Own Your Business

If you want to get to the top of your market or field, you have to be the best. Not in just one area, but several. Sometimes you’re naturally good, or you get lucky and knock it out of the park on the first try. But most of the time you’ve got to refine your approaches with little tweaks here and there. In this week’s episode of Own Your Business , I sit down with Alex le Roux, the founder and CEO...

Booking more events is a good goal for any wedding pro. But as your business grows and you start filling your calendar, it’s super important to get more from each date you book. It’s the only way you can live the fantasy of “work less, make more.” Unfortunately, many wedding pros get in their own way when it comes to booking higher packages. Some of it is mindset. Some of it is bad pricing and pac...

Special treat for you this week. Replay of a panel we hosted last week with Kate Turner, Abby Jiu and Julian Leaver. All three are clients of Ideaction Consulting, and also The Media Socialites, the company we’re doing the Social and Sway Mastermind with this year. We brought them together for a conversation because we wanted our audience to hear their perspective on what helped them get where the...

Who wants more ideal clients in their inbox? And signing contracts? That’s what I thought. If only wishing made it happen. The reality is ideal clients are hard to get if hope is your strategy. That’s why I asked the one and only Katy Taylor Jacobson to join me in a conversation about: - What is an “ideal client” (besides one with a big budget)? - How do you attract them in the first place? - Why...

It’s inquiry season, and many wedding pros we’ve talked with aren’t getting much in their inboxes right now. So I brought on our head copywriter (who happens to be my lovely wife), Katy Taylor Jacobson, to talk shop about ways to make your website more effective. In today’s episode of Own Your Business, we explore 7 big website mistakes that cost you inquiries - and what you can do to fix them bef...

This week I’m joined by Persephone Maglaya, Founder and CEO of The Media Socialites and Bridal Vogue, an instagram account she founded 6 years ago with over 200k followers. The Media Socialites work with over 100 companies in the luxury wedding market, many of whom work with our business to book more clients at higher prices. She helps attract more ideal clients to the website, and we work to get...

Do you ever wonder why certain people seem to have all the luck? Let me tell you a little secret: It’s because they make their own. The sales process I train clients (and podcast listeners like you) on is one of many ways you can sell your services. Other approaches will work…but not as much as one I’ve created, because this one is designed around the way humans make decisions. On this episode of...

It’s that time of the year again. You know, when we set down our goals for the upcoming year - only to completely abandon them before February rolls around. But what if you picked goals that aligned more with what you really want? With why you’re motivated to do things in life? That overlap with how you love to spend your time? In this episode of Own Your Business, I share some a-ha moments I’ve h...

You’ve heard me talk about four different types of buyers for your services. (If not, go listen to episodes 4, 32 and 54 after this one.) Selling to different kinds of buyers takes skill. But also takes knowledge to get started and practice to get good. I’m doing a deep dive on each buyer type for the podcast: Relaters Analyzers Bosses Dreamers I’ll share a few insights on - How do you identify th...

You’ve heard me talk about four different types of buyers for your services. (If not, go listen to episodes 4, 32 and 54 after this one.) Selling to different kinds of buyers takes skill. But also takes knowledge to get started and practice to get good. I’m doing a deep dive on each buyer type: Relaters Analyzers Bosses Dreamers I’ll share a few insights on - How do you identify them from other bu...

What happens when you take your biggest competition and make them your business partner? That’s what James Christianson and Otto Schulze did seven years ago - and they haven’t looked back on their way to the top ranks of wedding photographers. In this week’s episode of Own Your Business , I dive deep into James and Otto’s artistic education and individual careers to learn how their unique approach...

Who says you can’t do luxury outside big markets like New York City, Los Angeles, and DC? Well, this week’s podcast guests prove you can. You might not find as many weddings with massive budgets, but luxury pros can create a successful business in mid-sized cities and even destination markets. Jennifer Thye and Sarrah Gaboury, owners of Imoni Events in Phoenix, Arizona, join me on today’s episode...

