Podcast appearances and mentions of sage wedding pros

Michelle Loretta is a strategist for the events industry and creator of Be Sage Consulting, formerly Sage Wedding Pros. She has been educating, coaching, and consulting event professionals since 2009. With a degree in accounting, roots at the Big 4 firm Deloitte, and experience as a stationery entrepreneur, she dissects numbers to help level-up businesses' earnings. These days, Michelle primarily provides financial strategy services and Fractional CFO consulting to event business owners. She has been asked to speak at a number of industry conferences, including Coterie, Lend & Gather, Wedding Wire World, NACE Experience, and The Special Event. She was named one of the TOP 1000 Event Professionals by BizBash in 2019. Michelle is also the winner of the 2021 ILEA ESPRIT best conference award for the Be Sage Conference. You will hear all about Michelle's journey and her tips on ​'How to Prepare for Economic Uncertainty.' We will finish up with 'What She Wishes Other Vendors Knew' and her 'Confetti Hour Confession.' Featured Guest: Michelle Loretta with Be Sage Consulting Website: www.besageconsulting.com  Instagram: @besagealways  Tune into Michelle's first episode on The Confetti Hour - Listen to the podcast here! ---- THE CONFETTI HOUR WEBSITE! This website is home for my mentoring services for wedding planners, my educational blog, the podcast, and one of my favorite new offerings -- THE CONFETTI HOUR SHOP! The shop offers digital resources, fun products, and my go-to business tools for wedding pros & so much more. Check out the new site at www.reneesabo.com!  ——— Join Our Patreon Family!  Help support Renée and The Confetti Hour show with a small contribution per month. Your support goes towards the professional maintenance of the show allowing Renée to continue to bring on reputable professionals to share their incredible journeys and tangible tips to help wedding professionals elevate their services. In addition, our Patreon family receives additional discounts to my education shop and freebie resources throughout the year! Consider supporting at https://www.patreon.com/theconfettihour ——— Bring Your Event to Life! Merri is an online visualization platform for event planning that allows planners to bring their client's events to life in 3D. You can visualize your entire event using models of furniture, decor, flowers, and more, all within renderings of your venue! It also allows you to collaborate with your vendor team for seamless planning and execution of events. If you are a planner and are ready to see how Merri can uplevel your business, head to the MERRI website and use code 'RENEE' for a free 30-day trial!  For venue or rental companies interested in becoming involved on the platform, you can email ambassador@bemerri.com to get started!

Did you know that being an energy hoarder can actually put your energy in higher demand? I had never really thought about it like that but we now have the opportunity in today's episode.   We're joined by Michelle Loretta. She is a strategist for the events industry and creator of Be Sage Consulting, formerly Sage Wedding Pros. Michelle is an educator, a coach, a consultant, and a professional. And she's been doing all of this since 2009. She has a degree in accounting, so she knows her numbers!   Join us as we deep dive into balancing time off with a time in creating your own demand and the all important Holy Grail of entrepreneurship—a good cash flow plan. Let's get started!   In this episode, you'll learn:   Why brakes are necessary — rest is a productivity tool. How to protect your energy to create abundance The questions to ask if you're feeling overworked: How many clients are you taking on each year? Is your price too low? The stages in terms of comfort in terms of financial strategy and business. The ins and outs of Cash Flow Planning   If you're looking to help align your energy with that lovely financial advice make sure you go to www.flourishmarketing.co/recalibrate to align your chakras, your abundance keys, with your business strategy and your cash flow plan.   Here's a peek inside this episode:   [1:19] Mantra of the Day   [3:26] Build a business on willpower   [9:40] Energy Hoarder — Use energy wisely: computer off at 5:00 PM + weekends are sacred.   [12:09] Do one thing a day, or set aside time every day to do the one thing you need to do to make your day, week, month, and year successful.   [16:30] How many clients are you taking on each year?   [17:06] Is your price too low?   [18:29] You can't always just raise your prices.   [21:18] Money is just a reflection of everything else happening in your business.   [22:13] Stages in terms of comfort in terms of financial strategy and business.   [28:34] Email is a gateway drug. You are there to solve problems if you are in your inbox. If you are on a break, don't open your email.   [29:25] Sabbatical—take time off for three to four weeks every three years.   [30:52] Create your own demand.   [35:32] Create a cash flow plan Connect with me!     Podcast Instagram: The Flourishing Entrepreneur FM Website: Flourish Marketing | Strategy, Copywriting & Coaching Schedule a Discovery Call: 30-Minute Discovery Call - ALEYA HARRIS Where to find more of Michelle:   Michelle's Instagram: Consulting for Event Pros Michelle's Website: Be Sage Consulting

