Latest / Wedding Pros who are ready to grow - with Becca Pountney / Overcoming Challenges and Embracing Confidence with Terrica

Transcript

Overcoming Challenges and Embracing Confidence with Terrica · Wedding Pros who are ready to grow - with Becca Pountney

0:00
Terrica: I don't have competition.
0:03
The only competition that I have is in the mirror.
0:06
I am only trying to get better than the person I was yesterday because
0:11
once I get to that level where I'm like, Oh, I have to beat X, Y, Z in
0:16
followers and sales and attendees.
0:19
I'm no longer running my race, right?
0:22
I'm running somebody else's race.
0:27
Becca: I'm Becca Pountney, wedding business marketing expert,
0:29
speaker and blogger, and you're listening to the wedding pros
0:32
who are ready to grow podcast.
0:34
I'm here to share with you actionable tips, strategies, and real life examples.
0:38
To help you take your wedding business to the next level.
0:41
If you are an ambitious wedding business owner that wants to take your passion
0:45
and use it to build a profitable, sustainable business doing what you
0:48
love, then you're in the right place.
0:50
Let's get going with today's episode.
0:54
Today I'm talking to wedding industry legend Terrica.
0:57
Not only does she lead a team of planners within her wedding planning
1:00
business, cocktails and details, she's also a powerhouse in the
1:03
wedding industry speaking world.
1:05
Her approach to education is to keep it real.
1:07
And having seen her on stage in Vegas, I knew that you would love hearing from her.
1:12
Terrica, welcome to the podcast.
1:14
Terrica: Thank you so much for having me.
1:15
I'm super excited to be here.
1:17
Becca: I'm thrilled to have you.
1:18
Thank you because I know where you are.
1:20
It's very early in the morning that we're recording this, but thank you for taking
1:23
the time out to talk to my lovely UK pros.
1:26
Terrica: My absolute pleasure
1:27
Becca: and it was such a pleasure to finally see you in person when I came
1:31
to Vegas Vegas was such a buzz for me because all of these people that
1:35
I've talked to online and work with online and spoken to online We're all
1:39
in one room at the same time and it was so much fun to see everyone It's
1:42
like a big wedding education party and that is why I'm coming back this year
1:47
Terrica: Oh, I'm so glad you are you know Vegas Just as a whole, as a city
1:52
can be very overstimulating and then to go for a wedding conference and
1:57
then you have all the events during the evenings and then you come back
2:00
for the education during the day.
2:02
It can be a lot.
2:04
But like you said, it's the one moment where all of us can converge all together
2:09
and You know, see each other outside of our DMS and comments and, you know, video.
2:15
So it's an absolute amazing time.
2:18
This will be my seventh year there this year, and I wouldn't
2:24
trade it for the world.
2:25
I absolutely love it.
2:27
Becca: Yeah, and I can see it becoming quite addictive.
2:29
So I feel like after this year, maybe it'll just like, I'm just going to be
2:33
flying to Vegas every single year to see everyone because it's so much fun.
2:39
And I'm looking forward to getting on that stage and talking
2:41
to people this year as well.
2:44
Take me back to the start.
2:45
On this podcast, I always like to hear people's journeys because I
2:48
think how can we teach people if they don't know where we've come from?
2:51
So take me back to the start of your own journey.
2:54
How did you end up in this wild West world of the wedding
2:57
industry in the first place?
2:59
Terrica: Well, I always like to say I'm the wedding planner who
3:02
has never had a wedding before.
3:04
I actually eloped when I got married, so I was planning our wedding.
3:09
Over and over again, but it would never happen.
3:13
We either relocated or something happened.
3:16
And I just really, really loved the ideas, the vision of certain things.
3:23
And I was like, you know what?
3:25
I can definitely, I could do this.
3:27
And I was actually in the process of studying legal studies at my university.
3:32
I was wanting to become a criminal attorney and I had
3:35
my daughter at the time.
3:36
And so, you know, every night I was schlepping her and her baby carrier to
3:40
the low library and reading and writing briefs and all of this other stuff.
3:44
And then finally I was like, you know, I really want to do something.
3:48
That makes me happy.
3:49
I want to be involved in people's lives where it's a great moment that
3:54
can create an experience that, you know, I always say that moments turn
3:58
into memories and that's definitely something that I wanted to be a part of.
4:01
Fast forward, almost two decades later, no longer married, but I still have
4:08
the same passion that I have for.
4:11
This industry and then that grew into me becoming an educator and a speaker.
4:16
So I feel like there's always evolutions to everything, and it definitely,
4:21
it definitely helped me a lot.
4:23
Becca: And do you remember back to landing your first client?
4:26
How did that happen?
4:27
Because I think that's one thing, especially when people are starting out.
