At some point after your wedding business is established, you’ll reach a point where you decide whether or not you want to expand your business and grow your team. For some people, the decision is straightforward and easy. For others, it can be a struggle to decide what the appropriate steps might be for them and their business. Which category do you fall into?
What’s Your Business Model?
For some wedding pros, the decision of whether or not to grow their business is easy. Their business model and lifestyle dictate that they only want to take on as many events as they can handle. For other wedding pros, their business model is built on volume and are prepared to add on and grow their organization continually. There’s no right answer to which business model works best. Only you will know which business model works for your work-life balance. Be sure to keep in mind that what’s right for your business now, still might change in the future.
Flying Solo
Working as a solo entrepreneur does not necessarily mean working alone. Whether you’re a wedding planner, floral designer, photographer, or DJ, sometimes you need support on the day of an event. That extra pair of hands to help set up, break down, or change locations is so much easier with another person. As many wedding pros train and work with a wedding day assistant, they instill the business’s branding and values of the company in them, as they’re the face of the business as well.
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
Some people know from the launch of their business that they’ll only succeed by growing a large team and set out to find or develop as many as possible. This can be a slow process, but that’s OK! For most new businesses, bookings don’t roll in nearly as fast as their original business plan may have charted. Starting your team and developing your wedding day assistant is often the way to build a strong, cohesive team.
Wedding day assistants not only get that one-on-one training from you as the owner, but you get to take a step back and see if they’re a self-starter, and how they interact with your clients and wedding guests. For many wedding planners growing a larger team, their wedding day assistant may develop into a wedding day director as they get more experience with clients.
Communication
Whether you’re that solo act with an assistant or someone developing a much larger team, communication is a must. Communicating timing, expectations, and what is acceptable ensures that your standards and brand are adhered to. Team members need to know their role, understand the timing of the wedding, and know who the vendors are. From introducing your team to the couple to following up with pros after the wedding, clear communication is the way to succeed.
“Clear and timely communication is critical to a smooth planning process. I want my teams to know that there are no stupid questions and over-communication is encouraged. I will go the extra mile to ensure my partners feel heard and respected throughout the planning process. My hope is that when I lead with this spirit, everyone will put their best foot forward!” – Jessica Carillo, Art & Soul Events
When Plans Change
As small business owners, sometimes life hands us a curve. You may’ve started out thinking you’d remain small but suddenly realize that your services are in huge demand! It may also just be that the assistants you’ve trained are better than many new local colleagues. Or, your original business plan might’ve been to grow a large team and blanket your market; only to see that it’s a slow build, and finding and developing is more complicated than expected.
Whether you decide to grow or remain smaller and develop a team as business demands, only you can determine what’s right for your current situation. Adding new staff can bring a fresh new perspective to the team and force you to reexamine your business plan and procedures.
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