Christie Osborne, proud data nerd, is the owner and founder of Mountainside Media, a consulting firm devoted to using market research, data, and analytics to support event professionals as they develop scalable marketing strategies to grow their business. Christie is dedicated to guiding the industry in a direction that ditches tired, old sales pitches and turns its focus on what really matters: turning data into dollars. Her penchant for all-things-digital and a knack for critical thinking have made Christie into the analytics master that she is today, always prepared to dig into web metrics and refine a marketing strategy based on its ROI. Her approach marries website stats with social media data for an effective one-two punch of real, concrete analytics that are invaluable to her clients. Beyond data-driven marketing analysis, Christie frequents the national speaker circuit where she shares her expertise onstage for organizations like NACE, Catersource, WIPA, and ABC. She is also a regular contributor to industry publications, including Special Events, Catersource, Sage Wedding Pros, and Wedding Business Magazine. - Featured Guest: Christie Osborne of Mountainside Media Website: https://mountainsidemedia.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mtnsidemediaco/ - Help support Renée and The Confetti Hour show with a small contribution of $3 per month or yearly contribution to the show. Your support goes towards the professional maintenance of the show allowing Renée to continue to bring on reputable wedding professionals weekly to share their incredible journeys and tangible tips to help wedding professionals elevate their services.Consider supporting at https://www.patreon.com/theconfettihour

Michelle Loretta of Be Sage Consulting joins Greg to discuss how to master the marketing budget, marketing beyond just Instagram and Social Media, and how to attract the right clients. Michelle has a degree in accounting and began her career in corporate America working for large companies like Deloitte and Coach.  In 2004, she started a stationary business and discovered how incredible the events industry is with talented creatives that have passion and drive. In 2009, she started a blog that led to Sage Wedding Pros delivering B2B resources for creatives that wanted to become better entrepreneurs.  In 2020, Sage Wedding Pros became Be Sage Consulting in reflection of how the brand has grown as a leader in the event and wedding industries. Find out more at besageconsulting.com

Marketing is a crucial part of business, and that statement also applies to us in the wedding industry. But how can you tell if your marketing strategy is even working? Christie Osborne joins Taylor on the podcast today to chat about :Sales and marketing funnels: what are they and how can a business owner get started in structuring their own funnel?How can business owners determine the best channels to reach their target market? What is at risk when skipping the evaluation stage of one's advertising and marketing strategy?How can smart business owners measure their return on investment? What tools can they use to track their progress?How someone can identify (and solve) gaps in their sales and marketing funnel?  Join the *Free Facebook Community* - As wedding professionals, we are often running our businesses while flying solo. But you don't need to go it alone.Connect with Taylor + The Level Up Co.:Instagram: @thelevelupcowww.TheLevelUpCo.comLearn more about Christie Osborne:https://www.facebook.com/mtnsidemediacohttps://www.instagram.com/mtnsidemediaco/http://mountainsidemedia.com/Christie Osborne, proud data nerd, is the owner and founder of Mountainside Media, a consulting firm devoted to using market research, data, and analytics to support event professionals as they develop scalable marketing strategies to grow their business. Christie is dedicated to guiding the industry in a direction that ditches tired, old sales pitches and turns its focus on what really matters: turning data into dollars.Her penchant for all-things-digital and a knack for critical thinking have made Christie into the analytics master that she is today, always prepared to dig into web metrics and refine a marketing strategy based on its ROI. Her approach marries website stats with social media data for an effective one-two punch of real, concrete analytics that are invaluable to her clients.Beyond data-driven marketing analysis, Christie frequents the national speaker circuit where she shares her expertise onstage for organizations like NACE, Catersource, WIPA, and ABC. She is also a regular contributor to industry publications, including Special Events, Catersource, Sage Wedding Pros, and Wedding Business Magazine.

