Sharing is Caring: Get your Business in order with The Simple Plan

I started this whole “Sharing is Caring” series a few weeks ago, simply as a way to share information, and it’s received so much great response, that I’ve decided to make it a regular thang on the blog! Yay!

Earlier this week I attended The Simple Plan hosted by the wonderful and talented Michelle Loretta and Kelly Simants, the brains behind Sage Wedding Pros. I’ve been following the Sage Wedding Pros blog since last summer when a Twitter friend tweeted their link. I hopped on over and saw that they were sharing loads of useful information, targeted at wedding professionals. Perfect! I really got glued when Michelle started stepping through writing a Business Plan.

You know, when I think “business plan” I think “corporate”, “scary”, “overwhelming”.  Things that don’t get me excited. However, through the series of posts about how to write a business plan, I saw that it wasn’t such a monster. And yet, even though I downloaded  the 13 Step Writing a Business Plan, I couldn’t get myself to do it.

So when Kelly told me that they’d be bringing The Simple Plan to Dallas after their first round in Seattle, I knew it was something I’d have to attend. I knew the value of a business plan, and I needed to write one, so why not (in the spirit of living in Texas) Git’er done?!

After the first day of activities, Kelly and Michelle asked me for their thoughts. I told them, “It’s a sneaky way of getting us to write a business plan. It didn’t even feel like we were writing one!” Truly, Kelly, Michelle, and their guest speakers, and in Dallas it was Blair deLaubenfels, co-owner of Junebug Weddings and Shannon Streater, CEO of Texas Wedding Guide, know what they are talking about and share their passion for helping others create sustainable business. Because if you are starting a business, don’t you want it to last beyond 2 years? And it’s a fact that most small business doesn’t last past five years.

Take it from me. Kelly and Michelle make writing a business plan in two days not only possible, they make it fun and painless. Seriously. And it’s also a wonderful opportunity to meet other like-minded professionals, investing in their business, to get their business on track.

Sage Wedding Pros is a consultancy with a mission to create sustainable business in the wedding industry. This February 22-23 (the 23rd is my birthday!) they will be in Atlanta with their business planning workshop, The Simple Plan.  It is an all-encompassing business strategy session where business owners will:

• Write a mission statement and define a company vision
• Set short and long term goals
• Refine their target market and niche
• Find the pricing sweet-spot
• Determine how many weddings is needed to be profitable; write a sales plan
• Examine branding and determine whether their branding projects their vision and values
• Create a marketing plan, operational plan, and financial plan

It is open to all professionals who do business in the wedding industry: new and experienced, in all segments (photo, video, flowers, planners, etc.)  YOU WILL WALK OUT WITH A BUSINESS PLAN IN HAND, WRITTEN BY YOU.

Michelle Loretta & Kelly Simants, owners of Sage Wedding Pros, strongly believe that a business plan is at the core of business sustainability.  It is the one competitive advantage that successful businesses have over others in their industry.

Their next stops are Washington DC, Los Angeles, and San Francisco! If you have a chance, and want to build a roadmap for your business, be sure to check them out!

Thanks to Jason Huang of Table4Weddings for taking this!

I don’t just believe in what Michelle and Kelly are doing, I whole-heartedly believe in them. One city at a time, they are helping raise the bar of our industry, by helping build sustainabale businesses in the wedding industry..

Stationery and paper goods by Carrie Foiles, owner of The Event Messenger

Florals by Debby Jewesson, owner of Branching Out Events