Photo courtesy of Ariel Nay Nebeker

Today, Tara Bliven, Owner of Ephemera Inc. (a LIBERATED letterpress company), shares what custom stationery really is and how it can add value to your client’s wedding experience.

The difference between custom stationery, ‘ready-to-mail’ stationery OR design book stationery, and DIY…

Ready to Mail / Design Book Stationery:

Your client browses through big binders full of invitation options at a retail stationery shop.  Many print methods, design styles and price ranges are represented.  Your client personalizes their favorite with a preferred color and type style, but for the most part the designs are sold as-is.

The perfect fit: This works well for the couple who wants a faster turnaround.

Not so perfect: A couple who places a high priority on stationery may want more customization than the design books can offer.

DIY:

Your client conceives and designs everything.  They choose and purchase the paper.  They print everything at home, work, or maybe a copy shop.  They cut.  Glue.  Collate. Assemble. Embellish. Stuff. Seal. Stamp. Address. Eventually they sleep!

The perfect fit: A masochist. Just kidding!  Someone who enjoys crafting and has an eye for design will probably get a lot of satisfaction from DIY.

Not so perfect: Someone solely looking to save money.  There are easier ways to save money.  If the client has little experience with craft projects or is short on patience, it will be worth their sanity to pay someone (anyone!) to take care of this for them.

Custom Stationery:

Your client works one-on-one with a designer who can take the couple’s personality, their vision for the day, all the little logistical details, wave a magic wand and produce the perfect stationery.  Although different companies may have specialties (for example: I do letterpress, calligraphy, and all my own illustrations), in general, the sky’s the limit!

The perfect fit: A couple who has a particular message, or theme they want to impart to their guests – maybe there is a lot of symbolism, or they have a certain story they need to tell.  A custom stationer can make it happen.

Not so perfect: Someone on a tight budget or in a rush.  Custom takes time (and time is money).

You will know custom stationery is for the client when…

The couple just LOOOOVES paper, or loves packaging, or says they’re into “branding.”  Maybe the bride is super sentimental and keeps every invitation and card she’s ever received. If they have a unique story of how they met that they want to tell.  Perhaps the event itself is a little complex – lots of information to impart.  Sometimes the couple knows just what they want, but they haven’t seen it out there.

The value that a custom stationer will bring to the wedding…

My favorite thing is when a client reports back that they have gotten so many phone calls, emails, texts, Facebook messages – you name it – all squealing with delight over how perfect the save the date or invitation was.  I think this feedback is awesome (and not even because of my ego, but) because it means I’ve helped generate excitement.  Because we made something custom – something PERFECT for the couple — their guest opens that envelope and knows just what she’s in store for – and she likes what she sees.  So much so, that she calls the couple.  Then the couple gets excited that everyone’s excited.  Getting married is a big deal.  Excitement is good.

Thanks Tara!

Join us on Tuesday… Jessie Blum of Eclectic Unions shares why having a professional officiant is very important.

Today, Debbie Orwat, Owner of Save the Date Events and Creator of Planner’s Lounge, shares what a Wedding Planner really does and how he or she adds value to your client’s wedding experience.

How to know that a bride could use a wedding planner…

It’s actually fairly easy to tell when a bride would benefit from having a professional planner. Here are some signs:

• If the bride or groom appear stressed or overwhelmed by the planning or design process, they would benefit from some professional help. Just a few hours with a professional planner can get help the couple pull together an overall design, create a task list or get organized.
• If you have clients who work a lot, have busy careers or who are not that interested in wedding planning, recommending a professional planner is a great option. The planner can take the lead and manage the process so the clients can choose to be involved in only the details that interest them.
• If a bride is calling you frequently or seems to be “freaking out”, she would benefit from having an experienced planner help her out and calm her nerves.
• If any parents are involved and there are challenging relationship dynamics, a wedding planner can be a neutral third party who handles the planning process and communication related to the wedding.
• A couple having a destination wedding will always benefit from hiring an event planner who knows the area, understands the logistics of their venue and who has worked with local vendors.
• The couple wants a designer wedding but they do not have natural design ability. A talented event stylist or event designer can create and pull together styles that are beyond what most people can imagine.