With a degree in accounting, it seemed like Michelle had her career laid out for her when she began working in the corporate world at companies like Deloitte and Coach. It wasn't until she started a stationery business in 2004 that she discovered what many already knew at the time: The events industry was chock full of incredibly talented creatives, but few had the business experience to truly understand the strategy behind running a sustainable company. After spending a few years immersed in the industry, Michelle started a blog in 2009 aimed at educating fellow event professionals in the business of weddings.   Sage Wedding Pros quickly took off as it was one of the first B2B resources specifically tailored to creatives who wanted to become better entrepreneurs. Since then, her business has developed into a consultancy and she now works one-on-one with event pros to adjust and redefine their business strategies.   Sage Wedding Pros also hosts an annual Be Sage Conference, which welcomes creative entrepreneurs from around the world for a weeklong mastermind on all things business. Michelle was named one of the Top 1000 Event Professionals by BizBash Magazine in 2019. Her thought leadership has carried over to her professional speaking circuit, where she has been asked to speak at numerous national conferences including The Special Event, WeddingWire World, NACE Experience, POSH Retreat, ABC, and BizBash Live, as well as local chapter meetings for WIPA and ILEA. She is also a regular contributor to Wedding Business Magazine and has been featured on Planners Lounge, WeddingIQ, Aisle Planner, and countless other industry publications.   You will hear all about Michelle's incredible career journey and she will also be sharing her expert advice on 'The Amazon Effect –  How to Shift Your Event Business to the Demands of Today's Consumer.' We will finish up with 'What She Wishes Other Creatives Knew' and her 'Confetti Hour Confession.'   Featured Guest: Michelle Loretta of Sage Wedding Pros   Website: www.sageweddingpros.com   Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SageWeddingPros   Instagram: @SageWeddingPros     Courses & Tools: https://sageweddingpros.com/small-business-online-courses-tools/     Free Cashflow Worksheet: https://sageweddingpros.com/2020/04/free-cashflow-plan-worksheet-for-event-businesses/     Hire Michelle to speak on The Amazon Effect: https://sageweddingpros.com/wedding-industry-speaker/     -   Thank you to our Sponsor!     Happily Ever Expo | Happily Ever Expo is offering a virtual expo where you can pre-record your pitch and will connect you with potential clients! Happily Ever Expo is also hosting an outdoor wedding expo on October 25th at Connemara House Farm in Topsfield, MA! Reach out today to get featured virtually or in person! Space is limited!! Visit their website happilyeverexpo.com for more information and email info@happilyeverexpo.com

If you have been in business for even two seconds, you likely have made a mistake or maybe failed big time. If you resonate with this at all, you will want to listen in on a conversation we had with Kelly Simants and how we both shared how both of our experiences of failing and learning gave us the insight to build better businesses in the future. Kelly Simants, SHRM-SCP has over 20 years of experience in the Human Resources field, with a true passion for people. She is currently a Senior Human Resources Consultant with Nevada HR Team. She has also been a serial entrepreneur in the events industry, owning her own boutique event planning firm - Sweet Pea Events with offices in Dallas, Seattle and NYC. Kelly also trained and consulted with small businesses around the country with Sage Wedding Pros, helping entrepreneurs write strategic business plans and create innovative Human Resources strategies. Outside of work, Kelly enjoys spending time with her family, coffee and wine, and travel. You can find Kelly here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellysimants/ Next week we will drop an episode with Rhoda and Anna of Loot Rentals out of Austin, Texas. See you then!

