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What Makes Us Feel Good About Our Work?

Have you ever wondered what truly motivates you to work? What are the underlying psychological principles that keep us going to work every day? In the TED video “What makes us feel good about our work?,” Dan Ariely discusses what key factors must be present in order to keep workers happy and enthusiastic about their jobs. He also applies these principles to simple tasks we perform such as building our own IKEA furniture.

In a simplistic view, people think money is the primary thing that motivates us to work, but is that true for everyone? Other factors are involved that make us feel good about our work.

Enjoyment is one key principle that motivates people. If you are in a specific field that you gives you joy, it will show in your results. Meaningful work also plays a big part in job satisfaction, such as if your work strives toward helping the company succeed or making a difference for your community or others (like a successful event!).

Acknowledgement also plays a large role in motivation and better work outcomes. When you get credit for your hard work, it pushes you to continue to go above and beyond.

A final aspect that Dan addresses about what makes us feel good about our work is putting in effort. When we actually put effort toward what we do, the end result is much better than if we were to complete the task half-heartedly. Knowing that your labor and time paid off with a successful result affirms that you know what you are doing and encourages you to keep it up!

Watch the TED video to learn more!

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How To Choose an Event Theme

Does your event have a theme? Well, it most likely does, even though you might say you don’t want or need one. Okay, it may not an obvious theme like a 70’s disco or a Hawaiian luau, but all events have a theme or some underlying message that runs throughout the event.

It might be something subtle rather than an outrageous idea, but every event should have a theme.

Having a theme certainly helps you organize your event and assists in keeping it cohesive. It helps you create the collateral for the event, like signage and invitations that line up with the messaging and helps the attendees better understand what the event is about. It also helps to hire speakers that speak to your messaging.

So how do you choose a theme? Well, consider what is happening in your organization. It might be a new campaign, a new product, or a new message you want your audience to hear. These are things you should base your theme around.

When deciding on a theme, consider what you want the audience to take away. For example, your theme might be “The Power of One” and the speakers might talk about how one person makes a difference in the company, encouraging each and every attendee to stand up and take responsibility to make a difference in the company and rise above their day-to-day tasks.

If “The Power of One” were to be directed to a group of donors, you might have the speaker share how the amount they donate makes a difference in the organization and how it benefits the recipients.

Here are a few things to think about when theming your events:

  • Know that the theme is the first impression that people will encounter when they see event updates and information.
  • Make sure all the material is consistent and carries the same message throughout.
  • Hire speakers who will communicate your subject matter.
  • Make sure you are specific with your event theme.
  • Consider who your audience is and make sure you don’t offend anyone in that group.
  • Make sure your theme delivers the message you want your attendees to receive.

When theming your events, make sure the theme speaks to the audience, that you use the theme throughout the whole event starting with the invitations and any online elements, and make it follow through.

Don’t have any ideas for your next event theme? We have you covered! Check out our pre-packaged themes that have everything you could possibly need!

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10 Essential Business Practices for the Self-Employed

Here are 10 valuable business practices I’ve learned over years of owning and operating businesses. These little tidbits have helped with my company’s exposure and name recognition, and took my event planning business from six figures to over seven figures.

Small things can make a big difference in your business, especially if you are working from home. Make sure you keep your mind sharp and your face out there for your vendors and clients to remember you.

1) Be a partner to your clients.

Your client hired you to help with a project, idea or specific task. Your job is to make them look good to someone who is important to them whether it be a boss, colleagues, event participants, or their clients. Make sure you consider yourself a part of their team to succeed.  Being a valuable team member makes it less likely you will be replaced.

2) Keep up with fresh ideas and the newest technology.

You’re the expert in your field; your clients look to you for fresh ideas and what is happening in that field that they don’t have time to track. Knowing what’s new and cutting edge will keep you on their minds when they need innovative ideas and a new approach for their problems or opportunities. Being well-versed has led me to many upsell situations, and can happen to you as well.

3) Read and absorb industry material.

What event industry magazines, blogs, and newsletters are you reading? What podcasts are you listening to? Are you checking in on your competitors? What are they offering that you aren’t? Are they contributing to the industry news?