Questions that you can ask before referring a wedding planner…

Simply ask, “Have you hired a wedding planner or coordinator yet?” or

“Who will be in charge of the wedding day schedule and logistics?” or
“Do you have a professional helping you with the planning?”

If they have not hired anyone, this is the perfect time for a vendor to make a few recommendations for local wedding planners.

The value that an experienced planner can bring to the wedding…

An experience professional planner knows all the nuances of weddings. They have worked with many local vendors and can match the bride and groom with the reputable professionals who fit their style, budget and personality. This alone can save couples 25+ hours of research and meetings to find their vendors.

A planner can keep the couple organized and on track with planning tasks and vendor payments.

An experienced planner can project accurate budget numbers based on what clients want. A good planner can tell clients when their expectations don’t match the budget they have.  Experienced planners can also advise couples on where to splurge and where to save so they can have the biggest impact with their budget.

An event designer or wedding planner can create the wedding day that is truly based on their client’s personality and style.  Planners know how to pull out ideas and visions from clients then create their dream event.

Thanks Debbie!

Join us tomorrow… Tara Bliven of Ephemera Inc. shares information on how to refer custom stationery to your clients.

I think that there are few segments of our market that don’t get enough referrals (wedding planners and videographers).  A large part of the challenge is that we simply don’t know enough about what they do, the value they bring, and how to talk about their services.  I want to teach you on how to educate your clients on these other individuals and what they can bring to a wedding.  Over the next few posts I’m asking a few different wedding pros to share tips on how to refer a bride and/or groom to them.

I’ll start out with 5 Rules for Giving Good Referrals:

1. Build your team.  NETWORK with all wedding pros so that you can learn whom to refer to your client and for which type of event.
2. Be a problem solver.  I like to refer individuals because I like to find solutions for people.  When I sense that client is overwhelmed, I can help them by referring a wedding planner.  I’m always looking out for my client’s well-being.
3. Be an expert.  By connecting a client with another wedding pro, you are showing your expertise.  The client has a need and you know the wedding industry and the people in it.  It’s your expertise.  Share your knowledge with them.
4. Be a matchmaker.  Referring someone isn’t about passing out names for any photographer to any client.  Find out what the client is looking for and make the best match with the photographer that fits their needs.  (This is why rule #1 above is so important.)
5. LISTEN!  Your client may express frustrations in the planning process.  LISTEN!  They may blatantly say that they are having a hard time finding a DJ for the wedding day.  Or, that they aren’t finding what they need for wedding invites.  Pay attention or you may miss out.

Come back tomorrow!  Debbie Orwat of Planner’s Lounge is going to share her tips on how to refer a wedding planner to your client.

Astrid Mueller
Astrid Mueller Boutique Branding
www.AstridMuellerBoutiqueBranding.com
Established 2009
Designing since 2005

What is your design specialty?  What are you known for?

Passionately illustrating and designing for brides and wedding professionals.

Describe your design style.  How do you get inspiration?

When designing for brides, I draw inspiration from the couple, their unique story and taste. When working with wedding professionals, my inspiration lies in their brand, goals and ideal customers. I’m passionate about getting to the essence of a brand and what really makes someone’s company unique, and I make it a point to speak with each client personally before I start to design. To me, being attracted to a brand can be compared to liking a person. When we meet someone, we like to know who they are, where they come from, who they associate with, and how (or if) we feel connected to them (the soul of a brand). Whether we’re aware of this or not, we usually notice much more than the outer appearance of a person (brand design): what ultimately makes us like someone are our emotional antennae about who this person really is, inside and out.

Knowing this very valuable insider information about a brand is what inspires me to design for my clients, and allows me to create designs that emotionally appeal to their ideal customers.

What is the process like to work with you?  What should a client expect when they hire you to do their branding?

First, I give interested clients a complimentary brand questionnaire and design need form, to see where they stand and how I may be able to help. Sometimes my customers already know very clearly what their brand is all about, and it already has the WOW factor that appeals to their ideal audience. Usually though, when business professionals approach me, they sense that something is missing in their brand presentation. They may say “it’s not me”. In these instances, I’m happy to help them in finding the uniqueness of their brand, and in working out a strategy with them.

