Latest / Wedding Pros who are ready to grow - with Becca Pountney / Help! How do I move my wedding business forward?

Transcript

Help! How do I move my wedding business forward? · Wedding Pros who are ready to grow - with Becca Pountney

• 0:00
  It's the start of September and there's some definite back to
• 0:03
  school vibes going on out there.
• 0:05
  Lots of us have come to the end of the really crazy busy summer season.
• 0:08
  Maybe we've come back off holiday.
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  If we've got children, they've gone back to school and our
• 0:12
  mind has turned to our business.
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  How can we plan ahead for next year?
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  What do we need to achieve by the end of the year?
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  And where can we get some help to.
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  I'm Becca Pountney wedding business, marketing, expert, speaker, and blogger.
• 0:26
  And you are listening to the wedding pros who are ready to grow podcast.
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  I'm here to share with you actionable tips, strategies, and real life
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  examples to help you take your wedding business to the next level.
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  If you are an ambitious wedding business owner that wants to take your passion
• 0:40
  and use it to build a profitable, sustainable business, doing what you
• 0:44
  love, then you're in the right place.
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  Let's get going with today's.
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  I'm in a great mood today.
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  We are back to school.
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  I'm back to my desk.
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  I've got lots more time back on my hands.
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  And we're heading into one of my favorite parts of the year.
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  I absolutely love fireworks.
• 0:59
  I am someone who likes to look forward to Christmas from September.
• 1:03
  So all is well in the world.
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  Now, at this time of year, I find that you guys are wanting
• 1:09
  to sort out your businesses.
• 1:10
  You've got to the end of the really busy summertime, and you're starting
• 1:13
  to think about that extra time you're gonna have on your hands over.
• 1:16
  Winter, maybe you're looking at improving your branding, your website.
• 1:20
  Maybe you're looking to start a wedding business, because you've been
• 1:22
  to loads of weddings over the summer.
• 1:24
  Perhaps you're looking to change your career or make a change in your life.
• 1:27
  And you're starting to think about how that can happen.
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  I, at this time of year, see an influx in my inbox, in my direct
• 1:34
  messages or in people posting in my.
• 1:37
  Asking about where they can get help or how I specifically can help them.
• 1:42
  So today I thought I would share with you a little bit of a different podcast
• 1:45
  episode, where I talk you all about how practically I can actually help you, what
• 1:50
  I've got going on in my world and how it could help you to grow your business,
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  help you to make more money, help you.
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  Build a network that you love and to create a profitable
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  business that you love as well.
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  So I'm gonna be running through all of the different things, different
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  resources I have available to you.
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  So you can find the one that is the best fit for wherever you are at
• 2:10
  right now in your wedding business.
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  So first up, I wanna start with the free resources that I have on offer for you.
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  First of all, you're in the right place because this podcast is my way of giving
• 2:21
  back to the wedding pro community.
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  I like to share lots of actionable tips with you to help you practically
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  grow your business, even if you're starting out or you don't have a lot
• 2:30
  of money to invest in other things.
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  So if this is the first time you've listened, do go ahead and have a
• 2:35
  look at all of the other episodes
• 2:36
  already available to you.
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  This is episode number 26, which means there's 25 other great resource episodes
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  that you can go back and listen to.
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  Now don't judge them by the titles because every single one of us has more
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  to learn on all the different topics.
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  So just pick at random and I'm sure you'll find something to inspire you.
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  They're great for listening to on the road.
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  While you are out for a run while you're cleaning the house.
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  If you're anything like me, that's when I listen to my podcast or even
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  when I'm cooking the dinner at night, the other resource that you should
• 3:06
  definitely be making the most of, if you are a listener to this podcast
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  is my free Facebook community.
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  You may have heard me mention it in previous episodes and there will be a link
• 3:15
  to it in the show notes below, along with all of the other things that I mentioned.
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  My free Facebook community is the same name as this podcast.
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  It's called wedding pros who are ready to grow.
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  It's a community for other people in the wedding industry to come together to talk.