With easy, instant access to new and exciting information in your industry, make sure you can introduce your clients to new and exciting offerings that fit their needs. They are hiring you for your ideas and inspirations. Make sure you have something to offer.

4) Document ideas that fit your clients’ needs as you come across them.

You’re out and about, talking to people and learning what others have done in the industry. If you’re attending trade shows, networking with other professionals in your line of work, or attending conventions, you’ll probably run across information you think would be great to pass along to your clients.

Make a note on your phone, tablet, or laptop so that you have that information next time you have the opportunity to chat with your client. This will give you information to share as well as a great way to get in front of your client to sign the next contract.

Networking for Your Business 

5) Communicate with past and present clients to stay on top of their mind.

Once I got an event from a client just because he had a need and his previous provider didn’t stay in touch. OUCH! This left an opening that I was able to walk in and close.

Make sure you are reaching out to your clients periodically; this ensures your name isn’t forgotten and your card isn’t lost in a sea of other similar businesses, but rather stays at the top of the pile.

6) Become friends with your clients.

I had a client for several years and I knew little about her story but was careful not to share my own. One day we both happened to be sitting together watching our daughters play volleyball and got into a conversation that we both connected on.

This made the sales process, meetings and events so much easier. We now had connecting points and shared experiences on a personal level, not just business. Be careful that you remain positive when visiting with your clients. Don’t slip into nagging or complaining. And NEVER talk about other clients in a negative way—this will make you look bad, not the client.

7) Hire experts in areas you don’t excel in.

The age-old difficulty for the business owner… letting go and delegating! Don’t’ worry, you are not alone, but the quicker you learn to let go of tasks that someone else can fulfill for you, the faster you will grow.

Take me for example; taking six hours out of my week to mow the lawn just doesn’t seem financially sound. Consider this…what is your hourly rate? Can you hire someone to do it for less than what it would “cost” you?

If you don’t enjoy it, don’t have the best equipment, or get frustrated and pull away from where you make your money to handle a task, delegate it out! When I finally learned this lesson (one I heard over and over throughout the years) my business doubled!

Know your strengths and weaknesses; play to your strengths and hire to fulfill your weaknesses. This saves you time and frustration.

Finding the Perfect Vendors for Your Corporate Event

8) Become an information resource.

Do you have one person you can call when you just can’t find what you’re looking for? That one person who knows where to find the impossible? Be that person for your clients and vendors.

You know you have the connections and it really doesn’t take much time, but knowing where to find the unusual—who can make it and how to make it—has been a wonderful way to keep my name and number handy for my clients and vendors.

I had an experience where the meeting planner requested something from the hotel and the hotel event manager agreed to provide, but then didn’t know how to provide what they had agreed to…they called me, and I ended up with an excellent client for 10 years. And the hotel looked like a genius for being able to provide the request.

9) Surround yourself with like-minded people.

One of my favorite groups I belong to is a group called South Side Masterminds. It’s a group of entrepreneurs from different industries that get together once a month and discuss business challenges, ideas and solutions.

We are a very small and closed group, we laugh throughout the whole meeting, and the ideas and businesses that have come out of this group have been amazing. I highly suggest you find your own think tank to get involved with. This keeps you active in the community (especially if you are a solopreneur!) and exposes you to new ideas and thought processes.

10) Contribute to the community.

Online or in your neighborhood, being involved in your community is a great way of sharing your passion, giving back, and getting to know others. It’s not all about gaining new clients or finding your next big event, though on occasion it might lead to that.

For me, I have always enjoyed helping others achieve their goals and putting their best foot forward for their clients, donors, etc. It feels good to help create an event that everyone benefits from.

I pick two or three events a year to donate my time and resources to, and do my best to make sure their event goes off without a hitch. I have a few very cool events that I’ve had the opportunity to have an impact on, and there is nothing more rewarding. The relationships I’ve built through these organizations have been priceless!

Wrapping It Up

These are a few of the very important tips we as entrepreneurs need to keep on top of our minds each and every day to make sure our business, and you, stay in the limelight.

Remember the roofing guy you met at the 4th of July party? Probably not, because he didn’t connect with you following that one-time meeting, so you probably won’t think of his name next time someone is mentioning how they need their roof redone.

