The Enemy of Great is Good

I got to thinking here lately and I truly came to the realization that the enemy of great is good.  I’ve hear this saying before, and it was inspirational at the time, but it never resounded in me the way it does now.  Over the last few months I’ve been really working hard with my students while also beginning the new Preston Bailey Certified Wedding and Event Design course.  That’s when I caught myself thinking about what the missing ingredient in success is with so many in our industry.  Why are so many businesses failing? Why is there so many that are struggling? And why are there not more success stories in our profession? And then it really hit me, “The Enemy of Great is Good.”

In our industry there are an ever increasing number starting up and joining our ranks.  Of all the people in our industry a vast majority are really “good” at what they do, key word being good.  Why then, if so many of our colleagues are “good” why have they not gone further in their professional lives?  The reason; they have become content with “good.”

There comes a point in our careers when things start going good, business is consistent and we think to ourselves “Wow, I am good.” Now the last part may come in different forms but ultimately we are content with business and business is good.  This is where the majority of our colleagues get off the train so to speak. Unfortunately this station is a place where business failure comes easily, contentment here is dangerous because business is giving you a false sense of completion.  Business has only two stages, growing or dying.  Contentment leads to death. So do you think this is an extreme statement? I hope so, but truthfully it isn’t so farfetched.

I have personally known a couple people that were exceptional at what they did; unfortunately they didn’t understand their own value and they became content with business as usual.  Two years later, one of my friends was on the verge of bankruptcy and the other was on their way to breaking one million dollars in their second year of business.  What was so different in these two people? Why was one good and the other great? As I began helping my friend gain control over his dying business; it became obvious rather quickly the differences. 

The next few blog posts will be a series discussing how to take your business from good to great.  As I post the series I would love to hear all about the things you are doing to make your business “Great.” So I ask you, how are you going from good to great?

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Saving Money, One Reception At A Time

In today’s’ economic uncertainty more and more couples are looking for ways to cut cost and still get the wedding of their dreams.  I’ve heard of many things that Bride and Groom’s are doing and unfortunately many of the things they are trying wind up costing them more money in the long run.  Saving money on your reception can be easy, but it requires you to do a little work . 

I often find budgeting to be the biggest issue with saving money on a wedding reception, why? Well that’s an easy question! Most Bride and Groom’s have no idea what they want to spend, what they should spend, or what they CAN spend on their wedding.  And, if you don’t know, how can you ever save money.  The first thing every Bride and Groom need to do is come to the truths of what they are willing, able, and comfortable spending on their wedding day…there is no wrong answer to this question. Secondly, before any ideas are considered, before any plans are made you need to make a list of everything that makes up a wedding and prioritize the things that are important to you.  This is basically a double duty list.  On the one hand it will give a ranked system of where your precious budget dollars will be allocated and on the other hand it is a list of the things you are willing to live with less of, to give to the things you want more or the areas where you can shave off dollars and cut back the budget all together.Another way that couple can save money on planning the wedding of their dreams is to hire a wedding planner.  I often hear couples say that they can’t afford a wedding planner, but you really must know that any wedding planner worth their weight can not only save you enough money to cover their fees but the expertise they bring will help save money on time, mistakes, and stress.  And let’s face the fact, stress is bad; physically, emotionally, and mentally…let someone else deal with it.

One of the best ways to get more bang for you buck is to meet with the vendors that you truly like.  Do not let price deter you from a consultation with your dream vendors…I know you just went “What!” More often than not higher priced vendors bring you much greater value to the money you are spending. They often offer a greater level of service, more attention to detail, deeper levels of personalization, and more benefits than other vendors.  Even if the higher priced vendor is way out of your budget range you can use them as a reference point for comparison, but remember, if this vendor is in a category where you have a high priority then work on ways to afford their service, you will not be disappointed.

