Expert Insight on the Intersection of Wedding Business + Social Behavior - Think Splendid®

Splendid Sundays Volume 85

noreply@blogger.com (Liene Stevens) — Sun, 20 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000

A handful of splendid finds from around the worldwide web:

*Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, got married yesterday in a surprise ceremony

*In Defense of Polymaths: the other side of the "do one thing really well" argument.

*Weddings are one of the fastest growing industries in Nigeria and 2000 guests are the norm.

*Here's how to opt out of Twitter tracking your behavior

This week in The Splendid Collective:

*Special Events Magazine featured Splendid Insights in an article this week.

*I'll be speaking at the National Stationery Show in New York as part of their Buyer Education Program this morning at 11:00.

*Do you have an intern or an employee? Here are 6 government-mandated requirements for an internship.

Recent wedding job postings: Surface Pattern Designer at Kristy Rice/Momental Designs (Virtual/Remote) // Event Planning and Production Assistant at Rosemary Events (San Francisco, CA) // Event Specialist at JDK Group (Philadelphia, PA) // Bridal Showroom Consultant at Erica Angeline Luxury Bridal (Atlanta, GA) // Summer Marketing Intern at Survive Wedding Season (Los Angeles, CA) // More wedding industry job openings

Wedding Statistics: 2011 wedding budget spend broken down into four budget ranges: 27% Economical ($10,000 or less); 41% Standard ($11,000-30,000); 28% Premium ($31,000-95,000); 4% Luxury ($96,000 or higher)

Reminder About the Global Wedding Study Results

noreply@blogger.com (Liene Stevens) — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000

We're getting ready to send out the general report for 2011 weddings from the Global Wedding Study from Splendid Insights (a sneak peek of one of the pages is above). The general report is free to anyone who previously shared the survey with their audience.

If you shared the survey, this is your LAST chance to send an email to hello@splendidinsights.com with "Splendid Wedding Survey" in the subject line. This is the ONLY way we are tracking who shared the report and who will receive it for free. If you already emailed us, no need to do so again -- you're already on our list.

Thank you!

On Getting What You Want

noreply@blogger.com (Liene Stevens) — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Forbes recently ran an interesting story about a real estate executive who noticed that while empty nesters consistently said they wanted one thing in a house (no dining room, a large guest bedroom), they then turned around and bought the opposite (homes with large dining rooms). People thought they wanted one thing, but in reality they wanted something else altogether.

This is true in any aspect of life, not just home design.

In order to determine what you really want, you have to dig down to not just the core of your business, but the core of your values. You have to dig beyond what seems like a good concept on the surface and root out what brings you real joy. In the case of the home buyers, it was not the value of a new chapter in life but the value of family and the associated memories that drove their decisions.

What are the common threads among the memories you savor? What lights you up? What would cause you not to work with or to pull all your business from a company? (Your values aren't really values until they impact your wallet.) These may seem like trite questions, but honest answers to them typically don't come easy. Until you define what you value in life, you'll have a difficult time getting what you want.

Splendid Sundays Volume 84

noreply@blogger.com (Liene Stevens) — Sun, 06 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000

A handful of splendid finds from around the worldwide web:

*Pottery Barn and Janie Medley of The Bride's Cafe have teamed up to produce a pop-up shop of Janie's floral designs next Saturday, May 12th. Perfect for Mother's Day.

*The Ritz-Carlton released a new, feature-rich app this week, including the ability to scan a QR code on a cocktail napkin and download the drink recipe, as well as take walking art tours of some of their properties.

*Harvard and MIT team up to offer free online courses, called edX.

*Artistic creativity at its best.

*The Four Seasons launched its new weddings magazine this week.

This week in The Splendid Collective:

*Woman's Day Magazine used some of Splendid's research on millennials in an article on wedding guest etiquette this past week.

*Thinking of signing a non-compete agreement? Here's what you need to know.

*I'll be speaking next Tuesday, April 15th at the Love Mexico event in Dallas, Texas.