4:31
I think getting the first one that isn't just your friend and
4:33
family member is the hardest thing.
4:35
Do you remember how you got your first client?
4:37
Terrica: Yeah, I do.
4:38
I was actually not even living in my area at the time when I got my first client.
4:43
And I traveled back to where I am now because they were
4:46
coming in for a destination.
4:47
As a matter of fact, my first room was from the UK.
4:50
Now that I remember, yes, yes, he was.
4:53
I do remember that they were having their wedding at a very large
4:58
family home over on the island.
5:00
And it was my first client.
5:02
It was my first wedding coordination clients.
5:04
I was like, Oh my God, I have to go get a name tag.
5:06
I have to go get a suit to do all these things.
5:08
I was not prepared at all.
5:10
All the education that I had was so great in theory, but It actually
5:17
took the practice of me getting in.
5:18
So that's even why now I take that mindset when I train my
5:21
interns and I'm like, Oh, okay.
5:23
We can't wait to start working on the intern program.
5:25
I'm like, yeah, that's cute.
5:26
But I'm tossing you to the wolves as soon as you get in here, I'm
5:30
tossing you right in into an event.
5:32
And I always ask them, well, what would you do here?
5:34
Or what do you think about this?
5:35
And I love to see how their eyes get wide, right?
5:39
But I really feel like that practical experience is going to help you.
5:43
Nothing replaces that at all.
5:45
So I was overjoyed when I got my first client, they reached out to me online.
5:50
And that's another reason why I stress so much about a really
5:53
strong online presence, your SEO.
5:56
Being able to sell immediately from either a phone conversation or through email
6:01
because you have such a small window to capture their attention and their booking.
6:07
Becca: So, so important.
6:09
What do you think some of the struggles have been that you faced
6:12
along the way in your own wedding planning journey that people might be
6:15
able to resonate with or learn from?
6:18
Terrica: You know what, honestly, not investing in my business earlier.
6:23
You know, trying to go to YouTube University and learn everything there
6:28
online, trying to, you know, scrape up all the free things that I can,
6:32
but free can only take you so far.
6:34
And if you have that free mindset, that discount coupon.
6:39
Mindset with your business.
6:41
That's exactly what you're going to attract.
6:42
And that's exactly the type of brand experience that you are going to create.
6:46
So if I had to do it all over again, I would definitely invest in my brand a lot
6:51
sooner just because I'm good at certain things doesn't necessarily mean that I'm
6:56
great at it and that I should take it on.
6:58
So I went through several iterations, like every single year
7:02
in January, I would change my logo.
7:05
I was like literally going through things.
7:07
I'm like, you know what?
7:07
I'm going to wake up and change my logo, change my website.
7:10
And looking back now, I'm like, Oh girl, you should have been medicated.
7:12
Something is wrong with you.
7:13
You look like you have like multiple personalities here, but I would
7:18
have invested in a coach earlier.
7:20
I would have invested in really great education earlier.
7:23
And I really would have investigated, investigated, invested in a
7:27
really great brand presence.
7:30
Earlier because once I found the person who redesigned my brand, it was
7:35
literally like love at first sight when she created what she created for me.
7:40
I was like, no, there's no revisions.
7:42
That's it.
7:43
You know, finally got it.
7:44
So sometimes you need to invest in yourself so that you can
7:47
see outside of your vision.
7:49
And that's why I always joke when I speak, I'm like, yeah, you know, I'm
7:51
here to be your, your best friend in this business, but I'm also here
7:55
to tell you that your baby's ugly.
7:56
Nobody was telling me that my baby was ugly, right?
7:59
Nobody was telling me, Oh, you know, your pricing needs to go up or your
8:03
services aren't like this, or your, your branding doesn't look great.
8:06
So you need someone from the outside looking in to really help
8:09
you take you to the next level.
8:11
Becca: And I love that you're on board with this whole, keeping it real
8:14
because I'm exactly the same as you.
8:16
And I often say to people, they'll come to me after a talk on stage, or
8:20
they've been to one of my trainings and they'll say, well, you give me some
8:22
feedback on my website or my brand.
8:25
And I say caveat before.
8:26
Are you ready to hear it?
8:29
Because I will tell you straight.
8:31
And if you don't want to hear that, then don't ask me the question.
8:34
Terrica: Do not come over here with any of your questions because I am not.
8:40
I'm not here to sugarcoat.
8:42
You know what I mean?
8:42
Sugarcoat is not going, sugarcoating to pad your, your books.
8:46
It's not going to pad your bank account.
8:48
It's only going to make you feel better.
8:50
And, you know, I'm here to be a cheerleader, but I am not here to
8:54
be You know, just a yes man either.
8:56
So I totally agree.
8:57
You got to keep it real.
