Latest / Wedding Pros who are ready to grow - with Becca Pountney / Solving a problem and starting a wedding business - interview with Amy Nelson from Wedding Day Dance.

Transcript

Solving a problem and starting a wedding business - interview with Amy Nelson from Wedding Day Dance. · Wedding Pros who are ready to grow - with Becca Pountney

• 0:00
  Amy: I remember when social media started and I was like,
• 0:02
  oh, now I'm not doing that.
• 0:04
  And now here I am knowing I should be on TikTok, but I'm thinking,
• 0:06
  oh no, I'm in my mid forties.
• 0:08
  I can't be on TikTok.
• 0:09
  But you just have to get over that and roll with the times, don't you?
• 0:14
  Becca: I'm Becca Pountney, wedding business marketing expert,
• 0:16
  speaker and blogger, and you are listening to the Wedding Pros
• 0:19
  who are Ready to Grow Podcast.
• 0:21
  I'm here to share with you actionable tips, strategies, and real life
• 0:25
  examples to help you take your wedding business to the next level.
• 0:28
  If you are an ambitious wedding business owner that wants to take your passion
• 0:32
  and use it to build a profitable, sustainable business doing what you
• 0:35
  love, then you're in the right place.
• 0:37
  Let's get going with today's episode.
• 0:41
  Today I'm talking to Amy Nelson from Wedding Day Dance.
• 0:44
  Amy first joined my wedding pro members lounge at the start of this year, and
• 0:48
  it's been an absolute pleasure to get to know her and her business ever since.
• 0:51
  She's kind down to earth and wants to do business the right way.
• 0:55
  I know you're gonna love her too.
• 0:57
  Amy, welcome to the podcast.
• 0:59
  Amy: Hello, Becca.
• 1:00
  Thank you for having me
• 1:01
  . Becca: You are so welcome.
• 1:03
  It's great to have you here.
• 1:04
  Now, for anyone who doesn't know you or hasn't come across you before, do you
• 1:08
  wanna just explain to people who you are, what you do, and where you're based
• 1:12
  Amy: of course.
• 1:12
  So, my name's Amy and I live in Wiltshire in a town called Marlborough and I run
• 1:18
  a company called Wedding Day Dance uk.
• 1:20
  And we, or I say, we, I organize dance lessons for couples who are
• 1:27
  engaged and planning their wedding and want to do a lovely first
• 1:30
  dance, but don't know how to dance.
• 1:32
  So they would like some dance lessons ahead of the day to prepare for that.
• 1:36
  But I don't deliver the classes, all by myself, I have a team of teachers
• 1:40
  based all across the country, who, who teach the couples wherever their.
• 1:45
  Becca: Great.
• 1:45
  So basically the couples come to you and then you link them up with a
• 1:48
  dance teacher wherever they're based.
• 1:50
  Is that right?
• 1:51
  Amy: That's right, yeah.
• 1:52
  And it's very much about, I think customer service is really, really important.
• 1:56
  So it's not just saying to a dance teacher, oh, here's a couple.
• 1:59
  There you go.
• 2:00
  I kind of.
• 2:01
  Hold their hand and organize everything for them.
• 2:04
  So, where the lessons are gonna be, the schedule, the dates, and the time
• 2:07
  so everything is set out in stone.
• 2:09
  Because I mean, like everybody, my couples tend to be really busy.
• 2:12
  They, they tend to be working people.
• 2:14
  They don't have a lot of spare time.
• 2:16
  So the lessons are organized when they're free.
• 2:19
  But equally, my dance teachers are really busy too.
• 2:21
  They, they've got, they, they've got busy lives as well.
• 2:23
  So it's about putting those people together and finding the dates and times
• 2:27
  that they can get together and just focus on themselves and their first.
• 2:31
  Becca: Great.
• 2:31
  So that's where you are today as we talk, but as I like to do on this
• 2:35
  podcast, we like to go back in time a little bit and work out, or how
• 2:39
  did you get to where you are now?
• 2:41
  So if I take you right back, at what point did you first become self-employed?
• 2:46
  Amy: It was to teach someone to dance for their wedding.
• 2:49
  Actually, yeah, it was a long time ago now.
• 2:50
  I think it was in 2004, but it was, that was the first time I became self-employed.
• 2:56
  Well, it was to teach someone to dance for their wedding.
• 2:57
  Yeah,
• 2:58
  Becca: I love that.
• 2:58
  So were you a dance teacher before?
• 3:00
  Were you working for someone else?
• 3:01
  Where did you come from?
• 3:02
  Amy: So I, I've always danced my whole life.
• 3:05
  I really, really loved dancing.
• 3:06
  I really enjoy dancing, but I actually studied business but
• 3:09
  always danced at the same time.
• 3:11
  And then when I left university, I worked at a dance studio.
• 3:15
  But in the office, so not on, not in the studio, in the office, you see.
• 3:19
  So I was organizing everything but dancing at the same time.
• 3:22
  So I have a very split experience of those two things.
• 3:26
  Becca: So you're working for the dance studio, working in the office.
• 3:29
  So how did you end up teaching someone to dance for their wedding
• 3:32
  . Amy: So what happened, I'm, I'm not gonna name any names, but I went to somebody's
• 3:37
  wedding and it was a, it was lovely.