Recent wedding job postings: Advertising Sales Executive at Occasions Magazine, Floral Designer at Petal and Bean, Bridal Showroom Consultant at Erica Angeline Luxury Bridal, Sales Consultants at Bella Bridesmaid, Bridal Consultant at L'Fay Bridal, Expert Wedding Planner at Demand Media

Wedding Statistics: 91% of today's European couples live together before marriage compared to 74% of North American couples.

Insight on Expanding Your Business

noreply@blogger.com (Liene Stevens) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Today I'm featuring an interview with Melissa Hester, owner of Melissa Jill Photography based out of Arizona. I first met Melissa six years ago and I'm lucky enough to call her a friend as well as a colleague. For a while, Melissa and I were gym partners and would talk shop while sweating it out. It was about as nerdy and glamorous as it sounds.

One of the things I've always admired about Melissa is her ability to build a solid foundation under each of her businesses. Each of her brands can stand alone and each does well on its own. She has also been able to expand without compromising her core business of photography, and most recently launched Align, an album design company for professional photographers. Expanding while keeping the core business profitable is something many creative professionals (photographers or not) struggle with, so today Melissa is sharing her insight into how to do it well.

For those who may not be familiar with you, can you share a little bit about your work and the different companies you own?

I'm a Phoenix-based wedding photographer who has been shooting weddings for 9 years. I shoot 12-15 high end weddings a year and my company, Melissa Jill Photography, also has four associate photographers who shoot weddings at lower price points. Over the years, I have developed quite a database of free information for photographers on my blog and also offer one-on-one mentoring and teach three workshops for professional photographers yearly throughout the country. I have developed a number of resources for photographers including album design templates and most recently, my new company Align Album that does custom album design for photographers looking to outsource this arduous portion of their workflow.

What inspired you to expand beyond your core business of photography?

The process of starting my photography business helped me to realize that I love business just as much as photography. I love the challenge of developing systems and making them profitable and efficient. Being immersed in the wedding photography industry for so many years, I have my finger on the pulse of photographers and their felt needs. I knew, with the platform I've developed through my brand and sharing free information, that I could meet some of those felt needs and at the same time, develop a passive income source that would allow my income to grow beyond the restrictions imposed by my time.

You have a high standard for excellence. How do you ensure that is carried through by your team across all of your brands?

I believe there are four things I have done that help maintain a high level of excellence across my brands:

I have found good people. I look for character, loyalty and work ethic over knowledge and experience. The latter can be trained; the former can't.
I've worked hard to develop systems. Melissa Jill Photography has a 130-page manual and Align's manual is currently 36 pages and growing. Every step is laid out so that we provide a consistent experience for our customers.
When problems arise, we systematize a solution so that the problem doesn't reoccur.
I stay involved with my team and keep open lines of communication. I hire good people with good ideas, and when they share them with me, I readily implement them.

What advice would you give people looking to expand into different revenue streams?

Get involved in the industry. Give away your information for free and listen.
When a felt need comes to your attention, find a way to address it. In the case of Align, I knew that photographers hated designing albums and they often fell behind on this portion of their workflow. I learned that in order to meet this need, I would need to offer a solution that provided clean designs fast and affordably.
Do your research. Look at the competition and figure out how to outdo them in the areas of felt need. For us, we had to do better quality designs, faster, and at a lower cost so photographers could maximize their profit.
Take your time and do things well from the beginning. If you don't do it well and don't build your brand on excellence, it's not worth pursuing at all.

What is the best piece of advice you've received?

I read Tim Sanders' book Love is the Killer App early on in my business. He says to give away your knowledge for free. This is absolutely the best piece of advice for business owners in this day and age. We think we need to hoard information in order to become experts in our industry. But the opposite is actually true. In order to be seen as an expert and thereby have a platform from which to expand into other revenue streams, you need to give away your knowledge for free. I did this early on by sharing answers to questions other photographers emailed me on my blog. Sharing answers to frequently asked questions publicly was the thing that opened up so many other doors to expanding my brand and allowing it to become what it is today.