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  I do share in there's some tips, but it's mostly for you guys to share with each
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  other, to find other people to work with.
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  Perhaps if you've got a styled shoot going on, and you're looking for
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  people to collaborate with, maybe you're trying to meet people in your
• 3:41
  local area, or maybe you're looking for some advice about whether you
• 3:44
  should advertise in a certain place.
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  That group and community is totally.
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  To join.
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  There's 750 other wedding professionals in there.
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  So there's definitely people for you to connect with.
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  And all you've got to do is click on the link, fill out the questions,
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  and you can be part of that group.
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  If you're not already in that free community, I highly recommend
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  that you become part of it because you've got nothing to lose.
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  And it's a great place to ask your questions and to connect with.
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  So the next thing that I can offer to help you in your wedding business,
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  as you develop and grow is my lowest cost way of working with me, which
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  is my wedding pro members' lounge.
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  I launched the members' lounge a few years ago as a way of bringing the
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  best people together into a community.
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  What I find with the free groups is there's often people who are from
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  all sorts of different walks in their business and not all of them.
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  Take business seriously, perhaps they're just doing it for fun or as a hobby.
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  And I wanted to create a community where people who were really genuinely serious
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  about growing and developing their wedding business could come together and know
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  it's a safe environment to ask questions.
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  There's also a lot more access to me inside of that community.
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  that community is for you.
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  If you wanna get more focused and more serious on your wedding business
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  over the next year, each month, we have a monthly goal setting on zoom.
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  Now the idea of this is to look back at the month you've just had and to
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  then set goals and be accountable for the month to come now, sharing these
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  goals with other members of the group.
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  And with me helps you stay on track.
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  And it's also great to look back over the last few months
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  and see how far you've come.
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  So if you are looking to get more focused and more planned out in your business,
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  those session would be perfect for you.
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  The members club is also a great place for community.
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  It's one of the safest places that I like to hang out on the internet.
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  We are a group.
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  Builds each other up.
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  We do share when we are struggling, but we also share our wins and encouragements.
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  But the most important thing to me about that group is that I
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  encourage people to be authentic.
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  We don't wanna pretend that business is great and that we're all doing amazing
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  because we know that we all have life struggles and we're not all doing amazing.
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  And if there's a safe place where you can share some of those thoughts.
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  Ask for help.
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  That is a great thing to have.
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  And I love to have a community like that, that you can be part of.
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  We share our wins, like I said, but we also share things that
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  we're struggling with and people are very, very encouraging.
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  I love it.
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  When people take conversations offline, they share policies with each other.
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  Maybe they have a chat about insurance or recommend an accountant.
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  All sorts of things go on in that group, but it's a great place to hang out.
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  And it's a great place for you to meet like-minded wedding professionals like
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  you, because everyone's paid to be there.
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  Therefore everyone's invested in the group and they want to get the most out of it
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  and they want to build those connections.
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  So if you are looking for high quality connections in the wedding industry,
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  it's a great place to go and check.
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  the other thing about the members lounge is that we also have a monthly
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  guest expert training session.
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  So one of the things I found when I first started my business is I would put on
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  some events, maybe social media training or something like that in a hotel, people
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  would come along, pay for a ticket.
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  Get the training.
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  And then a couple of weeks later, the algorithm would change and
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  then the training was out of date.
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  And then that's frustrating because then you've got to
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  pay to go on another training.
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  So when I created the members lounge, I wanted to make sure there
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  were training resources in there in a library and a back catalog.
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  But also because you're just paying a low cost to be part of it every month,
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  rather than a one off fee for an event.
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  If the algorithm changes, I just get someone to come back
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  in and give an updated training.
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  I mean, we've had loads of Instagram training since the members' clubs
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  begun because Instagram keeps evolving.
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  When we first started, it was all about the posts on the grid.
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  Then it was about stories.
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  Now it's about reels and I'm sure there'll be more Instagram training to come in
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  there as, and when the algorithm shifts or new features are added as well.
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  So it's a great place for you to get up to date training.