• 3:38
  It was all weddings are lovely and they.
• 3:42
  Came to the first dance bit and they said, oh, they're gonna do their first
• 3:44
  dance, and we're all watching as you do.
• 3:47
  And the couple, they just looked so embarrassed.
• 3:49
  They looked absolutely mortified.
• 3:51
  They weren't enjoying it at all.
• 3:54
  And I talked to myself, why are they putting themselves through this?
• 3:56
  It's not as if it's essential.
• 3:57
  You're still married even if you haven't done a first dance.
• 4:01
  And they just looked like they were hating every single second.
• 4:03
  And I.
• 4:04
  That's such a shame because they could have really enjoyed themselves
• 4:08
  or they could have just not done it.
• 4:09
  You know, it would've been either way, would've been fine, but why put
• 4:11
  yourself through that on, you know, the most special day of your life?
• 4:14
  And that just made me think, I wonder if generally that's a lot
• 4:18
  of couples kind of put themselves through that for absolutely no reason.
• 4:21
  Because all, all the need is a confidence boost.
• 4:23
  And then they would have a great time on, on the dance floor.
• 4:26
  And that just made me think about, is there such a thing as people
• 4:29
  taking lessons for their wedding?
• 4:31
  And I just Googled it and it turns out there was a company looking for
• 4:35
  dance teachers in my area at the time.
• 4:37
  So I just emailed them and said, I could do this job, , I could do this for you.
• 4:41
  And they said, yes, great.
• 4:42
  And I just started teaching dance for them.
• 4:45
  And even today that they're actually one of.
• 4:47
  Becca: Wow.
• 4:47
  Amy: They're still, they're still trading as well.
• 4:49
  Yeah.
• 4:49
  Becca: That's incredible.
• 4:50
  So you did that classic entrepreneur thing where you found a problem and
• 4:55
  decided that you needed to fix it.
• 4:56
  And it really is a problem because I have been to so many weddings and the first
• 5:00
  dance really is the most awkward part of the wedding because everyone feels
• 5:03
  like they've gotta do it and then just kind of shuffles around in a circle and
• 5:07
  just hope someone else will join them.
• 5:09
  Amy: Yeah.
• 5:09
  Yeah.
• 5:10
  And it's such a shame because it doesn't have to be like that at all.
• 5:13
  And then equally, if you really don't want to do it, I think just don't do it.
• 5:16
  Like you don't have to, you can do any, you don't have to do
• 5:18
  any part of your wedding apart from the legal parts, do you?
• 5:21
  So, yeah, I think if, if you really do want to do the first dance because
• 5:25
  you feel like you should then just take a couple of lessons and give
• 5:28
  yourself that confidence boost to go out there and not, not dread.
• 5:31
  And enjoy it and have lovely memories.
• 5:34
  Becca: I love that.
• 5:34
  So that is how you got your first bit of self-employment.
• 5:37
  So you started doing some freelance work for this other company.
• 5:40
  So now take us on the journey from how you got from there to what you are doing now.
• 5:46
  Amy: Yeah, so I, I was doing that, but I was still also working at
• 5:49
  the dance studio, and I think then just kind of word got around.
• 5:53
  That's what I did.
• 5:54
  And then I just started having a lot of inquiries in my, in my local area.
• 5:58
  And then I made my own website.
• 6:01
  That's what I did.
• 6:01
  Yeah, I made my own website just for teaching dance in my local area.
• 6:06
  And I was literally, during the summer, I was literally working in the office during
• 6:11
  the day in the dance studio office, and then I was teaching every, every night
• 6:15
  and all weekend teaching wedding dance.
• 6:17
  And I just realized there's a massive call for this.
• 6:20
  But you know what?
• 6:20
  I really like teaching wedding dance.
• 6:22
  But I don't really wanna be working every day and every night and every
• 6:25
  weekend cause it's just too much.
• 6:27
  And so I kind of had to choose, I had to choose whether to stay employed at
• 6:32
  the dance studio or take that jump to be self-employed and launch my own company.
• 6:36
  I, I knew just working for myself locally wouldn't be enough.
• 6:40
  To, my living because you have to be available when the couples are available,
• 6:44
  which is basically evenings and weekends.
• 6:47
  And I knew that just working evenings and weekends, I didn't really want to do
• 6:50
  that because it's not very sociable and you miss out on family life and stuff.
• 6:53
  So I knew I wanted to work during the day and I just thought,
• 6:57
  actually this could be an idea.
• 6:59
  And I think I just took a leap of faith and just went for it really.
• 7:01
  But that, that was a long time ago now, in 2008 I started that and, and it's, and
• 7:05
  it turns out it was the right thing to do.
• 7:07
  Becca: I love that.
• 7:08
  So I would say, Amy, you're almost an accidental entrepreneur because you
• 7:11
  didn't set out to start your business.
• 7:13
  No.
• 7:13
  The business has definitely evolved with you over time, but there did
• 7:18
  come that point where you had to make that decision, do I stick
• 7:20
  with my job or do I go for this?
• 7:22
  So what factors made that happen and how did you find the confidence to do that?