This week, we are tackling that dreadful word... business finances. I’m chatting it up with Michelle Loretta, a business planner and financial strategist at Sage Wedding Pros. Tackling everything from financial planning, online bookkeeping, forecasting and paperwork, this episode is chock full of educational tidbits every entrepreneur should have in their back pocket to make savvy and money-saving decisions in their business.  KEY TAKEAWAYS:  Math Shame  Financial Fundamentals  Finance Squad for your Business Strategy  Investment Accounts/Personal Finance  Organize Paperwork  Other Financing Software to Look At  Segmenting  Financial Forecasting 

Sometimes people are put in your lives at the exact right time that you need them… that’s a big statement but it’s very true for this Podcast Interview I did with Michelle Loretta of Sage Wedding Pros this week. Not planned Michelle gives some real insight and help into the current COVID-19 situation, while she helps her own clients navigate through this time to keep their businesses afloat. Michelle also shares her knowledge of the much talked about law in California AB5. We then dive into our planned topic of her advice for training and managing a successful team. Michelle has dedicated her time to supporting, teaching and helping Wedding Vendors build a financially successful business and it was an honor to have her on the podcast!

You guys... what in the holy hell is going on??!? COVID-19 is hitting us all in the event industry HARD, and now is the time to look at your business and adjust as best you can. In this week's episode of the This Week In Weddings podcast, we're chatting with Michelle Loretta about ways to prep your business for the economic impact of the coronavirus. About our guest: Michelle Loretta is a strategist for the wedding industry and creator of Sage Wedding Pros, founded in 2009. She blends her past as an accountant for Deloitte, a sales and marketing manager for DDLA, a merchandiser for Coach, and a wedding stationery entrepreneur to help entrepreneurs better their businesses. Sage Wedding Pros produces Be Sage Conference, a master-level event for wedding professionals nationwide. Michelle has been asked to speak at a number of industry conferences, including Wedding Wire World, NACE Experience, and The Special Event. She was named to the TOP 1000 Event Professionals by BizBash in 2019. In this episode, listeners will hear about: The effects of the coronavirus and COVID-19 on our industry The importance of lobbying for client's to postpone instead of cancelling Safeguarding your cashflow by adjusting your payment processes going forward so that they match the scope of work and milestones Michelle's thoughts about collecting remaining balances from couples when their event is postponed or cancelled When it's time to consider a business loan or a line of credit SBA Loan info for Coronavirus Impact: https://www.sba.gov/page/guidance-businesses-employers-plan-respond-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19 Ideas for pivoting in your business to generate quick income Buy Me a Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/ How to Prepare for a Recession: https://sageweddingpros.com/2020/03/how-to-prepare-your-event-business-for-a-recession/ Sage Wedding Pros COVID19 Resources: https://sageweddingpros.com/2020/03/coronavirus-covid-19-and-your-event-business/ Want to connect with Michelle? www.sageweddingpros.com Instagram: @sageweddingpros Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sageweddingpros Twitter: @sageweddingpros This episode of This Week In Weddings is sponsored by Honeybook.

This week's podcast episode is a special treat as it's the first LIVE recording of the This Week In Weddings podcast! Take a glimpse into the Meeting of the Minds Breakfast from the BeSage Conference 2020 in Austin, Texas. Conference attendees submitted questions in advance and during the breakfast we workshop them with the group. It's amazing what you can learn when 70 wedding professionals are sharing their opinions and experiences! In this episode, listeners will hear about: Tips for finding and training people in your organization The Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace Some favorite apps and systems for communicating with clients and internally Loom for communicating with clients and employees through video Email management apps including Boomerang, MailButler, Front, SaneBox, and Spark Proposal and contract management with Dubsado and 17 Hats Project management tools such as Basecamp, Trello, Monday The Remarkable Slack Text Expander Ways to elevate your brand Want to learn more about the BeSage Conference and Sage Wedding Pros? http://www.besageconference.com/ https://sageweddingpros.com/

In this episode, I'm joined by wedding industry thought-leader, Michelle Loretta of Sage Wedding Pros. We are talking MONEY - one of my fave topics - and specifically, how to make some big decisions about what do with the money in your wedding business when it comes to achieving your goals. Michelle shares some really, really important and valuable tips throughout this episode, and I strongly encourage listeners to check out her incredible programs and courses - she's the real deal, my friends!Links:Wedding Planner SurveyProfit & Purpose Waiting ListSageWeddingPros

