Real wedding vendors share their tips and tricks for surviving and thriving in this one of a kind industry. Hosted by The Planner’s Vault’s Megan Gillikin, you'll hear guests share their secrets on marketing, the client experience, networking, community, sales, and more - and you might even hear some crazy wedding stories along the way!
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Business Unveiled is a podcast helping people in the creative industry refine their skills and grow their business. In every episode, you’ll be taken behind the scenes of the creative industry with celebrity wedding planner, entrepreneur, and productivity consultant Angela Proffitt as she shares her experiences in running a high profile event and design company around the world. There's nothing Angela and her team haven't seen before, and you'll get to listen to what she's experienced, how s ...
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Step into She Creates Business, a Podcast for Wedding Pros, your go-to guide in the vibrant world of wedding entrepreneurship, created and hosted by Kinsey Roberts since 2016. She Creates Business is a pivotal tool in shaping and refining the art and science of thriving in the wedding industry. This podcast is a treasure trove of actionable insights, covering everything from marketing finesse to growth tactics, branding ideas, and the technical know-how of being a wedding pro. | You'll get b ...
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The Book More Brides Podcast - Wedding Business, Wedding Marketing, Book More Weddings, Wedding Business Mentor, Bridal Business Coaching
Kate Storey | Marketing Strategist, Brand Clarity Coach, Messaging Mentor
Do you wish you could make more money in your wedding business, but need someone who can provide simple wedding marketing strategies and just tell you what to do next? Do you know you can close the couples who come to you, but can’t always get them to book a call and talk to you? Do you want more of your perfect couples contacting you, and fewer budget brides and dead-end leads? Do you know you’re great at what you do, but worry you’re not looking professional enough to your couples and it’s ...
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276. 6 Ways to Reconnect, Recharge, and Prioritize Yourself
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21:18
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As entrepreneurs, we carry a heavy load. We're leading our teams, we're planning for more growth, we're handling setbacks, trying to build profitability, we're making sure we're serving our clients, we want to market to reach a wider audience. It's exhausting. And then, as women, I feel like the load is even greater. We strive to create opportuniti…
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275. How to Audit Your Life + Business to Reclaim Your Joy
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On last week's episode, Megan took you on a behind the scenes journey to the beginning of this year when she was on a two day workation retreat with her friend and business coach, Rachel Sheerin. She brought a whirlwind of ideas, enough for a 30-day retreat, but along with the excitement and the ideas, she also brought lots of overwhelm, exhaustion…
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274. Burnout Red Flags: How to Spot Them and What to Do Next
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If you listened to episode 272, you heard about Megan's burnout and why she took a pause from recording new episodes of the podcast. But that's not quite the whole story. Back in January, Megan went on a weekend retreat with her coach, friend, and business partner Rachel Sheerin. It was there that Rachel realized this wouldn't be a normal workcatio…
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273. How to Navigate Out of Career and Personal Ruts, with KT Merry
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One of the quickest routes to burnout (see episode 272) is doing the same thing over and over, staying on that hamster wheel until you're running so fast, you’re exhausted, and realize you’re not even sure you like this hamster wheel anymore. Sometimes, we get so caught up in the routine that we forget to pause and reassess if it’s still working fo…
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272. Burnout: My Old Habits Die Screaming Story
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Megan here. I'm back, and I'm inviting you into a personal reflection and behind-the-scenes look at what burnout can look like—not just as a business owner, but as a human - a human who needs to stop fighting and pushing through burnout but instead heal the root cause. I’ve talked about burnout before on the podcast: 194: Ask Me Anything (About Bur…
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(Encore) Professional Etiquette Tips for Wedding Pros, with Lisa Lyons
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Lisa Lyons has been in the wedding industry for 19 years, but she has been drawn to etiquette her entire life. And in 2020 she got the certification to help wedding pros take their etiquette to the next level. But in this modern era of traditions changing, what does wedding etiquette even mean? Lisa Lyons Events and Etiquette --- This episode is br…
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270. Sell More With Storytelling, with Kelly Swanson
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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…
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(Encore) Carving Out Your Own Niche, with Lindsay Lucas
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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 …
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Boosting Belonging at Work, with Smiley Poswolsky
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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…
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(Encore) How to get on a wedding venue's preferred list, with Shannon Tarrant
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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…
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266. Perfect Your Pitch, with Quinn Conyers
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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…
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(Encore) Money Mindset for Wedding Pros, with Denise Duffield-Thomas
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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…
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264. How to Add Corporate Events to Your Revenue Stream and Portfolio
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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…
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(Encore) 5 Ways to Get More Referrals in Your Wedding Business
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"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…
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262. What Engaged Couples Want (2024 Edition, Part 2)
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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…
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191: The *Real* Actions that Build a Wedding Business, 8 Lessons Learned with Amelia Holder
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In today’s episode of She Creates Business, a Podcast for Wedding Pros host Kinsey Roberts sits down with the dynamic Amelia Holder, a seasoned entrepreneur and the visionary behind Emerson Fields, a premier wedding venue in Missouri. Celebrating eight years of business success, Amelia shares eight invaluable lessons she's garnered along her journe…
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190: Quietly Building a Successful Wedding Planning Business with Chelsea Cholas
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In this episode of She Creates Business, host Kinsey Roberts welcomes Chelsea Cholas, the owner and lead wedding planner behind Chelsea Cholas Wedding Planning, and the exclusive in-house planner at Kinsey's venue, Vista View Events. Chelsea over-delivers throughout the show today offering listeners a unique and personal perspective on building a t…
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189: Unlocking the Secrets of Intellectual Property for Wedding Pros with Paige Hulse
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In this empowering episode of She Creates Business, a Podcast for Wedding Pros, host Kinsey Roberts sits down with Paige Hulse, a seasoned attorney, entrepreneur and the brains behind Paige Hulse Law. Paige brings her wealth of knowledge from a decade immersed in the creative and legal fields, offering invaluable insights into the world of intellec…
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261. What Engaged Couples Want (2024 Edition, Part 1)
33:00
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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 …
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260. Unraveling and Walking Away from Entrepreneurship, with Inez Ribustello
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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 …
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259. 5 Tips So Taxes Don't Keep You Up at Night, with CPA Tatiana Podel
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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…
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258. Top 3 Priorities for Booking Season Success (+ Bonus Training!)