8:58
Becca: Yeah, and it's important to find those people because if you do
9:01
want feedback, genuine feedback on your website, on your logo, on your brand,
9:05
if you ask your friends and family, they will just say, yeah, it looks great.
9:09
And that's not actually helpful.
9:11
Terrica: Oh, it's amazing.
9:13
You did such a great job.
9:14
Yeah.
9:16
It's not helpful at all.
9:17
And you know why?
9:20
They're not your clients.
9:21
It's, and I say that so often when people are like, Oh, you know I couldn't
9:27
afford me or I can't really book.
9:29
I'm like, nobody asked you if you could book yourself, you're
9:31
selling with your own pockets.
9:33
Nobody is asking you to do that because you're not your client.
9:36
So, you know, you need to talk to people who have their ear on the
9:39
ground, their finger on the pulse.
9:41
And they can help you, but ultimately it has to be someone
9:44
that understands your market.
9:45
Otherwise, yeah, lots of stuff looks pretty.
9:47
And I say that to my, my students too.
9:49
I'm like, okay, think about it as if we were going shopping.
9:52
Do you like how an outfit looks on you?
9:55
Or do you like how it looks on the model?
9:58
Because those are two totally different things.
10:00
And that's the same thing here.
10:02
Do you, do you think you have a great service or do you have a
10:04
great service for your market?
10:07
And I think that's that.
10:08
That kind of tough love that we have to have for and with
10:12
ourselves within this industry.
10:13
Yeah.
10:14
Becca: And everyone needs a Becca or a Terrica in their life
10:16
to give them some tough love.
10:18
It's hard to hear, but it will make you better.
10:21
It will, it will push you forward.
10:22
Terrica, get on keeping it real.
10:27
You've had a lot of experience planning weddings.
10:29
I would love to hear some of your personal experiences, maybe both the
10:33
highs and the lows as you look back on your wedding planning journey.
10:37
Terrica: Oh, wow.
10:38
There's been quite a few.
10:40
I still have to say, you know, to this day, one of my most favorite weddings
10:44
is one that we did about a year ago, not last year, but the year prior had
10:50
two of the most beautiful brides ever.
10:52
And it was the most heartfelt.
10:55
Ceremony that incorporated their ancestors their family and friends that
11:00
were there with them Their their love for each other and that honestly, of
11:05
course, I was so happy with the way that it looked aesthetically I was
11:09
so pleased with the way that my team produced it but on a personal level I
11:14
felt so connected for the first time.
11:17
And of course it's probably because I worked with them the longest, but
11:19
even just viewing their ceremony, I felt so connected and I was thinking,
11:24
you know what, that's the type of love I want that that's just so amazing.
11:27
So, you know, and everyone was darling at that event, their family, their friends,
11:33
they were so gracious, they were grateful, they were all having a good time.
11:36
So that was actually one of the.
11:38
weddings where I was like, I could do this forever.
11:42
This is amazing.
11:43
Or I was also like, you know what, if this is my last one, I'm happy to go
11:46
out on this one too, because I have taken significantly fewer weddings now
11:51
that I'm out educating and speaking.
11:53
But on the flip side, girl, is, is some out there where
11:57
I'm like, Oh, Tarica relax.
11:59
Cause you do not look good in orange.
12:02
And you end up in prison.
12:04
You're going to leave these people alone.
12:06
Everything from I've been accused of stealing at weddings.
12:10
I have been talked down to.
12:12
I've dealt with a lot of racist and sexist behavior.
12:15
I have dealt with mothers that have tried to outshine the bride literally
12:22
walking down the aisle in full wedding dresses before the bride would walk
12:27
down or in full funeral garb because they were so upset at the wedding.
12:32
You know, it's we've had grooms and brothers getting
12:35
into fights at the rehearsal.
12:36
But I have seen some crazy, crazy things, which, you know, people
12:40
are always going to people.
12:42
If there is anything that you can ever rely on, it's for people
12:45
to be exactly who they are.
12:47
And that's another, you know, that ties us back to one of your first questions.
12:52
Because I went through so many iterations of my business, I
12:56
didn't honestly know who I was.
12:58
In this industry, I didn't know who I was.
13:01
I didn't know who I wanted to be.
13:02
I didn't know who I wanted to be someone too.
13:05
So if you do not have a really great grasp on who you are, what you're great
13:10
at, where you want your brand to fit in, you are going to attract everybody
13:15
and everybody is not your client.
13:18
That's.
13:18
That's key.
13:19
So really knowing who you are will help you so much in finding
13:23
the right clients for you.
13:24
Becca: And that comes across really strongly in what you've just
13:26
shared, both the highs and the lows.
13:28
The dream clients, that wedding that you love, they are your ideal clients.
13:32
We want more of those.
13:34
And we want less of the other ones who are accusing you of stealing.