Remember your high-school economics class? Okay good, because today’s episode is going to be nothing like that. Today we’re making numbers, margins, pricing and market metrics fun with Michelle Loretta, a business consultant, financial strategist and founder of Sage Wedding Pros. Before launching her own business, Michelle worked as an accountant for Deloitte, sales and marketing manager for DDLA and merchandiser for Coach. Since then, she’s applied her corporate and entrepreneurial expertise to wedding businesses worldwide and launched herself onto the live-event space as a frequent speaker at professional conferences.  Through Sage Wedding Pros, Michelle also produces her own next-level summit known as The Be Sage Conference. I have had the privilege of attending twice, once as a speaker, and it truly is an amazing program. For those of you who don’t want to miss it, Michelle’s next conference is coming up in Austin in February of 2020.  On today’s episode, Michelle and I talk about business planning, the economics of selling products and how financial decisions in your business affect your operational plans. We promise, whether you’re creative or business minded, this episode will inspire you to start drafting all of your next big business plans.  ON TODAY’S EPISODE: Michelle’s journey and background  What inspired her to start her own stationery business How blogging evolved into hosting workshops Benefits of getting your business plan on paper Reframing your financial goals as business milestones The economics of selling products Trading margins for volume  Considerations for pricing physical vs digital products Common mistakes made during go-to-market  Tips for pricing your products  Numbers. Numbers. Numbers. What’s up next for Michelle & the Be Sage Conference   KEY TAKE-AWAYS:   “Everyone has a backstory that we weave into the businesses we're creating and in that way we can help one another.” - Katie Hunt    “The wonderful thing about the traditional business plan is that it really forces you to look at all aspects of your business, not just the ones that come comfortably.” - Michelle Loretta    “You can't make a marketing decision without thinking of the financial aspects. Every financial decision links to an operational and marketing decision.” - Michelle Loretta   “Every decision needs to come back to how does this fit with the overall goals, the overall focus.” - Katie Hunt    “When you're selling direct to consumer, that’s one  thing, but moving from 5,000 to 15,000 orders you have to ask, ‘do I have an operational structure that can support that?’  - Michelle Loretta   “If you price it too low, you won’t make any money on your products. If you price it too high, you'll price yourself out of the market and nobody's going to buy. So you really need to know your personal numbers.” - Katie Hunt    “Pricing is actually a marketing decision. It's not a financial decision. It's a marketing decision that you test financially.” - Michelle Loretta    “Knowing what your numbers are doing is so critical from season to season, month to month, quarter to quarter, year to year.” - Michelle Loretta    “It's hard to be good at all things. My recommendation is create your first channel, and then only after you’re profiting and you're thriving with it, expand into the second channel.” - Michelle Loretta    “If you're not happy with what you're earning, that's the red flag that you need to be aware of. That’s when you need to boost profit margins by 2% to 5% in the next year.“  - Michelle Loretta    “You need to know your margins, you need to create benchmarks. You need to try to best your benchmarks.”   - Michelle Loretta    LINKS Conference: besageconference.com  Website: http://www.sageweddingpros.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SageWeddingPros Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sageweddingpros/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sageweddingpros/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/SageWeddingPros   SPECIAL OFFER:  3 Free Months of Gusto! Gusto makes payroll, taxes, and HR actually easy for small businesses. Fast, simple payroll processing, benefits, and expert HR support all in one place. Gusto automatically pays and files your federal, state, and local taxes so you don’t have to worry about it. Plus they make it easy to add on health benefits and even 401(k)s for your team.  Those old-school, clunky payroll providers just weren’t built for the way modern small businesses work. But Gusto is. Now is the best time to get set up for the new year. Don’t wait.  Proof to Product listeners get 3 free months of Gusto when they run their first payroll. Try a demo and see for yourself at http://www.gusto.com/proof SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app.  WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know!    ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, Proof to Product has worked with thousands of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!