We are all human and each busy in our lives; if our face isn’t seen by those who can recommend us, than we are losing out on business connections that could come our way. They say the best opportunity to sell is when someone else has recommended you. Get out there and be seen!

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Networking for Your Events Business

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Attending events, conferences, and meetings you are not working is a great way to network and meet contacts who may be looking for event planning services in the future. Networking can be a productive source for future business if done right. However, it can also reflect negatively on your company or be a waste of time if you go about it the wrong way.

As an event planner, you need to hone your networking skills as this is one of the most important types of “advertising” that you will use.  Meeting and greeting people and making a positive, lasting first impression is imperative to running a successful event planning business.

Following these simple guidelines and brushing up on your skills will help ensure that any time you meet a potential client, you make the best use of the time you have with them. If nothing else, you will leave a favorable impression on them.

1. Know your audience.  If your specialty is planning events for top level executives, focus on networking in that arena.  However, if you are new to networking or not confident, attend some lower-value events first to practice before trying to work a room full of business leaders.

Of course it doesn’t hurt to network in other areas, but establish yourself in your niche market first and then expand.  If you work better with less formal events, such as proms or parties, start there until you are confident enough to try a different market.

2. Do your research.  Find out who will be attending an event so you know how you will want to properly position yourself and your company.  You don’t want to discuss prom decorations while networking with corporate executives, or vice versa.

3. Rehearse what you will say about who you are and what your company does.  Develop and practice your elevator pitch so you can be confident in what you say and know what you are talking about.  Be able to answer follow-up questions should you connect with a potential client who wants more details.  Don’t leave a future customer questioning if you are an expert in your field.

Know how you will respond if you don’t have an answer.  “I’ll have to talk with my lighting person to get his/her advice and get back to you on that.” is a much better answer than “I don’t know but I’ll find out.”  And most importantly, follow up with an answer that day or the next.

4. Follow up.  Once you have met a possible future customer or even just an interesting connection, don’t let the opportunity go.  Connect with him/her, make a sales pitch if appropriate, meet for coffee to discuss possible future events, or just keep in touch to keep your name top of mind so they can easily recall it when they have an event to plan.

5. Keep it fresh.  Have a variety of ways of introducing yourself and explaining your business.  You may meet one person who chooses to introduce you to someone else, and you don’t want to sound like a robot repeating the exact thing you just said to the first contact.  Be flexible and keep it interesting.

6. Be helpful.  If during a conversation, you realize that you have a contact that may be beneficial to them, make the introduction.  Take the initiative to help others if you can.

By all means, keep yourself in the loop as much as possible by following up with both parties.  By introducing two contacts to each other, you will expand your network. By showing that you are interested enough to follow up, you will hopefully benefit from the matchmaking that you’ve done.

7. Make the person you are speaking with the center of your attention.  We’ve all experienced a conversation where the person you are speaking with is obviously anxious to move on and talk with someone else.  Chances are you didn’t work too hard to speak with that person again.  Use common courtesy and be respectful to the person you are talking with at the moment.

Networking can be a highly productive source of leads for your business.  If you aren’t experienced at networking, practice with a co-worker or friend or in front of a mirror.  If you find it uncomfortable or hard to do at first, remember that it will get easier with time. The more people you meet, the better you will get.

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Five Ways to Add Value to Event Sponsors

Event sponsors go out of their way to provide financial assistance so you can achieve your event goals. A successful event can hinge on the number of sponsors and assistance they provide. Because of the important role they play, it’s vital to make sure they get proper recognition and that you show your appreciation.

Follow these five tips to ensure that event sponsors feel valued when participating in your event:

1)    Add sponsors’ names to ALL the event’s media announcements.

Nothing shows appreciation and adds value to your sponsor like putting their name on all the elements of the show. Add their name and logo to all of the following:

a)    Social media sources – LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and all the mobile apps as well
b)    All press releases
c)    All printed materials

 

2)    Present them as experts.

Do a speed-networking event, where you have each sponsor present or host a table highlighting their expertise so attendees can ask questions. This gives them credibility and puts them in the position to sell to your attendees without being “salesy.”

