Have you been hearing all the buzz around the Creative At Heart Conference? This has been on my “business bucket list” to attend for SO long, ever since it first began really, and I’ve seen how it has impacted the lives of so many of my friends and fellow small business owners. Well, friends, today is a BIG day!! I’m so excited to officially announce that I’ll be joining the lineup of 40 (yes, 40!!) educators for Creative at Heart Round 8 in November!! I’ll be a panelist, sharing about wedding floral design and leading small group discussions along with a few other awesome ladies! I can’t wait to meet so many new (& old) friends at the beautiful Winmock in North Carolina this year! I have always wanted to attend this conference, and I’m so excited that I finally am!! 🙂 If you’ve had major “fomo” over Creative at Heart,  make this your year to register- I would love to see you there!! Tickets go on sale TONIGHT at 8pm EST so set your alarm & grab your seat as soon as you can!! Want more details?! Go to the C@H Instagram or website to learn more!! Now comment below if you’re hoping to hang out with me in North Carolina this November!! 🙂

For some creative entrepreneurs, the ultimate dream is to be able to take their creative business full-time! This isn’t to say that all creative entrepreneurs dream of taking their gig full-time; in fact some creatives enjoy being able to work on their terms, and having a full-time job to support their creative dreams! However, others dream of being able to leave their full-time job and becoming their own boss! Leaving your steady paycheck and 9 to 5 job behind, can be a stressful and time-consuming process, and as someone who has gone through that, I love to share how to make the process easier! So, here are my top 5 tips on how to turn your creative business into your full-time gig!

Booking weddings can be a challenge for any up-and-coming wedding vendor who is passionate about working with couples and making their day beautiful. There are SO many ways to find couples who are a perfect fit for your services, but once you find them, how do you book their wedding?! There are several different philosophies around this question, but I truly believe that providing an unparalleled level of customer service and care is the best way to book clients and find new ones too! Creating a positive experience for a client, from the very first interaction with your company, will elevate your professionalism and hopefully create excitement within the client to move forward with you! Here are some practical tips on how to give a positive experience to clients from their initial inquiry!

Creating financial systems that work for you and your business is a crucial part of running a successful, sustainable business! For me, I knew it couldn’t go at it alone, and I have outsourced a majority of financial management to professionals, which has been an investment that is worth its weight in gold! That being said, here are 5 financial management tips, things that I have personally implemented into my small business, that I have found extremely helpful!! Cheers to doing business better friends! 🙂

Confession: I manage SO many aspects of my business right from my iPhone! Obviously technology has totally revolutionized the way small businesses get stuff done, and I am a total believer in going “paperless”! Using apps on my phone helps me stay connected (and productive) while I’m on the go. I thought today I would share some of the apps that keep me working and help me check tasks off my to-do list without ever opening my computer! And as a disclaimer, this post is not sponsored by any of these companies- I just truly enjoy using each of these apps! Enjoy!

Advertising for your small business can be overwhelming and intimidating. Where do you start? If you are in the wedding industry, you could spend money on Facebook ads, open a paid Wedding Wire account, or even participate in a bridal expo or run a giveaway! If you sell a product, you may be thinking that you need to pay for Google AdWords credits or send your product to influencers and hope they help you promote it. Those things are all great, and will definitely be effective, but since you are paying for it, you will need to weigh the cost of the advertising vs. the outcome (are you finding/booking clients?) Lately, I have been doing a lot of reflecting on my business sustainability, marketing, and how to attract brides that I really connect with! I kept going back to Instagram- I find some of the sweetest brides on Instagram that I just immediately love once we talk! More often than not, by the end of their consultation, I feel like we are old friends, and I (at least partially) attribute that to Instagram! By the time they send in their inquiries, the brides that find me on Instagram are connected to my business, familiar with the CIE brand, and know a little bit about my personal life too! I have never paid for business advertising (other than boosting a few Facebook posts), because I truly believe in taking advantage of one of the best FREE marketing tools out there right now: Instagram! I have booked over half of my weddings this year through brides finding me on Instagram, and because I’m such a believer in its effectiveness, I wanted to share a few tips on how to use this form of social media to reach your ideal client and advertise for your business!