I cannot believe how fast 2015 has come and gone, When the year started i gave it a word to represent my intentions. That word was IMPLEMENT. Even though i succeeded in implementing most of the things i hoped to, i had no idea that 2015 had a word of its own for me, and that word was LEARN.
As an entrepreneur who does what i am so passionate about, its easy to forget that my business is my livelihood and i need to do exactly that..make a living off of it. In the past i had been guilty loving my job and my brides so much that i neglected the business aspect of things. When the year began i was forced to take a thorough look at my business and what wasn't working and what i needed to do to fix it. Here are a few highlights
1. I learned that i don not have to figure EVERYTHING out by myself and it is OK to learn from those who have walked the path before me, even though that often means investing large sums it was really vital at this point in my business. I attended The Rising Tide Summit and The Time and Light Workshop. Although the two were totally different in terms of content and the experience i got. I walked away with extremely valuable information that helped me level up my business.
I also learned a very important lesson from attending one of these; Although i did not receive what i had hoped, i learned that sometimes it is through not getting the answers you seek that you truly learn and grow. That experience only forced me to look within myself for those answers, and i gained so much confidence as a wedding planner.
I am an eternal learner who is never content that i know enough, and i look forward to investing more in myself in 2016 so i can be the best wedding planner i can be for my clients.
2. In the past years i believed all i needed to do was have a website up that just tells people what i do and throw in a few portfolio pictures. However in 2015 i released that was not a true reflection of how i wanted to connect with my prospective clients. I yearned for a website that made it easy for couples to understand my services and how this services can help them from the moment they get engaged and to when the say i do, a website that not only shows my creativity but also one that is authentic and presents YWE in an open and transparent way, and finally a website that does not leave couples guessing and wondering, but provides them with all the information on what to expect when they work with me.
This yearning saw me launching my new website. Although it is still a working progress, the goal is to have all this achieved by the end of February 2016. ( Check out the website then)
3. I refined my Wedding Planning Process to make it easy for my clients to follow throughout our wedding planning journey. This was part of wanting to make the experience my clients have with working with YWE to be as effortless, transparent yet effective as possible. I have since used this new process on a few weddings and the results far exceeded my expectations. I mostly love how relaxed my brides get during the wedding planning journey since the use of this new wedding planning process.
4. I am glad creativity can never be used up. When you are a creative, you need to continue creating and honing your craft. I realised that i don't have to wait to design and style a client's wedding to let my creative juices flow and bring my designs to live. From this retalisation, i designed, styled and coordinated my first styled shoot, which i was truly proud of. I hope to do more in 2016.
So what word to i have for 2016 you ask? Well 2016 is looking so exciting it deserves a sentence; "LET IT HAPPEN" i fee like i have spend so many years planning, strategising and implementing, that this year is the year i should just enjoy planning, designing and styling weddings for all the wonderful couples that i get the honor of working with. This is the year i will just let it all happen.
I wish you a wonderful 2016 and hope that you do more of what makes your heart skip and puts a smile on your face.