No one wants to be overtly self-promotional, and your attendees don’t want to be sold to. This practice is the best way to give your attendees information they are interested in and to allow your sponsors one-on-one time with attendees who may be interested in what they offer.

3)    Feature sponsors as speakers for breakout sessions.

Have your sponsors speak on their expertise and be the featured speaker for a breakout session. This is a great way to fill your program with speakers who will speak for free.

This method also sets your sponsors up for success. A well-delivered presentation will automatically make them the expert in the field and people will approach them for more information following their speech.

4)    Highlight sponsor logos and names.

Use the walk in and out of your general session as time to flash sponsors’ names on screen – this builds sponsor brand recognition. They are your audience and funders for your show; show them the LOVE!

The screens in your general, opening, and closing sessions should be used to the fullest. There will be approximately 30 minutes before the event that guests will be entering the room and getting situated.

Use the visual space to thank sponsors, do light housekeeping, and remind attendees of special events or breakout meetings – but really use that time for sponsorships. If your sponsors have commercials or YouTube videos, you could play those as well.

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How to Write an Elevator Pitch

Imagine this: the VIP at a very large company you would like to partner with or work for asks about your organization, company, or work. You only have two minutes to impress them before they leave for their next important meeting. GO!

Did you get the importance and mission of your work across? Or did you clam up as millions of thoughts flooded your mind?

Missing this opportunity is like letting the one eligible person at speed dating get away because you couldn’t make a connection before the bell rang. Well, it isn’t quite the same… but you get the point: it’s vital to have a pitch or speech well prepared when a similar situation arises.

Short, informative, and persuasive speeches such as these are known as elevator speeches or elevator pitches. Their name comes from the idea of being in an elevator with someone and getting a convincing message across from the time it takes to get from the lobby to your destination point.

 

An elevator pitch or speech should be used as a brief, persuasive speech that sparks the interest of the person you are sharing it with. Follow the five steps below to write your own elevator speech:

1) Identify the goal of your speech.

Identify whom you wish to convey your message to and what idea or message you want to share before you begin writing.

2) Explain what you do and what makes you unique.

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Finding a Business Coach

It’s hard to decide when to hire a business coach because there is no objective way to assess when it is time to hire one.   And more often than not, when it is time to hire one; you are too busy to do your homework to determine if it is a going to be a good fit.

This is a big decision.  Do not take it lightly.

This is because business coaches will help you:  focus, make more money, experience less stress, have better relationships with employees and loved ones, keep your sanity while your business expands, give you peace of mind, and help you learn to trust yourself to make the right decisions at every turn.

Who doesn’t want to experience all of that?

Key #1:  Find a business coach who is the right fit for you personally and professionally.

When you hire a business coach, it’s been proven in case studies that you will get the best results when you like and respect your coach (Manchester, 2001).  In addition, it will help tremendously if they have the expertise in the area of development that you need or want to address.   In other words, you must be both objective and subjective when choosing who you want to hire as your business coach.

Key #2:    Timing is everything.

If you are experiencing any of the following, it is time to consider the bottom-line impact that hiring a coach will have on the following:

  • Overcoming burn-out for you and/or your employees
  • Overcoming the lack of growth (or worse, a decrease in revenue)
  • Learning how to effectively deal with rapid growth
  • Taking the time to effectively prepare and plan to intentionally grow your business
  • Overcoming and ultimately avoiding low performance from staff members
  • Creating hierarchy and/or structure
  • Creating clear job descriptions
  • Creating a culture on purpose vs. by default
  • Creating a more effective sales process: branding, marketing, pitching, onboarding customers, managing customer relationship,  etc.

With that being said, it is equally (if not more) important to assess whether you are coachable and willing to invest the necessary time in your development to get the results you seek. If not, do not throw money at your problem. It will be a waste.

Key #3:   Give it time!

The results you want to experience are going to come if you hired the right professional.  With that being said, they don’t have a magic wand.  If you expect magic, hire a magician. NOT a coach.

Key #4:  Spending more money on coaching doesn’t equate to better or faster results.

This doesn’t mean that you are going to get to hire someone who is cheap, either.   In order to make this make sense financially, you need to assess the financial impact that your developmental gaps will have on the bottom-line.  After you do this, logically decide how much you are willing to spend and then commit to spending it.

