Angie Johnston & Pam Drennan

Angie and Pam are owners of Sapphire Celebrations in Denver.  What I love about this duo is the teamwork and chemistry that they have.  They know their individual strengths and work in unison to produce events.  This is what business partnerships are all about!  Read on to learn more…

Angie Johnston & Pam Drennan
Owners of Sapphire Celebrations
www.sapphirecelebrations.com
Denver, CO
Established 2004

Why did you start your business?

It had always been Angie’s dream to be a wedding and event planner. It is just a huge added benefit that mother and daughter get to achieve this dream together. When the business was started in 2004 there was still a great need in the Colorado market for wedding and event planning businesses.

We planned Angie’s wedding in 2004 and even her Day of Wedding Coordinator could tell that this was her calling. Having planned corporate and philanthropic events and some weddings for friends, this was the catalyst to starting the business. After research the business was officially formed in July of 2004. Using both of our business and sales backgrounds we’ve been able to take Sapphire Celebrations to the top!

In the past seven and a half years the market has started to reach saturation, however, there are still enough clients to go around if you know your niche.

What book do you recommend to new business owners?

I am currently reading “Book Yourself Solid” by Michael Port. I’m still early in it, but can already tell that it is going to change the way that we sell our services.

Do you have any cool goal-setting tips to share with us?

Write them down – make them visual. A vision board for what you want to achieve is a great way to be sure that you have it in the front of your mind. Mine is now right next to my desk, so that it is visible to everyone!

What do you find to be the biggest challenge as a business owner?

The biggest challenge is separating your business life from your personal life. Owning your own business you can quickly get sucked into working all the time – your desk is just right there! Recognizing this and setting up work hours and rules will help to make sure

If you were starting your business all over again, what would you have done differently?

Hired Sage Wedding Pros to help us get our business plan and processes pulled together at the beginning!

Thanks ladies!

Photo credit: Vanie Poyey

I’ve known Suthi since she began her business in 2009 and it’s been fun to watch her business – and photography – evolve into what it is today.  Suthi claims in her interview that she would have liked to have known more ‘business-y’ things when she started.  But, I think Suthi has something much more valuable… the ability to be resourceful and to figure things out.  The most accomplished entrepreneurs will tell you that creativity, resourcefulness, and problem-solving is what enables them to be successful.  And, I see these characteristics in Suthi.  Kudos!

Suthi Picotte
Owner, Picotte Weddings, Inc.
www.picottephotography.com
Pasadena, CA
Established 2009

Why did you start your business?

For me, the idea to “start a business” was secondary to the act of just doing it.  After second shooting for 4 years I knew I could take photos and was starting to get a few inquires from “friends”.  The gig as a second shooter was ending so my choices were to either go & work for someone else or do my own thing.  I thought why not just work for myself?  And I did.  I had no idea what was needed to start a business other than I’d need business cards, a website and of course equipment.  But I think that in my situation the lack of knowledge actually worked.  I didn’t know so I couldn’t be scared.  I just jumped in.  I was actually “in business” for 6 months before I realized that I needed a business license.  (See below the book that informed me about that little detail.)

What book do you recommend to new business owners? 

I’ll share a simple book that really helped me at the very beginning: “Business for Dummies”.  It has the basics which was perfect for me: someone who was just starting out and knew nothing of the non-creative logistics of starting & running a business.

Do you have any cool goal-setting tips to share with us? 

I like to break things down into smaller and smaller goals.  For example:  Start with the end of year goal and then figures out what must get done in 9, 6, and 3 months to get there.  Then break down what must be done in that 1st and 2nd month to make the 3 month goal, etc.  It makes for lots of smaller, attainable goals that build into the big end of the year goal.

What do you find to be the biggest challenge as a business owner? 

I think the hardest thing is learning how to be an efficient manager.  Both to yourself and your employees but especially to your employees.  No-one gets to the top by themselves and it’s challenging to find a balance between being an encouraging boss that still demands excellence.

If you were starting your business all over again, what would you have done differently? I would have taken more business classes and workshops.

Thanks Suthi!

John & Joseph Photography
John and Joseph Hong, Owners
jkhphoto.com
Seattle, WA
Established in 2000

Why did you start your business?

We started our photography career working as freelance photojournalists.  After awhile, a friend of a friend asked us to photograph her wedding.   Not having been to a wedding, we only agreed to photographing it ‘photojournalistic’ style – capturing moments as they happen.  It was an amazing experience and we haven’t looked back since.

