Recently I had a one to one with one of my favourite clients who has rocked her socks off but now created a business that is leaving her feeling utterly overwhelmed.
She contacted me for a one to one session after having the most awful nightmare.
She was dreaming she was on a train and completely surrounded with wedding files, no idea where she was heading but when she got to her destination her assistant was there.
They were desperately trying to stuff all her wedding files into her assistant's car but they were all being dropped and her phone was constantly ringing.
Too Many Wedding Enquiries
I know this is a dream for many and I teach wedding planners and businesses how to get fully booked but what if it becomes overwhelming and unsustainable.
My client was recently featured on a well known Indian wedding magazine, Khush.
Consequently her enquiries have gone through the roof, she said she has about 40 in the last week and feeling an enormous amount of pressure.
So What Did we Discuss?
Firstly I told her to put an automated response on, due to the volume of enquiries we will be in touch with you as soon as we can.
We discussed how she wanted her business to evolve, how much time and effort was she prepared to put into it.
As for most small business owners who suddenly find themselves overwhelmed, she is striving for a better work/life balance so we crunched numbers.
Pricing, business expenses and then worked out how many weddings she would be comfortable taking on each year.
Acquiring Extra Staff
As my client works in different destinations we discussed the fact she needs to hire more people on the ground.
Setting Wedding Business Boundaries
My client recently changed all their phones and have separate ones for business and personal use.
The business phones are turned off at 7pm each night and not turned back on until 10am in the morning.
This means their evenings are e-mail free.
It also allows her and her team a quieter morning to check in and catch up before they start their working day.
I explained meeting with potential suppliers isn't necessary, we all get those emails asking to meet for a coffee from well meaning suppliers but we don't need to.
You don't need to be on email 24/7, I used to and it was a nightmare!
The more you reply to the more will come back so limit this to perhaps 2 hours twice a day. Set a timer and stick to it. I call this the ping pong effect.
When you are sending out contracts, 'how we work brochures', etc stipulate and reiterate constantly your working boundaries.
Set up an Automated Response to Enquires
Creating an automated response to enquires is huge, it will save you a lot of time and sift out the weddings that aren't a good fit for your business.
You can send an email explaining your services, prices, a brochure to download and be very specific about the kind of weddings you work on.
Creating a Business that Works for You
It is too easy to create a business that takes over your life and starts to suck the joy out of your day to day living.
All your hours are taken up with emails, client enquiries and providing quotes.
Let alone actually doing your job.
I remember being asked once why my business wasn't bigger. I replied with I didn't want it to be, I didn't want an elephant in my room.
If you would love to read my new case study you can read more here.
I wanted a business where I wasn't responsible for others. I could work at home and bring up my daughters. I could choose my own hours and create a sustainable business and my life would not be taken over by it.
It hasn't been a ride in the park and have burnt out a few times but taking a step back and deciding how you want your business to grow is crucial.
Create a business that doesn't bring that elephant into the room.
If you are struggling you can always book a one to one with me. I can help you build a sustainable business you love.
My email is lauracbow@gmail.com get in touch if you would love to find out more.