Podcasts about wipa

In this week's episode of The Venue Rx podcast, host Jonathan Aymin welcomes sales strategist and expert Maria Bayer for an insightful conversation on mastering the art of sales in the wedding and events industry. Maria shares her signature approach, Irresistible Selling, which reframes sales as a skill rooted in empathy and client understanding. Drawing from her journey from finance to high-level sales, Maria emphasizes the importance of setting clear expectations, qualifying leads early, and responding promptly to inquiries. She offers actionable advice for venue owners, including how to define and communicate their unique value, build pricing confidence, and streamline their sales process to consistently attract ideal clients.About Our Guest: Maria Bayer is a renowned sales and mindset strategist who helps wedding and event professionals attract high-paying clients and scale their businesses with authenticity and confidence. With over $25 million in personal sales to companies like Target and Best Buy, Maria brings real-world expertise to her clients. She is the creator of Irresistible Selling, a powerful coaching program that blends digital training, group coaching, and mindset work to help creative entrepreneurs book premium clients—without using pushy sales tactics. Her proven strategies have helped clients increase their sales by 2–10x in just one year.In addition to her coaching, Maria is a sought-after speaker who has shared her expertise at top industry events such as WIPA, ILEA, and The Wedding Pro CEO Summit. She leads a thriving community of creative entrepreneurs through her Learn Collaborate Flourish Facebook group, offering support, inspiration, and practical advice. Maria holds a Finance degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and lives in the Chicago area with her husband, Tim, and their dog, Gia. Find Her Here: Email: maria@mariabayer.comWebsite: https://www.mariabayer.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MariaBayerFan/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MariaBayer1Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mebayer/

Happy Woo Wednesdays.I met Jen Sulak (with the pink hair) through WIPA and I instantly wanted her to be on my podcast because she is unique and unapologetically herself. She is going to welcome your Weirdness today (because we are all a little weird). She relates to her clients on a cellular level with pets or nerdy things.I love her story about how the pandemic gave her the strength to rebrand to weirdo weddings. It was scary but her people were waiting for her.Jen is a passionate photographer for over 17 years. She creates safe spaces where you can have the freedom to BE YOURSELF and let your personality shine through! I use Photography as a tool to not only express my inner-artist but to capture unique wedding days in Dallas (DFW) and Destinations around the USA.Connect with Jen SulakFreebie "Truly You" worksheet that you can get - https://weirdoweddings.myflodesk.com/pinkhairjenpodcastfreebieConnect with Carissa Woohttps://instagram.com/carissawoohttps://heckyes.vip/

Happy Woo Wednesdays.Today I have the famous Kristin Banta in the HECK YES house. She is all about maximalism.She runs a production and design house creative agency.I met her at a WIPA and Nace event in Palm Springs and she was keynote speaker.You may recognize her because she had her own show on Bravo. Kristen is famous in the wedding industry!She is known for provocative memorable integrative storytelling, all about the experience for her guests.Go to her instagram and then website to check out her unprecedented before and afters. She transforms a space like no other. https://www.kristinbanta.com/https://www.instagram.com/kristinbantaeventsCongrats Kristin on being named event designer of the year at the prestigious gala award!Connect with Carissa Woohttps://instagram.com/carissawooHeckyesmedia.co

Happy Woo Wednesdays. I met Adam through WIPA. He is a genuine guy that is not trying to get something from you. You can tell. I got to experience and smell his company first hand at a WIPA event at the Ebell in Santa Ana. Check out my Reel here.You will be shocked at how well his equipment works in outdoor settings.Adam Rope is the founder and CEO of Wyndzy Inc., a company dedicated to making scenting weddings an easy and fun must-have. Wyndzy recently launched the first-of-its-kind onsite program, which outfits venues with its innovative dry scent machines at no cost and with no subscription fee.Hot TopicSetting up your business as a value add for other business is a great way to get off the ground and build trust. Some examples of what we are doing:1. Placing our systems at no cost with qualified venues and partners.2. Venues and partners then control their own pricing and interactions with their clients.3. We support the marketing/sales efforts of our partners by providing free scent cartridges for their oConnect with Adamhttps://www.instagram.com/wyndzyConnect with Carissahttps://instagram.com/carissawoohttps://heckyesmedia.co/

Todo lo que tienes que saber sobre la temporada 2024-2025 de la Gira Profesional Mexicana y su primera etapa, El Mexico City Open desde el Club Campestre de la Ciudad de México.¡Programa imperdible de una Gira imperdible!