What book do you recommend to new business owners?

We don’t have a specific recommendation other than that you have to really love weddings and a passion for photography (or whatever your trade) to be in this business.  We have seen many photographers go in and out of the wedding photography business because it’s difficult to be only doing it half-heartedly.

Do you have any cool goal-setting tips to share with us?

About 5 years ago I wrote down everything that I wanted to achieve.  All of it has happened.

What do you find to be the biggest challenge as a business owner?

Small business owners have to wear many hats.  I don’t like wearing my accounting hat.  Luckily, we have a wonderful accountant.

If you were starting your business all over again, what would you have done differently?

If we were to start our business all over again, then I would start by talking to more professionals already working in the business.  It wasn’t until about 3 years into our own business that we networked with some other great photographers (now dear friends) in the area.

Ron Dawson
Owner, Dare Dreamer Media – DareDreamer.net
Editor/Writer, Dare Dreamer Magazine – DareDreamerMag.com
Atlanta, GA
Established 2002

Why did you start your business?

It was January 2002. I was visiting a good friend of mine who’s an indie filmmaker in LA. By this time it had been 8 years since I left the film and TV program at De Anza College in Cupertino, CA. (My buddy, who attended the prestigious USC film school, would often tease me about my community college film education.  But the truth is, De Anza has one of the most recognized and respected film programs in the nation. But I digress.) My buddy asked me a question that literally change the direction of my life. “So Ron, what do you want to do with your life?” My answer was, “Well, eventually I’d like to do my own feature film.” He just nodded his head, pursed his lips a bit, and said, “Okay, cool, cool. Umm, how are you going to do that at Inuit?”

At the time I was a business marketing manager for Quicken at Intuit making six figures. I was a bachelor, had no debt, and loved that financial stability. My plan was to continue working there, do films for fun on the side, eventually make a feature (on the side), get discovered, sign a contract with a major studio, then quit my job at Intuit. But, life doesn’t work like that. Especially if you want to make it in the film business.

I decided I would quit my job and pursue my passion. That summer I did just that. Oh, and I also got married, became a step dad, and started a business, all that same summer. Not necessarily the recommended way to start out, but it worked for me.

What book do you recommend to new business owners?

For the longest time my answer to that question would have been easy, Michael Gerber’s “The E-myth”. It talks about the importance of building a business as a business, something you could turn around and sell. He talks about creating systems in your business for making it run like a franchise (whether or not you actually plan to franchise it).  I think there’s still a lot of validity to much of that, and a lot of what he talks about is important for professional creatives to understand. But, as my smart and beautiful wife has pointed out to me recently, current thought-leaders like Seth Godin laugh at some of those precepts. As Seth points out in his book “Linchpin,” it’s important to be one, that person who connects people, makes things happens, and brings order to chaos. The E-myth doesn’t really cover things like that.

So, I think if I were to answer the book question now, it would be either Seth’s “Purple Cow” or “Linchipin” because they speak to really important intangibles like branding and self-discovery. “Linchpin” is a book you can apply to your life even if you’re an employee.

However, the book I’m currently reading is also a winner. The Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson. It’s the most fascinating true story I’ve read in years. Jobs was one of the most influential businessmen in both the 20th and 21st centuries. I haven’t finished it, but it’s already having an effect on how I look at my life and my business. When you look at what he did with Apple, the ups and downs he went through in life, it’s both inspring and encouraging. It’s filled with warnings of what one should NOT do in business, as well as examples of what’s possible when you dream big and focus.

Do you have any cool goal-setting tips to share with us?

Funny you should ask. As a matter of fact, I do. Seth Godin’s “Pick Four.” It’s based on Zig Ziglar’s program for attaining goals. Best selling author Seth Godin (“Purple Cow”) swears by it. He says that when he was broke he adopted this plan and it changed his life. Ziglar’s original system was based on picking six goals, then every single day tracking your progress in each goal. Seth adopted the system and simplified it down to four. It really does make a huge difference when you track your progress every day. Even if you do nothing related to your goal, you write that you did nothing. After 3-5 days of writing “nothing” in your journal, you get motivated to start doing SOMETHING. And that’s the key. Doing SOMETHING, anything, every day. One day at at time. Inching your way toward your goals. My wife and I are currently doing it.