Thanks, Melissa! You can follow Melissa on Twitter here and Align on Twitter here.

Splendid Sundays Volume 83

noreply@blogger.com (Liene Stevens) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 12:00:00 +0000

A handful of splendid finds from around the worldwide web:

*The new ad-free print magazine from Once Wed ships tomorrow. You can order your copy here.

*Why Patagonia's founder is America's unlikeliest business guru

*A peek behind the business curtain of Tavi Gevinson, the 15 year old who changed the face of fashion blogging.

*A new company, Go Recess, allows you to make no strings attached 'Open Table'-style reservations for fitness classes. Perfect for travelers. (Thanks to Amanda Allen for sharing this site).

*Two new wedding related books out this past week: Sweet Design by Amy Atlas and The Luminous Portrait by Elizabeth Messina

This week in The Splendid Collective:

*Wedding market data from Splendid Insights was referenced in the Huffington Post article on the impact the royal wedding has had on the wedding industry in the past year.

*Tomorrow (April 30th) is the last day to receive the employee cost calculator at the birthday sale price from Form + Function. Use code BIRTHDAY at checkout.

*The truth about job titles.

*What your business needs to know about the new laws under President Obama regarding break time for nursing mothers.

Recent wedding job postings: Showroom Sales Associate at La Tavola Fine Linen, Sales Executive at Ceci New York, Bridal Sales Consultant at The White Closet Bridal, Photography Internship at Moss + Isaac, Summer Intern at I Do Linens

Wedding Statistics: Interest in having a 'royal'-style wedding has doubled in the last year since Kate and Wills married.

Learning to Trust Yourself

noreply@blogger.com (Liene Stevens) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Trust is built with consistency.

If we want to trust ourselves more -- our gut, our own intuition -- then we need to trust that we have the capacity to create something of beauty, to make things better, to change the world.

Yes, we allow others to limit us, but mostly we limit ourselves. When we consistently hear ourselves say, "I'm not x" or "I can't do y," we are building the wrong kind of trust. We are trusting that we are not someone we may actually be or that we cannot do something we have the potential to do.

What if, for one day, we cut all self-limiting talk? Cutting all the "I'm nots" and "I can'ts." Refusing to downplay our success or work (no more "my little company" or "this old thing?"). Accepting compliments graciously rather than trying to live up to a twisted definition of what it means to be humble (true humility doesn't hide its gifts).

This isn't about deluding ourselves, but about allowing space to separate fact from fiction. When we can consistently start believing that the experiences we've faced are worth something, we can start trusting ourselves more.

I Did vs I'm Going To

noreply@blogger.com (Liene Stevens) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:15:00 +0000

There is a saying about running that I love: "No matter how slow you go, you are still lapping everyone on the couch."

It applies to business as well. We tend to wait until everything is just right. When x happens, we will do y. Someday, but not today. We add things to an unprioritized to-do list -- the to-do list where dreams go to die.

"I did" not "I'm going to" is what counts. Get off the couch, even if it's just to walk. You'll still be lapping everyone color-coding their files for the 18th time.

On Drama
Scarcity, Success and Opportunities

Speaking at the National Stationery Show and Love Mexico

noreply@blogger.com (Liene Stevens) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000

I'll be speaking at two different events next month, here's the info on each:

On Tuesday, May 15th, I'll be speaking at the Love Mexico destination wedding conference in Dallas, Texas at 10 am. The title of my session is "The Trophy Kids Get Hitched: How Gen Y Thinks, Travels and Plans Their Weddings."

On Sunday, May 20th, I'll be speaking at the National Stationery Show in New York as part of their educational program for exhibitors. My session is at 11 am, and I'll be sharing wedding market insights with a focus on the shifts in consumer behavior and digital media and how that affects companies in the paper business.

If you're attending one (or both) of these events, please find me afterward and say hello! I'd love to meet you.

On Making Real Change Happen

noreply@blogger.com (Liene Stevens) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Comfort zone change is incremental. It is slow. It rarely happens overnight, and I would argue that sustainable comfort zone change never happens overnight.