The She Creates Content is now available for $127 Create high-converting content in your wedding business to build relationships and drive more sales in your wedding business. When you purchase the Content Calendar you'll get: - 10-Page Welcome Guide - 365 Days of Content Ideas for Wedding Pros Only - 30-Day Prompt Strategy Sample The price goes up to $197 on December 10th, 2019 so don't wait friends! My guest today is the incomparable, Michelle Loretta from Sage Wedding Pros and the Be Sage Conference. She's digging into ways we can Take Business Risks with Intention and Purpose. Learn more about the Be Sage Conference here Accounting 101 for Wedding Professionals How to Create a Cash Flow Plan Here's more about Michelle: Michelle Loretta is a business consultant and financial strategist for wedding and event professionals. As the founder of Sage Wedding Pros, she blends her past as an accountant for Deloitte, a sales and marketing manager for DDLA, a merchandiser for Coach, and a stationery entrepreneur to strengthen wedding businesses worldwide. Sage Wedding Pros produces the next-level summit Be Sage Conference. Michelle has been asked to speak at a number of industry conferences, including NACE Experience, Biz Bash Live, and The Special Event.

We are chatting with Michelle Loretta of Sage Wedding Pros all about how to create and easy business plan for your wedding photography business. Michelle is a business consultant and financial strategist for wedding and event professionals. She gives us a clear guide how to create our own business plan and how to use it in our own business. Visit Website: http://www.sageweddingpros.com Conference: http://www.besageconference.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/SageWeddingPros Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sageweddingpros Our online course How to Start a Podcast is here! Stay up to date & visit us at www.teawithjaine.com and follow www.instagram.com/jainekershner on Instagram to see our latest IGTV episodes. Have a topic you'd like us to discuss? Email us at hello@teawithjaine.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

  Michelle Loretta from Sage Wedding Pros is a wedding business consultant with a mind for numbers and a passion for business plans! Today she comes on the show to talk all about how to make your big business decisions, and it can't be just because your competitors are doing it.   Sage Wedding Pros on Social Media: Instagram: @SageWeddingPros Facebook: @SageWeddingPros twitter: @SageWeddingPros   Weddings for Real on Social Media: Instagram: @weddingsforreal Facebook: @weddingsforreal twitter: @weddingsforreal Music for this episode by https://www.bensound.com. The host of the show is Megan Gillikin, owner and lead consultant at A Southern Soiree Wedding and Event Planning.  She's also available for wedding and hospitality business consulting and can be reached at megan@weddingsforreal.com. Weddings for Real is edited and produced by Jason Gillikin for Earfluence.

This week's episode of the This Week in Weddings podcast is all about expecting the unexpected. When it comes to running a small business in the wedding industry, we rarely think about the "what if" -- what happens if we get sick, if there's a death in the family, if our spouse is ill and we become caretakers? While these are all things we never think will happen to us, it never hurts to be prepared. In this episode of the podcast, we're diving into one wedding entrepreneur's journey when her husband experienced a health crisis resulting in multiple brain surgeries. Our guest, Kelly Simants, not only shares her story with This Week In Weddings listeners, but gives advice on how to be prepared for when the unexpected arises.  About our guest:  Kelly Simants, serial Entrepreneur, has been in the wedding industry since 2001. She has created a full life-cycle of brands – from proposal planning for guys (Planning for Dudes), to wedding planning (Sweet Pea Events in Dallas, Seattle and NYC), to birthday parties for kids (Parties on the Porch)…She also was co-owner of Sage Wedding Pros for 7 years along with Michelle Loretta, and consulted wedding professionals on all things business – specifically, creating business plans and consulting with entrepreneurs on the HR side of their small business. She loves to share her expertise, not only the event industry, but also from the business world as prior to her event life she was a Director of Human Resources for Starbucks Coffee Company. In 2016, she passed the Dallas office of Sweet Pea Events on to Meaghan Cody as she returned to the Human Resources field and is now the Vice President of Human Resources for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Outside of dreaming up new businesses and non-profit work, Kelly loves to spend time with her family – husband Chris, two boys Carson (8 years old) and Cole (3 years old). In this episode, listeners will hear about: Kelly's two-year journey with her husband's health issues How Kelly managed her businesses during this personal struggle The best thing Kelly did in building her businesses that helped make stepping away from her businesses easier What Kelly wishes she would have done differently to prepare for the unexpected Insurance every type of entrepreneur should have

