Design Your Business | Empowering Creative Women Business Owners

Are you being a good Chief Systems Officer for your wedding planning business? In this episode, we’re talking about one of the 8 CEOs: systems. Larger corporations have CIOs (Chief Information Officers) but I prefer to think of this role as the CSO (Chief Systems Officer). It’s less I.T.-based and more focused on using tech to develop structures that set your business apart from competitors.  If y...

Are you utilizing new technology and apps in your wedding planner coaching business? In this episode, Kevin Dennis and I are digging into the world of technical applications and technology. There’s a lot out there, so we want to help you narrow down your options and figure out what tech is best for you.  Kevin is here to teach you what apps are out there, how to use them to make your life easier,...

What would you ask someone who has been networking since they could speak? Our guest in this episode, Chérie Ronning, is a true friend to myself and to the wedding business industry, and she is a natural-born networker. I’m so excited to have her on the podcast to ask her for all her advice on networking.  We’re digging into the do’s and don’ts of networking and learning more about why networking...

What are your intentions for networking this year? Whether it’s in-person or online, networking should be a priority in your wedding industry business plan. Getting your name out there is a huge part of growing your business and networking is how you do it.  If you’re feeling a little rusty when it comes to networking, I’ve got you covered. I’m talking about how in-person networking varies from on...

Do you find yourself apologizing for things that aren’t your fault? Not wanting to sound too bold? Trying to make your emails sound a little softer?  In this episode, I’m talking to Renée Dalo about how the power of language can transform your business. She’s here to teach you how to speak about yourself and your wedding business without making yourself sound smaller. You’re probably using words t...

What is networking? It’s more than just passing out business cards and making small talk. It’s actually a really important part of your strategy to consider as part of your wedding industry business plan. Networking is how you get your face and name out there so that people know who you are and what you do.  In this episode, I’m teaching you how to get involved in your local community of wedding p...

Who doesn’t love playing around with designs in Canva? Canva might be fun to use, but it also has a bunch of great professional tools built in that a lot of people don’t know about.  That’s why I wanted to bring Canva Verified Expert Brenda Cadman on the podcast to teach us some of her tips and tricks. She’s explaining what the Canva Verified Expert program is, teaching us the basics of how to get...

Do you have CEO days in your calendar? If not, listen up.  In this episode, I’m sharing what CEO days are, how to make time for them in your busy schedule, and what you should be doing on your CEO days. Spoiler: They are SO important for your business. Remember, you’re a business owner first, so it’s really important that you’re making time to work on your business, not just in it. No one else is...

Are you acting like the owner of your wedding business? You are not a wedding planner, DJ, florist, or caterer. You are first and foremost a business owner, which means you have to do business owner things. You might not enjoy dealing with the business side of things, but it’s your responsibility to make sure that your business is running smoothly.  Remember the 8 CEOs? Those are the “business own...

Are you using PR to grow your business?  Join me for a chat with wedding PR guru Meghan Ely to talk about all things wedding business PR. We’re talking about what PR looks like for wedding professionals, how to get your work featured, how to stand out in a competitive industry, and so much more. Think of this episode as your guide to all things PR. OFD Consulting owner, Meghan Ely, CWIP (Certified...

What do you do to plan and prepare for a new year? This episode is about looking forward to the new year and how to prepare for it.  The last episode was about how to review, so if you listen to that episode and this one, you should have a pretty comprehensive guide to getting wrapped up with the last year and ready for the new one.  When you’re finished with your review of the last year, it’s tim...

Do you recap your year as part of your wedding industry business plan? 2022 is coming to a close and it’s time to start thinking about what happened this year and what you’d like to change for next year.  By taking time to learn from the previous year and implement any changes you need to make to keep your wedding industry business plan in alignment with the life you want to live, you will set you...

