Motivational speaker and award-winning storyteller Kelly Swanson advises wedding professionals (and all business owners who want more sales), "Don't sell the service. Sell the story." But how do we do that when we're not sure what story to tell. Is it the story of me? Is it the brand story? Is it the couple's story? The thing is, if we can merge th…

Preseason chat with Renee Dalo. ReneeDalo.com. How to avoid burnout. How a business and career coach can help you. The most successful event professionals are open and curious. How Renee dealt with her performance nerves.By Clint Hufft

Lindsay Lucas is THE wedding venue consultant. She's a former wedding planner who now helps venue owners (and those aspiring to be) to create profitable and sustainable wedding venue businesses. Lindsay had the idea for a complete shift in her business, but it wasn’t easy convincing herself that this was the best way to go. Today, we talk about if …

Preseason chat with Mark Chapman. The IDoSociety.com. Online advertising. What platforms are most effective? What is the difference between advertising on Google and Meta (Facebook and Instagram)?By Clint Hufft

When you hear the word "belonging", what do you think of? Maybe you think of wedding pros, because we're welcoming, ambitious, kind-hearted, and badass business owners. Maybe it's finding your people to share your goals and dreams with - it's that positive feeling we get when we feel respected. As a business owner, I want my team, my clients, my ve…

Preseason episode with Sara Dunn. SaraDoesSEO.com. How to improve the SEO of your website over time with baby steps regularly. How to use keywords. How to make the images on your site discoverable by Google. Get free resources at SaraDoesSEO.com. Use the discount code "Clint" to get $20 off when you buy tickets to the Wedding MBA Conference.…

Fill out this survey and give us your feedback for a chance to win a $50 Amazon.com gift card and be part of shaping the future of Weddings For Real! https://www.megangillikin.com/podcast-survey -- One of the most frequent questions we get in The Planners Vault is, How can I get on the preferred vendor list at the best wedding venue in my market? O…

Pre-season with Meghan Ely. OFDconsulting.com. What is publicity? What are media producers looking for? Is social media a good publicity platform? Should you write a book?By Clint Hufft

Pre-Season episode with Rob Schenk. WeddingIndustryLaw.com. How do you protect your business if the client moves the date of the event? Do you need malpractice insurance? What to do if your supplier doesn't get you what you need in time.By Clint Hufft

When you're pitching your services to potential clients, are you using Luxury Language? Or are you using Discount Dialect? Today, Quinn Conyers tells us the difference, and how strategic word choice can make pitches irresistible. She also introduces the concept of a "verbal business card" that captivates potential clients - as long as you can artic…

Do you have money mindset blocks that are preventing your business from growing and preventing you from leading your best life? Maybe you believe that you don't deserve to charge more yet. Or maybe you believe you shouldn't charge more because you love what you do. Or maybe you think there's a new competitor popping up every day who charges so litt…

Rachel Sheerin, keynote speaker and Megan's first business coach, is guest-hosting this episode. She comes from a wedding background before shifting into corporate events and eventually speaking on the biggest stages. Today, Rachel brings on Carrie Davenport to discuss how wedding vendors can start adding corporate events to their portfolios and re…

"Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, 'Make me feel important.' Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life." - Mary Kay Ash Keep that quote in mind for this solo episode, as Megan Gillikin is giving her 5 tips for getting more referrals from your fellow wedding pros. --- Today's ep…

On this episode (listen to part 1 here), we ask engaged couples the questions you can’t really ask when they reach out to you. But we can! Questions like: How are you finding your wedding vendors? Instagram? Website? TikTok? Do you need to see pricing on the website? Do you want a consultation call, or do you just want info sent by email? How do yo…

On this episode, we ask engaged couples the questions you can’t really ask when they reach out to you. But we can! Questions like: How are you finding your wedding vendors? Instagram? Website? TikTok? Do you need to see pricing on the website? Do you want a consultation call, or do you just want info sent by email? How do you determine budget? And …

The Unraveling series, where amazing and inspiring entrepreneurs share the unraveling of old habits and mindset that holds us back, and the rebirth of new. Today we feature Inez Ribustello, whose unraveling started back on September 11, 2001, when she lost nearly all of her colleagues in the terrorist attacks. At 25 years old, Inez had hustled her …

With finances, I still have blocks (listen to the intro) preventing me from fully feeling comfortable and empowered when it comes to things like tax planning, KPIs, and projections. I’ve learned through conversations with wedding pros and my own real life experiences that overwhelm can lead to avoidance, so my goal is to make conversations like thi…

