Sumber Bisnis untuk Wedding Entrepreneur

The wedding scene makes up a big industry that includes many variety of vendors who started out either because of passion or the smell of good money. Regardless of which one is the better driver, truth is you'll be going down a long, challenging road to become a household name among brides-to-be. But first, let's not worry about the long run and think what to do step-by-step. That's why we come up with the Wedding for Beginners series in this blog.

The Wedding for Beginners series is meant to help new wedding vendors gain foothold in the wedding scene. For the first of this series, we have gathered six crucial things for you to do to book your first leads after making that leap of faith to start this business:

1. Keep confident and stay brave
   When you become a newbie in the wedding industry, you have armed yourself with two important assets: confidence and guts. Come up with one thing you believe puts you at an advantage against your competitors (confidence!) and don't be shy to introduce yourself to a random person or other vendors (guts!). You'll never know how things could turn.
   
   
2. Use your closest circle
   Ask your family, friends, or colleagues if they know someone who's getting married and offer your service for less or even for free. Don't focus on the financial return or lack thereof because the experience tells what you've done right and what you need to fix. It's also good to write an introductory message to broadcast to (literally) everyone in your phonebook. In it, tell them why you finally started this business and include your: 1) wedding services, 2) online business profile, 3) starting price (and soft-launching promotion if any), and 4) email & phone number. Be short, sweet but thorough!
   
   
3. Come prepared
   You can't create business if you don't know what your business is. Before you go around promoting yourself, come up with an explanation that you can easily relay to potential clients. Rehearse if you must because when you feel assured, your clients will be too because you are giving them a good pitch.
   
   
4. Always do an excellent job
   Satisfy a bride-to-be and you can enjoy the fruits of your labour. If you are a make-up artist, a happy client would be happy to call you again for other occasions and even recommend you to others. A good rule of thumb to remember: do not disappoint your first 10 clients because words spread after and you can see a boost in business.
   
   
5. Have a healthy networking habit
   Never leave your business cards at home, always have a couple in your wallet. You never know that a coffee date could turn into an impromptu meeting when a friend suddenly introduce you to someone who is getting married, or if you met a vendor at a local fair whose expertise you admire (talk about those sugar flowers!). It is a healthy habit to exchange business cards when possible because you're not only expanding your network and referral chances, but also finding a new scope for exploration in the wedding industry.
   
   
6. Join a wedding fair
   Brides-to-be will definitely visit a wedding fair at least once before getting hitched. They want to collect pricelist, see your works firsthand, and actually engage with you directly. If you do not know what to expect from a wedding fair, visit several different events before becoming a tenant to find one that suits your budget. As you'll be spending a substantial figure, plan properly how you want to advertise your business. What will attract the crowds to you? Think about the booth design (e.g. dummies, decoration, lighting), promotional strategies, and people who help you on set.

As a new wedding vendor, do enjoy the learning process. When you are turned down by a bride-to-be, you find out that one style doesn't really fit all and eventually you understand which style fits which kind of client. Just remember, do it with passion, give exceptionally good results and stay spirited even when you have doubts.

New or not, share this article to your friends if you find it useful. And, if you want to share your own experience in tackling the challenges in the wedding industry, feel free to leave your comment below!