How much time do you spend working on your business? I’m not talking about the time you spend with clients; I’m talking about the time you spend working on your 8 CEOs.  In this episode of the podcast, I’m talking about making time to work on your wedding business by having a quarterly day (or half-day) where you can create a plan for the upcoming quarter. I’m teaching you how to get started, what...

What is self-care and what does it look like for you as someone in the wedding industry? Self-care is multidimensional; it goes beyond facials and pedicures, but it can be hard to figure out what to do for yourself besides putting on a face mask! And if you’re like me, you might find this concept a little difficult to grasp. In this episode, we’re discussing multidimensional self-care and how to i...

How do you find time for everything during the holidays? Do you end up sacrificing evenings and weekends? The holiday season is almost here, so you might suddenly feel like you’re trying to find extra time for family, friends, parties, clients, and everything else on your plate as a wedding planner. So let’s talk about setting boundaries for yourself, your clients, and your loved ones during the h...

Have you ever wondered why you feel so productive in the spring or fall but when winter comes around, all you want to do is hibernate? Our bodies are connected to the earth, and as the seasons change so do we.  My energy healer Jeni Dahn is joining us for this episode to teach us about the energies of the seasons and how they can benefit our lives and wedding businesses.  Jeni is taking us through...

Could it be time to pivot? Are you on a path that will take you to the life you really want? I want to take you through the story of my life over the last four years, so that you can see how I navigated the loss of my husband, the pandemic, and pivoting my business.  It’s important to talk about self-care and how the seasons affect us as humans, so I want to share what I’ve learned about self-care...

Do you have a backup plan for your business for when things go awry? Is it documented? Whether we like it or not, sometimes things go wrong. You can’t know when every emergency will strike, so how do you prepare your business to survive when you have to leave without a moment’s notice?  This episode is all about standard operating procedures and why they are so important for your business.  I’m sh...

When was the last time you updated your contracts? This episode is about ensuring that your contracts are in tip-top shape and that you are covered when things go awry.  Let’s face it, not everything is within our control; sometimes things go wrong. What is within your control is how you are legally protecting yourself from the fallout if something does go wrong when you’re working with a client. ...

How do you feel about putting on your CFO hat? Is it a little intimidating? In this episode, we’re talking all about being the CFO of your business with Profit First Professional Jenni Davis.  Jenni is teaching us what Profit First is, why it’s a game-changer for your finances, and how to get started with it through her new program. This episode is a great introduction to Profit First and we’re sh...

Are you tracking the numbers in your business? In this episode, we’re talking about tracking everything coming in and going out of your business financially.  The three trackers that you should have set up in your business are sales, expenses, and cash flow. I’m teaching you how to set up some simple spreadsheets that will cover everything you need to be tracking and I’m also explaining why it’s s...

Money matters. That's why financials are critical for entrepreneurs to manage.  As the chief financial officer (CFO) of your business, you need to know how much money is coming in and going out at any given time.  There are a lot of different areas of financial management that we’ll touch on in other episodes of the podcast, but this one is all about financial reporting. If you need someone t...

Do you struggle to keep track of rentals and inventory? In the last few episodes of the podcast, we’ve talked about processes and systems that improve both the client experience and your experience as a business owner.  In this episode, Mallory Mullen is here to teach us all about Goodshuffle Pro’s powerful inventory management software.  You may or may not already know that I'm an inventory...

Are you using software or systems to enhance your client experience? If you have systems that are clunky, difficult to use, or ineffective, your clients will notice. Systems can make or break the client experience, so you want to make sure that their interactions with your business are easy, reassuring, and stress-free. But how do you do that? We’re taking a look at it in this episode.  I’m sharin...

Recently on the podcast, we’ve been talking about products, services, and systems, and in this episode, we’re learning about a system from its founder and CEO.  Randi Bushell is the founder and CEO of Merri, a 3D visualization platform for the events industry, bringing venues, planners, and vendors into one single platform to design and execute best-in-class events. Prior to Merri, Randi spent her...