As we wrote in our own book, it’s important to pick goals that are S.M.A.R.T. – Specific. Measurable. Attainable. Realistic. and Timely. We didn’t make that up, we just wrote about it. One of my four goals is what I call “12 in 12″. 12 personal films in 12 months. It’s specific (12 short films). It’s measurable (um, twelve films). It’s attainable (it’s something I have the aptitude to achieve). It’s realistic (based on my schedule, that’s about what I figure I can realistically accomplish). And it’s timely (12 months).

What do you find to be the biggest challenge as a business owner?

Wow. There are so many big challenges. Nowadays, just hitting your revenue numbers is a big challenge. But regardless of your revenue, one challenge that is always there it seems like is balancing work with family life. If you’re really successful and raking in the dough, this is a challenge. If you’re scrambling to make ends meet, it’s still a challenge. I have learned that you have to be intentional about spending time with family. There will never, ever be enough time to finish all the work you have to do when it comes to running a business. If you start with that premise, and just accept that fact, life will be much easier. Knowing that I will never get everything done means that I don’t have to feel guilty when I don’t get everything done. I need to put on my calendar scheduled time with my wife and kids (and I do).

If you were starting your business all over again, what would you have done differently?

That’s easy. I would not have taken on as much business debt as I did. The amount of business debt we had was not necessarily exorbitant as businesses go. And definitely not by the world’s standards. But, we’re still paying it off and it sucks. We’d have so much more monthly cash flow if we weren’t making credit card payments every month. Some of it on equipment we no longer use or seminars and programs we NEVER used. Ugh. It kills me thinking of some of the stuff we spent money on years ago. We’ve since become huge fans of Dave Ramsey‘s system for looking at money. We cut up our credit cards about four years ago. We don’t buy anything now unless we have the cash in the back to cover it.  That’s why I’m such a huge proponent of renting equipment vs. buying. It pains me when I see all this new filmmakers (or old ones) going out and spending thousands of dollars they don’t have to buy equipment that will be up-staged by yet another new camera or rig 6 months from now. I’m not saying you should never buy equipment, but do it when you 1) have the cash to buy it out-right, and 2) you know you have the business coming to pay it off.

Besides, as I always like to say, it’s the talent, not the tools.

Thank you Ron!

What is your design specialty? What are you known for?

Beth Blinebury Design is a small design studio that specializes in website design and development, branding and print design. We love to make things that not only look great but function amazingly well! In our spare time we like to make fun montage movies, play and record music, design vintage-inspired beer labels and downloadable DIY projects.

I would say that Beth Blinebury Design is known for providing clients with a personal experience. What sets us apart from other designers is our focus on educating and empowering clients to be comfortable and confident using the web to grow business.

Describe your design style. How do you get inspiration?

I think that I bring a unique perspective to design because of my background in fine art & photography. The Beth Blinebury Design style is defined by a bold use of color, texture and typography.  I partner with my designer husband and between the two of us inspiration is easily found whether it be in textiles, vintage beer ads or album covers. When we are together, we are constantly surveying our surroundings and making little critiques to each other about design elements, much to our friends’ chagrin!

We also love resources like the Under Consideration network and idsgn that provide daily inspiration and a window to what’s happening in the design world.

What is the process like to work with you? What should a client expect when they hire you to do their branding?

A potential client can expect a fun, personal experience when working with Beth Blinebury Design. Every project is different, so it’s important that both the client and I are on the same page as far as deadlines, cost and overall direction are concerned. For branding and website design projects, a small amount of initial design mockups is determined to start the ball rolling which generally moves into further development to create the final product.  For website projects in particular, testing is key. I create a private testing site for every website so that a client can preview not only how the product will look but how it will work.

Give 3 tips on what a small business should do before they hire a designer.

Finalize your budget! Creative services can range in cost, so make sure you know how much you want to spend. If possible, ask your colleagues how much they invested in their branding and/or website development projects.  A

sk for references! If a potential client hasn’t asked for references, I make sure they know that they are available. If you get a good vibe from a designer you want to work with, make sure you follow up with previous clients. Ask them about their experience – whether their expectations were met and they were happy with the end result.

Ask questions! Ask a ton of questions – I know I don’t mind. A good designer will want their clients thoroughly informed as to how the process will work from payments, deadlines and technical requirements to asking for revisions or meeting for another website maintenance session! Don’t be afraid to ask questions – a good designer won’t expect you to know everything about design, that’s what we’re here for!

