It’s very exciting to finally be starting your wedding planning business. But it’s during the first few months of starting a business that many new wedding planners make some costly mistakes.
Here are 4 ways I’ve seen new wedding planners waste their money and why you must avoid their mistakes:
1) They buy the wrong advertising
As soon as you start your business, you will be contacted by many people selling advertising “opportunities” that they claim will get your name out in front of thousands of brides. The problem is, these may not be the brides who are in your target market and they may not even be interested in hiring a wedding planner.
Before investing in any advertising, make sure you thoroughly research the company who is making the offer and who they reach. You don’t want to pay for any advertising that isn’t going to work for you.
2) They buy mailing lists
When you are new you may also be given the “opportunity” to purchase lists with the names and information of new brides so you can do mailings. Again, many of these brides may not be in your target market. Also, unless you have already made a personal connection with a bride, for instance at a bridal fair, it’s likely that anything you send will be considered junk mail and immediately tossed.
3) They spend a lot of money on fancy logos and websites
You definitely want a professional looking logo and website but wait until you have worked with a few brides before investing a lot of money in either of these. Like most wedding planners, your business will look a little different in a few months as you learn more about the brides who are attracted to you and the services that you offer.
4) They purchase high-priced items to impress brides
New wedding planners often overspend by buying the latest designer accessories and expensive, trendy tech gadgets in an effort to impress brides.
While you want to be professionally dressed and technically savvy, don’t go into major debt trying to look like you have it all. Brides are looking for someone they can trust who is an expert at planning weddings. You can wow them with your knowledge and your commitment to excellent customer service!
And you can learn more about starting and running your wedding planning business in my Free Special Report “7 Steps to Becoming a Top Wedding Planner.” You can get it here.