I love brainstorming with my customers to get to the essence of what makes their brand special. It has happened to me many times that after about an hour or so into a consulting call, suddenly this little gem pops up, this special bit of information about them, which can help them have a very unique brand presentation when used in their communication. I love discovering such treasures, and get all excited for my customers when that happens!

After this initial and most important brand definition phase, I start the design process. To read more and see visual examples of how I work, visit http://www.astridmuellerboutiquebranding.com/process.

Give 3 tips on what a small business should do before they hire a designer.

1. Reflect on what you are really passionate about and good at, and who may really benefit of what you have to offer. Think big! If anything were possible, in an ideal world, what would you love to do? Who would you love to serve, and how can you make them feel good? What is their emotional benefit when they buy from you?
2. Define the essence and soul of your brand. Visit my website and download my free brand questionnaire­ that can help you get started and inspire you.
3. Find a designer who understands the value of defining your own brand. Someone who will ask the right questions that bring out what’s unique about you. Someone who “gets your brand” from an emotional viewpoint before they start to design. You need to convey that emotion in your brand design to connect with your ideal customers.

Featured work from Astrid Mueller Boutique Branding…

Brand re-design for Brokeassbride.com

When Dana approached me, she wanted to update her brand, to really make it POP! She was looking for a retro-inspired, upbeat, and whimsical design, with bold fresh colors. She already had an illustration character for her brand at the time, but was looking for a new design that felt more like her, and resembled her more.

Design services: Illustration character, blog re-design guidelines with color palette recommendation, new header, logo, and background image. Additional illustration of her and her husband Hunter, for use in a eco-chic magazine (adaptation to green), advertising buttons, social media icon, business cards and more.

Brand re-design for ParisianEvents.com

In 2011, I had the opportunity to meet wedding designer Kim Petyt from Parisian Events in Paris. I had illustrated for her blog before, and was dying to finally meet her in person! As we had coffee and macaroons at Ladurée (swoon, right?), she confessed that a friend had designed her current website, and that she felt like it needed an update. As we were speaking, I realized that Kim sometimes attracted customers who didn’t really make her happy, and that she in fact had an amazing design sensibility which wasn’t reflected in her website and brand design at the time! I love such projects, and was super excited when she commissioned me to re-design her brand!

Services: Brand definition consulting, logo refinement, business card design, website design, blog header design update to mesh with her new website and brand.

Brand re-design for StellaAndMoscha.com

Moscha Chanioti runs a family-owned wedding design business on the beautiful Greek Island Santorini, together with her sister and mother. When she reached out to me, they had been in business for several years, but competitors had started to enter the market, and they wanted to stand out from their peers. They were ready for a modernized, unique, brand that would really set them apart. As I viewed Moscha’s event design portfolio and the high-end Santorini designer hotels they are working with, I saw so much talent – their then-current website wasn’t doing them justice yet at all! I was really looking forward to helping them reflect their talent and unique brand offering in a new, custom-tailored brand design and website. To peek at the design process in this project, view the brand design concepts I created for StellaAndMoscha here.

Services: Brand definition consulting, brand name consulting, brand design concepts, illustrations to convey the emotion of the brand to the ideal brides, typography and color concepts, logo design, website and blog design, social media icons and backgrounds, and more.

Image: Creative Commons

I hired my first employee in 2006, two years into my business.  At that point, I was working full throttle on my invitation business and I knew I needed help with invite assembly.  I was making some money and I had management experience, so I wasn’t too scared of taking someone on, BUT I didn’t want to jump in 100%.

I decided to hire a college student for 5 hours a week to test the waters.  I wanted to know:

a) how much work could someone relieve me of with 5 hours a week
b) how I would train this person
c) what it was like to have an employee

Why only 5 hours/week?