13:38
Terrica: Oh my gosh.
13:39
Yes.
13:39
Yes, yes, yes.
13:41
And it's like, oh my gosh, girl, you know what they accused me of stealing?
13:46
Their cake topper.
13:47
Oh I'm like, I don't even like their cake topper was a dog.
13:51
I'm like, I don't even like dogs.
13:53
Everybody knows that knows my brand knows that I have an amazing, very
13:57
vocal links point Siamese cat who I have no idea where she's at now.
14:02
You probably would see her cause she sees me talking to my
14:04
computer and she always shows up.
14:07
She's like, Oh, you're doing something.
14:10
Allow me to sing the song of my people for all of your friends online.
14:14
So yeah, I'm like, stealing your, your dog cake topper?
14:18
No, thanks.
14:19
Becca: Well, weddings seem to bring out the crazy in people, but I
14:22
think there is a deeper message.
14:24
I think there's a deeper message in what you're saying, and I know you're based,
14:27
I believe, down in the deep south in the USA, and I have been there many times.
14:32
My best friend lives in Alabama, and one of the first times I visited,
14:36
I was truly shocked About the state of that part of America and how
14:41
much the cities and the places were still quite segregated in a way that
14:46
here in the UK, we don't experience.
14:47
So do you think for you, where you're based, there's been issues
14:51
that you've faced as an African American wedding planner that may
14:54
be different to some of your peers?
14:56
Terrica: Oh, honey, absolutely.
14:57
Yes.
14:58
To the point where I'm still the only one.
15:00
That's here.
15:01
You know what I mean?
15:02
And so it took a lot for me to step into that position.
15:06
I started my business, you know, when I was younger.
15:08
So I'm starting off with not a lot of experience.
15:11
I'm starting off as a young person, starting off as a black
15:14
woman in charge of so many.
15:16
So There were a lot of times where, yeah, I was accused of not being a professional.
15:21
And when I say a professional, I mean not that I opted poorly,
15:23
but like this wasn't my business.
15:25
Like I didn't have a true business they would not pay attention to me at all.
15:29
And, and that's again where you really have to know who you are, who you are and
15:32
you have to be very steadfast in that.
15:35
And things have changed at that time.
15:37
I wouldn't even put my photo on my website.
15:40
I didn't have, you know, a headshot because I was like, people aren't
15:42
going to hire me when they see me.
15:45
So, you know, at that point I was just like, you know what,
15:47
I'm, I'm done, I'm over it.
15:50
This is who I am.
15:50
People are going to like it or love it.
15:53
They'll move on and that's, it's been a great walk ever since,
15:57
but you're absolutely right.
15:58
There is, there's still so much work that needs to be done for sure.
16:02
Becca: Yeah, it is an ever changing world, but we need, we all need to, we
16:07
all need to do more of that work for sure.
16:09
And I'm so glad that you stepped into who you are, Terika, because Who you
16:13
are, as I said, in the introduction, I introduced you as an industry legend,
16:17
because even I look at you and I just think, wow, you have really nailed
16:22
being unapologetically yourself.
16:24
It's something that I teach.
16:26
I tell people to do it.
16:27
And what I love about your brand, your website, everything just
16:31
oozes confidence and who you are.
16:34
So how have you made that transition?
16:36
How have you.
16:37
stepped up and gone, I am Terrica and I am awesome.
16:43
Terrica: You know, I, I think that it, it takes a lot of growth.
16:48
It takes a lot of growth of understanding you know, who you are
16:52
and who, who you're not and who, you know, how you want to be treated.
16:55
And I know you wanted to be appreciated for there's like, you know, we pick
17:00
so many different aspects of our personality and we push them together.
17:04
We may let one be at the forefront a little bit more than the others.
17:09
But honestly, Rebecca, I just wanted to be who I needed when I got started.
17:14
You know, back in the day when I got started, I would ask for help because
17:18
again, remember I'm coming from both a medical and a legal background.
17:22
I have no idea about this.
17:24
Yeah.
17:24
I like to entertain and plan and, and, you know, do parties with my friends, but
17:30
I had no idea how to do it as a business.
17:32
So at that point, I'm like, you know what?
17:35
This is what I want.
17:37
This is who I am.
17:37
This is exactly what I'm going to do.
17:40
And I was so fierce about it.
17:42
I would ask for help and people like, no, I'm not going to help you.
17:44
I'm not going to train my competition.
17:45
I'm not going to do this.
17:46
So that's why education has been always so Important to me that people
17:51
have access to great things at all levels of their desire and investment.
17:57
And I hate gatekeeping.
17:58
There's zero.
17:59
I have zero desire to work every weekend.
18:02
Okay, so you can have as many of the weddings as you want me telling you how
18:07
I do things or me showing you things or answering questions does not take
18:12
away from me at all because what's mine is mine and what's yours is yours.