• 7:27
  Because that's something that a lot of people struggle with.
• 7:30
  Amy: That's a very good point.
• 7:31
  I think because I'd had that business background, I knew how to do it.
• 7:35
  And I think like a lot of people, I think just trial and error
• 7:38
  thinking, oh what, what do I do now?
• 7:40
  What should I do here?
• 7:41
  What should I do there?
• 7:42
  What's the best thing to do?
• 7:43
  And just learning and using things I didn't know about, but also
• 7:47
  not being afraid to ask for help.
• 7:48
  So I knew, for example, I don't know how to build a website.
• 7:51
  I had someone do that for me and things like, I don't know
• 7:54
  how to do my tax returns.
• 7:55
  So I had someone do that for me.
• 7:57
  So I think doing.
• 7:58
  What you can do or what you can learn to do great.
• 8:01
  And then the things that you cannot do or haven't got the time to learn how
• 8:04
  to do, get someone to do that for you.
• 8:06
  And that's how you can progress much quicker than thinking,
• 8:09
  I've got to do this for myself.
• 8:10
  Because in business, we really are an expert in our own fields, but you have
• 8:14
  to be an expert in all of the fields.
• 8:16
  To cover everything.
• 8:17
  So to kind of outsource those things and ask for help and get like a
• 8:21
  wider team, I think is, is the probably the quickest way and the
• 8:24
  most effective way to achieve that.
• 8:27
  Becca: That's really, really helpful.
• 8:28
  So as you look back over the last few years in business, you've been
• 8:32
  doing this a long time now, how do you think things have evolved for you?
• 8:35
  Has things changed?
• 8:37
  Has the way you run your business changed over the last few years?
• 8:40
  Amy: Some things are exactly the same in that people still love, they love the
• 8:45
  idea of dancing, and it makes them happy.
• 8:47
  And the couples who, who, who book the dance lessons, they're
• 8:50
  very much in love with each other and they really want to have a
• 8:53
  brilliant time on their wedding day.
• 8:54
  That, that, that will never change.
• 8:56
  But what changes around you?
• 8:58
  For example, social media, that's a massive, back when I
• 9:00
  started, that wasn't even a thing.
• 9:01
  I think I, maybe Facebook might have been around, but not for business.
• 9:04
  So of course that became for business.
• 9:07
  And then Instagram.
• 9:08
  Now TikTok, not that I'm on TikTok, but I know I should be.
• 9:12
  So that whole way of doing business is completely changed.
• 9:15
  When I first started, it was very much about being on Google was
• 9:18
  the only way, but now, but that's still really important, obviously.
• 9:22
  The social media side of things has completely changed as well.
• 9:25
  And also with the technology.
• 9:26
  So back then it was CDs.
• 9:28
  Yeah, it wasn't tape.
• 9:29
  So the dance teacher, I would have to send the dance teacher the song for them to
• 9:34
  burn onto a cd, and then they would then go along with their cd player and play it.
• 9:39
  Of course, now everyone uses spotify, like you don't even think about
• 9:43
  where do you get the music from?
• 9:45
  It's just there, unless, of course the music's been edited together,
• 9:48
  which does happen quite a lot.
• 9:49
  And then of course we have to send the file over as a link, but that's, you
• 9:53
  know, that's, that's no problem at all.
• 9:54
  So the whole technology side of things has changed massively.
• 9:57
  And how could people communicate?
• 9:58
  Of course, back then it would've been everyone's on a laptop or.
• 10:03
  A physical computer, but now everyone's on their phone, so that,
• 10:07
  that's been a big change as well.
• 10:09
  Becca: So how have you managed to keep up with the changes?
• 10:11
  Because that's one thing people get scared about, that they'll start
• 10:14
  a business, they'll understand it, and then things will change and
• 10:16
  they won't understand it anymore.
• 10:17
  What have you done personally to make sure you're keeping up and understanding
• 10:21
  where you should be taking your business?
• 10:23
  Amy: Hmm.
• 10:24
  So that's a good question.
• 10:25
  I'm not sure I'm brilliant at that to be honest with you because I you
• 10:29
  know when social media started and I was like, oh no, I'm not doing that.
• 10:33
  And then you realize you do need to.
• 10:35
  And then when Instagram came same, and now here I am knowing I should
• 10:38
  be on TikTok, but I'm thinking, oh no, I'm in my mid forties.
• 10:41
  I can't be on TikTok.
• 10:42
  But you just have to get over that and roll with the times, don't you?
• 10:45
  So I think just, yeah, just that.
• 10:47
  Just thinking you need to keep going with it.
• 10:49
  You know, when websites started becoming mobile thinking, you've
• 10:53
  got to have your website redesigned.
• 10:55
  You can't just sit back thinking, oh, it'll be fine.
• 10:58
  They'll just go to their laptop one day.
• 10:59
  You need your mobile, your website to be mobilized and, and being aware
• 11:03
  of how people look for you as well.
• 11:05
  So, if you go onto your Google Analytics, for example, you can see the
• 11:08
  date, the, the times of the week that people are more likely to be looking.
• 11:12
  And for me, I can tell it is basically people who are working because they're
• 11:16
  looking at their lunchtimes and they're looking in the evenings and
• 11:19
  it's thinking what's their life like?