Featuring Morgan Montgomery, co-owner of specialty rental company Paisley & Jade, this episode of the This Week in Weddings podcast discusses getting into public speaking as a business owner. About our guest:   A New England native, Virginia resident, and lover of all things modern, clean-lined and loud, Morgan discovered her passion for unique and vintage finds as she designed and propped shows while working towards her B.A. in Theatre from The College of the Holy Cross. With years of sales and customer service experience behind her, she spent three years in the trenches of the off-premise catering world before co-launching Paisley & Jade, a specialty rental company serving the Mid-Atlantic, in 2012. Morgan’s passion for business and events extends beyond the walls of P&J, and she loves to share her knowledge through the Paisley & Jade specialty rental coaching program and by speaking at national conferences such as NACE Experience, The Special Event, and The School of Styling.Morgan’s personal and professional work has been featured extensively in national and regional publications, including Southern Weddings, Richmond Magazine, Sage Wedding Pros and The Huffington Post. In this episode, listeners will hear about: Morgan's reason for wanting to get into public speaking The process of applying for public speaking gigs and conferences Preparing for public speaking presentations What to expect for payment for speaking at conferences Tips for combating nerves when speaking for the first time Want to connect with Morgan?   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaisleyAndJade/  Instagram: @paisleyandjade / @mrgnmntgmry twitter: @paisleyandjade Pinterest: pinterest.com/paisleyandjade

Featuring Michelle Loretta, of Sage Wedding Pros, this episode of This Week in Weddings discusses the basics of financial management for wedding businesses, including tips for staying ahead of your bookkeeping and accounting tasks. About our guest:  Michelle Loretta is a consultant for wedding and event professionals and founder of Sage Wedding Pros. She blends her past as an accountant for Deloitte, a sales and marketing manager for DDLA, a merchandiser for Coach, and a stationery entrepreneur to help entrepreneurs better their businesses. Sage Wedding Pros produce The Simple Plan Workshop, The People Plan Workshop, and Be Sage Conference. Michelle has been asked to speak at NACE Experience, NAWP Conference, Biz Bash Live, and a number of other seminars and workshops. In this episode, listeners will learn about: Basics for tracking expenses Cashflow principles to help wedding businesses in the off-season The importance of cash reserves and business savings Professionals that can be helpful for your wedding business, including tax accountants, bookkeepers, and financial strategists Want to connect with Michelle? On the web: http://www.sageweddingpros.com/ Instagram: @sageweddingpros / Facebook: Sage Wedding Pros  

In this episode, Michelle Loretta shares her own entrepreneurial journey - from being a CPA at a big accounting firm to running her own consulting firm, Sage Wedding Pros, dedicated to improving small businesses in the wedding and events industries.  Whether you’re in the events industry or not, Michelle draws from over 20 years of experience to share some valuable nuggets of wisdom to help take your business to the next level. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE: How and why she left her big firm accounting job to build Sage Wedding Pros Her best advice for business owners who want to take their business to the next level Why you should “milk” your current  9 to 5 corporate job even if you have dreams of starting your own business What you should do before you take an expert’s advice How to go about creating your own live workshop/conference Michelle’s advice on pitching to for speaking engagements For more information visit - www.annettestepanian.com/podcast

For those of you who don’t know Sage Wedding Pros help those in the wedding industry create financially viable businesses. They have a fantastic product called the Simple Plan, which most simply put is business planning made easy. In this episode I had a very frank conversation with Michelle Loretta of Sage Wedding Pros about marketing plans. Everyone talks about creating their business plan and some people do it and some people don’t, but it does at least get talked about. Marketing on the other hand is often the poor relation, so we want to give it an airing and really get into the nitty gritty of what a marketing plan is and how it will help you to take your business to the next level.

Host Kevin Willett is joined by Michelle Loretta from Sage Wedding Pros. In this segment Michelle discusses the 5 things to do before a networking event and the 5 things to do during a networking event. This is great advice for all of my networking friends. Please become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SageWeddingPros Audio file:  michelleloretta.mp3