18:16
So I never truly.
18:18
understood a lot of the, the clickishness and the animosity
18:22
that I dealt with prior to that.
18:24
So I said, you know what, I'm definitely going to be somebody different.
18:27
And I also wanted to be someone different as an educator and a speaker.
18:31
I just didn't get up on stage and say, Oh, look at me.
18:33
Look at these great events I've done.
18:35
I'm so amazing.
18:37
I'm only going to give you one glimpse of a nugget.
18:41
I'm not even going to give you a nugget.
18:42
I'm going to give you a glimpse of a nugget and everything else
18:45
is just going to be a me fast.
18:47
No, you know, you want somebody that's going to be like,
18:49
Hey, you're doing it wrong.
18:50
Here's a great way that you can do it.
18:52
Here's where I got it wrong and I don't want you to do it either.
18:55
Or you know what?
18:56
You are absolutely perfect the way that you are.
18:59
Stop letting people walk over.
19:01
You stop undercharging.
19:03
You've got this.
19:04
And I think that's, that's become definitely part of my brand.
19:07
I always say when I get up on stage, this is going to be a conversation.
19:10
I absolutely love talking to my audience.
19:12
I love them talking back to me.
19:14
So it, and the time just seems to fly.
19:17
I'm like, oh, wow, it's time for us to get out of here already.
19:19
But it means the world to me when people say Oh, you're my favorite speaker,
19:24
or I learned so much from you, or you changed my business because that's
19:28
how I know I've done my job, right?
19:32
Not how many likes I get, know how many followers I have.
19:35
It's that I'm being who I needed when I got started.
19:39
Becca: And I believe that's what makes It's a truly great educator when it's not
19:43
about yourself and it's not even about making money from these people at all.
19:46
Like that's the bottom priority of the list.
19:48
Obviously we have to make money otherwise we wouldn't be living.
19:51
But actually our number one passion that drives us forward is seeing that
19:54
growth, seeing that change and seeing people's lives changed from something
19:58
simple that we've shown them how to do.
19:59
Absolutely.
20:00
Absolutely.
20:02
Now, you've worked with a lot of pros, and I've worked with a lot
20:05
of pros, and I think confidence is a huge issue for a lot of them.
20:10
And there'll be people listening to this and thinking, well, that's great for
20:12
you, Terica, you're really confident, and that's great for you, Becca, you're really
20:15
confident, you're both up on stages and talking to people, but me and my business
20:19
on my own, I don't feel good enough.
20:21
I don't feel confident.
20:22
Do you have any advice, any tips for people who are in that space?
20:27
Terrica: Of course, you know, when, when we first grow into this, it
20:30
is not necessarily that you come with all of the answers, right?
20:35
You, you don't have it.
20:37
You are just.
20:39
Like, you know what, I'm not sure if I'm going to do this because
20:41
you know what, we also get into the comparison syndrome, right?
20:44
We get into the part where we, especially on social media, when
20:47
I got started, Instagram and Facebook weren't really a thing.
20:51
And then now you have, you're on TikTok, you are just inundated with images,
20:55
videos, and all of these things of what your quote unquote competitors are doing.
20:59
Are they doing it better than you?
21:00
Are they getting more followers than you?
21:02
And we start to separate from.
21:04
Who we are and who we think we're supposed to be for everyone else and then it just
21:10
becomes A comparison olympics, right?
21:13
But I always like to say that competence breeds confidence.
21:18
So just pick one thing that you are amazing at.
21:21
What's your gift?
21:22
What's that one thing that you are phenomenal at?
21:26
And it doesn't necessarily have to be a lot of produced pretty events.
21:29
Break it down.
21:30
You know, are you great at customer service?
21:33
Are you great at client experience?
21:35
Are you wonderful with logistics?
21:37
Do you do great things with catering?
21:39
B.
21:39
O.
21:39
S.
21:40
Are you phenomenal with florals?
21:42
Just pick that one thing that you're great at.
21:45
And focus there, build your brand around that, and you'll become more competent.
21:51
The more competent you become, the more confident you become, because nobody
21:55
can tell you that you're not good at it.
21:57
You know that you're good at it, so as opposed to looking at it as
22:00
a whole, just look at it piece by piece and just stare at the mirror.
22:04
I had, and that's another thing too, I don't always get the rosy comments, right?
22:09
I had someone who got very upset with me in my Instagram comments, because
22:13
I said I don't have competition.
22:17
The only competition that I have is in the mirror.
22:20
I am only trying to get better than the person I was yesterday because once I
22:27
get to that level where I'm like, Oh, I have to beat X, Y, Z, you know, in
22:31
followers and in sales and attendees.
22:35
I'm no longer running my race, right?