• 11:21
  How can I make myself visible to them when.
• 11:24
  Looking for me, which is very different to before, because back then you'd
• 11:28
  just be, I'm on Google, you come to me whenever you are ready, . So that's,
• 11:32
  that's probably a consideration.
• 11:34
  But I must, I do need to get better at moving, moving further with the times
• 11:38
  and keeping up because it's so important with all the different algorithms
• 11:41
  changing and different versions of things.
• 11:43
  If you sit in your laurel the world will overtake you and your competitors will
• 11:48
  keep up and then you'll be left behind.
• 11:50
  Becca: Yeah, I think that's a really important point actually, that
• 11:52
  if we sit on our laurels and just keep doing the same old things that
• 11:55
  we've always done, you're right.
• 11:56
  Our competitors will take us over.
• 11:58
  So how do you keep engaged?
• 12:00
  Do you look at what your competitors are doing?
• 12:02
  Do you try and stay on your own lane?
• 12:03
  Do you do a bit of both?
• 12:04
  How does that work?
• 12:06
  Amy: I do try and stay on my own lane, to be honest with you,
• 12:08
  because I'm doing what I'm doing and they're doing what they're doing.
• 12:11
  So it's a very different thing and, and the couples can make their choice of
• 12:15
  which ones they think resonates more with them and which is the right one to do.
• 12:19
  I think it's really important to think about your own branding and
• 12:23
  your own skillset and your own ideas.
• 12:26
  And go along with it like that.
• 12:28
  I remember a time, maybe six, seven years ago where I realized that all of the
• 12:33
  websites of my main, there aren't many of us, but my main competitors all purple.
• 12:37
  And at that point I was like, when I, my new website was coming up and I thought,
• 12:42
  I need to do a different, I need to totally change this because there'll be
• 12:46
  confusion with which company is which.
• 12:48
  So you need to change that so that it's not purple anymore.
• 12:52
  Becca: I love that we shouldn't be frightened of our competitors either.
• 12:55
  There's an exercise.
• 12:56
  No, definitely not.
• 12:57
  There's an exercise that I like to do with people sometimes where
• 12:59
  I say, look at your competitors.
• 13:01
  Look at what they do better than you, and then make sure you learn how to do that
• 13:05
  better, and look at what you do better than them and use that as your marketing.
• 13:09
  There's no need to be scared of your competitors at all, so no,
• 13:13
  Amy: no, no, no.
• 13:14
  In fact, you can work together.
• 13:15
  I have.
• 13:16
  There's this lovely.
• 13:17
  To, I've never met her, but we have a really nice relationship
• 13:20
  on, on, on messaging each other.
• 13:22
  And if there's ever a situation where I can't fulfill a client's needs, I don't
• 13:26
  know, maybe the dance teacher in their local area is on maternity leave and I
• 13:30
  haven't got a replacement at that time.
• 13:32
  I will literally say, Email my competitor, because at the end of the day, what's
• 13:36
  most important is the customer service.
• 13:38
  That the client gets what they want.
• 13:39
  And this client wants dance lessons and I can't, I can't give that to them.
• 13:42
  So if I refer them to a lady who I know who I really like her work, I really trust
• 13:47
  her to to give the client a good service.
• 13:49
  And of course, it works backwards.
• 13:50
  So when she can't do that, she then sends clients my way as well.
• 13:53
  So it works really.
• 13:54
  Becca: Yeah, that's so important.
• 13:56
  Now when we talk about your business journey, we can
• 13:58
  make it sound really simple.
• 13:59
  You just went from here to there and then it's all been rosy.
• 14:03
  I'm sure that's not the truth.
• 14:04
  So has there been things over the years that have been a
• 14:08
  challenge of being self-employed?
• 14:09
  What are the things that have you found the hardest?
• 14:12
  Amy: Yeah, so there are, yeah, of course everyone, everyone who self-employed
• 14:15
  has challenges and, you know, family life and time and having babies that
• 14:19
  really makes it more difficult to put time into your business, but also for my
• 14:23
  particular business as the seasons go by.
• 14:26
  So it's very, very seasonal, busier in the summer, which is obviously what
• 14:29
  you'd expect in the wedding industry.
• 14:31
  But still, people get married all year round.
• 14:33
  And for me, my dance teachers, they're.
• 14:36
  Very different.
• 14:36
  So some of them might have their dance schools, and so they teach this, they
• 14:40
  work for me alongside their dance schools.
• 14:42
  Some of them might be mums and so they work part-time and they teach here.
• 14:46
  Some of them will be teachers, dance teachers in schools.
• 14:48
  Some of them will be West End dancers.
• 14:50
  And so they'll, they'll only work for me when they're not in a performance run.
• 14:55
  Some will be on cruise ships and so they'll come when they get back.
• 14:57
  So it's, it's that ebb and flow of what people are doing and where people are
• 15:01
  based and keeping up with everybody.
• 15:03
  But also things like, for example, Christmas is a really big thing in
• 15:07
  the dance industry because there's lots of Christmas shows, there's lots
• 15:09
  of pantomimes things like performers, elves in grottos, that kind of thing.