Featured work from Beth Blinebury Design…

Philip Gabriel Photography – logo, website and blog

In 2009, Beth Blinebury Design created the new branding, website and blog for Philadelphia wedding and portrait photography studio Philip Gabriel Photography. The new logo incorporates part of their original branding but lightened up with a warm color palette and cursive typeface.  Gabe Fredericks, the owner of the studio, provides couples and families amazing photographs that are treated like living memories. This care and meticulous attention to detail was carefully translated into the development of the website galleries and blog sections. And what a fun project to work on – being lucky enough to look at gorgeous photographs for hours on end!

Chrissy’s Flowers – logo and website

Just this past year I worked with Chrissy Botak on the branding and website development for her speciality floral business aptly titled Chrissy’s Flowers.  While Chrissy’s business is steeped in family tradition (she’s a fifth-generation florist), her take on floral design inspired whimsical yet powerful branding.

Working with clients is a great give and take because we both teach each other elements of our trades while building these materials. It was important for me to visit Chrissy’s floral studio and see her arrangements in person. Our meetings surely inspired the design of her branding and the incorporation of her style (and actual arrangements) into the website design.

Janice Martin Couture – website and blog

Janice Martin has been a fixture in the Philadelphia-area fashion world for over twenty-five years. Her logo, which is featured on hundreds of garments, needed to retain its original design. The redesign of Janice’s website and blog reflected the modern sophistication of her business.  Working with Janice on the redesign of her web presence was just as fun as working with her on my own couture gown! I was recently married in one of Janice’s stunning, hand-sewn gowns. Both projects were a true collaboration in which we shared ideas, inspired one another and ended up with amazing products!

BethBlineburyDesign_ChrissysFlowers_branding BethBlineburyDesign_JaniceMartinCouture_web BethBlineburyDesign_PhilipGabrielPhotography_branding BethBlineburyDesign_PhilipGabrielPhotography_full BethBlinebury_profile

Lara White
Co-Owner of Geoff White Photographers
www.geoffwhite.com
Established in 2004
Founder of PhotoMint
Established in 2011
www.photomint.com
San Francisco, CA

Why did you start your business?

We started the photography studio because my husband wanted to pursue photography professionally, and I had a strong love for weddings and events, so it was a natural fit for us.

More recently, (this year) I began a new company called PhotoMint, which is a business and marketing resource for photographers. I started PhotoMint because I was seeing a lot of mis-information being spread by self-proclaimed ‘rockstar photographers’ who have barely been in business a year. Our niche has always been ‘high-end’ weddings and many photographers assume that’s where the money and the glamorous lifestyles are. However, the truth is, it is a very hard niche to work in, and it’s not for everyone. It’s not necessarily the most profitable either. And the glamorous part? Let’s not kid ourselves; we serve the rich and powerful, that doesn’t make us rich and powerful. When we are invited out to their jets and yachts, it’s to work for them, not party with them. That being said, if you are passionate about photography, and making a comfortable living doing what you love is your goal, then owning your own photography business can be the right choice. Where many people go wrong is forgetting how much business goes into a business. If you learn how to apply business and marketing skills to your creative venture, it’s possible to succeed. So that’s what I hope to accomplish with PhotoMint, providing photographers with a strong dose of reality, coupled with the business and marketing skills they need to make it.

What book do you recommend to new business owners?

Ok, I have three books that have had a big impact on my thinking, my approach and my career. Here they are:

4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss

I remember my husband coming home one day with this book after seeing it at a friend’s house (fellow photographer Kevin Chin). I got really upset and I was like ‘Oh no Honey, this is the WRONG direction for our business, we need to work MORE hours, not less!’ But after reading the book, I began to see business and life from a completely different perspective-how business shapes your lifestyle. For example, when people decide that they want to become a wedding photographer, they need to understand how this is going to impact their lifestyle-there are positives and negatives. The negatives are the long hours and all the evenings and weekends. The more successful you become, the less available you are to your loved ones. Expect that you will not be able to attend most friend & family get-togethers such as bbqs, baby showers and the weddings of friends (unless they conveniently take place in off-season). This can be hard on your personal life, and after several years, it can lead to burnout. Not that I want to discourage anyone from pursuing their passion, but go into it with your eyes open so you can make the right choices for yourself and your family.