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  And there's a library of all the back catalog over the last
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  few years of all the training.
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  So if you need help with anything.
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  SEO, Google analytics, accounting, wedding fairs, connections.
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  Uh, the list goes on and on pricing sales, how to stop people ghosting you.
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  There's so many great video trainings in there that you can just access
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  as soon as you're part of the club.
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  And of course the other, the great thing about the members
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  club, you get more access to me.
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  I'm in there a lot.
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  I'm in there every week doing a live video where you can ask questions to
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  help stay accountable to me and to the rest of the group for the week ahead.
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  Uh, I'm in there all the time on posts, replying to you because you are
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  there because you wanna be there and I wanna serve you in the best way I can.
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  And the final great thing about the members club is you also
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  get a link and promotion on our sister site vicinity wedding.
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  So you may not know, but I actually own a wedding blog called vicinity weddings that
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  I set up here in the UK to help brides and grooms, find people in their local
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  area that they can book for their wedding.
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  And.
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  As a member of the club, you get promotion on the blog.
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  And it's also a place where you can submit your style shoots to,
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  you can submit editorial content to, and I prioritize my members.
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  So if you wanna be on there and you're willing to write an article or submit a
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  styled shoot, I will absolutely help you.
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  To get that to happen.
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  So to recap, the members club is great for you.
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  If you want to meet like-minded wedding professionals and venue
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  owners to build community with and to refer work on to each other.
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  It's great for you.
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  If you're looking to get that up to date training, and if you want that
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  accountability and goal setting mindset, because being on your own in this wedding
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  industry can be lonely and having a group of supportive people and me there telling
• 9:20
  you that you can do it and to help you keep motivated and keeping on keeping on.
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  Is amazing.
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  Oh.
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  And also we have the best Christmas and summer parties.
• 9:29
  So if you remember, look out for details of the Christmas party coming very soon,
• 9:33
  the next way that I can help you is through some of my signature programs.
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  Now, these are for you, if you're looking for a more step by step
• 9:41
  guide in how to achieve more in your business, it's less about community
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  and it's more about knowledge.
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  So I have two signature programs.
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  The first is all about Pinterest.
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  So it's called.
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  The Pinterest master course, and it walks you step by step through how to use
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  Pinterest as a resource in your business.
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  So if you are looking to use Pinterest as a marketing platform, because
• 10:02
  it's great in the wedding industry, then my four module course, which
• 10:06
  is self-study and runs over video walks you through step by step.
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  Everything you need to know from how to set up your account for
• 10:13
  success, how to get it verified, how to qualify for rich pins, right?
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  The way through to what content to post, how often to post it.
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  And how to use a scheduler as well.
• 10:23
  That program is now an evergreen program.
• 10:26
  So if you're looking to understand how to use Pinterest in your business,
• 10:29
  you can access that at any time.
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  And I'll put the link below in the show notes.
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  So go check that out.
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  If you are interested.
• 10:36
  The other signature program I have is called invisible to irresistible.
• 10:41
  This is a program that walks you through everything.
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  To show you how to take you and your wedding business from invisible and
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  feeling like no, one's noticing you to irresistible and fully booked.
• 10:53
  This is perfect for you.
• 10:54
  If you are either starting out in business and you're looking to get started and
• 10:58
  want to make sure you do everything correctly or best practice as you start
• 11:03
  out, rather than making the same mistakes as everyone else makes to start with.
• 11:07
  Or if you've got a wedding business and it's just not quite hitting the mark.
• 11:11
  So you feel like you're only getting the cheap people.
• 11:13
  They don't wanna spend money, perhaps you're not getting any inquiries and
• 11:17
  you don't really understand why and you need to relook at your business.
• 11:21
  If that's you, then this is probably the program for you as well as
• 11:25
  then going on to join the members club after you've completed.
• 11:28
  I run this program a couple of times a year.
• 11:30
  So I'll pop the link to the waiting list in the show notes below, but
• 11:35
  invisible to irresistible walks you through everything from branding.
