Finding the Solution: Something for us biz people

Hey guys! I normally don't do businessy blog posts on here, but I really wanted to make sure I had it to remember it and to know that it was shared, jic someone needed something to relate to.

I get these gigantic ideas in my head, more often than not, and sometimes I act on them and sometimes I just keep them in the Idea box. But when I act on it, it's like a steam roller process. I am hard to stop once I'm focused. ( Wes can totally tell you, he hates this side of me, haha)

Last Spring I did this thing called the Salt Lake Valley Wedding Workshop. The idea was to bring planning brides together with vendors in a class room type setting. It was  meant to be intimate and informative and ultimately help myself and the other vendors gain some business with Brides who we may not have been able to meet with otherwise. I planned this thing in January and held it in April. It was nuts- literally I was selling ad space, selling listings, getting myself on TV, promoting it in social media and blog posts. I don't know how I did it. I 'hired' my friend Cassie to help me with some of the duties, but she did it as a volunteer- which was SO awesome. such a great friend- seriously, she saved my butt!

There were a lot of phases to this event, a lot of layers and arms that could be used as a 'revenue source' and I just went with it, as crazy as it made me in the short amount of time to plan it.

So it turned out great! I couldn't have asked for better vendors, and the location was Red Butte Gardens and Arboretum too- wow, I had a great attendance and great follow up as well. I was even able to get The Knot to sponsor it in the form of swag, and that was awesome. I will keep that secret under my belt, and I am glad I have built upon that relationship with them. And it's my right to keep it a secret, I worked really hard to find the right contact, I worked hard all around on this. So it kinda bugs me when people just ask me for a contact. you have no idea sometimes how much time and effort went into getting that- no one helped me with creating my initial contact lists with this event or just this business in general. In fact, all of this was all me- i found a way and i did it. But anyways, im not here to vent, haha.

For this year, I planned it the beginning of the year instead of Spring. And this year I decided to sell my tickets through groupon. And I decided not to push ad sales in the workbook as hard, I didn't even do a workbook this year. I went with this next one as though I had built enough steam from my last one that 'surely people know about it, it will sell it self'

Long story short- the event flopped. like seriously flopped! I'm sure some people are laughing at me right now cause they love to see a person fail, and I am sure some people are surprised. I think most people are surprised, and that the 1% who really want to see me fail don't even bother to read my posts anyways.


The four vendors that showed up to present were great and were prepared of course, but out of 30 seats, 11 paid tickets (11  and then their plus one)  3 people showed up you guys. 3. one wasn't even getting married, one was an actual bride and her plus one was her mother.

But we made the best of it and sat around 1 table and did a discussion. and then I was out $180 on food and supplies. So I am sorta glad , now, that I didn't spend $800 like I did for the first one. But it goes to show, you need to spend money to make money. I probably shouldn't have been to cocky, and made so many different changes to my approach. But then again, you have to try or you won't know.

And even the day after, I sent a very honest email to all the vendors, even my sponsor, the knot. and I told them why I think it failed, I apologized and made a promise to give them some business either way the best I could. and I got great feedback from all of them. Of course there was disappointment, but when you work with great people , we all just want to see each other succeed and be happy and that was the overall sentiment.

Part of having these events is to create a new base of followers for marketing. And if you have a successful event with many attendees, you are able to build a good list of people to market to. I was obligated to my Sponsor, and if you know anything about sponsorship's, you are to share that list of people as well, which isn't a big deal when it's all wedding related.  But because I had only 3 attendees, it was hard to fulfill my promise to The Knot. I just  told them I would in a reasonable time frame, and luckily they were very understanding- again cause I had already built that relationship with them. I really didn't have time to continue to analyze why this event didn't work, I just felt like I had to keep moving forward to find a solution and I did.

I wasn't going to let this flopped workshop bring me down. I knew there was a way to engage new brides, help them, and help them help me. I am working on a big tech/media project and I was able to do surveys and get participation from actual Brides, in Utah. and they got a Knot swag bag by participating. It was a win win for all of us cause I needed market research done and I had stuff to give away and people wanted that stuff. I mean.. it was almost too easy.

I want people to understand that planning a public event is not easy, its intimidating, it's not always the same time and time again, and you have that fear  of 'what if people don't show up'  My first one went well, and my second one didn't. And maybe it was luck or maybe it was meant to be a learning experience from the beginning. I can go crazy with all the 'what if's'- but I didn't and I don't now. I accepted it and made myself find a solution to fulfill the goal of my event which was to connect with local brides (the big picture here is to obviously try to gain business out of them) and make my sponsor happy- And I did it.