After reading that book, I began to embrace automating and streamlining our business. We started using Shootq, an online business system that automates task lists, client emails, payments and so much more. I couldn’t even estimate how many hours that saves us each month. We changed our album workflow process in ways that saved over ninety hours each year. That’s ninety hours that can be put into marketing or spending time with family. It’s a combination of small factors that all add up to a huge difference.

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

I was introduced to the Dale Carnegie approach many years ago by a good friend. He’s friends with celebrities and influential types, but also has many friends that are just regular people, and he can start a conversation with anyone. Everyone who comes in contact with him is a potential friend and someone interesting to learn from, as far as he is concerned. Being a normally shy and reserved person, I asked him one day how he did it. That’s when he told me about Dale Carnegie. Earlier in his life, he attended a training course and it was so powerful, he continued to apply those lessons every day of his life. I couldn’t afford the training myself, so I got the book, How to Win Friends and Influence People. The concepts are very simple-how to relate to people, how to start conversations with strangers and little things you can do to reach out to others on a daily basis. It’s incredibly easy, and yet incredibly powerful. Since weddings and photography is all about people and relationships, knowing how to connect with people is key.

Launch by Michael Stelzner

I read this book to get ideas on how to launch PhotoMint, my most recent venture. I want to reach thousands of photographers and help them succeed at their businesses. Launch is the story of how Michael Stelzner launched his site Social Media Examiner, and I applied many of the strategies and examples to the PhotoMint launch. I’m a big believer in studying up on techniques and strategies for anything I’m trying to achieve. After reading this book and several others, I put together a 20-page launch plan and strategy, and I’m still working through the items one at a time. It’s great for anyone starting a new business that wants to get things off the ground quickly.

Do you have any cool goal-setting tips to share with us?

Yes! It can be hard to stay focused on goals when you are in trenches, dealing with emails, phone calls, and all the day-to-day needs of running your business. I strongly recommend an annual business strategy retreat where you take a day out of the office (away from the phone, the emails and the everyday environment) to review your year and set goals for the coming year.

Here’s how I do it: set a date that is going to work well for your business; for us, mid-November is perfect, as that is when the summer and fall craziness has started to die down and we get some breathing room. About a week before, I start taking notes and putting together lists of things that have worked well, things that have been problem areas for our business and new ideas and strategies we’d like to implement. It’s just a list of ideas and thoughts, so we have some starting points for discussion. Plus it really helps me to work on ideas ‘in the back of my mind’ so I’m well prepared and make the best use of the time.

Around the same time, we also make sure our year-to-date budget is caught up, and we begin to fill in some areas for the following year, mainly the costs and expenses side. By taking a time out to review where we are spending, we are able to look at things from a new light. One year we realized we were spending almost $10,000 on paper proofs alone. We realized that clients would probably not miss that item from packages, so we decided to remove that item and that resulted in a big savings for us.

We will pick a nice hotel lobby; somewhere we can sit all day and easily go to lunch on site. Just being outside the office gives us the space to think bigger. We spend the day reviewing, analyzing and setting goals. We review the budget and discuss marketing campaigns, what worked, where we want to put more focus and areas that we need to address. For example, one year we really focused on customer service and implemented many changes that year which led to a more consistent experience for our customers. Another year we focused on production workflow, and addressed many of the bottleneck areas of our production.

By having this set of goals and clearly defined action steps, we refer back to all year and that keeps us from jumping from shiny new idea to shiny new idea. We have identified a key set of issues that we will work on that year, and that plan keeps us on track. Because we do this at the end of the season, we have time in the coming months to actually implement these kinds of projects.

What do you find to be the biggest challenge as a business owner?

Balance. I’m very passionate about what I do, and that means I can and (often do) work long hours. I set goals that are difficult to achieve, and I end up putting in a lot of time educating myself, planning and implementing these strategies. I thrive on the challenge. But the other side to that coin? I don’t call my dad enough. I eat far too many meals at my desk. I’m two weeks overdue for a haircut (every time). I didn’t put my Halloween decorations up this year (again). I put everything I have into my business, and that often means there is little to nothing left for anything or anyone else. After a while, that has consequences and takes its toll.

But over the past few years we’ve put in place a lot of changes with our business, and I continue to strive for balance. My latest goal is getting up early and starting work so I can feel good about finishing early. That has been going really well. All summer I have been starting work at 7am, and I feel so much more productive and focused. Yesterday I quit work at 2pm in the afternoon to enjoy a Friday Night Lights marathon. I even had an afternoon glass of wine, and it felt incredibly decadent!