• 11:39
  Getting a brand guide, getting your brand colors through to marketing,
• 11:42
  how to market your wedding business, what marketing messages to use
• 11:46
  right through to sales, networking, building connections with venues.
• 11:50
  And then in that final module, we look at finance and we plan your
• 11:54
  financial goals for the next year.
• 11:56
  It's a total one stop shop for growing your business and making sure you go from
• 12:02
  being invisible to totally irresistible.
• 12:04
  So if you feel like that's something you need, either reach out to me via
• 12:07
  DM or go and join that waiting list.
• 12:10
  And that will be opening again very soon.
• 12:12
  The next thing that I wanna share with you is perfect for you.
• 12:16
  If you feel like you're either stuck in a rut, maybe you've been doing the
• 12:20
  things the same way for a long time, and you're looking for change and you want
• 12:23
  to evolve in your business, or if you are so run off your feet in the day to
• 12:27
  day working of your business, that you don't have the time to set aside, to
• 12:31
  plan, to think about raising your prices and overall improving your business.
• 12:36
  What I'm gonna share with you now is an incredible experience and I recommend
• 12:41
  it to each and every one of you.
• 12:43
  And that is our wedding business retreat.
• 12:47
  Now for this offering, I've teamed up with my friend and fellow UK, wedding
• 12:51
  industry expert Kelly Mortimer.
• 12:53
  We've put on an incredible event called the wedding business retreat each year.
• 12:58
  And it's one of the only times you'll see us in the same place.
• 13:01
  Two powerhouses in the wedding industry, talking to you about how to grow your
• 13:05
  business in one room for three days.
• 13:08
  So we go away, we hire exclusively a venue this year, we're
• 13:12
  gonna be up in Scarborough and you can come to that venue.
• 13:15
  There's no one else there other than your fellow wedding, business retreat,
• 13:18
  attendees, and myself and Kelly.
• 13:20
  We go away for three days and we work on our businesses.
• 13:24
  There's high level sales and marketing training.
• 13:27
  There's an opportunity for you to shut out your outside life.
• 13:30
  Totally focus on where you are and where you want to be over coffee, over lunch,
• 13:35
  over dinner, you can talk weddings and wedding business with everyone because
• 13:40
  everyone's there for the same reason.
• 13:42
  Now this event is like nothing else you're going to experience.
• 13:45
  It really is special.
• 13:47
  Over those three days, you will form bonds with your colleagues in the wedding
• 13:50
  industry, both suppliers and venue owners.
• 13:53
  And you will also learn a lot about yourself.
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  And have that time that you never have to focus on your business
• 14:00
  because you don't have to worry about the day to day worries of life.
• 14:03
  You don't need to worry about going anywhere.
• 14:05
  You don't need to worry about doing your washing or cooking.
• 14:07
  Everything is included.
• 14:08
  Everything is done for you.
• 14:10
  All you need to worry about is showing up, going to the training sessions.
• 14:14
  Implementing the work and enjoying it, planning ahead and getting
• 14:19
  sorted about how you're gonna grow your wedding business for success.
• 14:22
  Moving forward.
• 14:23
  Our next retreat is taking place in just a few weeks time.
• 14:26
  In October, we only have a very limited number of spaces left.
• 14:31
  So if you are interested in that again, head to the link in the
• 14:34
  show notes to drop me or Kelly DM and ask us for more details.
• 14:38
  Or if you know, you can't make it this year, but you would
• 14:40
  like to go on the waiting.
• 14:42
  For next year, let me know.
• 14:43
  And I can sort that out for you too.
• 14:45
  This brings me onto the final way that I can help you.
• 14:49
  And this is my top level service, which is one to one support.
• 14:54
  If you want me to speak to, to give you ideas, to share my thoughts, to
• 14:59
  look over your work, to plan with.
• 15:01
  Create strategies with you to help you plan your social media content
• 15:06
  out, whatever it is, then you can book to work with me one to one, and
• 15:10
  that can work in a variety of ways.
• 15:12
  We can just do a one off session together, or we can have a series of sessions.