Expanding comfort zones means taking an idea, assumption, worldview, way of life and questioning it. Those questions lead to insecurities, and those insecurities are really what we're all afraid of. We don't so much mind giving up the comfort, but we do mind giving up security. We mind giving up control and, more importantly, we mind giving up the image of being in control.

Most people want change in their lives, in their industry, in their creative process. But most aren't willing to create the little steps that lead to the big change.

If you want to lead change, you have to be willing to work with people where they're at and set a steady pace. A pace that allows people to question, think, adapt, expand their bubble and then say "okay, I'm ready for a little bit more." Move too fast and you'll end up alone, the zealot with no one alongside to help make lasting change happen.

Splendid Sundays Volume 82

noreply@blogger.com (Liene Stevens) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 12:00:00 +0000

A handful of splendid finds from around the worldwide web:

*Dior named Belgian designer Raf Simons as its new Artistic Director and John Galliano's replacement.

*How to export your Instagram photos

*Twitter ads earn 10 times more than Facebook ads.

*Bridal market, the semi-annual bridal fashion trade show where designers debut their new lines, is underway. For some of the best photo coverage (and commentary), be sure to follow Vane Broussard of Brooklyn Bride, Jackie Weppner of Merci New York and Anne Chertoff on Instagram.

Recent wedding job postings: Office Manager at New Classic Films, National Advertising Sales Executive at Occasions Magazine, Event Designer at The EVENT Company

Wedding Statistics: 1 in 5 brides and grooms found at least one of the wedding professionals they hired at a bridal expo.

Introducing Form+Function

noreply@blogger.com (Liene Stevens) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 02:30:00 +0000

Today is the 1 year birthday of FindAWeddingJob.com, the job board I created for the wedding industry! It's been an amazing year so far, with companies like Martha Stewart Weddings, BRIDES Magazine, Monique Lhuillier, Vera Wang, Ritzy Bee Events, SIMPLESONG Design, and tons more using the job board to find employees or interns they couldn't live without.

In preparation for the birthday, Heather Wagner, the senior editor of the accompanying Wedding Jobs Blog, and I put our heads together to come up with ways to make the wedding job board and wedding jobs blog a more useful resource. We decided to put her talents as a human resources expert to work and Form+Function was born!

Form+Function provides professional grade, legally compliant human resources materials for companies with less than 100 employees. All of the resources were developed by Heather and are downloadable, allowing you to access exactly what you need, when you need it.

Heather holds her MBA in Human Resources Management and was one of the youngest people in the world to earn the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification. She's built two human resources departments from the ground up in addition to serving as the Director of Human Resources and Training for a multi-million dollar corporation, reporting directly to the CEO and advising the C-Suite on all HR issues from compliance to strategy. When it comes to HR, Heather is a walking encyclopedia and is passionate about making this convoluted aspect of running a business accessible and easily understood.

Some of what she's developed for Form+Function includes an application that can legally be used in any state (Did you know some states require specific wording on employment applications? I didn't), customizable job offer and rejection templates to keep you from landing in a lawsuit, a list of discriminatory interview questions and their legal alternatives, and more. For today's birthday, we're launching with the hiring basics, including the various legal forms you need for your state. We'll be adding more in the coming weeks and months, so keep your eyes peeled.

My favorite thing though, is the Actual Cost of an Employee Calculator (check out the thumbnail on the right). This handy tool allows you to easily see what each employee is actually costing you. Whether you're planning to hire someone new or thinking of adding benefits but aren't sure if you can swing it, this calculator has more than 65 mathematical formulas programmed into it to make figuring out your actual costs a snap!

I was surprised to see that a $10 an hour part-time employee can actually cost $60 an hour once you take any benefits and all the time they spend on non work-related social media (Facebook, watching kitten videos on YouTube, etc) into account. The calculator is normally $19.99, but you can get it for $14.99 this month by using the code BIRTHDAY at checkout.