You’ve heard me talk about four different types of buyers for your services. (If not, go listen to episodes 4, 32 and 54 after this one.) Selling to different kinds of buyers takes skill. But also takes knowledge to get started and practice to get good. I’m doing a deep dive on each buyer type: Relaters Analyzers Bosses Dreamers I’ll share a few insights on - How do you identify them from other bu...

You’ve heard me talk about four different types of buyers for your services. (If not, go listen to episodes 4, 32 and 54 after this one.) Selling to different kinds of buyers takes skill. But also takes knowledge to get started and practice to get good. Over the next couple months I’m going to do a deep dive on each buyer type: Relaters Analyzers Bosses Dreamers I’ll share a few insights on - How...

This week’s guest on Own Your Business is a risk-taker who rose to the top by jumping off cliffs and building parachutes on the way down. Chris Jespersen is the owner of Storybox Cinema and one of Harper’s Bazaar ’s top videographers. He also founded The Madison, a large event space in Cleveland, Ohio, which is fast becoming one of the go-to venues in the city. And he just turned 30. How did he do...

This interview with Abby Jiu is the second in my series of deep dives with wedding pros who sit at the top of their fields - and offer a fresh perspective on what it means to find success with the business. I chose Abby because I wanted listeners to hear more about how she’s done two of the hardest things a wedding pro can do: 1) Thrive in the luxury market and 2) Scale her business. The fact that...

After every Engage! Luxury Wedding Summit, I like to list out insights I received during the experience or from speakers on stage. Then I tell you how to apply them in your own business. I’m fresh off the plane from Ireland with my best pieces of advice for wedding professionals interested in a more successful business and rewarding life.

Destination weddings are the perfect mix of business and pleasure. Not only are they often fun to do, but they can be very lucrative as well. The markets in Mexico, Caribbean, Hawaii, and Europe are sizable - and getting bigger. But how do you tap into them? In this week’s episode of Own Your Business, I talk with Destination I Do founder and editor, Jennifer Stein, to share insights and perspecti...

No one wants to sound sales-y when they’re selling their services to couples. So how do you close deals without being aggressive, or cheesy…or clumsy? It’s easy if you have a simple approach that leverages buyer psychology. In this week’s episode of Own Your Business I’ll share with you: - The number one competitor for each and every inquiry - Ways NOT to close deals - Three simple strategies to g...

Discovery calls are complex - and crucial to your businesses success. It’s when you find out if the client is a good fit, when you build value to charge higher prices, and when you learn what triggers their deepest desires for your services. On this episode of Own Your Business, I give you six must-dos on every discovery call. Tune in to hear more about: - A simple trick to mirror clients and get...

This week’s episode is the first in what will be many many interviews that dive deeper than usual. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have recording them. My first guest is KT Merry, one of the most recognized and celebrated photographers in the industry. Over the past three or four years, I’ve heard more of my clients - mostly other photographers, but also pros from other fields - tell me they lo...

Most wedding pros think couples buy their services because of a strong personal connection. Or their portfolio. Or the awards they’ve won or publications they’re featured in. Or how beautiful their branding is. All these are important, but they only get you so far. At some point, you have to move them from the “I’m interested” stage to the “I know what I want and you are the one to help get it for...

Finances are one of the most important parts of owning your own business. And they’re also one of the scariest, too. But like most things in life that we’re afraid of, it's because we don’t know how easy it can be to do. In this week’s episode of Own Your Business , I sit down with finance expert, Katelyn Magnuson, to discuss: - What holds you back from feeling confident about managing your busine...

We all talk a lot about “ideal clients.” Wouldn’t it be nice if they were all ideal? Too bad they’re not, because, let’s be honest: Those who inquire run the gamut from perfect fits to completely awful. Some couples are dream clients. Other people are good…just not good for you. In this episode of Own Your Business , I’m going to share with you: - 4 different buyer types - What motivates each one...

A great way to make more money is to sell more services to each couple who hires you. Unfortunately, what most people do is either a) stuff their packages with more services, or b) offer a la carte options on top of the packages. But both of these options consistently backfire with your buyers. On this week’s episode of Own Your Business, I’ll tell you: - How to get more from every date on your ca...