If anyone is struggling out there with a situation that 'seemed' to fail on them. don't let it get to you. take a step forward and look at the overall goal and find another solution to that goal . It is never a one way path or an easy one for that matter. Pat yourself for taking the leap to make something happen, don't put yourself down for any reason, and be honest with people that are involved. When you take yourself into a business adventure- whether it's a hobby that pays, or a simple handmade item you want to sell, or something really big like an accounting service or a full time photographer- you are a business person. you have a business. and that business lives inside you because you had an idea backed up by your own confidence. Don't let that original spark leave you as you continue to grow in your journey of entrepreneurship. And don't be afraid to take it and use it on other business ideas or projects. It's that feeling that will , and should, get you  through the 'flopped times' the downfalls and stumbles. Persevere!

I hope this helps, and I hope it helps you better understand me as well. When you see me hopping all over on different things, its cause I know, even if I fail at least I tried, and I had the guts to try, because I had an idea backed up by confidence. P.S. if you are wondering- I made no profit on any of the workshops. and will I still try to do them in the future..probably. and if you're asking why, then you didn't get this post.

St George Fun

Sometimes you just need to get outta town! the inversion, the cold, the ickyness. A change of scenery and fresh air never hurt anyone. Thanks to our Aunt Alene and Uncle Brad, they kindly let us stay in their St George vacation home.

but before we left,I had to fit in some fun things!

Alta Moda Bridal celebrated 10 years being in business, and so naturally she threw a party for the industry peeps. I was so happy that I could take Larissa with me and show her the other side of the wedding business. It's always fun to dress up and put make up on. I look totally different when I do. please see example..

The bridal show is always so fun, high end designer gowns are a site to behold. lots of bling and lace this year for sure.

this redhead model is adorable, i tried to hook her up with Victor but he wasn't interested. but she's single and now i have a red head model in my back pocket for a future shoot hehe

Love this SIL of mine!! she's talented, strong, funny and a great mom. 

Also did a fun game night with my book club 

and me and sarah finally got to celebrate our december birthdays, but in February. we took a dorky craft class but it was really so fun, and we got to chat and just catch up one on one. we are always in a big group and don't really get to talk, and you thought i was busy, try to get in with this girl- she's booked out 6 weeks!

and a fun movie night with some friends. How to be single is a really funny movie, not what i thought it would be. there was a lot of baby and pregnancy stuff in it. appropriate cause 3 of the five girls here are preggers. 

right before we left,me and char spent a fantastic day with my BFF Hollie. and Charlotte LOVES her, let her hold her hand even. I mean, whoa.  We always laugh so much when we hang out, it's just the best type of friendship to have- loving, reliable, everlasting.

Poor chuck is taking after, or learning from, mom in the sweet tooth department. 

The drive down to st george was so nice. and it was so nice when we got there. 

i was bending down so i could get a better shot of her standing, but then she bent down with me..haha

and I took the family through snow canyon.  it's such a neat drive. and they have a whole trail paved so you can walk and not worry about sand getting in your shoes. but it was hot, so we would park, go out to a spot and take a picture then get back in the car and park at another spot for photos, haha. 

and then I annoyed wes by squeezing in a last minute photo shoot. its such a big event to prepare for and so it took some time away from family, but whatever, I let him to go mesquite. 

I can't wait for the final pictures. Mckenzi is such an amazing photographer and found this spot up in green valley that just had a magnificent view and landscape

the model is actually the niece of my old boss from when i lived in St George. but when i met her she was like 10, haha. so its amazing to see her all grown up. 

Weddings are fun this year! i have 3 I am helping with, this shoot, plus one more in the works, and some other wedding related things going on. And, i am  teaching a class the end of march to a group of hair and make up artists on how to build their experiences in the wedding industry through shoots such as this. I'm  a bit anxious about it, cause I don't know what the heck I am really going to talk about. I just need to figure it out. otherwise, i will just put a movie on and leave the class room for a bit. 

Wes has a work trip coming up to San Fran, I wish we could go but I don't think it's one I can go to. He's also been doing these MTG things a lot lately. not just playing but it's like a mini business he has going on. I've never seen him so focused! 

Charlotte is doing great! she is a handful everyday, but we are so lucky. she is such a good kid. so so good. she minds, listens, plays well, eats well, sleeps well. I hope this next one is just as good..but im sure that cause i want it to be that way, it won't happen. 

I was starting to feel weird about how Chuck would socialize to other kids. I've had bad experiences and good experiences. and then I would make excuses for her, or blame myself for not doing more, like getting her out. but i've realized that shes just fine, I take her out plenty, she interacts plenty and if other kids can't control their behavior, its not my childs fault. Parenting is such a continual learning experience. I don't think anyone can ever say they perfected it. And if you do, you may have some underlying narcissistic issues.

Pregnancy number 2 is also different. I am not taking belly pics, or documenting anything. I don't even know how far along i really am somedays. Though im starting to feel the flutters, which is nice..it makes it real on days i forget that i am even expecting. Cravings are different too. I went through a fried pickle moment, its currently carrot cake right now.