A huge, splendid THANK YOU to everyone for all of your support for FindAWeddingJob.com over the past year. It's been a great ride and I'm looking forward to what this next year has in store!

Splendid Sundays Volume 81

noreply@blogger.com (Liene Stevens) — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 12:00:00 +0000

A handful of splendid finds from around the worldwide web:

*In the age of the Internet, people are reading books more than ever.

*How much of your personal info does each Facebook app access?

*Hindu wedding planners thrive in the United States

*Rent the Runway officially launched their wedding boutique.

Recent wedding job postings: Associate Web Editor at BRIDES/Conde Nast, Florist at MMD Events, Social Media Assistant at Amy Nichols Special Events, Internship at The Bridal Bar.

Wedding Statistics: Use of YouTube as a wedding planning resource doubled between 2010 and 2011.

Splendid Sundays Volume 80

noreply@blogger.com (Liene Stevens) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 12:00:00 +0000

A handful of splendid finds from around the worldwide web:

*The Academy of Country Music Awards will feature a live wedding during its awards show tonight.

*Pretty Pear Bride launched a new magazine for plus size brides, available in both digital and print editions.

*De Beers is launching a wedding jewelry ipad and iphone app in April.

*Just because you don't see it doesn't mean it's not happening.

Wedding Statistics: The three characteristics today's brides and grooms most value for their weddings are: fun (77%), meaningful (70.9%) and comfortable (52.9%).

Introducing Splendid Insights!

noreply@blogger.com (Liene Stevens) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Today I'm thrilled to introduce the newest brand under The Splendid Collective, Splendid Insights! Splendid Insights provides market research for the wedding and newlywed lifestyle industries.

When I was writing my book, I ended up doing quite a bit of my own market research because of the limitations of what was available. I decided recently to add to the research I had previously done with some global surveys.

Many of the companies that conduct market research for the wedding and newlywed industries have a financial interest in the types of replies participants provide. Because of this, they only release data to the public that is favorable to their own company's interests. This is totally fine -- after all, they're the ones paying for their own studies, so they can release or withhold whatever info they see fit. However, for my purposes, I needed an unbiased source that asked the questions I needed answers to.

I decided that if I needed this info, it could probably help other businesses as well. I am big on creating smart, fact-based strategies and our research allows you to do just that. Splendid Insights covers three core areas of the engaged and newlywed consumer groups: weddings, home lifestyle, and travel lifestyle. Right now, the surveys and reports are in English, and they'll soon be available in four other languages: Spanish, Portuguese, French and Arabic.

I'll be blogging about some of the insights here on Think Splendid (I'm not crazy enough nor do I have the time to start an entirely new blog) and I'll be sharing a daily stat or insight on Twitter.

Thank you to everyone who helped spread the word about our wedding and honeymoon surveys so far! If you shared one of the surveys with your fans, please send an email to hello@splendidinsights.com with "Splendid Wedding Survey" or "Splendid Honeymoon Survey" in the subject line so that we can ensure you're on the list to receive the full general reports for each when they're released.

Special thanks to Kelly Ashworth and Christian Oth for lending their talents to the site! They're true pros through and through, so be sure to check them out!

Owning Your Talent

noreply@blogger.com (Liene Stevens) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 16:00:00 +0000

One of my greatest pet peeves in business is when I see someone who is amazingly talented dismiss their skill or company as unworthy of any respect or praise. Here are a few examples of damaging phrases I often hear or see:

"My little ole company."
First, there's no shame in owning a small business, but that's not what this phrase is ever really in reference to. Often it's said as a way to downplay the fact that a company took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to grow. Building a functional, profitable company is a big freaking deal. Own your success.

"Today's wedding is magazine-worthy."
This one is almost always said by bloggers, and professional bloggers at that. I love magazines. I also love well-designed, highly-curated blogs. And I think both magazines and blog publishers should be able to make a living doing what they do. But bloggers are never going to be able to command the respect that magazines do if they themselves keep telling everyone that they are less than magazines in some way. If a magazine has higher standards than your blog, then it's time to raise the bar. If the wedding is good enough to be featured on your blog, then it is blog-worthy.