If you were starting your business all over again, what would you have done differently?

We named our photography studio after my husband’s name, and while at first this seemed like a great idea, it made it difficult to grow later. Every person calling wanted to go directly to Geoff, even when he wasn’t the right person. I would go to networking events and people would be like “hi, where’s Geoff, is Geoff here?” It was frustrating for me but also limited our ability to grow as a business.

I also wish I had spent more time considering the impact of the business choice on our lifestyle. I think we rushed into it somewhat without really understanding what we were getting into. Because of that, and our single minded goal to be “the best” we allowed the pursuit of perfection (the perfect edit, the very finest album, getting every possible great shot on the day, etc. etc.) to really take over our lives to the point where there was no life outside the business. We gave it everything we had, until we collapsed from exhaustion and burnout.

That’s right about the time we read the 4 Hour Work Week and began to see that we were spending a lot of time creating “perfect” that no client would ever see or appreciate. Perfection in the minutiae is not something to be proud of or strive for as a business. It’s something that keeps many, many photographers from having a successful business, too many late nights photoshopping an image that your client is never going to buy in the first place!

Now, we appreciate streamlining and automating and strive to make our business run like a well-oiled machine that works for us, not the other way around. We look for ways to streamline in all areas of our business, from our email communications, to our shooting, to the production side.

Thanks Lara!

LtoR: Leah Andrew & Andrea Lown

SmartBride Boutique is an online shop where brides-to-be can purchase previously-owned (or near-new) wedding dresses, accessories, and decor.  It’s also a great place for newlyweds (and even bridal shops or wedding pros) can sell goods.  This is such a great resource for brides-to-be and wedding pros alike!  I interviewed Leah Andrew who shared all about SmartBride with me.

Leah Andrew & Andrea Lown
Owners, SmartBride Boutique
www.smartbrideboutique.com
Established 2008
Based in Toronto, Canada but their online boutique services the US and Canada

Why did you start your business?

My business partner, Andrea Lown, started the business after planning her wedding in just 4 short months.  A true internet aficionado and short on time, Andrea searched online for a used wedding dress that could be ready and altered in a couple months. Unsatisfied with the “department store” atmosphere of other online classified sites,SmartBrideBoutique.com was born.  A year later, I joined to help continue to grow the business.

What book do you recommend to new business owners

The 4-hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss is a good read because it really stresses cutting out unfocused activities and implementing processes/outsourcing to use your time most effectively.  Plus, any marketing book by Seth Godin is worth reading to help you think outside the box. 

Do you have any cool goal-setting tips to share with us?

I don’t know if these are cool, but certainly the most important thing we find with goal setting is to consistently re-visit them to ensure they are still timely, relevant and achievable.

Once you’ve decided on what you’re trying to achieve, take some time to figure out how you’re going to measure it.  What are the most important metrics and drivers of your goal?  Do you have access to those statistics already?  Can you implement something like google analytics for free, or do you need to design your own tracking system to ensure you’re measuring what’s really important, keeping in mind that what’s really important may change as you grow and become more sophisticated with your tracking.

Bottom line, when it comes to marketing in the digital age, absolutely everything should be tracked and measured.

What do you find to be the biggest challenge as a business owner?

For us, one of the biggest challenges is our marketing because we have three distinct groups we need to build awareness with simultaneously:

a)     Brides-to-be (those who use our website to find great deals on wedding items),

b)     Recent Brides (those who use our website to sell their wedding items and recover some cash) and

c)     Bridal Salons and other wedding vendors (those who use our website to sell their brand new sample and discontinued wedding inventory to recover costs and clear up store room space).

Because we encourage brides to shop and meet locally and in person to buy wedding items, we need to grow these 3 groups evenly to ensure there is enough supply AND demand in each of the cities we are located in. 

If you were starting your business all over again, what would you have done differently?

Think BIG right from the start!  Initially we launched wedding classifieds in 5 Canadian cities to test the concept and waited until the next year to launch into the United States.  If we were doing it all over again, we would have launched in both the United States and Canada right from the start.

Thanks Leah!

For a paper lover and aficionado such as myself, Oh So Beautiful Paper is the holy grail.  Woweeeee!  As editor of the blog, Nole Garey, is also curator of all things lovely in the stationery world.  Every post is more exquisite than the last.  You can sigh all you want about lovely wedding gowns on such-n-such style blog.  That doesn’t interest me as much as lovely paper.  And, Oh So Beautiful Paper is the creme-de-la-creme in the stationery world.  I applaud Nole for her vision with her site and for bringing the beauty of paper and stationery to its very own spotlight.