This is important because if you hire a coach, you need to commit to the relationship for at least six months.  If you are financially strapped due to hiring a coach, it can create the opposite of what you want to achieve.  This is not what you want!

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Brainstorming: The Most Fun You Will Have Planning an Event

You need to get your creative juices flowing to plan your next event, but you just can’t think of a good theme and time is running out. You need to get down to the planning phase quickly! What to do?

Oh, yes, you forgot that little step of Brainstorming!   We told you it was important!  Who has time to brainstorm you may ask? You do!  Unless you are happy repeating the same event over and over again, then you can skip this step.

But, if you take pride in producing unique, customized events that fit your client’s individual needs, brainstorming is an extremely important step. It can make the difference between a good event and a great event that your attendees are talking about for years!

So what are the best ways to get a brainstorming session started?  We’ve created a list of our top 10 ways that we like to hold our sessions.  The key ideas we always keep in mind, no matter how or where we hold our sessions are:  have fun and no idea is off limits!

Brainstorming Tips

1. Create a place that is comfortable: Get rid of the office chairs and desks, those are for the serious thinking and planning!

Imagine walking into a room filled with beanbags in bright colors for seating arrangements. This will take your brainstorming to a whole new level. It’s all about getting out of the BOX and in this instance about creating a creative space.

Have a pajama party. Ask guests to wear their PJ’s (with strict restrictions) to the planning session. Just being comfortable can release the creative thinking gene.

2. Include your whole team: Don’t limit input to the creative / planning staff.

Include the drivers, set dressers, assistants, secretaries, etc.—everyone has a unique viewpoint that will add value to your session.

You’ll find that having the same people brainstorm over and over will end up in the same ideas resurfacing. Adding a member to your team who doesn’t think like the rest of the group will give you different perspectives immediately. You never know who has that next WOW idea, and it might not be the creatives!

3. Establish the RULE: No idea is a bad idea.

Create a judgement-free zone for your session. No one has a bad idea, everyone takes a turn, and everyone has input. Set up the ground rules in the beginning of the session and stick to them.

Decide who will be in charge as a group. This takes away any of the animosity that can occur in groups where the leader is appointed in advance. This is not a competition or a hierarchy like the office. It’s a free flowing, safe, and fun environment.

4. Have a large area to record ideas: This enables everyone to easily read and add their own comments.

Cover the walls in brown butcher paper, have plenty of writing tools available, and encourage picture-drawing to get the creative juices flowing.

Allow everyone a moment in the front of the room to write on the wall, or create spaces for each individual and let them draw or write in their space at any time during the session. They might need the space to write a thought down when the ideas start popping! Brainstorming can be kind of like popcorn…once the first kernel pops, the whole bag explodes!

5. Everyone’s ideas are equal: Nobody should feel shy or reserved.

Give everyone free reign to express their ideas. Brainstorming is about free associating and ideas that caused laughter should not be exploited in the office. You are building comradery and teamwork while gaining all sorts of ideas. Make sure this is one of the rules you set up in the beginning.

6. Collect and save all ideas: You never know when something mentioned in one brainstorming session will spark an idea for another event!

OK, so the crazy idea of flying the CEO in on an airplane cable didn’t work for this event. But it might work for another. Keeping all those ideas in a folder of ideas will help you create this event and many more in the future.

7. NEVER criticize anyone’s ideas: This will lead to self-censorship, which squashes creativity.

Be respectful of other’s ideas—you never know when one silly idea might lead to a brilliant invention.

8. Take turns being the leader: Giving others the chance to lead empowers and expands thinking.

Make sure when doing this that you only have one leader at a time. Otherwise, you could have conflicting power interests.

Changing up leaders will open up different areas of conversation.

9. Work in teams and mix teams up: Have the owner of the company team up with the part-time driver to come up with a theme.  You might be surprised what they create together!

Have team competitions for the craziest ideas, the most fun ideas, and the “are you kidding me?!” ideas.

10. HAVE FUN!  Brainstorming is the least stressful and the most fun part of event planning!

The most important guidance is to have fun. More ideas come out of relaxed conversation, laughing and giggles, sharing harebrained ideas, and drawings on napkins than any other way of communication. Have fun, build relationships with others, and great ideas will flow that will translate into great events for your attendees!