"I'm the Amy Atlas of San Francisco."
You're not, you're you. I talk more about this one here, but unless your name also happens to be Amy Atlas (whom I love, by the way), you're not doing yourself any favors. By actively comparing yourself to someone else, you're simply reminding potential clients that there's someone else better than you they can hire.

There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance, and in business it is imperative to embrace the risk of walking that tightrope. True humility doesn't hide its gifts.

Honeymoon Survey

noreply@blogger.com (Liene Stevens) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 22:00:00 +0000

In addition to the wedding survey, we're also conducting a honeymoon survey.

The Honeymoon Survey is open to anyone anywhere in the world who has ever taken a honeymoon, regardless of the year they married. This survey should take about 10-15 minutes to complete and is completely anonymous.

If you'd like to share the survey with your blog readers or social media audience, the link is http://bit.ly/sihm12

If you share the link, send an email to hello@thinksplendid.com with 'Splendid Honeymoon Survey' in the subject line so we can make sure you're on the list to receive a copy of the full general report when it is released.

Splendid Sundays Volume 79

noreply@blogger.com (Liene Stevens) — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 12:00:00 +0000

A handful of splendid finds from around the worldwide web:

*Melissa Jill launched Align, a new album design company for wedding photographers this week.

*TED Talks are now available on Netflix.

*Chef Anne Thornton's take on cookbook ghost writers and "cooked up scandals."

*The pros and cons of celebrity marketing in luxury communications.

Important reminder: if you shared the 2012 Wedding Market Study this week, please email hello@thinksplendid.com with "Splendid Wedding Survey" in the subject line. This is the only way we can ensure you're on the list to receive the full general report at no charge when it's released. (If you'd like to share the survey with people married after 2007 or who are getting married soon, the link is http://bit.ly/wed2012)

Where Weddings are Headed and More

noreply@blogger.com (Liene Stevens) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 22:00:00 +0000

Kat from Rock n Roll Bride interviewed me for her Inspirations series recently and it's now available to read on her site. I dish on how I deal with criticism, the best and worst advice I've received, where the wedding industry is headed, and more. You can read the full interview here.

What You See is What You Get

noreply@blogger.com (Liene Stevens) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:00:00 +0000

I'm always amazed at how Beka Rendell and Kimberly Fink of Styled Creative see things. They can walk into any dilapidated venue and see it transformed into something magical. They can take a piece of what the rest of the world would consider garbage and turn it into art. They can take a handful of seemingly disconnected items and combine them into what becomes the next must-have trend (their hanging ribbon escort card "table" -- once published in Martha Stewart Weddings -- is now recreated at weddings every weekend by planners across the United States).

This industry is full of people with this kind of talent: Todd Fiscus, Marcy Blum, Calder Clark, and Preston Bailey to name just a few.

All of these people can look past the dirt and stains and see a beautiful end result. They can see the cohesion that the bigger picture provides and are able to see where things fit in the grand scheme of things. This skill transcends events and design.

We see what we look for. If you look for cynicism, you'll find a cold, hard, gloomy world where everyone is completely focused on themselves. If you look for the silver lining, you'll find a world of joy, creativity, generosity and simple pleasures.

This isn't to say that looking for the good erases the bad. Far from it. Looking for the good simply allows the bad to be viewed in the appropriate context: as a part, not the whole, and often as something that can be restored or given a second chance.

Wedding Market Survey 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Liene Stevens) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 09:00:00 +0000

I'm currently conducting a global survey of recently married and engaged couples and I need your help! Because my company is primarily business-to-business, I need you to share about this survey through your blog, Twitter, Facebook page, Pinterest, email, etc so that real brides and grooms can fill it out.

The full general report will be shared free of charge with everyone who helps promote the survey.

