How 5 Wedding Professionals Built Successful Businesses That Don’t Require Them To Work All The Time
Running a wedding business can run you into the ground if you let it. I meet so many wedding professionals who are already working SO hard and they don’t see how they can possibly grow their business beyond where they already are because they just can’t work any harder. That my friend, is a fallacy.
The truth is, 6 and 7 figure wedding businesses aren’t built by working harder. They’re built by working smarter and thinking like a CEO. It’s not just possible to grow your business without working all the time, it’s essential.
Now I know what you’re thinking, “That sounds lovely Heidi but how does someone actually do that?”
Instead of just telling you, I want to show how other wedding pros have done it because there are a lot of ways to build a business. I asked 5 of the amazing speakers from the Wedding Business CEO Summit to share what they have created for themselves in their business so you can see what’s possible.
There is no one right way to build a successful wedding business and that’s great news! You can build a business that fulfills you, allows you to earn the money you want to earn, and work the hours you want to work. Your business should be tailored to you and the life you want to live so let this serve as inspiration!
Sarah Chancey
Sarah Chancey is the founder and wedding planner mentor behind Chancey Charm, a wedding planning & design firm with planners all across the US. Sarah is a firm believer that your business should pay you both financially and in personal freedom and flexibility. With a decade of experience in the events industry, it’s become Sarah’s passion to share the tips and tools she’s collected along the way with aspiring planners.
I asked Sarah what her journey had been like from when she started her business to what it is now, and here’s what she said…
“In the past decade, I’ve gone from launching solo with $300 to 30+ planners across the country, covering 13 cities. I’ve built my business in a way that makes it possible for me to work less than 30 hours per week and still have plenty of time to spend with my family. Our structure also allows the women on my team to follow their dreams and have work-life balance, while doing what they love. We call it “We Over Me”.
Like Sarah said, Chancey Charm operates coast-to-coast with an ever-expanding team of 30+ planners, each of whom Sarah personally mentors. Chancey Charm continues to hit over $400k in sales every year in multiple markets, has been published over 200 times, and has served over 650 happy couples. Sarah also has the honor of championing over 3,000 planners through her wedding planner academy. And she has built her business in a way that allows her to do that in under 30 hours per week.
Sarah’s presentation for Wedding Business CEO Summit is called Expand Your Team, Reach & Do More Of What You Love so if you want to build a business like hers, you should definitely grab your free ticket and attend her presentation!
Ashley Ebert
When Ashley started her wedding planning company, The Simply Elegant Group, she was a one-woman operation. She never dreamed that years later, she would grow the business to one of the largest wedding planning companies in the country with a team of 40 employees in 8 different states.
As a natural-born connector, she now gets to share what she has learned through The Abundance Group, a group coaching membership for wedding pros from all around the country. Her mission is to help over 15,000 wedding pros build the business of their dreams!
I asked Ashley what her journey had been like from when she started her business to what it is now, and here’s what she said…
“Having a true strategy for my wedding planning business has allowed me to scale to 9 different locations and have a team of over 40 planners. Being intentional about strategy, or a plan of growth is the difference between where you are and where you want to be!”
Ashley’s presentation for Wedding Business CEO Summit is called The Attitude Of Abundance: Leaving The Scarcity Mindset Behind So You Can Build The Ordinary Into The Extraordinary so if you want to cultivate the mindset you need to create the business you want, you should definitely grab your free ticket and attend her presentation!
Katelyn Peterson
Katelyn Peterson is the owner and creator of Wedding Words. She helps tongue-tied couples from across the world tie the knot through her one-on-one custom vow and speech writing services.
With a B.A. in Journalism, Katelyn has always adored asking people the right questions to unearth their own vibrant story. Today, she uses that same passion to discover the details of a couple’s love story and collaborates to put their heart into words.
You’ve heard from him on the Evolve Your Wedding Business Podcast talking about how to juggle your wedding business and your job in episode 132.
