Hey folks!

One promise I always give to my clients is that I will forever continue my education. I am here in Indiana learning from the best of the best in the industry. Harmony Walton is here making sure that that the wedding industry is uplifted with a perfect brand. Sasha Souza is here to make sure wedding planners from around the world gives you the perfect wedding design. Terrica Skaggs is making sure we have the perfect technology skills for my business. Saundra Hadley is teaching us the perfect design skills. And the amazing Lara Casey from Southern Weddings is here to make sure we have the perfect team by our side.

I must give a huge shout out to Ali Phillips and Linnyette Richardson Hall ROCKED out the welcoming speech. Love you ladies!

Will update soon!

Xoxo

For the longest time I have been a big fan of Sage Wedding Pros business blog.  What I really love about this blog is that they give you practical tips that I feel can be applied to any business not only the wedding industry.  The best part is that Michelle and Kelly also provide worksheets and eBooks that every small business owner should have.

I was honored to be asked to do an interview with this blog that I have grown to admire.

Head over to their blog and tell me what you think! While you are there be sure to bookmark their site, you won’t regret it. Oh and if you are in Atlanta do not forget about the amazing workshop they are hosting that will be here next month.

Thanks to Michelle and Kelly for having me!

As we continue our education in this wonderful industry, we love helping other vendors elevate their knowledge as well. We help with local and national workshops in an attempt to lift the industry as whole. We are really big on great customer service and expertise. 

We are excited to partner with Sage Wedding Pros on bringing The Simple Plan to the Atlanta area.  Here is some more information on the workshop:

Atlanta, here we come!

Kelly and I are so excited to bring The Simple Plan, our business planning workshop, to Atlanta this February 22-23.  We’ve been talking with many of you Georgia Wedding Pros for quite some time now and we are thrilled to work with you ON your businesses.  We are also over the moon with the presenters who have partnered with us to present The Simple Plan.

Presenting the Marketing Plan… Lara Casey, Publisher of Southern Weddings Magazine, CEO of Bliss Event Group, and Owner of Lara Casey Reps…

Presenting the Financial Plan… Wendy Robinson, Owner of Aspire to Plan…

Presenting the Operational Plan and the Company Plan… Kelly Simants and Michelle Loretta, Owners of Sage Wedding Pros…

Go HERE to learn more about the event and sign up for the early bird special.

Thank you to 103 West for sponsoring the workshop.

Stay tuned as we bring you other great sponsors and what you can expect from the workshop.

Monday Tips and Tricks will follow this evening. We wanted to let everyone know that there are limited seats available for the Sean Low workshop taking place on November 19, 2009 at the One Ninety One Club here in Atlanta.

Here is some background information on the event in case you missed the previous post.

Sean Low, former president of Preston Bailey Designs will be joining a selective group of Atlanta area wedding and special events professionals for an intensive all day business building workshop.

Please join us Thursday, November 19, 2009 from 8:30am to 4pm at the 191 Club. Registration is $195 for Atlanta Occasions VIP Guests and that includes you!

The workshop will focus on identifying the core principles and philosophies that should drive every creative business (which all wedding businesses are). Once we review the principles, we will work together to see how they apply to the particular business of the attendee. The end goal to be sure that the business platform each attendee operates under is the one that best supports his/her art.

Please let me know if you have any questions about this event. Registration increases to $210 after November 1st so don’t forget to register before then.

To Register, please visit…

https://www.123signup.com/register?id=jssbc

A bit about Sean Low……
Sean Low is the Founder and President of The Business of Being Creative LLC. The Business of Being Creative provides practical business advice to those in the business of being creative. Prior to starting The Business of Being Creative, Sean served as the President of Preston Bailey Design, Inc., representing Preston in all of his business endeavors throughout the world. His client roster includes event industry legends such as Vicente Wolf, Marcy Blum and Sylvia Weinstock to name a few.

Through his work with Preston Bailey and other creative clients over the last six years, Sean has discovered his own creative passion: thinking about creative businesses – how they run, how to make them run better, helping them know who they are and then be the best at what they do. Armed with law degree from the University of Pennsylvania and experience ranging from law, investment banking, financial executive to small business owner, Sean has an uncaning ability to help artists build their businesses in a way that most honors the art that is behind them. Hope to see you there!

PSA for all Event Professionals in the Wedding Industry:

Atlanta Occasions Magazine with Elly B Events presents….

The Business of Being Creative
An all day intensive business conference for Event Industry Entrepreneurs and Executives…..

given by Sean Low, former President of Preston Bailey Designs.

Discover the Foundation of Running a Widely Successful Creative Business.

Thursday, November 19, 2009
8:30am to 4pm
$195 per person
Seats extremely limited
Light breakfast and lunch will be served.