Finally!

We find brainstorming to be one of the most fun elements of our job. Just letting our hair down for a few hours, laughing at ourselves and our ideas, and usually coming up with some ideas to WOW our audience is what it’s all about for us.

We love finding those unique ways to thrill our audience and this is one of the ways we find works best for our team. Need some quick inspiration? Check out five of our favorite themes to get you started. 

What techniques do you use to stir up creative juices? We’d love to know!

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How to Present Your Event Proposal Professionally

A lot of things happen behind the scenes of an event. Largely the months of planning and preparation that occur for that one night or several days event.

When individuals think about becoming an event planner, they often picture themselves enjoying time with the client picking out color swatches or even mingling while the party takes place. While these are some perks to being an event planner, there is a lot of hard work that goes into pulling off a successful party or event.

Before you can even get started planning an event, you must be selected as the planner of choice. Sometimes that means competing against other planners. The “competition process” can include presenting your proposal to the potential client, which is the topic we will be addressing here. This process might be called the RFP (Request for Proposal) process and many times the client will give you an outline of what they are looking for.

If you have made it this far in the selection process, there are some tips you’ll want to follow to make sure you are presenting in a professional manner and are able to make the most of this important face-to-face time with the client.

Below are five tips to presenting your event proposal professionally:

1) Dress to Impress

Don’t show up in yoga pants and your favorite black t-shirt. Although you may wear that in your home office, it’s not what you should wear for your presentation.
If this is your first face-to-face meeting with the client, you’ll want to use your attire to make a good first impression. I’d suggest wearing dress slacks and a business formal top or even a pencil skirt and dress sweater. Think of what you’d wear to an interview and go from there.

As you narrow down your outfit options, make sure you eliminate any options that could be too distracting. You don’t want the client focused on the clang of your bangle bracelets or brightly patterned tie.

2) Use Professional Body Language

While you are presenting, make sure your body language is positive and professional. Don’t slouch, grimace, or look closed off by crossing your arms the entire time.

It is important that you stand up straight, use open body language, and avoid doing any nervous tick behaviors if possible. Things like swaying and tapping your foot can be distracting and take away from the presentation. Ask your close friends, coworkers, or family members if you have any nervous habits you need to work on.

3) Practice Beforehand

If this is your first rodeo or a big presentation you’re feeling nervous about, practices in front of a small crowd or even the mirror beforehand. This is a great way to become aware of body language errors we previously mentioned. It is also a chance to refine your message and time your presentation.

4) Bring along a team member

I always like to have someone with me when I go to present a proposal. Not only does it allow someone to watch the clients’ reactions to ideas I’m presenting more closely, but it allows someone else within our company to be knowledgeable on the event details. This can be important for emergency situations. If you were unable to complete the event planning or be there the day of the event, your associate can seamlessly take over.

Another benefit is their ability to take notes for later and alert you if the client gives any non-verbal cues about disliking an idea or catch little nuances that you might have missed.

5)Practice your redirection skills

When your teammate gives you a silent cue of the client not liking an idea, or if you are able to notice it yourself, make sure you are able to redirect your client to the ideas they did like. This can be tough but with practice and more events, it will come naturally.

When presenting by yourself, watch the facial reactions to your ideas. If something isn’t clicking for the person you are presenting to, turn the meeting around and start asking questions. If you listen closely, the potential client will tell you exactly what they want and how much they are willing to spend.

Presenting your proposal professionally is an important step in getting selected as the planner of choice for an event. Going in with a negative attitude or making the mistake of chewing gum while presenting are things that can make or break your business. You may not get future calls to present if they feel you don’t take your job seriously.

There are also fun ways to spice up your presentation and leave an impression, which I share in full detail in our event planning membership.

I’d love to hear what you do to prepare for presentations. Share in the comments below!

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5 Fears of Starting Your Own Event Planning Business

Starting an event planning business can be intimidating, even scary. You may fear the perceived risks that are involved and question whether you can handle them. However, once we release what fear really means “False Evidence Appearing Real” (by: unknown) we have the opportunity to overcome.