• 15:14
  A lot of dancers will, will do that at Christmas.
• 15:16
  So you have this workforce that suddenly, Between sort of like
• 15:20
  November and December, they're just not available because they've got
• 15:22
  a full-time contract for pantomime.
• 15:24
  So it's kind of dealing with that and knowing it's gonna happen and
• 15:28
  then making adjustments accordingly.
• 15:31
  Becca: Yeah, so it's not always plain sailing.
• 15:33
  There's always difficulties in business.
• 15:35
  Yeah.
• 15:35
  But what do you think are the best things about being self-employed?
• 15:37
  What have you loved about taking that leap and having your own control over your.
• 15:42
  Amy: I think it's the sense of satisfaction of knowing
• 15:45
  that you've made that happen.
• 15:46
  My favorite thing is when a couple will, after they've got married,
• 15:49
  they'll send me, hopefully, I love when they do photos, videos, messages.
• 15:55
  And when that email pops through and you open up those pictures,
• 15:57
  it's just, it's just brilliant.
• 15:59
  I love it.
• 16:00
  And I love hearing all their stories about their wedding day and how it went
• 16:04
  and how they found everything and how much they enjoyed their dance lessons
• 16:08
  and all of that, I think is the most, is the best part, is it's why I do it.
• 16:12
  And I think when you're employed, you, you, you, obviously you would have
• 16:16
  job satisfaction too depending on what you're doing, but I just think you
• 16:18
  don't have the same ownership of it.
• 16:20
  Becca: Yeah, that's so true.
• 16:21
  And also it shows that you've solved that problem that Right.
• 16:23
  Way back at the start you were wanting to solve, which was stopping people shuffling
• 16:28
  around awkwardly on a dance floor,
• 16:30
  Amy: Yeah.
• 16:31
  Getting awkward.
• 16:32
  Becca: Exactly.
• 16:33
  So obviously you've been in business a long time.
• 16:36
  You've talked about keeping up with the trends, so you obviously think personal
• 16:39
  development is important in your business.
• 16:42
  We talked, I talked in the intro about how you joined the
• 16:45
  members lounge earlier this year.
• 16:46
  So what things do you do in your business to keep on top of things, to make
• 16:51
  sure you are doing your own personal development and training, and what have
• 16:54
  you got out of being part of that group?
• 16:56
  Amy: Yeah.
• 16:57
  Well, I, yeah, I think educating yourself is the best way that you can to set
• 17:02
  those footprints to your own success.
• 17:05
  The more you.
• 17:06
  The more knowledge you have, the more you can not make mistakes because you have
• 17:10
  the foresight of, of what's going on.
• 17:12
  And also when you, I find anyway that when I do a training session,
• 17:16
  hear somebody speak, for example, you had that lovely man on yesterday
• 17:19
  about branding from Airbnb.
• 17:21
  Different ideas come into your mind.
• 17:23
  And also it's just, I find it very motivational as well
• 17:25
  to learn new things and to.
• 17:28
  We could do this, could do that.
• 17:29
  And even if it doesn't really apply to you, it's still interesting in
• 17:32
  what the people around you are doing as well, other people in the group.
• 17:35
  Becca: Yeah, I agree.
• 17:36
  It's so important to keep on learning and sometimes you think, I don't need
• 17:39
  this, and then you just take a little nugget away that leads to something
• 17:42
  else and makes one small change, and then you think, oh yeah, I'm
• 17:44
  really glad I listened to that now.
• 17:46
  Yeah.
• 17:46
  So in terms of being self-employed, I know one thing people struggle with
• 17:50
  is that sense of loneliness being.
• 17:53
  Being in your own head all of the time.
• 17:55
  Yeah.
• 17:55
  What have you done over the years to make sure that you've got
• 17:58
  people around, you got community?
• 18:01
  How have you made that work?
• 18:02
  Amy: Well, to be honest with you, for years and years and
• 18:04
  years, it was like it is lonely.
• 18:06
  It was lonely.
• 18:07
  Especially in the early days before social media, there wasn't, there weren't ways,
• 18:11
  I didn't know, anyway, to kind of branch out to other people in the industry.
• 18:15
  I mean, there was local networking and I did try that, but when you
• 18:18
  go along and you're spending.
• 18:20
  Your work time talking to people who are not in your industry.
• 18:24
  It isn't massively beneficial to you, but going but that, but now these days
• 18:29
  it's so easy to connect with people in the industry, obviously by your group.
• 18:33
  And for example, last week in Birmingham there was this, you set up this brilliant
• 18:38
  networking event in In the Cube, which was just a fabulous place to visit, wasn't it?
• 18:43
  And it's just brilliant to go along and meet people in the wedding industry,
• 18:46
  and I think especially post covid.
• 18:48
  That's something I'm really, really, really enjoying and I kind of
• 18:51
  didn't realize how much I missed it until we've got it back again.
• 18:55
  Becca: Yeah, I'm definitely all about the in person events at the moment.
• 18:58
  It's so much better to be in person and if you are listening to this and you are
• 19:02
  thinking, oh, I just wish I could find.
• 19:03
  Some other people in the industry, just get onto social media, get onto Google
• 19:07
  and search, because there will be groups.