22:38
I'm running somebody else's race and I don't know what
22:41
type of supplements they have.
22:43
I don't know what type of workout they're doing that helps them run better.
22:47
I only know what helps me run best.
22:49
So I always try and I say try because sometimes it's
22:53
hard not to compare yourself.
22:55
Sometimes it's hard not to pay attention and you do have to pay
22:57
attention to some things just so you can understand what your market wants.
23:01
But I always try to make sure.
23:04
That I am laser focused on what I have to do and what I'm great at.
23:08
And as long as I am true to myself.
23:11
And I'm authentic, and I'm genuine, and empathetic, and I'm compassionate, then
23:15
I know I'm knocking it out of the park.
23:17
Becca: Yes, yes, and more yes.
23:19
How could anyone be angry at you for that comment?
23:22
Because I agree with you wholeheartedly, let's stop looking left and right,
23:26
stay in your own lane, you're your own person, do your own thing, and compare
23:29
yourself only to who you were last year, and keep taking one step forward.
23:33
There is no point comparing ourselves to each other.
23:35
And what happens in our industry is if we look left and right all the
23:38
time, and try and be like everyone else, We end up all being the same and
23:43
vanilla and I say in one of my stage talks, do you know how many varieties
23:46
of ice cream there are in this world?
23:48
Like we don't all need to be vanilla.
23:50
Some people want chocolate chips.
23:51
Some people want mint chocolate chips.
23:52
Some people want unicorn candy floss flavor ice cream.
23:55
They're all good, but they're all different.
23:57
Terrica: You know, I love that you say that because yours
24:00
is ice cream minus bread.
24:02
So I'll have so many students that say, Oh, I can't do this, or I can't branch
24:07
out, or I can't offer this service because somebody is already offering it.
24:12
And I always say, there is a difference between first, only, and best.
24:19
When you're the first one to do it, then you're new on the scene, right?
24:24
You are making such an impact So everyone is enamored with you,
24:27
but you have to keep that up.
24:29
You have to keep that consistency up When you're the only one that does
24:32
it there's nobody else to compare you to so we don't know technically
24:36
If you're good, you have to rely on yourself to keep getting better.
24:40
But when you're the best It means that taking in totality of everything that's
24:46
around you, what's going on, what's being offered, what's being said, what's being
24:50
done, you are still coming out on top.
24:53
So don't get stuck in this mindset of, Oh, it's so many
24:56
other people that's out there.
24:57
Look at the bread aisle.
24:58
If we walk down the bread aisle, there is gluten free bread.
25:02
There's wheat bread.
25:03
There's white bread, hot dog rolls, hamburger rolls, biscuits, scones.
25:08
There's so many different things because there's something to appeal to everyone.
25:12
Again, you don't want to appeal to everyone.
25:15
You're going to be like, you know what?
25:16
I'm going to make the best biscuit.
25:19
Oh wait, biscuits are cookies for you guys.
25:21
Okay.
25:21
So maybe you're scones.
25:23
All right.
25:23
See, I'm sorry.
25:24
I try to get my UK language together and, but you get my point, right?
25:29
You, you want to make the best type of bread that you are going to make.
25:33
So stop worrying about if somebody else is out there doing it.
25:38
The person who's going to fall in love with your recipe, with your
25:41
branding, with your style, with your service is definitely out there.
25:45
Becca: Yeah, 100%.
25:46
Terrica,, you work with lots of different planners.
25:49
You've seen lots of different problems, I'm sure.
25:51
Are there some common pitfalls that you see planners making?
25:56
All of the time that you want to say, stop doing that and do this instead.
26:01
Terrica: Yes, yes, yes, yes.
26:02
They give so much away.
26:04
Like when I work with my students and I'm looking at their packages and I'm
26:07
like, why are we doing all of this?
26:10
And you're like, Oh, I wanted to add more value.
26:12
I'm like, no, when I total all this up, you're making like 3 an hour.
26:17
This makes no sense.
26:19
So find out what is the minimum you can do for the maximum profit.
26:25
Everything else thought about we can add on as an upsell we can add on
26:28
as a customization I feel like we we try to bullet point dump our clients
26:33
By showing them so many different things that we can do and I want to
26:37
make it look good, but we're really lowering our profit that's down.
26:43
And, you know, if you ever want to make more, you just have to do less.
26:45
So that would be the first thing that I would do.
26:47
And a lot of times that's how people get started.
26:51
They're like, Oh, let me.
26:53
Let me, what do you call it?
26:54
Let me secret shop one of my competitors and see what they offer and then
26:59
I'll pick that out and then every, like you said, everybody starts
27:02
looking the same as opposed to really understanding what your market wants and
27:07
creating something specific for them.
27:09
So that would be the 1 thing I say planners really, really make is
27:13
that they, they make these bloated services and then wonder why
27:17
they're not making enough money.
