Waiting for the Eye of the Storm

Wouldn’t it be great if it was business as usual this week? 

But it’s not. And it likely won’t be for weeks to come. 

Things are changing fast – and will continue to for a while

I waited to write this week’s post until Monday night because the situation is developing so quickly. 

On Sunday morning most wedding pros were hoping their March and April clients would continue to hold the events.

On Monday morning, after the CDC recommended not hosting weddings with more than 50 people, it turned to hoping clients would postpone till later. 

By the time you read this, who knows what’s the best-case scenario? Or the worst-case?

We’re in uncharted territory

And we all respond differently in unpredictable times. Fear, doubt, caution, anger, melancholy, grief. If you take all the feelings we’re sorting through right now it’s a mishmash of pretty much all the negative emotions.

Personally, I respond to these kinds of situations with alternating sadness and anger. 

But mostly sadness for the losses we’re seeing…

The community we all share will not see everyone weather the storm we’re in. The gains so many wedding pros have made in their careers is now halted and likely set back. 

For those couples getting married, the experience they’ve worked to create for themselves and their guests is now cancelled or postponed indefinitely. 

But I also feel frustrated, because there’s nothing much to do about it right now. I’m someone who likes to get things done, it’s too soon to do much more than damage control.

We’re still recommending to nail plywood over the windows of your businesses, to wait for the eye of the storm to hit. 

How to respond in unprecedented times

If you’re like many solopreneurs in the wedding industry your business is your life – especially if you’re like most younger wedding pros who don’t yet have a family. Your business is a lot of your identity. 

You probably spend more time doing work for your wedding business than you do any other single activity, including sleeping.

So what happens when that’s all thrown into confusion?

The first thing I recommend is to take a deep breath. Center yourself before you take action with anyone or anything. Be self-aware of your mindset, of your emotional state, or your intentions. 

Next, take care of your current clients. While I usually post about how to book more, in a crisis you want to put the focus on minimizing losses. Work with your clients to rebook. Get them into open 2020 dates by making it easy and free of additional fees to move the date. Remember, a client kept is one less you have to attract, interest, and convert in the future.

Outside of that, stop spending money. Don’t buy things unless you absolutely need them to operate your business today. If it’s not “keeping the lights on,” you probably don’t absolutely, 100% need it. Again, hold on to what you’ve got during turbulent times.

Send me your questions

Know that we’re here for any questions. Feel free to reply to this email if you have something specific that needs attention. No charge for me to respond. 

Katy and I are tied so closely to the event community. We’ve spent our professional lives in it. Most of our dearest friends are in it. We weathered 9/11 and the Great Recession in it. 

And we’ll keep huddling here with you until the storm dies down.