I decided 5 hours a week was a good test.  It wasn’t too costly and it would allow me some much-needed help while I built systems around this new hire and their responsibilities.  It wasn’t a huge risk that would leave me in a big financial pinch.  I decided that a college-aged student would be the best fit for this job because I wanted to be able to train them in the ways of my business and not have any expectations for the job being more than just a 5-hour/week job.  I didn’t feel the pressure to feed this person’s family or pay them a huge salary.  I also wanted some green enough to have a deep desire to learn because I love to teach.  (And if you are thinking of hiring, you need to consider how much like you like teaching.)

Sapphire was my first hire and she was AWESOME.  I hired her based on the qualities that I saw in her: reliability, eagerness to learn, problem-solving and sunny disposition.  She loved paper crafting as a hobby and I knew she’d want to learn more.  She’d had some tough jobs so I knew that the repetition and tediousness of assembly would not wear her out.

And, the experience was FANTASTIC!

What I gained from having a 5-Hour assistant:

• 5 Hours can go a long way.
  Once I had invested the time in training my new employee and she was on a role, it was incredible what she could accomplish in 5 hours.  It seemed that she worked faster than me!  What I realized that 5 hours of my assembly time wasn’t always 5 hours because I was answering phones, replying to email.  As owner of the business, I was interrupted far more than she was.
• I was freed up to work ON the business, not IN the business.
  The 5 hours that Sapphire came to work on invitation assembly freed me up to work on other things.  I could devote my time to making sales, working on PR, having coffee with a colleague.  I had more time to make more business.
• I developed systems and processes.
  I didn’t have a lot of my processes documented when I hired Sapphire.  So, as I developed her training, I was began making checklists to document my systems and processes, particularly for the assembly responsibilities.  Again, I was freed up to do this.  I found that it was easier to do because I had to actually USE it to TEACH her.  In her early weeks as my employee, she would learn something new every time she came in.  I had an agenda and checklist prepared to teach her.  And, this checklist would then guide her on her work.
• I developed training tools.
  As I was training her, I learned what worked and what didn’t work.  I learned that there were things I wasn’t being careful enough about explaining.  As a result, I developed a training system that I ended up using for future assembly employees.
• An outside perspective.
  There were things I learned from Sapphire!  I made sure to ask her for feedback about her work and her job because I wanted to know how I could improve the systems.  She had great insight that helped shape my business.  It was great having this perspective.
• Confidence.
  I gained the confidence that I could hire anyone and it would work.  I had systems in place.  I had a success story from my first employee.  I learned what worked and what didn’t.

If you’re thinking of hiring an employee and have never done it before, I recommend starting small.  Test the waters, build your systems, and gain your confidence.  It’s amazing what you can learn from hiring a 5-Hour Assistant!

If you’re interested in more hiring, training, and managing tools, make sure to check out The People Plan for HR at your fingertips.

9 Ways to Get Noticed By A Wedding Planner

1. Take it slow

Building a relationship with an event planner takes time. Start following local event planners on Twitter and “like” their business page on Facebook. Then take time to interact and respond. Comment on their events, reply to their tweets and get to know them.

2. Attend networking events they attend

Are they part of ISES or another local networking group? Are they participating in a bridal show that you are going to be at? If you are connecting with a planner on social media, you can see what upcoming events you could potentially meet at then make sure you show up and introduce yourself.

3. Send an email or note without asking for anything

Here is a script:

“Hi XYZ Planner! I have been following your work and reading your blog for the past few months and am a big fan of your business. Your design talent and experience really shows through in your work. I want to congratulate you on winning a Bride’s Choice award last week.  What an accomplishment! I have great respect for you and look forward to meeting in the future. Warm Regards, xxxx.”

The key to this kind of note is that you will be one of the only vendors to send a thoughtful note without expecting anything in return. This will definitely get you noticed even if you don’t receive a response.

4. Be persistent but not a pest

It’s okay to ask for a meeting and follow up but don’t nag or expect to get a meeting right away. Established event planners often receive more than twenty requests per week from photographers and other wedding vendors who want to meet and show us their work. If you don’t get a response, don’t take it personally. Most planners are incredibly busy with clients and may not have time to respond to vendor inquiries and requests.