• 19:09
  There's my groups, but there'll be other groups.
• 19:11
  There might be groups that meet in your local area.
• 19:13
  There might be conferences coming up in your local area for the wedding industry.
• 19:17
  So just search them out.
• 19:19
  Look and even if you wanna post in one of my groups and ask if there's anyone local
• 19:22
  to you to meet up with for a coffee, I'm more than happy for people to do that.
• 19:27
  So as business owners, Amy, we talked about the juggle.
• 19:30
  Life is one big juggle.
• 19:32
  You've got small children.
• 19:33
  The whole thing is a juggle.
• 19:35
  How are you managing to keep life and business going?
• 19:40
  ? Amy: That's a very good question.
• 19:42
  I have a lot of lists.
• 19:43
  I think most working mums do.
• 19:46
  It's a case of prioritizing, isn't it?
• 19:48
  And thinking, what do I have to do right now that is the
• 19:50
  most important thing to do?
• 19:52
  And not being distracted by things which seem like they're really
• 19:56
  important at that moment in time.
• 19:57
  But actually the the most important thing you're trying to get done.
• 20:01
  You don't get done because these little things that are kind of nagging at you.
• 20:05
  But it is, it is tricky.
• 20:07
  But I think just trying to be as focused as possible and trying to be as organized
• 20:11
  as possible is the way forwards.
• 20:13
  And using things that you can to make that happen, like scheduling
• 20:16
  social media posts, using your out of office so people you know, so
• 20:20
  you can communicate and then people.
• 20:23
  What's going on?
• 20:23
  I think communication is so important because the better you can
• 20:26
  communicate, that's the best way to avoid miscommunication and conflicts
• 20:30
  and things going wrong, basically.
• 20:31
  So all about communication, scheduling, I'm remembering to take time out for
• 20:35
  yourself as well and not thinking I must work every night because,
• 20:39
  you know, because I should And thinking about working smart and
• 20:42
  that's rather than working hard.
• 20:44
  Becca: You're so right because as entrepreneurs we are the worst at working
• 20:48
  all of the hours and not taking enough breaks, which brings me nicely on to
• 20:52
  one of my favorite segments on the podcast when I interview people, which
• 20:56
  is all about wedding pros chilling out.
• 20:58
  So what I'd love to know, Amy, from you, is what do you do in your life
• 21:03
  to try and get away from business and have some time for yourself?
• 21:07
  Amy: That's a very good question.
• 21:09
  So, and this, this probably sounds really silly, but I think generally everyone's
• 21:13
  very, very busy and I find I'm in the car, I'm here, I'm there, I'm grabbing
• 21:16
  shopping the errands, the running, the children, the the doing this, doing that.
• 21:20
  And I find just being able to go for a walk seems like a massive privilege.
• 21:25
  It sounds really silly, but just to have.
• 21:27
  Time just to have a short walk.
• 21:29
  I find it just clears your head.
• 21:30
  It makes you feel so much more energized.
• 21:32
  I used to be thinking I should be, I should be running, I should be exercising.
• 21:36
  And it's took me years and years to realize my body is
• 21:38
  not made for running at all.
• 21:40
  But when I walk, it just makes me feel really, really energized and calm.
• 21:45
  And I love arriving at a place where I've just walked there and just so.
• 21:50
  Just relaxed and ready for the moment, whereas in and out the car, or, or
• 21:54
  just, you know, going of a weekend, going somewhere beautiful and having
• 21:57
  a lovely walk in the sunshine.
• 21:59
  It's.
• 22:00
  I find that really relaxing.
• 22:02
  But then of course that is quite a tricky thing to do when you have a family.
• 22:05
  So we like playing games.
• 22:07
  So things like, my kids have got a switch and there's a game called
• 22:10
  Just Dance, where you all hold this little controller thing and you
• 22:12
  all follow the same dance routine.
• 22:14
  And I find for us as a family, that's a really good way to relax.
• 22:18
  Cause everyone's just focusing.
• 22:19
  On the same thing at the same time.
• 22:21
  And once you do meet, you don't think about anything else.
• 22:23
  So, so for us, yeah, walking and playing a computer game is kinda the best of it.
• 22:29
  Becca: I, I'm totally on board with that.
• 22:32
  We love a bit of just dance in my household as well, but I get far
• 22:37
  too competitive and then one of my children ends up crying cause I
• 22:40
  keep beating them all of the time.
• 22:44
  So do you still dance?
• 22:45
  Do you still dance for yourself?
• 22:46
  Do you dance to relax?
• 22:48
  Cause one of the things that I find for myself is being involved still
• 22:51
  in performance, singing, dancing, really takes me to another world.
• 22:54
  Do you get the opportunity to do that anymore?
• 22:56
  Amy: I don't dance to be honest with you, but I would love to.
• 22:57
  I live in quite a small town and there isn't.
• 23:00
  There is.
• 23:00
  There is.
• 23:01
  There is.
• 23:01
  There is a dance class I could go to, but at the same time, I'm also
• 23:04
  taking my daughter to another dance class, so I can't go to that one.
• 23:07
  But no, I would love, and I keep, it's actually my new resolution
• 23:10
  to get myself to dance classes.