And, make sure to check out Nole’s other site United with Love, a collaboration with Julianne Smith (of Garter Girl fame).  The site provides fresh inspiration for DC-area weddings.

Nole Garey
Founder & Editor, Oh So Beautiful Paper
www.ohsobeautifulpaper.com
Washington DC
Established 2008

Why did you start your business?

I started Oh So Beautiful Paper just a few months after my wedding in 2008. I was looking for a way to channel the creative energy that I developed while planning my wedding, so my husband was actually the one that encouraged me to start a blog to share my inspiration with others – but I just didn’t know what to write about! A few days later, it just came to me. I had fallen in love with wedding invitations during my wedding planning process, but was frustrated by the lack of available information about small, independent design studios that specialize in custom wedding invitation design. So I started Oh So Beautiful Paper with the goal of providing a resource for other engaged couples specifically focused on wedding invitations, but it slowly grew over the following weeks and months to include a broad range of paper-related content.

What book do you recommend to new business owners?

I’m afraid I’ve never read any business books! This isn’t a book, but I found Steve Jobs’ 2005 commencement address at Stanford University to be incredibly inspiring from a business perspective. I think the central message of that address applies to anyone, regardless of whether they own their own business or not. Everyone should love what they do for a living, and the only way to feel satisfied in your work is to believe in the work that you do.

Do you have any cool goal-setting tips to share with us?

My approach is to decide on an eventual outcome, then figure out what steps need to happen along the way and break those down into a series of smaller goals. I know I always feel better when I feel like I’m actually getting things done, so having a series of small goals always feels better than one big (and occasionally overwhelming) goal. I also take my time when pursuing new goals and projects – I’m the kind of person who would rather take the time to think things over and do something right the first way, rather than rush to get something done quickly and make unnecessary mistakes along the way.

What do you find to be the biggest challenge as a business owner?

My biggest challenge is probably stepping away from the computer and taking a real weekend for myself. Working from home, there’s often very little divide between work time and personal time, and sometimes work doesn’t even feel like work! Someone once told me that an entrepreneur is someone who would rather work 80 hours for themselves rather than 40 hours for someone else, and I know that definitely applies to me, so I really try to take at least one full day off per week.

If you were starting your business all over again, what would you have done differently?

Not much, actually. My blog started as a hobby and evolved very naturally into a full-time business with few challenges along the way. I’m very lucky! Looking back, I think the only thing I would have done differently is consult a professional accountant much earlier. Because my blog started as a hobby, it took me a while before I started thinking of it as a viable business and treating it accordingly. I think it would have made things a lot easier if I had done things properly from the very beginning.

Thanks Nole!

Kate Miller

Our hosts for Thursday Therapy in Sacramento are a force to be reckoned with!  The trio consists of Kate Miller, owner of Kate Miller Events, Sarah Maren, owner of Sarah Maren Photographers, and Shannon Cosgrove-Rivas, owner of Flourish.  These ladies are fun and lively… we know they’re going to bring a lot of great energy to the wedding industry.  We’re excited to have them head up networking events in the Sacramento area!  Here, Kate and Sarah share their thoughts with me on the wedding industry…

Kate Miller, Kate Miller Events
Sarah Maren, Sarah Maren Photographers
Shannon Cosgrove-Rivas, Flourish
www.sacramento.net/sacramento
RSVP here for the first event on November 17th

Why did you start your business?

Kate: After many years working in the event-planning world prior to becoming engaged, I knew I needed a planner – and unfortunately, the one I hired was not a good fit for me. The wedding bug bit me during my own planning process and two-months after my own wedding, I took on my first event with the intent of providing the service and experience that I had wanted as a Bride.

Sarah: I shot my first wedding when I was 18 just starting college.  I had one
camera, one lens, and one flash.  I just didn’t know any better.  Ten years
later and hundreds of weddings later I went full time with the support of my
super awesome husband and we haven’t looked back!  I started my photography
business because this is the one thing I’ve been great at my whole life, so
making it my living seemed a pretty cool thing.  And so far it’s been
fantastic!