27:19
Becca: And why they're completely exhausted from doing all of the things.
27:23
Like completely burned out.
27:24
Terrica: Yes.
27:25
Yes.
27:26
Becca: And often I think that same thing comes back almost full circle
27:29
to the confidence because I think often people put all these things
27:32
in their packages because they feel like they've got something to prove.
27:35
They've got to prove their worth by putting all of the things,
27:38
but that's just not right.
27:39
Terrica: You absolutely nailed it.
27:40
You nailed it right there.
27:42
Yeah,
27:43
Becca: we don't need to prove anything.
27:45
You could be who you want to be.
27:46
You can sell what you want to sell.
27:47
Just go out there and be yourself.
27:50
Now, Terica, you're a prominent Yes, there's somebody for you.
27:53
There absolutely is.
27:54
There's somebody for everyone, as they say.
27:56
Now, Terica, right now, you're quite a prominent voice in the wedding industry.
28:00
You're speaking all over the place.
28:01
You're out there on the Instagram, on the podcast.
28:04
How are you using your voice right now?
28:07
What change are you wanting to see in this industry?
28:10
Terrica: You know And the states back in 2020, when we were dealing
28:15
with the pandemic, we were also dealing with then an epidemic of
28:21
racism within our industry as well.
28:24
And that brought forth so many inequities and discriminations
28:28
that existed in our industry here.
28:31
So I have been very, very passionate about diversifying our industry
28:37
and really promoting diversity and inclusion in our industry as well.
28:42
So.
28:43
Amongst some of the other things that I do, I also sit on the advisory board for
28:47
fellowship for change, which is a program created from wedding pro, which is the
28:52
combination of the knot and wedding wire.
28:55
And it's a program that serves.
28:57
Historically underrepresented people within our industry.
29:01
So everyone from, you know, people in the LGBTQ plus communities to
29:07
people of color, to people with, you know, who are otherly abled as well.
29:12
And so I I'm an advisor in that program.
29:15
I'm an educator in that program, a mentor in that program, and that has.
29:20
That's probably hands down one of the things that I'm so passionate
29:23
about and that I am so happy to see it grow and it consistently.
29:29
Give back and pour into some of our people that need it the most.
29:34
So again, I guess again, it goes back to being who I needed when I got started.
29:39
A lot of the times people don't have the money to invest in advertising.
29:42
They don't have the money or the time or the resources or the
29:46
capabilities to invest in education and coaching and community.
29:50
They may live in a.
29:52
A networking drought where they don't have anybody that's nearby.
29:56
So that program has created and changed.
29:58
So many businesses, and I'm just so very proud of it and so
30:03
very proud to be a part of it.
30:04
Becca: Sounds fantastic.
30:05
It's not something I've come across.
30:06
I don't know whether people in the UK can get access to it.
30:09
I don't know whether you know if the people in the UK could get access to it.
30:11
Terrica: I'm not sure, to be honest with you.
30:14
I'll have to look that up.
30:15
Becca: Yeah, for sure.
30:16
And as part of that, is there education?
30:18
Because I know something that comes up.
30:20
definitely here in the UK with my pros.
30:22
People say, yeah, I want to be better.
30:24
I want to be more diverse in my business.
30:26
I want to be more inclusive in my business, but I just don't really
30:30
know where to start, especially if I'm a white person who's
30:33
come from a place of privilege.
30:34
I don't really understand it, but I want to do better.
30:38
Have you got some pointers, some training somewhere people could go
30:41
to understand what they can be doing?
30:43
Terrica: Yes, absolutely.
30:44
So I spearheaded the initiative called unity through community, which it's.
30:49
Our sole goal is to make the wedding industry more diverse and inclusive.
30:56
So you can sign up for it.
30:59
I believe it's at terricainc.
31:01
com slash unity through community.
31:03
And it has so many different resources there.
31:06
It has checklists of things that you can do for your own business to
31:10
ensure that you come across as either an ally and advocate or an activist,
31:15
because those are three different things that we need in our business to.
31:19
Promote that diversity and inclusion.
31:21
It has templates for letters.
31:23
You can write to different education educators, magazine editors,
31:27
conference producers, because we want to hold people's feet to the fire.
31:32
That's the only way that change is going to come.
31:34
I can't just be like, Oh, we've got a lot of work to do, you know,
31:37
or I wish things were different.
31:39
We make it different.
31:40
And I think the one thing that people did not get until I, I know I didn't
31:46
get it until I received an email was that it doesn't just affect our
31:50
pros, it affects our clients as well.
31:53
When I did a town hall on this back in 2020, I got an email from
31:57
a bride I have never met before.
31:59
She was in California and she was listing to me all of the things that
32:05
she had been dealing with and trying to work with someone that looked like her.