I asked Katelyn what her journey had been like from when she started her business to what it is now, and here’s what she said…
“In the beginning, I had a lot of new ideas for how I could grow my business. I’d fully commit to them but they didn’t always show results. I’ve since learned to test ideas before fully executing them. I test everything now: new products, services, marketing channels. Then I have some data to support if an idea is worth investing more time and money toward. Having an intuitive gut is great in business but data is vital to sustaining growth.”
Katelyn’s presentation for Wedding Business CEO Summit is called How To Take Your Side-Hustle Full-Time so if you want to take your business full-time, you should definitely grab your free ticket and attend her presentation!
Irene Tyndale
Irene Tyndale, Chief Event Officer of Irene Tyndale Weddings & Events brings over 20 years of experience in the wedding and corporate event planning industry and a zest for educating and encouraging others. An engaging speaker and business mentor, she brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise that gives your audience the tools, resources, and inspiration they need to make leaps, grow their businesses, or take charge of wedding planning.
Prior to starting embarking on her own entrepreneurial ventures in 2012 had worked for a variety of reputable hotels in the Atlanta area as a Catering Sales Manager specializing in weddings and social events. This experience resulted in strong skill sets that allow her to plan and execute events seamlessly and build an impressive portfolio of vendor relationships. Her eye for details, creativity, strong connections, and passion for education have positioned her as a leader in the event industry
Irene is married to her college sweetheart and is the mother of two beautiful children. Family means everything to her and comes first.
I asked Irene what her journey had been like from when she started her business to what it is now, and here’s what she said…
“When I started my business I was working nonstop and it was exhausting. But now, I’ve built my business in a way that makes it possible for me to work 20-30 hours per week and still have plenty of time to spend with my family because I did grow my team and outsourced what I wasn’t good at or liked doing in my business.”
Irene’s presentation for Wedding Business CEO Summit is called Embrace Your CEO Title And Say “Goodbye” To The Chief Everything Officer so if you want to stop doing all the things and start acting like the CEO you are, you should definitely grab your free ticket and attend her presentation!
Josh Withers
A professional wedding rascal, Josh Withers is a marriage celebrant out of Australia. When he’s not coaching wedding creatives through sustainability and automation, he stands in between people getting married and breathes their marriage into life with his words. For over a decade Josh has advocated for a free, liberated, sustainable, and fun wedding industry.
You’ve heard from him on the Evolve Your Wedding Business Podcast talking about automation in episode 78 and sexism in the wedding industry in episode 65.
I asked Josh what his journey had been like from when he started his business to what it is now, and here’s what he said…
“From the day I told my radio station boss that I wouldn’t be continuing with talkback radio, but I’d instead be giving all of my energy and time to being a wedding celebrant, I had one thing on my mind: sustainability. Coming from a breakfast radio background where every single morning we’re on air for three hours being entertaining, I knew that my future business life was going to be a marathon – not a sprint – so I needed to make decisions that would mean I could create awesome marriage ceremonies this weekend, next weekend, and in two years time. Crafting a customer journey that enabled the right people to choose me, and resourced me to do what I do best, was at the very heart of that.
Because I’ve been deliberate about what we offer, how we offer it, and who it’s for, Britt and I run a business with more than a half a million dollar a year annual turnover and our daughter is only in daycare two days a week. We get to live a wholesome life together as a family, run a sustainable business that brings us joy, without holding out a hat asking for donations.”
Josh’s presentation for Wedding Business CEO Summit is called There’s A Fraction Too Much Friction: Automation For Your Customer Journey so if you want to embrace automation and create a sustainable business, you should definitely grab your free ticket and attend her presentation!
These 5 wedding professionals have built their businesses around their life. They’re not working all the time and they’re hitting their financial goals so working harder does not equal making more money!
Are you feeling inspired?
Do you want to create a 6-figure wedding business without working all the time?
Be sure to get your free ticket to Wedding Business CEO Summit, the ALL-NEW, free, 5-day event that helps wedding professionals go from overwhelmed & overworked to streamlined & more profitable than ever. It’s happening from January 25th-29th, 2021 and you’ll learn from 20+ speakers on a huge range of topics focused on helping you go from overwhelmed & overworked to streamlined & more profitable than ever. I’ll see you there!