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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 …
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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…
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256. 2023 Year in Review: Wins, Misses, Highlights, and Goals for 2024
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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…
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Your Guide to Balancing Entrepreneurship & Relationships: Insights from Megan & Jason on the Hustle & Gather Podcast
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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…
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084 \\ Do you believe you're worth your rate? How to charge more in 2024
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Truth time: When was the last time you raised your rates in your wedding business? Has it been years? Have you added in new services, equipment, techniques, etc. - but kept your rates the same? Wedding pro, you are worth so much more than what you're likely charging right now...but how do you know if it's the right time to raise your rates? Listen …
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Book the Top Package, from the Own Your Business Podcast
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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…
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253. Feeling Burned Out? This Unraveling Is For You
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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 …
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083 \\ Growing your wedding business with Buy Now and Buy Later couples
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Did you know there are actually two kinds of wedding leads you're always working with? These are two very different groups of couples who are looking to book you at any given time...and if you know how to help them both, it could mean doubling or even tripling your revenue. In this episode, I'm sharing the difference between Buy Now and Buy Later c…
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252. Worst Client Experience, Garbage Advice, and the Mistake I Keep Making: Hot Takes with Megan
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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…
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Building Relationships as Your Business Superpower (Brands that Book Share)
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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…
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250. Podcast Roundup: WeddingMBA, Workcations, and Getting Off The Hustle Hamster Wheel
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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 …
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249. 4 Referral-Boosting Relationship Strategies for Wedding Pros
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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…
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248. Messaging Matters: Exclusive Insights from Luxury Wedding PR Expert Natalie Denyse
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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 …
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247. 10 Strategies for Busy Season Stress and Everyday Life Overwhelm (Megan Solo)
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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 …
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246. Hot Takes on Tech and AI for Wedding Pros, with Dawn Richardson
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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…
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082 \\ 3 marketing must-do's for your wedding business
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On a scale of "word-of-mouth only" to "paying Meta $2k every month," how serious are you about marketing your wedding business? Every major brand knows the importance of marketing their product/service...so why aren't we taking the same approach in our wedding businesses? One of our clients - a very smart, six-figure multi-op owner - once shared th…
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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…
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244. BTS of My Industry Educators' Retreat #YachtForReal
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Recently one of small-group coaching students said to me, "Megan, when I think about you and other educators, it's like you're floating by on this deluxe yacht, living the life. You're all 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,' sipping champagne and getting fed grapes. And here I am, clinging to a capsizing dinghy with a single oar, just praying a ti…
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081 \\ Where are all the wedding leads? Here's how to get couples to contact you!
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Does it seem like you have waaaaay fewer leads this year than the last couple of years? There's a good reason for it (cough cough wedding boom cough cough) - but there's also something you can do about it. Here's how to get more wedding leads to contact you...AND get them to stick around this time! Find out how the Book More Brides Growth Academy h…
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243. How this photographer made $9M in digital downloads
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I’ve heard this question from a lot of you out there listening and engaging with us on social media, and from a lot of members of The Planner's Vault community: How can I generate money while I sleep? How can I get paid on more than just my time? Two weeks ago on episode 241, Kendra Swalls came on to share her ideas on generating affiliate income. …
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080 \\ It's time to get your wedding business ready for engagement season - here's why!
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Did you know that the highest number of engagements happens in the month of December? Did you also know that you'll see the benefits of what you do for your wedding business in about 90 days (3 months)? That's why NOW is the time to get your wedding business ready for all those new leads about to come your way - and in this episode, I'm sharing the…
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242. Stepping into Education in the Wedding Industry, with Laylee Emadi
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Have I ever told you about the required public speaking class I put off until my last semester of undergrad? I was shaky nervous, and the speech on how to make a latte? It didn't go so well. I've evolved since then, but I still get nervous every time I get on stage. Maybe you're in the same boat, or you want to know how to tiptoe into public speaki…
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241. Double Your Revenue, Not Your Work: A Guide to Affiliate Income, with Kendra Swalls
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You're in a high-stress industry, your weekends are gold, and nobody's got time for filler content or fluff. That's why today's topic is super relevant - we're diving into affiliate income. Yep, we're talking about ways to diversify your income streams without doubling your workload. By the end of this episode, you'll have a toolbox filled with ide…
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240. Legit Strategies for Marketing in the Messy Middle, with Tayler Cusick-Hollman
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The Messy Middle - it's one of those business owner struggles that we all go through. And over the years, with the rise of more social media platforms and more places than ever before to show up, yet no more magical hours added to our days... creating a marketing strategy in the messy middle feels like a vague and far-reaching concept that can make…
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239. Use This Strategy to Stand Out in a Crowded Wedding Industry: Insights with Emily Coyne
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Have you ever wondered what makes a truly unforgettable experience stand out from the usual client interactions that often end up looking pretty much the same? It's not just the fancy website or the five-star venue or the fancy menu. The answer might surprise you, but it's all about intuitive service and brand standards. It's about understanding th…
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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 Natalie Franke, cofounder of The Rising Tide Society, Chief Evangelist at Honeybook, host of the Independent Business Podcast, and author of Gutsy: Learning to Live with Bold, B…
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