5. Be creative if you are sending a gift

A gift is definitely not required or expected but event planners tend to receive gifts from vendors. If you choose to send a gift to a planner, use social media to find out her favorite restaurant, whether she likes Starbucks and what her favorite hobby is. Then get creative and figure out a way to include a gift she would like along with your marketing information. For example, if there is an event planner you want to meet and she absolutely loves Starbucks, you could send a $5 Starbucks card along with a coffee mug that has your logo on it. Put a note inside the cup that says “Enjoy a cup of coffee on me while you take a look through our new website.” A planner is much more likely to meet with you if you send a gift or note that shows your creativity.

6. Offer your services complimentary

A photographer can offer a complimentary family photo shoot for the planner and her family. This allows the planner to get to know you and see how you work.  A florist can surprise a planner with a birthday delivery of flowers. Any vendor can offer a one-time special offer for a planner to gift to a client such as a photographer offering a complimentary engagement session. This may give you the opportunity to work together.

7. Meet with newer event planners

Instead of trying to meet with established event planners in your area, start building a relationship with planners who have recently started their business. Newer planners are often still looking for the best vendors to work with and are most likely still adding to their recommended vendor list. If you build a relationship from the early stages and do a fantastic job for their clients, they will keep you on their list as their business grows.

8. Be likable

This sounds silly but it’s true. We all want to work with people we connect with and like. Be someone that you would want to meet with – happy, fun, relaxed.

9. Exceed expectations

When you start working with an event planner you like, do whatever you can to exceed her expectations and her client’s expectations. Follow up, respond quickly to emails and over deliver what is expected.

If you keep trying to meet or work with a certain planner but aren’t getting anywhere, it may be best to cut your losses and move on. Maybe he or she just isn’t the best fit for you. They may not be adding to their vendor list at this time or they might contact you at a later time when they need what you have to offer. Above all, don’t get discouraged. Getting referrals from an event planner is great but it’s only one of many ways to build your business.

Head on over to Planner’s Lounge to learn all sorts of wisdom from Debbie!

Today, Kathryn Kalabokes, owner of Dream A Little Dream Events in San Francisco, shares her experience with business planning.  She attended the very first workshop we had, The Simple Plan in Seattle, over 2.5 years ago.  Kathryn came to our workshop with an incredibly strong business.  And, by building off of this foundation, she was able to make some very important changes and continue to improve her company.  Here Kathryn shares with us what she gained from having a business plan…

Why did you decide a business plan was important and necessary?

I had written a business plan when I had started my business in 2004, but I was not as thorough as I probably should have been, and when I saw The Simple Plan seminar being offered, I jumped on the chance to get a full plan going for the business, and with help and assistance to complete it in a few days. Setting aside my own time to do it had never happened, so doing it this way made me take time away from the office and really get down to what I was really making, where my money was going, and to even look at what other comparable companies in my area were charging for the same services. It was eye opening and painful, but also exciting to see where I could improve the business for the future.

What were some of the biggest ‘A-HA’ realizations you had while working on the business plan?

The “how much are you really earning” part. That was very hard to look at what I was basically making per hour, and it made me realize that the value of what I do was much greater than what I was charging at that time. It also made me look at where my business was coming from, and I was able to look at my advertising allocation and lower that and be smarter with where I was advertising.

How have you used the business plan to move your business forward?

The goal setting section is a must for any small business owner. It make you look at where you are, and where you want to be, and when you can look back and realize you have met all your goals, it is extremely fulfilling. I have been able to accomplish the goals I set for myself up until the 5 year goal mark form the time I developed my plan. There are still two big ones looming on the ten-year goal list, but I’m very encouraged that I will be able to meet those goals because I have been able to meet the other ones. Setting small goals, as well as larger, long term ones was really important for me.

What are some of the biggest improvements you’ve made in your business?

Our first goal was to hire an office assistant, which we did two years ago, and it has made our business that much better. Our next goal was to move out of our shared space into our own larger, full service wedding and event design studio. We did that one year ago this May, and we love our space. We get to hold most vendor and design meetings in our studio, which not only has made it convenient for our clients, but for us as well. Our other goal we reached last year was having a custom blog to showcase our work in a way that really was true to our brand and our style, and we are so thrilled with the results we have received from our custom blog. These things all took a lot of time and money to develop, but we really have seen the ROI on them.

