This morning I checked into my social media and was quite horrified to see many of my wedding buddies struggling and it is only half way through June.
For Spain this is just the beginning of wedding season. It runs mainly from the beginning of April to the end of October.
Yet they are already dropping like flies, chest infections, tired, pissed off and ill yet powering through.
This is dangerous, I know it all to well having been almost hospitalized with the onset of pneumonia and working for 5 days non stop with a broken thumb. (It was never able to be set as couldn’t get to the hospital).
The Wedding Work Life Balance
Many wedding entrepreneurs start as a one man band, whether they are planners, florists, entertainers or a photographer.
As their businesses grow they take on more and more clients and are excited they are finally fully booked.
Nothing changes, their prices stay the same and they are working around the clock to deliver.
How to avoid Wedding Burnout
At some point you need to put your prices up, if you are barely making a profit and can’t afford to hire in help then it is time to go back to the drawing board.
You decide what you want your business to look like.
If it means taking on less weddings then adapt your pricing to make sure you are still working for a profit and making enough money.
If it means taking on more weddings and hiring help, again adapt your prices to reflect this.
In the fast-paced world of business, burnout has become an all-too-common issue.
Wedding professionals find themselves caught in a relentless cycle of work, with little time for rest or recovery. Weekends are spent working 12 hours a day and week days spent on admin and playing catch up with all the other tasks required, it becomes impossible and many wedding business owners are running on Adrenalin constantly.
The consequences of this can be dire, impacting not only personal health but also the long-term success of their ventures.
Here are some practical strategies to help you avoid burnout and maintain a healthy work-life balance after chatting to just a few suppliers today!
Set Clear Boundaries with Clients
Establishing clear boundaries by setting specific work hours and what is required of you and sticking to them.
Communicate these boundaries to clients, colleagues, and family members to ensure they respect your time. This separation allows you to recharge and prevents work from consuming every aspect of your life.
If you have international clients then you need to be more flexible due to time lines but do set aside maybe a Friday evening or early Saturday morning for a call.
Big one! Learn to Say No!
It’s important to recognize your limits and we will all get the clients that push them.
Today I have been helping one of my members who had been dealing with an enquiry for two months and answering every question but they still haven’t booked!
Despite sending a contract with a payment link weeks ago and still being asked questions she decided to seek help and sent me the latest dialogues between her and the ‘potential client’.
I was updated and despite her telling the ‘potential client’ she was no longer available for more messages she gets sent another load of questions!
I read them and said ignore it. Don’t answer.
Then another message came through ‘perhaps we could organise another chat’ again I told the planner to ignore it and not respond.
This wedding planner is ill (another one), she was out attending a graduation and she doesn’t need to be on call for someone that hasn’t booked her services.
She has answered many questions over the past two months to try to be helpful and get a booking but I did ask her today does she really need this booking as the client will continue to be a nightmare throughout the whole wedding process if she cannot commit to a wedding planner, yet obviously needs one.
I also understand this client had been in touch with another wedding planner but didn’t commit when asked for a payment.
With this in mind there does become a time when it is OK to just ignore the firing line of messages if you aren’t booked and take a step back.
My advice was to have a day off and have a rest, there is nothing urgent that can’t wait until Monday. To ignore this barrage of continuing questions and we will address it on Monday with an adequate response to either get rid of this client or to secure a booking.
If you are feeling burnt out or in need of support then contact me to find out how I can support you.
Laura x
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