Today we're tackling engagement and booking season, and I'm going to share three strategies and mindset shifts that will help your business stand out, resonate more with your ideal clients, and help you book more easily this year - no matter what vendor category you're in. This episode is brought to you by The Planner's Vault, my online membership …

At the end of last year, I sent out a survey to my email list asking them to share what they want more of and what they want less of in 2024. And at the end, I had a spot for them to share openly about anything they had on their mind, or share a question they want me to answer. There were so many great questions that I decided to kick off this year…

Megan and Jason Gillikin talk about their wins for 2023, their misses, most memorable moments, and goals for 2024. Tune in and reflect along. Share your 2023 reflections on social media @weddingsforreal. Past Year-End Recaps: 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 This episode is brought to you by The Planner's Vault, my online membership site for wedding planne…

This week, we're taking a little adventure to explore the not-so-glamorous side of balancing entrepreneurship with personal life. I'm thrilled to share an episode with you where for the first time ever my husband Jason and I teamed up as guests on another entrepreneur podcast called Hustle + Gather. This is a behind-the-scenes look at being busy en…

Wedding MBA Conference 2023 recap with Becca Pountney. www.beccapountney.com Interviews with attendees and speakers.By Clint Hufft

Today we’re sharing an episode of the Own Your Business Podcast, which I was a guest on earlier this year. My friend Sam Jacobson and I talk about how wedding pros can book more couples at higher packages. This has nothing to do with "sales tactics". It’s all about empathy and understanding customer needs, creating an effective pricing proposal, an…

The Unraveling series, where amazing and inspiring entrepreneurs share the unraveling of old habits and mindset that holds us back, and the rebirth of new. Today we feature Amber Melanie Smith, the Founder and Executive Director of Activate Good, a non-profit she has run for her entire adult life. As you can imagine, fighting the good fight can be …

It's Hot Takes Time. I'll be talking about some common business advice that I think is garbage, my best advice for hiring new team members, one hard lesson I had to learn this year in business, the goal strategy I swear by, and the biggest mistake I see business owners making right now. Previous Hot Takes Episodes: 224. Wedding Industry Hot Takes w…

I’m getting lots of DMs and questions about building relationships and superfans and thought that sharing an episode I was a guest on from earlier this year would be a great listen for you this week! So if building more meaningful relationships that fuel your business growth is on your radar for 2024, this episode is for you! So today, you’ll be he…

Obsession-Worthy Trends with Andrea Eppolito, Owner, Andrew Eppolito Events. AndreaEppolito.com. Wedding trends are constantly evolving and emerging. From hosting small, intimate weddings to non-traditional parties, we see major wedding trends on the horizon. Research the newest wedding ideas and be two steps ahead of your competitors.…

Hey friends! Today's episode is a short roundup of a few things I want to share with you, including my thoughts on my upcoming trip to Wedding MBA, my recent Planners Vault Workcation, tips for you on planning your own Workcation, and a quick hitting conversation with my friend Ashley Ebert of The Abundance Group on how to know if you've hired the …

Hey friends! Today's episode is a short roundup of a few things I want to share with you, including my thoughts on my upcoming trip to Wedding MBA, my recent Planners Vault Workcation, tips for you on planning your own Workcation, and a quick hitting conversation with my friend Ashley Ebert of The Abundance Group on how to know if you've hired the …

Evergreen Podcasts, the network that brought you Weddings Unveiled with Leah Haslage, is pleased to introduce Countdown to Dallas. On the sixtieth anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, former White House correspondent Paul Brandus takes an in-depth look at the seemingly unconnected events that led to that infamous afternoon…

After 12 years as a wedding planner, I can say this with deep conviction. The number one way I built my business from unknown and scrappy to respected, referred and booked out year after year - was from referrals. These referrals were what allowed me to be able to hire team members, raise our rates and eventually sell my business last year so I cou…

Increase The Demand For Planners with Megan Gillikin, Owner, of The Planners Vault & Weddings For Real. Why do only 30% of wedding couples hire a professional wedding planner? You know you can save them time and money and make their wedding day stress-free. Education outreach can change the way your wedding market sees the true role of a wedding pl…

Wed Talk. Booking Hotels Will Never Be The Same with Cayce Turbeville of Groups 360 and GroupSync.com. How Cayce booked her complimentary wedding block on GroupSync in 10 minutes! Save time and reduce stress with quick tools for wedding planners!By Clint Hufft

Organic Content with Nayri, Wedding Fashion Expert, Lovella Bridal. Wedding couples trust organic content over paid advertising because of authenticity. Non-paid exposure builds engagement and develops a community with other wedding pros, current couples, and prospective clients.By Clint Hufft