How often do you revisit your plan? How do you use it to guide you?

I revisit it a few times a year to check in with where I should be, and make any necessary changes to it. It is just a reminder to keep up on everything, and not let things fall too far off the plan that is in place.

Have you had measurable improvements?

With keeping track of the plan, and our goals, we have had increased revenue, and with watching closing our ROI for advertising, we have been able to cut some of our expenses that weren’t bringing us any results.

Thanks Kathryn!

If you want to learn more about The Simple Plan and The Simple Plan Exclusive, visit The Simple Plan website.

At times you will be faced with a situation where you want to SCREAM, vaguebook, and/or tweet passive-aggressively.  You want to yell “liar liar!” “copy-cat!” “FAKER!” – OR whatever else may be boiling your blood.  But, if you are smart, you keep it to yourself.  {hint: BE SMART.}

You gain more by keeping your head high.  You have too much to lose by airing your grievances in a public forum.  You wouldn’t stand at a podium at a networking event and talk into a microphone expressing your frustration with another wedding pro, would you?

Rather than venting online, here are a few things that may help you feel a little bit better…

• Get off social media.  If someone has really miffed you, it’s best to resist the temptation of venting online.  ALSO, reading other people’s tweets can have a snowball effect on your self-esteem and security.
• Step away from your desk.  Much of our work is extremely isolating as small business owners.  Left alone with our thoughts, we can spiral into negativity.  Step away from it for a little bit.  Go for a walk.  Go into Starbucks.  Watch a movie.  The break will help you move past what you are feeling.
• Revisit your core values. Get back to basics.  Remember who you are and what your business is built on.
• Find your inner strength.  I’m a firm believer in the philosophy that “what you put out there comes back to you”.  If you put out positivity and goodness, it will come back to you.  If you put out negativity and vitriol, it will come back to you.  Hold yourself to a higher standard.

How do you hold your head high – even when it’s extremely challenging for you to do?  Share with us in a comment below.

Do you know anywhere I can advertise that doesn’t cater to DIY brides?  I’m an invitation designer and feel that I’m losing market share to the DIY projects out there.

This is a great question and I’ll answer it here for everyone.

Flickr credit: love Maegan (Creative Commons)

DIY is here to stay

Whether it’s in your favor or not, DIY is here to stay.  Engaged couples are choosing to have more control over the details of their wedding.  And, some times, this has very little to do with budget.

They want to be involved in the planning process and they want a very personal experience for their guests.  Hence, the Do-It-Yourself phenomena.  Couples will select a few (if not all, god forbid) of the wedding day details to do on their own. This may stem from any of the following:

1. a hobby
2. a desire to control
3. a personal touch they desire
4. budget constraints

DIY is here to stay.  So, how do we work with it instead of against it?  It’s a challenge of many segments in the wedding industry.  The invite segment has been one that has been hit the hardest with the DIY trend.

DIY in the media

As a result of this trend, most magazines and blogs will have articles on DIY projects or DIY details at a real wedding.  Media has to give the readership what it desires.  And, because DIY is a part of a significant number of weddings these days, media would be foolish to not give readers what they want.

NOW – there is definitely a market of high-end luxury weddings that does not have any DIY.  (However, keep in mind what I said earlier about DIY not being a budget consideration for some.  Just because the wedding is high-end doesn’t mean that they will not have some DIY elements.)  This is a specific niche and one that could be a good match for your business.  You’ll have to examine whether your products and services cater to this luxury clientele in design, quality, styling, and pricing.  And, then seek out the luxury publications.

Picking & choosing DIY projects

I think the thing to keep in mind is that even tho a site or magazine may feature (from time to time) something about DIY, not everyone is making their own invites.  Style Me Pretty, for example, will feature a DIY wedding – but not all readers are making their own wedding invites.  The couple may choose to make the table runners – but not the invites.  (Others may opt to make the invites, but not the runners.  It’s a mix.)  A site like Oh So Beautiful Paper features beautiful wedding invites.  Its readers are a mix of people looking to make their own invites (and want inspiration) and other readers who want to buy invites.  Most magazines and blogs are featuring a mix of DIY and non-DIY.  (Obviously you wouldn’t want to advertise or be featured on a DIY-only site or magazine if you are an invite designer.)