• 15:15
  I have one client that books me to work with me every six months, so we can set
• 15:19
  goals and they can stay accountable.
• 15:21
  I have other clients that just come when they need a.
• 15:24
  Session about strategy or social media management or planning.
• 15:28
  And I have others who just need that accountability.
• 15:30
  So if you really need some one-to-one specific help in a certain area of your
• 15:34
  wedding business, then one-to-one may be the best option for you now, depending on
• 15:39
  where you live, we can do that in person.
• 15:41
  We can do that online, but if you're interested, In that the best thing
• 15:44
  to do is for us to have a quick call together, uh, and have a little bit of
• 15:48
  a discovery chat to see if it's a good fit to see if I can actually help you
• 15:51
  solve the problems you're looking to solve or help you plan out that strategy.
• 15:55
  Sometimes it's just the accountability.
• 15:57
  It's not that we need someone to show us how to do it, but by
• 16:00
  putting aside those two hours with someone and sitting down and.
• 16:04
  Doing the work, it makes us achieve it.
• 16:06
  And also I set you goals.
• 16:08
  So I'm checking in on you to see if you're actually doing the things
• 16:11
  that you said you're gonna do.
• 16:12
  And you know that you've gotta come back to me and say, Becca, I forgot to do it.
• 16:15
  Or Becca, I did it.
• 16:16
  And it was amazing.
• 16:18
  This is my premium offering.
• 16:20
  So I don't do a lot of that.
• 16:21
  Obviously my time is limited, but if you feel that.
• 16:24
  Benefit from some time, one to one with me, specifically, looking at
• 16:28
  your business, your business strategy, your business, finance, your social
• 16:32
  media, planning on whatever it is, then do reach out to me via DM.
• 16:36
  We can jump on a call together and see whether or not we're a good fit.
• 16:41
  I've covered loads of different ways.
• 16:43
  I can help you in today's episode.
• 16:45
  And I hope that overview has been helpful to you.
• 16:48
  The main thing I wanna say to you is if there's an area of your business
• 16:52
  that you are stuck with, if there's something, you know, you want to achieve,
• 16:55
  but you don't know how to achieve it.
• 16:57
  If there's something that's just been bothering you, because you know, you could
• 17:00
  be doing it better and you don't know how.
• 17:02
  Don't sit on those feelings, find a way to help, whether it's one of the
• 17:07
  ways that I've talked about today or an alternative way, don't sit on it.
• 17:11
  I always say you can't change things without taking action.
• 17:14
  And also you don't know what you don't know.
• 17:17
  So if there's an area of your business and you don't know how to sort out the
• 17:20
  strategy, or you don't know how to plan the finances, or you don't know what
• 17:25
  constitutes a great marketing plan, then get some help and find someone.
• 17:29
  Does know to show it to you so that you can use those strategies going forward.
• 17:35
  It's been great to chat to you about all of the different offerings.
• 17:38
  If you've got questions about anything or you've got something else in your
• 17:41
  business, you need help with that.
• 17:42
  I haven't mentioned feel free to reach out to me on.
• 17:45
  Instagram.
• 17:46
  I'm very approachable.
• 17:47
  I reply to all of my direct messages.
• 17:49
  So I'm always happy to chat with you.
• 17:51
  So just drop me a message, let me know what you need help with.
• 17:54
  And hopefully we can find a solution to move you forward and take your business
• 17:58
  to exactly where you want it to be.
• 18:01
  This whole business that I have formed out of a desire to help people just like you
• 18:06
  get to where they want to be in business.
• 18:08
  I know that you're great at what you do, whether that's making cakes.
• 18:12
  Designing flowers, planning, weddings, taking photos.
• 18:16
  You are amazing at those things, but sometimes you just need a bit of support
• 18:19
  in building that business so that it's as successful as you deserve to be.
• 18:24
  I don't want any of you to be invisible.
• 18:26
  I want all of you to feel totally irresistible and to be
• 18:29
  fully booked, reach out to me.
• 18:32
  Let's chat and I'll see you next week.