By: Poonam Saini, WPICC of P.S. Eventful
Starting your own wedding planning business can often feel like your tip-toeing on a tightrope. On one side you’re trying to balance a 40 hour work life and on the other you’re trying to squeeze in any possible waking hour into a new business. As you begin your entrepreneur life, here are five tips to help you get a firm stance on that wobbly rope.
1. Make the most of your lunch hour
First of all, make sure you actually take a lunch “break”. It’s mind-boggling how many people eat at their desk! As a part-time entrepreneur you need to take advantage of this precious hour. And I don’t mean responding to e-mails on your phone (let’s be real, you probably do that during work hours anyways…). Bring your personal laptop to work and during your lunch break, head down to the local Starbucks. It’s amazing how much you can get done in as little as 30 minutes if you really focus. Use this time to write a blog post, build your SEO by commenting on other blogs, or update a client’s budget. These things don’t take a great deal of time and can be done much quicker on your laptop than your phone.
2. Adapt your work schedule to suit your needs
Chances are you’re working an 8 hour day, typically 9-5 (if you’re not…err, skip this tip). Consider switching to 8-4pm or even 7-3pm. Leaving work an hour early is incredible…less traffic on your commute home means more time for your business. While not every workplace may be flexible with switching hours, remember, it doesn’t hurt to ask. Be sure to have a realistic game plan of how these new hours will not just benefit you, but also benefit your employer (“I’m a morning person and more productive at 8am!”).
3. Save some vacation days for the busy wedding season
I have a rule: no working Fridays in July and August. For majority of wedding planners, this will undoubtedly be your two busiest months. Take advantage of summer hours if you have the option, but if you don’t, using your vacation days during wedding season will give the entrepreneur side of you more time to focus on your business and clients (not to mention you won’t feel as stressed!). If you have limited vacation days, consider taking every other Friday off at the very least.
4. Know when to say “no”
As a full time employee, you often want to please your employer and as a part-time entrepreneur, you wish to take advantage of every opportunity. Remember, it’s okay to say “no” if your boss asks you to take on an evening meeting and you don’t need to attend every single venue open house (trust me!). No matter what the situation, take a step back and ask yourself “What’s the worst that will happen if I say ‘no’ to this”? (Tip: worst thing = losing your job or a client).
5. Plan when you want to be a full-time entrepreneur
Let’s face it…Your passion likely lies with your wedding planning business and this may lead to feelings of resentment towards your full-time job. I often ask myself “Why can’t I quit already?”…and then I remember “Oh right, because then I can’t pay rent…”. So have a (realistic) end date in sight! Tell yourself “I will be full-time in five years” OR “I will switch to a part-time job in three years” and then be sure to work towards this crucial goal. That way the next time you feel resentment towards your day job, just remember “three more years…three more years…”.
Starting a wedding planning business is a choice you’ve made and with continued passion and perseverance, you’ll reach the end of that tightrope!
Thank you for the feature! I hope this article is helpful to all of us who work full-time while balancing our business. It’s tough but very possible!
This was a very good read and sometimes everyone just needs to hear tip #5.
You don’t know how much I needed to see and read this article….Thanks Poonam!!
So hard to manage the two! Thanks for this post!