One place to watch out for when saving money is doing things yourself.  There is nothing wrong with doing some of the wedding items yourself, where most people mess this up is they do not have a clear vision for the wedding and wind up buying all sorts of things hoping that something will inspire them and stick.  Money spent is money forgotten and this is exactly what happens!  If you are going to be doing some things yourself develop a clear vision for the project.  Know exactly what you will need, plan the project materials and only buy what you have planned on, do not improvise your shopping list!

And lastly, the best and sure fire way to save money on your wedding is simply to pay cash.  No I don’t mean make under the table deals.  Avoid using credit at all costs!  If you go and put a wedding on credit you easily spend thousands more in interest payments, not to mention the worst thing a new marriage needs is the pressures and stress of debt.  Start your marriage with a clean slate.  If going big is truly important, start a plan, save your cash, and wait.  A big wedding filled with glitz is not worth debt, especially credit card debt.

Ok, so my top 5 ways to stretch your wedding dollars are very simple. 1 – Develop a realistic budget with weighted priorities. 2 – Hire a planner to assist you in purchasing decisions, developing your budget, and avoiding costly mistakes or missed details. 3 – Don’t let an initial price quote deter you from meeting your dream vendors. 4 – Plan any and all DYI project thoroughly before you go shopping. 5 – Avoid debt at all cost, pay cash, negotiate, and let your planner work to get you the deals you want with the vendors you must have.

So how have you been creative in saving money on your wedding?

ARMDJs 3.0

You can always tell truly professional companies by how much they continue to learn and grow.  This is why I am constantly traveling to conferences and workshops like the one I just returned from in Tennessee call A.R.M.D.J.s.  I left with 2 other Dallas area DJs; Shawn Kelly of Platinum Sound (www.platinumsoundmusic.com) and Gary Lankford of Lankford Weddings (www.lankfordweddings.com).  We began our travels on Sunday June 20th, I had an event on the 19th on Lake Texhoma so I ended up just coming home and packing up to leave without sleep…I figured I would sleep in the truck on the trip…I was wrong! We talked non stop until we got to Mephis, where we of course stopped for BBQ!  Later that night we made it into the mountains where Shawn’s dad has been building a lake house, which I might add was amazing. 

The following morning Shawn drove into Knoxville to pick up Peter Merry (www.petermerry.com) from the airport.  What Peter didn’t know was that last night we developed a plan to scare the crap out him…see the video below…lol. That afternoon we roll into Greeneville and settle in beofre heading to the rooftop party.

the next day can be described only as one of the most incredible one day conferences I’ve ever seen!!  The line up of speakers was incredible, the topics were exactly what we needed, and the content was intense!  Thank you to Robbie Britton for all his hard work in getting this incredible event together.  I can’t wait till next year!!

Preston Baliey Joins WPI!!!

This just in. World renoun Wedding and Event Designer Preston Bailey www.prestonbailey.com has partnered with the Wedding Planning Institute to bring you a new course all about Signature Weddings & Design!  Visit www.weddingplanninginstitute.com/prestonbailey for more information. 

The class will be offered at the Universtiy of Texas at Arlington www.uta.edu just as soon as I finish my training.  There will be some amazing things happening in this class and I would recommend that those insterested in this course take the Certified Wedding & Event Planner course first.  If you have questions about either course add your comments or send me an e-mail.  I look forward to seeing you at the next session.

The Wedding of Ashleigh & Tony Vitro

Working with Ashleigh and Tony was a true blessing.  I met Ashleigh and Tony back in November at our consultation and knew that I would love to work with them for their wedding day.  Getting to know these two is just another reason I truly love my job.  They both met in Las Vegas while working on the same project.  The rest of this story was presented as their love story just before we introduced them into the reception hall for their first dance, which was “Faithfully” by Journey. 

The wedding was held at Reflections on Spring Creek on May 29th, 2010.  Ashleigh and Tony had their ceremony in the chapel and the reception in the hall just next door.  Ashleigh and Tony had a great time and did a neat little twist on the traditional money dance by making it their own.  Below is a short video from their event.