Self care when running your own business is important – critical even. If employers have a duty of care to their staff, who takes care of the ‘solopreneur’? I come across a lot of business owners who set up in business to enjoy the freedom of ‘not having a boss’ but then become their own … Read more
Here in the UK it’s been a momentous couple of weeks with the referendum on EU membership resulting in an unexpected victory for the Leave campaign. So unexpected that it’s clear the government had no plans for what would happen next. The prime minister is stepping down, the opposition are in a state of disarray … Read more
Many wedding businesses operate successfully for years without staff – and prefer to keep it that way. But you will always be limited by your own time so at some point, if you want to grow, you will need people working for you. And for some, like bridal boutiques, venues and caterers, building a strong … Read more
It is generally acknowledged that it costs much more to gain a new customer than it does to retain existing customers. How much more will depend on the business, but on average it is probably 7 times more expensive to get a new client than sell to people you already know. For most wedding businesses … Read more
It’s the one thing they don’t tell you about running your own wedding business – sometimes you are going to be bored. Yup, it’s not all fun, creativity and excitement. As the business owner you also have to deal with the dull stuff. The finances, contracts, contacting people who don’t return your calls and my … Read more
At the end of last year I wrote an article about setting goals for your business. I was a good girl and worked my way through my goal setting workbook and set some nice stretching targets for myself. And for 3 months everything was going nicely. Yes, I had some challenges. Some things were going … Read more
We’ve all experienced it. The one line email asking “How much do you charge?” or the person who wanders up to your stand at a wedding fair and starts the conversation with the same question. It sometimes seems that the only thing brides and grooms care about is how much their wedding is going to … Read more
Successful online businesses know that great photographs are what really make your customer WANT to buy. And these days, every business has to be online. But I still see many wedding suppliers who let themselves down with poor quality images on their website. Your website is your shop window – and nobody wants to buy … Read more
“Don’t do it!” That was the response I received from one wedding photographer when I asked my Twitter followers what advice they would give to someone starting out in the wedding industry. The reason – the market is saturated with photographers all competing for a limited amount of business. And there is no doubt that … Read more
For many wedding businesses, being small is a plus point. Brides and grooms really appreciate the individual attention and personalised service they get from wedding suppliers who are passionate about what they do and are not just employed by a big company. But being small and personal doesn’t mean you can get away with being … Read more