As you know, Splendid Communications has no financial bias hinging on the results of this survey. It makes zero difference to my company whether or not a couple uses magazines over blogs (or vice versa) when planning their wedding, or whether or not they identify more as modern or vintage. However, learning how couples make specific decisions does matter to me, regardless of what those decisions are. These insights can also help every business make better decisions in regards to their own marketing and strategy, improve customer service, and provide services and products that meet actual client needs.

Because the results will come from a wide audience engaging with a variety of websites and companies, the results won't be skewed towards one specific company, type of company, or type of couple. This will give a more accurate look at how today's couples plan their weddings.

The survey is open to anyone who got married 2007 and later or who is currently planning on tying the knot. It's also a global survey, so brides or grooms in any country are welcome to participate. All answers are anonymous and the entire thing should take about five minutes to complete.

If you'd like to share this survey with your network, here's a link to the survey: http://bit.ly/wed2012 and a link to download an image in various sizes to use on in blog posts, on Pinterest, etc.

This is important: If you share this survey (including repins and retweets), please send an email to hello@thinksplendid.com with "Splendid Wedding Survey" in the subject line. I can't guarantee that I will see every retweet and post about the survey, so the email will ensure that you're on the list to receive the full general report at no charge when it is released.

Thank you!

Splendid Sundays Volume 78

noreply@blogger.com (Liene Stevens) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 12:00:00 +0000

A handful of splendid finds from around the worldwide web:

*In an effort to attract more destination wedding business, the Mississippi state senate passed a bill this week to end the blood test requirement and 3-day waiting period for marriage licenses.

*CNN is in talks to acquire Mashable, the social media news site.

*As men continue be more involved in home purchases (65% of men are now actively involved in the wedding registry process), more housewares products are being designed for and targeted at men.

*Scientists at UC Berkley are "tapping the cognitive smarts of babies, toddlers and preschoolers to program computers to think more like humans."

Ask yourself the following question: 'Is this person in between me and what I want to do?' If the answer is no, ignore it and move on. Your energy is better used doing your work and outpacing people that way. -- Tina Fey on dealing with challenging people in business

On Choosing Friends and Team Members

noreply@blogger.com (Liene Stevens) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Join with all those who experiment, take risks, fall, get hurt and then take more risks. Stay away from those who affirm truths, who criticise those who do not think like them, people who have never once taken a step unless they were sure they would be respected for doing so, and who prefer certainties to doubts. -- Paulo Coelho

Building Trust With Potential Clients

noreply@blogger.com (Liene Stevens) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 12:00:00 +0000

There's a myth floating around that says that in order to be successful online and build trust with potential clients, you have to spill your guts about every aspect of your life.

Fortunately, this isn't true. Multiple studies have shown that trust increases more with predictability than it does with an increase in self-disclosure.

If the current trend of keeping it (overly) real and out-authenticizing each other leaves you uncomfortable, you're not alone. Yes, people want to connect with you on a personal level, but oversharing and TMI actually turns them off.

Oversharing can even build distrust, particularly if you're openly discussing your spouse or kids in an embarrassing way. When a potential client sees this, the thought process goes something like this: "If they're willing to talk about their family this way -- their most important relationships -- then what will they say about me?"

Want to use social media effectively to build more trust with potential clients? Show up more often. Be real. Set boundaries.

It's Not Your Job to Give Clients What They Want
On Big Ideas

An Easy Trick to Increase Your Productivity

noreply@blogger.com (Liene Stevens) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Here's a productivity trick I learned a long time ago: turn your goals into if/then statements.

For example, if you have a business goal of blogging three times a week, then your if/then statement might look like this: if it is Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, then I will publish a blog post.

Or, if you want to drink more water, it might be: if it is 8 am, then I will fill a pitcher with water and put it on my desk.

"I want to blog three times a week" and "I want to drink more water" are noble goals, but it's easy for them to get knocked to the bottom of the to-do list because they're generic. Rewording these goals in an if/then statement allows your subconscious to prioritize them and find ways to remind you automatically that they need to be done.

Turning your goals into if/then statements is a ridiculously simple brain hack, but it works.

Six Phrases I'd Like To See Die
Jealousy, Apathy, and Celebrating Milestones