My best recommendation is for you to find the magazines and sites that are suitable to your market and design style and focus on those – regardless of whether they feature a DIY project from time to time.  Not everyone is looking to make their invites.

Educating potential clients

Loreen Hospodar
Owner, Reenie Rose
www.reenierose.com
Established 2009
Chicago, Illinois

Why did you start your business?

Like many entrepreneurial businesses, Reenie Rose was more of a happenstance than a drawn out desire to start my own business. A family friend that had purchased artwork from me in the past wanted me to paint something for her niece as a wedding gift. After brainstorming a bit, we decided that I would paint the bride’s bouquet since I had always gravitated towards painting natural objects. Upon completion of the painting, we both stood back from it and realized that this painting was more than just a painting….it was an idea (and not one that many had discovered). So, I did my research and found this great niche in the wedding industry. The options for bouquet preservation were terribly out of date. The idea of something creative, timeless and modern was wonderfully embraced by my wedding industry peers as an option for couples looking to remember their wedding day through a piece of artwork.

What book do you recommend to new business owners?

I am very lucky with Reenie Rose…I can listen to audiobooks while I paint. I tend to do a lot of “reading” which has allowed me to discover that business books are really not as boring to listen to as people may think. I highly recommend Steve Jobs’ book. The story of Apple and his life are completely fascinating, and it brought me a clarity of how I want my business to run and be perceived. The E-Myth by Michael Gerber gave me a perspective on how to go about working ON my business rather than IN my business through systems and strategy. And, then there is The 4 Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss which was recommended by The Simple Plan‘s very own, Kelly Simants. I came to her needing something to help me with time management, and this book definitely steered me into addressing time consuming issues in a more logical way. It also got me to thinking about painting on a house boat in Paris…..

Do you have any cool goal-setting tips to share with us?

I am always looking for new ways to successfully accomplish my goals, and what I have found is that different strategies work for different people. Having tested a few methods out, I am beginning to know what works for me. Looking at the big picture all the time stresses me out, so I only address 3-5 years in the future when I feel that I know what I want for that time period, and then I break down everything from that point ….year to quarter to month to week to days. I set goals for what I hope to accomplish in each of these segments and put a stronger focus on weekly and daily goals/projects.

What do you find to be the biggest challenge as a business owner?

There are a bunch of challenges when you own your own business, but I think when you are not only the business owner but also the producer, this creates a whole new set of challenges. Because my paintings take a little bit of time to create (about 35-60 hours depending on the composition), I sometimes have a hard time balancing being an artist along with all of the other business hats I wear. I am lucky to have my mom working with me on marketing Reenie Rose and an intern for the summer, but it doesn’t stop me from still wanting to have a hand in the tasks I delegate to others. I constantly remind myself that I have to work on the most important part of the business….the money maker….. the paintings.

 If you were starting your business all over again, what would you have done differently?

Being a new business with a fresh new concept, it was difficult for me to price my work since there was nothing in the industry to compare it to. I raised my prices over and over again as I began to feel more confident with my work and how it was being received. All along I’ve known what my art was valued at, but I didn’t believe that others would value it the same way. If I could go back, I would have initially priced my paintings closer to what they are today. Rather than waiting for my audience to respond to Reenie Rose, I would have set the bar high from the beginning to truly reflect what Reenie Rose is today: a valuable asset reflecting a wedding memory.

Thanks Loreen!

And, if you’re in the Chicago area make sure to check out FORM tonight…

Natural Beauties, Abryant Gallery, Reenie Rose, and Kristine Aletha Weddings presents FORM a juried group-exhibition featuring ten artists and five florists.  Collaboration is a process often used by artists, but is becoming more common in almost every other field. FORM is a platform for a cross-occupational exchange.  Artists were asked to submit a work of art that is then visually translated by a florist into an arrangement.  Both the artwork and the accompanying floral arrangement will be on exhibit to show the dialogue that happens through the art of interpretation.