32:11
And could really help her and she was, she was a bride of color.
32:16
She had a white wedding planner and she's like, well, I wear my hair naturally.
32:19
I need to, you know, have someone do my hair.
32:22
And the wedding planner was like, Oh, you could just do it yourself.
32:24
I don't know anybody who could do your hair or when she needed makeup.
32:28
She's like, no, I don't know anybody who would specialize in your skin tone.
32:31
Maybe you can just go to the makeup counter.
32:33
This is this woman's most important day of her life.
32:36
And your literal job is to know.
32:40
Where to send her.
32:41
You are supposed to know what resources she has.
32:44
So when I learned that, you know, it's not just our pros that are
32:48
going through certain things to get attention to get seats at the table.
32:51
It's also our clients that are experiencing these things as well.
32:55
So we have to do better so that we can do better for our clients.
32:58
So I have a lot of resources that talk about expanding your network, getting to
33:04
know people, not tokenizing people, but celebrating people and understanding, you
33:08
know As many things, no matter what color you are, when to speak and when to shut
33:12
up, when it's somebody else's time to talk and share their experience as well.
33:16
So if you are interested in, you know, making your.
33:20
own professional community, more diverse and inclusive.
33:24
That's a great starting point for sure.
33:26
Becca: Sounds like a fantastic resource.
33:27
I will definitely be linking to it in the show notes.
33:29
And if you're listening to this, please go and check it out because I know
33:32
this question comes up a lot and I know Terica will have some great answers
33:36
for you and some great resources.
33:37
So go and have a look at that.
33:39
I will link to it in the show notes.
33:41
Terica, I could talk to you all day.
33:43
It's been such a pleasure chatting to you, but I know that we both have busy lives.
33:46
We have places to be.
33:48
So.
33:48
Let's end the podcast with the same question I always end with, which is this.
33:52
What's one thing you wish you personally had known sooner
33:56
in your own wedding business?
33:57
Terrica: That I am worth every penny that I charge.
34:01
You know, that I don't have to discount, that I don't have to give it all away.
34:06
That there are people out there that will pay the premium that it
34:10
takes to work with me because I'm providing a premium experience.
34:13
So I think if I had gotten that into my head a long time ago, yeah, I would have
34:18
had a lot more financial success sooner.
34:22
Becca: Absolutely.
34:22
And there'll be people out there listening to this that absolutely need to hear that.
34:26
Charge for everything you do.
34:28
Stop giving it all away for free.
34:30
That's not going to put a roof over your head.
34:32
It's not going to give you food on the table.
34:34
Start charging more for the things that you're doing.
34:37
Terica, it's been such a pleasure chatting to you.
34:39
If people want to find out more about what you do, working with you, where's
34:42
the best place for them to find you?
34:44
Terrica: You know, honestly, I'm the most active on Instagram.
34:47
So you can find me on Instagram at introducing Terrica.
34:52
And within the link in my bio, it has access to all of my products, my coaching
34:56
programs, my VIP days, really great content, things that I'm participating
35:01
in, and even my speaking schedule.
35:03
So that would be the best place to, to find me.
35:06
And, and yeah, please send me a DM.
35:08
Tell me what you thought about the episode.
35:10
Let's chat.
35:10
I would love to hear and meet.
35:12
more of you.
35:13
Becca: Fabulous.
35:13
Terrica, thank you so much for your time.
35:15
I look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas in November in person once more.
35:20
Terrica: You absolutely will.
35:22
I'll see you soon and hopefully we'll, we'll see some of your listeners too.
35:26
That would be amazing.
35:27
Becca: Yeah, absolutely.
35:28
I am definitely advocating for more people from the UK to come
35:31
over to Wedding MBA this year.
35:32
So if you're listening to this and you want to come to Vegas and hang
35:35
out with me and Terika and all the other great people, reach out to me.
35:38
I'll send you more details because I think the UK, it's time for us
35:42
to come and take America by storm.
35:44
Terika, I'll see you there.
35:45
Thank you for your time.
35:46
Do it.
35:48
Terrica: Thank you so much.
35:50
Becca: I love that conversation with Terrica.
35:52
Isn't she awesome?
35:52
I knew that you would love her.
35:54
I am so on her wavelength with the keeping it real stuff.
35:57
And I know that some of you will have heard stuff in today's
35:59
episode that's going to make you want to go and take action.
36:03
Do two things for me.
36:04
Go and take a look at Terica's website, because if you want to see how to put
36:07
personality at the forefront of your business, that is a shining example.
36:10
So go take a look at that.
36:11
Reach out to her.
36:12
Tell her what you loved about today's episode.
36:15
If you take nothing away from this episode other than this, it's
36:19
just be unapologetically yourself.
36:22
I'll see you next time.