 I like being home though during this pregnancy. I like that I don't have the stress of an office environment, or cocky rude male counterparts to deal with. that stressed me out a lot when I had to go into work last pregnancy. I won't name names, but it wasn't my boss- so no worries there. 

being out of the work scene, now, makes me not ever want to get back into that type of environment, i'd rather spin my wheels trying to make things work with Muyly Miller Co then go back to that. Me and Wes have a big idea and its a matter of putting all the pieces and funding together, but it will be huge! and yes, I am still doing a cookbook, probably late fall is when you will see it printed. Still excited about it, but things are different now cause of when I'm due. 

Wow. so this ended up being a journal. I'll stop- until next time!

Geekin out for Warcraft..

Most people who know me, know I am not a big movie fan. There's something about being home and not leaving my house that's more appealing to me than a night out at the movies. Though I do love a good girls night at the movies (think Magic Mike, Pitch Perfect, Bridesmaids- all so fun with my girlfriends) But there is one movie I am totally geeking out for, where anticipation is comparable to those who waited for Star Wars to come out. Don't take this comparison lightly, oh no.

Let me take you all the way back to 2009. There was this house Wes, Eric, and Justin lived in located in Midvale. I dubbed it the JEW house, which, now when I talk about it out loud in front of strangers, they look at me like 'what did you just say?' JEW short for Justin, Eric, and Wes. and it stuck! everyone called it that. They were only there for 6 months. but in that 6 months, mine and wes' relationship evolved.

I admit, I was one of those girls who made myself like and do things that the guy liked, to show support and be cool, or whatever. Though a lot of it was already laid out for me thanks to my previous boyfriend- such as the understanding of sports, being able to sit through a baseball game, following the stock market and watching romantic comedies such as Serendipity.

As one of my 'things to like to get him to like me more' moves, I learned to play World of Warcraft. I found out pretty fast, after he started playing, that our Friday nights were not being spent together, in fact I was hanging out with Justin and Ryan by myself at the Highlander many times. Wes didn't care. I mean, Wes - you have to know him to know that he didn't care his girlfriend was hanging out with his best friends. But you know, as much as I love Justin and Ryan, I couldn't have the same fun as I could with Wes. you know..'FUN'.

 2009 Selfie, I look like a baby

This was many of our nights- Football on one screen, gaming on the other

So one morning we woke up, at the JEW House ( yes- I was there, in the morning. shhh.) I made the brave request to ask Wes to teach me to play WoW.  My first experience was not pleasant. If you ever remember hearing that story of Wes coaching the Kappa Delta's in softball and making someone cry...it was like that for me. He is hard on people, man. He doesn't care if you haven't touched a computer mouse, or a baseball bat, he wants you to learn fast and not make mistakes within five minutes of a lesson.

So my first experience, super gamer noob that I was, was awful! He made me create a Tank and I got yelled at on the computer by strangers... a lot. Who starts their first gaming experience as a Tank..pfft!

Fast forward through the 6 months the boys were leaving the house. Eric and Amanda moved in together, Justin...I don't know what happened to Justin really. and Wes. He was homeless. He looked homeless too, he had this long shaggy hair thing going on. So, I asked the roommates at my Lehi residence. It was 4 girls and I asked if Wes could stay with all of us for a short term till he found something else.

Okay, so how do you think that went? an automatic No Way?!    Actually, my roomies adored Wes! When he came over, they loved to talk to him and he was really nice to them. So the loving ladies they were, they said of course! What made it better was we split the rent 5 ways haha. it was cheap living for a while I tell ya! And to top it off, Me and Wes shared a room. move fast much? probably. but it's not what you think. even the slightest. We shared this gigantic master bedroom that had its own bathroom, and we had a mini fridge in there as well. We never had to leave unless we needed to eat or heat up food. Let me tell you why this was awesome. World of Warcraft. I kid you not, for the 3 months we were in that room, you would find us playing WoW almost every night til 1 in the morning, even if we had to work. Weekends- a godsend, we could WoW all day! I remember we'd drive down the hill to JCW's and get gigantic shakes, fries and burgers, take them back into our room and eat and play for hours.

I was an awesome alliance night elf hunter. my DPS was tops in most instances and raids. I was kickin Horde ass left and right. My name was Pikamoo, I had a pet bear named Baloo and rode a gryffin! Seriously, it's what WoW dreams are made of. Wes had several races he played, a mage, shaman, a night elf. He was more of a gaming over achiever than I.

Basically a year of gaming. I kept getting better, I even remember doing raids with blake, ryan, landon. It just was too much fun, I won't ever forget. So THIS is why I am dying to see the movie, this game played a big role in my life with Wes. And I grew to really appreciate the game with its graphics, it's strategy, the races. It's hard to believe it, I know. But I was that person. Though I don't play, or have a desire to play again, I love this game in so many ways!  Thank you Blizzard Entertainment. Can't wait for the movie!