• 23:12
  I'd have to travel a bit for it because it's doing something for you, isn't it?
• 23:15
  And.
• 23:16
  Taking time out and doing something for you, and especially
• 23:18
  when it's an exercise thing.
• 23:19
  So, no, I wish I did have more time, but I do, I do really love visiting the
• 23:24
  theater, which I, which I do have more time for than actually dancing myself.
• 23:27
  I recently saw the musical six.
• 23:29
  I don't know if you've seen that one.
• 23:30
  It's just amazing.
• 23:32
  Becca: I haven't seen it, but it's on my list to see because I
• 23:34
  absolutely love the soundtrack.
• 23:36
  Amy: Yeah.
• 23:37
  Yes, yes, yes.
• 23:38
  It's very, very good.
• 23:39
  Becca: Well, I'm gonna hold you accountable to the Amy for the new year
• 23:41
  to go out and find yourself dance class, because honestly, my New Year's resolution
• 23:45
  last year was to start my singing lessons back up and it's been so wonderful to
• 23:50
  just get out my house, sing, and then come home again and get back into life.
• 23:55
  So it's some really good self care.
• 23:56
  So get yourself along to a class and let me know when you've done.
• 23:59
  Amy: I will, I definitely will.
• 24:01
  Becca: Now, in those other times when we're not out doing classes and we're
• 24:04
  just sat in front of the TV and we're watching Netflix, we're sharing on
• 24:08
  the podcast at the moment, things that we're watching on Netflix so that we
• 24:11
  can find, help other people find through that catalog of what to watch next.
• 24:15
  So what are you into at the moment?
• 24:16
  What are you watching on tv?
• 24:18
  Amy: So right now it's strictly season, so I must admit.
• 24:23
  I've not watched Netflix in a while because I'm quite into strictly.
• 24:27
  I really enjoy it.
• 24:28
  And of course it's on every day, isn't it?
• 24:30
  So you've got, you know, you've got the live show Saturday, the results
• 24:32
  on Sunday, and then all through the week on channel two you've
• 24:34
  got that other program takes two.
• 24:37
  So I'm afraid I haven't actually watched Netflix in some time because, Of that.
• 24:41
  But you know what?
• 24:42
  Come the final I'll be, I'll be clicking away.
• 24:45
  What next?
• 24:45
  What next?
• 24:46
  What can I watch now?
• 24:47
  So yeah, I'm afraid.
• 24:48
  I haven't actually watched Netflix in a while, but I've really been
• 24:50
  enjoying this season of strictly.
• 24:52
  Becca: Well, if people are looking for something to watch, they could catch
• 24:54
  up on all the episodes of strictly.
• 24:56
  They're still all on.
• 24:57
  iPlayer
• 24:58
  Amy: Oh, so many.
• 24:59
  So many.
• 24:59
  I send you to come as well because, well, we've.
• 25:02
  The big Blackpool one this weekend, which is always a good week.
• 25:04
  Becca: Oh, yes.
• 25:05
  So I worked on strictly, I don't know if I've ever told you that, but
• 25:08
  Amy: I didn't know that.
• 25:09
  No, I didn't know that.
• 25:10
  Yes.
• 25:10
  What, what, when was that?
• 25:11
  Becca: Oh, it was many, many, many years ago.
• 25:13
  When Gary Rhodes the chef was on it.
• 25:15
  That's one of the only people I can remember was on it.
• 25:17
  Amy: Oh, that's one of the early, early.
• 25:20
  Becca: Yes.
• 25:21
  Yeah.
• 25:21
  But what I discovered when I worked there, which you probably know and everyone else
• 25:24
  probably knows as well, is the reason they go to Blackpool every year for once one
• 25:29
  show a a series, is so that they can get out of the studio for children in need.
• 25:35
  Amy: Oh, I did not know that There go, but that does make sense.
• 25:38
  Cause that's tomorrow, isn't it?
• 25:39
  Yeah.
• 25:40
  Becca: There you go.
• 25:41
  You got some insider knowledge.
• 25:42
  Now they have to clear the, they have to clear the studio for children in
• 25:45
  need and that's why they always go to Blackpool on the children in need weekend.
• 25:49
  Amy: I see, I see.
• 25:51
  Oh, that's good.
• 25:51
  That works well for everyone then, because it does kind of make a nice break to the
• 25:54
  series to go to that incredible ballroom.
• 25:56
  You can always, you can dance on any floor, but when you're
• 25:59
  dancing on the sprung floor, it just feels and looks amazing.
• 26:02
  I don't, so if you're watching strictly and you see that Blackpool and have a
• 26:06
  look at their feet, because you'll see they're just, they're really bouncing off
• 26:09
  of that floor because it's so well sprung.
• 26:11
  Becca: Love that, that's such a dance geeky chat that we've just had.
• 26:14
  But I, I'm here for it and I know that lots of my listeners.
• 26:17
  So into musical theater and dancing.
• 26:19
  So if you're not, just bear with us.
• 26:21
  We just enjoyed talking about that strictly.
• 26:23
  It's a great show and you should definitely be watching it.
• 26:25
  Okay, Amy, before I let you go, I always end my interviews with the same question,
• 26:30
  which is, what is one thing you wish you'd known sooner in your business?
