Prepare NOW for 2024

09/11/23 • 19 min

It’s hard to get it all done as a business owner. We often spend too much time as an employee of our company rather than the CEO. This weekend’s wedding is filled with fires you have to put out, but it takes away your opportunity to plan out next year’s success.

In this episode of Own Your Business, I’ll walk you through:

Four different areas of your business that require months of work before you see rewards

Three things you can do today to put a plan in place for future goals

And the #1 thing you’ve got to do if you want to raise your prices for next year

In this episode of Own Your Business, I’ll walk you through:

Four different areas of your business that require months of work before you see rewards

Three things you can do today to put a plan in place for future goals

And the #1 thing you’ve got to do if you want to raise your prices for next year

Previous Episode

FAQs about State of the Industry

Over 1,000 people have watched or listened to the State of the Industry panel I hosted a couple weeks ago. We’ve had a ton of good feedback from wedding pros.

Everyone said how refreshing it was to hear us talking about real numbers, rather than just what’s going on with a few businesses.

Many of you shared how comforting it was to know that you’re not the only one feeling a slowdown.

Some of you reached out in surprise that so many were so slow.

A few wanted more specifics on why this was happening - and what you can do about it.

I’m pushing our regularly schedule programming back a week to do this episode, which will be like an FAQ follow-up for the State of the Industry panel. It’s also a peek into the kinds of conversations I’m having with my clients.

Here’s a tale of two consultations from this week:

One client came to me because bookings were down. He felt maybe it was because the industry as a whole was feeling a decline. I’m glad he called, because an hour later, we’d identified a bunch of changes made to the proposal that needed to be tweaked, and packages and pricing that weren't communicating the value necessary to justify the higher prices.

Later that day, I had a planning and design client reach out to me saying she just filled her 2024 calendar at $20k+ fees for the first time ever.

Why are some doing amazingly well? And others are on the struggle bus?

The numbers show weddings are a little down, we might be in an engagement, spending is down and so are guest counts. But I don’t believe that’s a reason - and certainly not an excuse - for bookings being off by 50%. Or even 20%.

The macro-changes in the market are important to pay attention to. But as I’ll share, the cause of your success or concerns is likely what YOU have done - or not done - with your business.

The best part about that is you can impact a different outcome by doing different activities.

Tune in to find out what those are.

Next Episode

Videographer Case Study: John Bunn and Nick Miller

Do you remember that app Clubhouse? The one that had that brief two or three months in the spotlight over the 2021 winter? I loved that app. Maybe you did too, and it might be the reason you’re listening to this podcast in the first place. It certainly was my inspiration.

One of the best things that came from my time on Clubhouse was a long-lasting relationship with John Bunn and Nick Miller, two videographers who run How to Film Weddings. John reached out after a Clubhouse binge I went on back in January 2021, and the three of us hit it off right away.

I’ve been a guest on their podcast several times, presented in their mastermind four times, and gave a talk at their last retreat. We’ve also done an advanced group coaching program called Momentum specifically for videographers, so if you’re interested in signing up for the next one this winter, reach out.

But today, we’re turning the tables and bringing Nick and John on MY podcast to share their own business journeys as videographers. Because in addition to offering advice to their community, they’ve brought me on as a business coach and our copywriters as the wordsmiths for their websites.

Videographers, pay attention. But so should anyone who wants to elevate their business to charge more, feel proud of what you promote, and know with 100% confidence you’re doing the right things with your company.

This is the story of how you can work less and make more in the real world.