Just remember this: “Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” – Suzy Kassem

I love this quote and its nudge toward jumping all in. Who are you starting an event planning business for anyway? That’s right, for Y-O-U, you!

Does Fear Go Away Once I’ve Started?

Fear and doubt are part of going beyond your comfort zone and growing. Fear still exists as an entrepreneur, even when you’ve been in business for as long as I have. You know what I fear? I fear doing Facebook live. It is a real stretch for me. For some reason, I can’t get past this.

I can talk on the phone, do face-to-face meetings, speak in front of a crowd and many other things, but Facebook Live gets me all the time. However, when I go face my fears and do, whatever it is that I fear, it usually is really rewarding; it’s just a matter of a little practice. And yes, I need to do more Facebook Live.

When Others Add to Your Fears

Often family and friends will discourage you from going into business on our own. They think they are giving you advice that will help you, but it can be discouraging when you’ve decided to ‘do your own thing’. I remember when my parents told me I needed to get a ‘real job’ as if what I did was a hobby.

You’re Not Alone

Many people are in the same position as you. Trust me when I say you are not alone. Let’s examine the top five fears commonly found among those wanting to start an event planning business and how Event Heroes can help:


1. Not Enough Money

When isn’t money presenting itself as an obstacle? Money is a tricky thing, isn’t it? We work for an income to support ourselves and our families so that we can do things we enjoy. Did you know that if you work full time from ages 18-67, you will have worked 92,120 hours (source) during that time? That’s A LOT!

Wouldn’t you rather spend that timed doing something you LOVE?!

What I’m trying to say is that investing in yourself and your event planning dream is worth it.

With our Event Heroes training, you are paying for quality training that will get you jump started in your business. When you follow our business practices, you’ll make back your investment with a couple of events.


2. Overall Fear

Fear can be several things. Whether it’s fear of failure, fear of the unknown, fear of not being good enough… Just let go of them! Fear can be paralyzing. The more you dwell on it, the more you second-guess yourself. This is all wasting time when you could be out there growing your business!

With the support found in the Event Heroes community, you can ask questions as you begin your journey. This helps alleviate any fears that may arise. We want to be with you every step of the way.


3. Not Enough Time

I just finished attending a group where we talked about making the most of our fringe hours. Those are the hours in between activities or daily tasks where you can spend time on things you enjoy.

You will never find time for things you enjoy; you must make time. Sometimes the dirty laundry and dishes can wait, put your passions first. If you love event planning, make time for it.


4. Lack of Support

If you find that you don’t have emotional support from your friends or family, it can be hard to pursue your dreams. I personally find that if others doubt my abilities, I’m more motivated to succeed. Just tell me I can’t and watch me make it happen, just to prove you wrong.

If you’re looking for support in the form of mentorship, motivations, and cheerleading, let the Event Heroes community fill that role for you.

5. Inexperience

We all start somewhere, and my guess is that you DO have some experience under you belt. Most people who come to me for event planning advice found their interest sparked while planning a party, wedding, or event for a friend or family member.

Sometimes you may surprise yourself if you sit down and write out all your experiences related to event planning. There’s probably a lot more there than you thought!

If lack of business or formal customer service experience is a fear of yours, then know that we have a system in place to address this! We interview many professionals in the event and business world to help you know how to best operate your business.

Putting Your Fears Behind You

I’ve always taken my business seriously and have been able to raise my kids while doing what I love. Now, that’s not to say you should quit your job and jump in with both feet. You can make a great side-hustle income working in the evenings and weekends until this does take over and become your full-time business if you so choose.

However, if you can jump in with both feet, there is nothing like “fail or succeed entirely” to motivate you to do what you what to do. And it’s harder to let yourself down, because you know you can do it – you’re awesome after all!

How to Get Started Confidently

Starting a business alone can be scary and time consuming as you learn the ropes. Let us help you overcome your fears and minimize the learning curve to get you scheduling and planning events sooner than later! Heck, our system will even save you time and MONEY in the long run. You’ll be up and running and ready to tackle events in no time.

Ready to start your Event Hero membership? Sign up today.

Watch for me to do more Facebook live soon as I face my fears!

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