still keeping up with it. I think I'm almost to a hundred tips. So depending on when this is released, I just, I think I just really just like the 90th tips . So hopefully by then, by the time this is released, I'll have like a hundred down but, but yeah, so hopefully I'll keep it going.

Speaker 3 55:33

That's amazing. I think that's so great. Well, this has been so much fun. I want you to know , um , I have been so impressed not only of your work during the program, you were, like I said, a star student, you showed up, you asked a lot of questions, you, you know, supported the other planners that were in your group and you know, always had a smile on your face. And , um, it was fantastic having you in WPI. And then since then I have really loved watching your evolution because I love that you, you tagged me on your Instagram stories when you're implementing systems that we developed. So it's super fun for me to be able to watch, you know, the, the reality of everything we taught you come to life and it makes me so proud to have worked with you. So thank you. Thank you so

Speaker 4 56:24

much. I was like a huge, I mean I geeked out over everything cause I was like, Oh my God, am I in flow? And this is amazing. I can't, I can't deal with like all of this amazing tools that we, you know, we're getting from working with you. So I just feel like, you know, I want other planners even, you know, I'm not, I'm not worried that people are gonna like steal my ideas or whatever. Cause I just feel like, you know, the more that we up level our businesses and ourselves, the better the industry across the board will be. So I just want, whether they're another planner or somebody else in the industry, I just want people to know that there are people like you out there that are helping us become better business owners so that we can, you know, spend more time , um, either, you know, focusing on whatever matters the most to us, whether it's our family or our business or our clients or whatever. So, and I, I just loved everything. So clearly we lit up sleeping dork , but I loved it all. So it was awesome.

Speaker 3 57:22

You're amazing. Thank you for that. So as we wrap up today, if you had one piece of advice to give our listeners today about anything to do with running a wedding business, what would it be?

Speaker 4 57:33

So take the wedding planner intensive. No, serious . I did. I not say that she's not paying me, I'm not in affiliates , but I really feel strongly about this. But really like if you're not, you know, ready to do that for whatever, you know, it's an investment. But I feel like, you know, you got to invest in your business, but if you're not ready for that, just start documenting your process, take the time to do it. It's really good practice. It's like a muscle that you have to keep practicing and working at, you know, use something like Asana or Trello that you can easily replicate your business , your processes so that it becomes easier with time because it's so crucial to running your business , um, having these systems in place. And then if you feel like you still need more help than check out WPI, but, you know, I think just, just getting started for sure. Um, so that you can save yourself time is really, really important and helpful.

Speaker 3 58:24

That's great. That's great advice. So where can our listeners find you if they want to check you out?

Speaker 4 58:29

Yes. I would love for you to connect with me because I, you know, even if you are a couple or you are a wedding vendor, wedding professional, I love connecting with everybody. So I'm mainly on Instagram at Verve event co. So that's V as in Victor, E R V E event CEO. I'm also on Pinterest for event co Facebook or event co. Oh, my website is , um, verb event, code.com. So it's basically all burpee backhoe . Um , but yeah, yeah, me, I love talking about business and couples and finding, you know, whatever it is. Um, and just connecting with other wedding professionals. So I hope to hear from you. I will link to all of those Verba van CO's

Speaker 3 59:14

in the show notes and I want to thank you so much for taking the time tonight to chat with me and I cannot wait to those goals that you said at the very first week of WPI come true.

Speaker 4 59:26

Thank you so much, Mary. I really appreciate all that you're doing for us in the wedding industry. So thank you for all that you do and thank you for having me.

Speaker 3 59:33

You are most welcome. Have a great night. You so wow. Right. Desiree is so inspiring and she really was a star student. I wish I had half of her energy. If you want to check her out, I will be linking to her information in the show notes, which you can find at the web [inaudible] dot com slash 39 that's the web [inaudible] dot com slash three nine I hope that hearing how systems have transformed her business has inspired you to look at the ways that you can systemize things in your business. Systems are truly a game changer and in my experience they can often eliminate or minimize a lot of the pain points that business owners are experiencing, whether it's overwhelm or disorganization or client expectation issues or client communication issues. So many things. So a reminder, if you are a wedding planner and you want to apply or be part of the wedding planner intensive, I really hope you do. You are so welcome and I would love to have you in the program. Um, registration closes November 6th or when all 30 spots are filled. So all you have to do is head to the wedding planner , intensive.com and sign up. There is a payment plan available and our live sessions will be starting mid November. Now, if you're listening to this and the program has always has already started, do not worry because we do offer this twice a year, so we'll be offering it again probably in the early spring. So keep your eyes out for that. That is it for today. Thank you for being here and supporting this podcast and the wedding industry and I can't wait to chat with you again next week. Have a great week.

Speaker 1 1:01:16

Thank you so much for joining me for this week's episode of the wet printer podcast. I'm so incredibly grateful to all of my listeners and would like to take a moment to invite you to keep the conversation going. Head on over to my free online community@thewetpreneur.com forward slash join if you enjoyed this episode, help us spread the word by leaving us an honest review on iTunes. I appreciate each and every one of you and welcome your feedback. Until next time, [inaudible] .