• 26:35
  Amy: Okay, this is quite boring, but ages.
• 26:38
  I didn't realize the importance of the bounce rate.
• 26:42
  So how many people leave your website and I think from.
• 26:48
  For investigating that you can, you can learn so much about the
• 26:51
  patterns of behavior, of how people are finding you and also
• 26:56
  what they're not liking about you.
• 26:59
  So for example, I remember years ago I had a Google ads.
• 27:03
  Campaign set up.
• 27:04
  And it was running and it was running and I wasn't unhappy with it.
• 27:07
  But I went to, I basically went to a training session to learn a bit
• 27:10
  of all maps, seo and the bounce rate was, was explained to me.
• 27:15
  Of course, I went, went home, looked at my Google Analytics, looked at all
• 27:19
  these things, looked at my bounce rate, and I was absolutely horrified to see
• 27:22
  that I'd actually been paying for.
• 27:24
  A campaign that had a massive, massive bounce rate of such a waste of money,
• 27:29
  and that would work, you know, with all different sorts of campaigns or any
• 27:32
  kind of marketing that you do, unless you keep an eye on that bounce rate,
• 27:35
  you could put all your efforts into something that just isn't working for you.
• 27:39
  Cuz people are looking at that and going, Nope, I don't like that.
• 27:41
  and just jumping off straight away.
• 27:43
  So now that I understand that, that's made a big difference to what I do.
• 27:47
  Knowing to put my efforts into what I know people will stay on my website for,
• 27:51
  which is a better use of my time as.
• 27:55
  Becca: That's a really interesting point.
• 27:56
  So if anyone listening that doesn't know what a bounce rate is, it's the
• 27:59
  people that just come to your website and then bounce straight off, which
• 28:02
  is why it's called a bounce rate, and they basically leave straight away.
• 28:05
  And you can find that inside of your Google Analytics.
• 28:08
  So I would recommend if you get a chance to go on your Google Analytics,
• 28:11
  just like Amy said, go and have a look at your bounce rate and if it.
• 28:14
  Is exceptionally high, then maybe have a think about why that is.
• 28:17
  And actually, Amy, maybe that would be a great thing for me to get someone into
• 28:20
  the members lounge to talk about Yes.
• 28:22
  Yeah.
• 28:22
  How to improve your bounce rate.
• 28:24
  Yeah.
• 28:24
  Amy: Yeah, absolutely.
• 28:25
  And then if you learn a bit more about analytics, you have to, you know, play
• 28:28
  around with a bit and get to know it.
• 28:29
  You can actually find out, you can match it against other categories and you
• 28:33
  can find out of the people that bounce.
• 28:36
  Where they've come from first as well.
• 28:38
  So then you know not to invest in those places where the branch rate is highest.
• 28:44
  It's, it's really interesting, but it's quite technical and quite detailed and
• 28:47
  it's the kind of thing that you do need a bit of training on to understand.
• 28:50
  But then once you do, It's, it's invaluable to the success
• 28:54
  of your future business.
• 28:55
  Incredible.
• 28:56
  Becca: And I am now gonna go and find an expert to talk to us in the
• 28:59
  members lounge about that very subject.
• 29:00
  Cause I think that would be really helpful for lots and lots of people.
• 29:04
  Amy, it's been a pleasure to chat to you on the podcast today.
• 29:06
  If people wanna find out more about you or get in touch, where's the
• 29:09
  best place for them to find you?
• 29:11
  Amy: So on my website, which is wedding day dance uk.co.uk, or you can email me.
• 29:18
  The address is Amy Wedding Day dance uk.co uk, and there's Instagram as well and a
• 29:25
  little bit of Facebook and not yet TikTok.
• 29:30
  Becca: Maybe one day TikTok.
• 29:31
  We can just Google.
• 29:32
  Google the company and amazing.
• 29:34
  I will put the links to all of those things in the show notes below the
• 29:37
  episode, and I'm sure you're more than happy for people to reach out if they've
• 29:40
  got questions or they wanna work with you.
• 29:41
  Amy: Yeah, that would be amazing.
• 29:43
  I would love that
• 29:44
  . Becca: Fabulous.
• 29:45
  Amy, it's been a pleasure.
• 29:46
  I look forward to catching up with you again soon.
• 29:48
  Thanks for today.
• 29:49
  Amy: Thanks, Becca.
• 29:50
  That was wonderful.
• 29:50
  Thank you.
• 29:51
  Bye.
• 29:52
  Becca: Really love that conversation with Amy today.
• 29:54
  Hopefully you found it inspiring too, and who would've known the Google
• 29:57
  bounce rate could be so interesting.
• 29:59
  Highly recommend you go and check.
• 30:01
  Out that one.
• 30:02
  If you're interested in being part of a community with myself and Amy's in
• 30:05
  there too, then why not go and check out the Wedding Pro member's lounge?
• 30:08
  I'd love to welcome you into our community.
• 30:10
  If you're a wedding pro anywhere in the UK or around the world and you want
• 30:14
  like-minded professionals to network with, chat with, grow With, cry with, and great
• 30:19
  business training every single month, then go and take a look in the show notes.
• 30:22
  I'll see you next week.