REGISTER NOW

One Ninety One Club
191 Peachtree Street
Suite 400
Atlanta, GA 30308
770-595-6911

Workshop Name: What Lies Beneath
The topics discussed will include:

• KNOW WHO YOU ARE
• GO ALL THE WAY THERE
• CHANGE THE WORLD
• MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT CLIENT
• PRICE FROM THE TOP DOWN – WHAT DO YOU WANT TO MAKE?
• HAVE MORE THAN ONE REVENUE STREAM
• EXTEND YOUR CLIENT BASE
• GO AS FAR AS YOU CAN GO
• BE THE BEST IN THE WORLD AT WHAT YOU DO

ABOUT SEAN LOW
Sean Low is the Founder and President of The Business of Being Creative LLC. The Business of Being Creative provides practical business advice to those in the business of being creative. Prior to starting The Business of Being Creative, Sean served as the President of Preston Bailey Design, Inc., representing Preston in all of his business endeavors throughout the world. His client roster includes event industry legends such as Vicente Wolf, Marcy Blum and Sylvia Weinstock to name a few.

Through his work with Preston Bailey and other creative clients over the last six years, Sean has discovered his own creative passion: thinking about creative businesses – how they run, how to make them run better, helping them know who they are and then be the best at what they do. Armed with law degree from the University of Pennsylvania and experience ranging from law, investment banking, financial executive to small business owner, Sean has an uncaning ability to help artists build their businesses in a way that most honors the art that is behind them.

PS. Register now! Seats are limited and pricing will go up on 10/20

The wonderful Kris Cochran over at diybride.com is hosting a workshop for the DIY bride in you that wants to be a dare devil and design and print their own invitations. Info on the workshop here.

Our wonderful Blogging Bootcamp venue sponser, Gary’s loft, have many different loft rental options in the tri-state area. The spaces are versatile and is often used for fashion shoots, parties and weddings. If you are looking for a modern blank pallett for your next event, Gary has the loft for you. Here are more pictures from various events in the loft:

Ok I do love the light up cupcake stand. I must admit.





And the view from the penthouse loft.

Please do not forget to sign up for the workshop. Space is limited.

You already know why you should blog. We’ll show you how.

Presented by Liene Stevens of Blue Orchid Designs and The Smart Planner™

Who: Any wedding professional who wants to effectively leverage online
media to grow their business
When: May 27th, 2009
Time: 9 am – 4 pm
Where: Gary’s Loft
Cost: $150 per person
Click here to Register

Since the launch of the Blue Orchid Blog in 2006, it has grown to include over 3000 unique daily visitors and is partially to credit for the launch of two new Blue Orchid Designs offices on the East Coast. In the Blogging Bootcamp, Liene will share specific strategies and techniques she has personally used to grow the Blue Orchid Designs blog to where it is today.

This workshop is open to all wedding professionals, not just wedding planners. Space is limited and will be filled on a first come, first served basis so reserve your spot now! Laptops are optional and lunch will be provided.

Topics covered will include:
*How to discover and leverage your blogging voice
*How to maximize your blogging ROI
*How to develop killer content – consistently
*How to set short term and long term goals for your blog
*How to effectively analyze your stats and blog traffic
*How to increase your readership and keep them coming back for more
*Specific strategies and techniques to use your blog to improve your main website’s SEO or “findability” on Google
*How to promote your brand through your blog’s design and content
*Maintaining professional boundaries while still being personable
*And more!

The Blogging Bootcamp will not be a class on blogging philosophy. You already know that blogging is a good idea. We’ll be showing you how to do it so that it is worth your time. No topic will be off the table, and any questions you may have will be fair game.

With prior experience in planning events in the non-profit, corporate and private sectors, Liene Stevens opened Blue Orchid Designs, an event design and planning firm specializing in luxury weddings. One of Arizona’s fastest growing wedding planning companies, they have expanded nationally to include the New York City and Washington DC bridal markets. Liene’s expertise has been sought out by numerous publications, including The New York Times, Conde Nast Portfolio, Washingtonian Magazine, Arizona Society Magazine, and CNN.

Liene studied cross-cultural psychology at Arizona State University and her experiences working in developing nations have enabled her to think quickly on her feet. While serving as one of the executive directors at an international non-profit, Liene received specialized training in leadership, crisis management, teambuilding, as well as conflict resolution and mediation. In addition to planning stylish weddings and events through Blue Orchid Designs, Liene is the founder of The Smart Planner, a business coaching resource for professional wedding consultants. Event planners from around the world have credited Liene’s strategic mentoring with increasing their profit margins and improving productivity goals. Her first book is scheduled to be released Spring 2009.