Wed Talk with Brian Franklin of Vows and Speeches. VowsAndSpeeches.com. Don’t struggle to find the right words. We’ll help you find them. Highly personalized, human-written, custom vows, wedding speeches, and Full ceremony scripts for officiants.By Clint Hufft

Over the years, I've had countless conversations with wedding pros about the constant challenge of nailing down their business messaging and how they are perceived in their market. While the landscape of marketing as a whole has evolved, the core issues remain unchanged. So, what's on every wedding pro's mind? I hear questions like: Where should I …

Over the years, I've had countless conversations with wedding pros about the constant challenge of nailing down their business messaging and how they are perceived in their market. While the landscape of marketing as a whole has evolved, the core issues remain unchanged. So, what's on every wedding pro's mind? I hear questions like: Where should I …

Improve Your Website with Alan Berg, CSP, Global Speaking Fellow. AlanBerg.com. Our websites are the most important "employee" . They work for us 24/7. Whether you need a new website, just launched one, or are getting ready for a change, Alan will give you tips on how to make any site more effective.…

Avoid Burnout with Jennifer Trotter, Owner, of Lip Service Makeup. Burnout hits high achievers the hardest because you feel like you should always be able to manage it all. But sometimes enough is enough. • Warning signs • Best ways to cope with burnout • Action plan for positive workplaceBy Clint Hufft

Are you struggling to balance too many commitments with a never ending to-do list? (Raising my hand with you) Maybe you're feeling that that stress is in an all time high. and you're paddling through the Sea of Overwhelm with a leaky boat. Well today, I've got 10 stress-reducing tips to help you through! Episodes Mentioned: 244. BTS of My Industry …

Are you struggling to balance too many commitments with a never ending to-do list? (Raising my hand with you) Maybe you're feeling that that stress is in an all time high. and you're paddling through the Sea of Overwhelm with a leaky boat. Well today, I've got 10 stress-reducing tips to help you through! Episodes Mentioned: 244. BTS of My Industry …

Boost Your Income with Braden Drake, Owner, Braden Drake, LLC, Attorney & Tax Professional. notavglaw.com. Tax deductions don’t happen by accident, it takes skill, precision, and expertise to avoid overpaying. Get proactive and learn how to keep more of the money you make. • Increase your take-home pay • IRS red flags • Lesser-known tax deductions…

How To Show Up On Local Searches with Sara Dunn, Wedding SEO Specialist, Sara Does SEO. Ninety-two percent of engaged couples will choose a wedding business that ranks on the first page of local search. • Include photos that boost your ranking • Optimize web presence for local organic search • Reviews, map embedding, and local/destination search…

It's time for some more hot takes, this time with the Tech Savvy Creative, and all about the latest tech and AI trends in our industry. We’ll be answering questions like: Is AI all it’s cracked up to be? What apps are overrated, and what apps are overlooked? And maybe most importantly, what happens when dozens of people recommend hundreds of differ…

It's time for some more hot takes, this time with the Tech Savvy Creative, and all about the latest tech and AI trends in our industry. We’ll be answering questions like: Is AI all it’s cracked up to be? What apps are overrated, and what apps are overlooked? And maybe most importantly, what happens when dozens of people recommend hundreds of differ…

Handle DJ Objections with Ben Herman, Founder + Mentor, DJ University. profitabledj.com/PDJ-mastermind. Find out which sales obstacles you can convert into bookings. • Is the budget really the issue • Words and phrases to avoidBy Clint Hufft

Your Legal Blind Spots with Rob Schenk, Trial Attorney & Editor of WeddingIndustryLaw.com. Your star employee leaves with your client database. How do you protect your business? • Critical phrases for every contract • Essential insurance types and limitsBy Clint Hufft

The Unraveling series, where amazing and inspiring entrepreneurs share the unraveling of old habits and mindset that holds us back, and the rebirth of new. Today we feature Michelle Norwood, New Orleans based international event planner. Michelle has been featured in Vogue, the New York Times, Martha Stewart Weddings, and BRIDES magazine, and she m…

The Unraveling series, where amazing and inspiring entrepreneurs share the unraveling of old habits and mindset that holds us back, and the rebirth of new. Today we feature Michelle Norwood, New Orleans based international event planner. Michelle has been featured in Vogue, the New York Times, Martha Stewart Weddings, and BRIDES magazine, and she m…

Marry Organic And Paid Media with Christie Osborne, Owner and founder, of Mountainside Media. Strategically use your organic posts with a simple advertising strategy that decreases ad costs and increases sales leads. • Adjust your organic strategy to support low-cost ads • Social ads that build a powerful client pipeline • Real-life posts and ads t…