Shannon Cosgrove-Rivas

Tell us about the wedding industry in Sacramento…

Kate: Sacramento wedding vendors are pretty spread out – so there are many of us in the Sacramento metro area, but also in Roseville, Rocklin, Citrus Heights, Fair Oaks, Carmichael, El Dorado Hills, Folsom and beyond! We are the Captiol City of California and while we may be perceived as a Cow-town, there are many up and coming vendors in our area that are absolutely Trendsetters in the Wedding Industry.

Sarah: Sacramento is my home town!  I LOVE this place and love the wedding industry we’re building here.  Because we are a smaller town, you at least hear about most people at some point.  But because we are also kind of spread out all
over it can be difficult to meet each other.  There is A LOT of talent here,
and I love watching my hometown become a really cool place to get hitched.

Why did you want to become hosts for Thursday Therapy in your market?

Kate: With everyone so spread out, I wanted a way to bring everyone together, in a non-exclusive manner, to allow open communication and inexpensive networking.

Sarah: I love meeting people, and getting to know them.  I am fascinated by what
draws people to the wedding world.  I think the best way to help my clients
is to give them great referrals for vendors.  At the end of the day, the
people I work a wedding with are my team – even though we all own separate
businesses we are co-workers.  Owning your own business can be a lonely job,
so Thursday Therapy seemed like the perfect way to help everyone build a
network of co-workers so we have great referrals for our brides and someone
to call when we need to chat.

Sarah Maren

Kate: We are a referral-based industry and so much of what we do depends on working within a team of the best professionals we can find to get the job done – this type of networking administrates that and allows us to stay in touch and in front of our colleagues.

Sarah: I’m hilarious for one thing. so you’re almost guaranteed a laugh or two. And because let’s be honest – you need to get out of your office and meet some people IN REAL LIFE!  We’re probably Facebook friends, it’s time to be my real life friend.

What one piece of advice do you have for other wedding pros who may be new to networking?

Kate: We’ve purposefully started Thursday Therapy with the intent of keeping it non-exclusive so that we can meet new professionals, scope out new talent and make new friendships in our area. Bring yourself, be ready to get to know new friends and bring business cards so that we can keep in touch!

Sarah:  Be you and be interested in the people you’re meeting.  I think the best way to network is to really get to know people. not just their business but THEM.  Networking isn’t about telling everyone about the wedding you just booked in Greece or what have you – it’s about connecting with people.  Networking is about giving – because the more you give, the more room you have to receive.

Thanks ladies!

Colleen Kestel-Raidmae, owner of Bellissimo Weddings & Events, is our Thursday Therapy host for the Albany, New York area.  Colleen is ready to meet, mingle, share with wedding pros in this area!  One of the cool things we’ve seen happen is that not only is business exchanged at Thursday Therapy, but also friendships are made.  We think Colleen will be a great partner to help create this in the Albany area.

Colleen Kestel-Raidmae, Bellissimo Weddings & Events
Thursday Therapy Albany
www.thursdaytherapy.net/albany
RSVP here for the first event on October 27th

Why did you start your business?

After working for a large resort in Las Vegas I realized that weddings and events are my passion. I wanted to be able to produce weddings and events on my own and be more hands on with the event. I enjoy creating a more personable experience for my couples and their families through my company, by being able to provide more services and creative ideas.

Tell us about the wedding industry in Albany…

Upstate New York has some of the most beautiful venues I have ever seen; old Victorian buildings, lakes, mountains and historical churches. I love that there are so many local resources for handmade items like favors, stationery etc. The Capitol Region definitely has a community that is proud of its heritage and I feel a lot of couples display that through their weddings and receptions.

Why did you want to become a host for Thursday Therapy in your market?

Having recently relocated from Las Vegas I was looking for a way to get to know all of the vendors in this area as well as connect vendors that may not know each other. Thursday Therapy is a wonderful way to connect with so many professionals on a regular basis in a relaxed non-stuffy environment.

Why should people come to Thursday Therapy?

It is important for pros in the wedding industry to know one another and be comfortable with each other. We are all working as a team with the same common goals… to orchestrate a flawless event. You never know when you will need to rely on another pro before or during an event, I know that I have assisted in carrying camera bags, cakes etc. and other pros have helped me set linens and arrange floral. I like knowing the people I am working with and getting to know them outside of work.

What one piece of advice do you have for other wedding pros who may be new to networking?

Networking at times can be intimidating, whether you are new to the business or have many years of experience. Make sure you are always friendly and really take the time to get to know the pros in your area. Remember that even the best of the best were once new to the business and new to networking.

Thanks Colleen!