Happy Woo Wednesdays!I've gotten to know Deanna Nash because we are on the WIPA board together. She is just a sweetheart.Today we talk about how we came out of our shells and started networking.We have some awkward stories about our earlier years that we can laugh about now.Deanna Nash Events is a full-service wedding planning and design firm specializing in timeless celebrations around the world. We are driven by the desire to build a genuine connection with our couples, which inspires the creative process. Together with our couples, we create intentional, meaningful, and memorable weddings and events.Connect with Deannahttps://www.instagram.com/deannanasheventshttps://www.deannanashevents.com/Sponsor: 17hats - use code heckyes to get 50% off the entire yearhttps://www.instagram.com/kickstartaccounting/kickstartaccountinginc.comConnect with Carissahttps://instagram.com/carissawoohttps://heckyesmedia.co/

It's my one year anniversary for giving my speech to WIPA, 75 wedding pros.Today, I teach you how to Fill your inbox with inquiries:1. Become the one, the go to one where everyone want to hire you2. How 10x your audience by using the power of leverage - Grow your IG and at the same time, create your dream team3. Be a walking lead machine everywhere you go4. How to automate your marketingSponsors Use code heckyeshttps://www.instagram.com/kickstartaccounting/https://www.17hats.com/ Use code heckyesAftershoot AIhttps://aftershoot.com/friends/?ref=carissawoo

Happy Woo Wednesdays! I have @beautybybonbon by in the HECK YES House. (Makeup and Hair Artist) Cynthia is super relatable and makes sure her clients know that she has their backs.Hot topic today: Relatable, Fierce and In-real-time instagramCynthia Banh - business owner, artist, your best gal pal, energy generator at events/parties, lover not a fighter, hopeless romantic, sushi and french fry lover…I've gotten to know Cynthia though seeing her at WIPA parties and she is so much fun to be around. I love her story of becoming a wedding singer and getting paid just enough to pay for a boba drink. The hustle is real.Check out episode 123 with Carol from Blushingdetails - Cynthia's sister.Connect with Cynthia and mention Woo to get a discountwww.beautybybonbon.comConnect with Carissahttps://instagram.com/carissawoohttps://heckyesmedia.co/

Regresa el circutio mexicano a la acción, con una sede que a dado muchas emociones en ediciones anteriores.Enterate de como se vivió el Wipa's Open y lo que este etapa tiene para ofrecer. 

Tanya Pushkine born and raised in Brussels, Belgium to an American born musical conductor and German/Belgian painter. Upon moving to the USA, she was soon accepted to The Juilliard School's Drama Division.  Immediately upon graduation, she was selected to play Mozart's wife in Amadeus on Broadway, followed by roles on television, stage and film in both Europe and the US. After a successful 10-year career, and the birth of two children, Tanya changed paths entirely and joined the corporate world with leading roles at LVMH, Sephora, L'Oréal, Barnes & Noble, Clarins and Nestle Skin Health. From being a Cultural Director to running Public Relations and Corporate Philanthropy departments for luxury brands, Tanya was fortunate to work with Beyoncé Lady Gaga, Naomi Watts, Eva Mendez, John Legend, and many more. As a global communications and brand strategist, she conceived, directed and produced major initiatives, events and philanthropic programs.  Never letting go of her acting chops, she kept actively using the skills to coach leaders on public speaking and presentations…. until the wedding universe became her calling. Tanya had been helping friends and family with their vows and toasts for years. Her own second wedding prompted her to become a professional wedding "vow whisperer." She made the bold decision to leave the corporate world and make her way essentially creating a new category in the wedding business. Tanya's business, The Vow Whisperer, is a service whereby Tanya helps couples write their vows, but in their own words.  She is not the writer, but brings out everything from anecdotes, memories, obstacles, incredible moments, intentions for the future and much more and collaboratively will craft the vows using the person's own words. Additionally, Tanya coaches on public speaking which includes enunciation, voice projection, making eye contact while reading off a vow book, poise, confidence and all the tips and tricks to make it a perfect presentation of the most intimate part of a ceremony. Tanya officiates, and offers ceremony planning, as well and coaches family members and friends who want to officiate.  She also works with bridal parties on speeches and toasts. Tanya is based in New York City with her husband, has two children and works globally in several languages.  She is currently on the board of the New York Chapter of WIPA. Featured Guest: Tanya Pushkine of The Vow Whisperer Website: www.thevowwhisperer.com Instagram: @thevowhisperer Headshot Photography: Philip Holt BIG NEWS, CONFETTI HOUR SQUAD! You can find us over on YOUTUBE! Check out our new channel @theconfettihour THE CONFETTI HOUR WEBSITE Check out my mentoring services for wedding pros digital resources, fun products, & my go-to business tools for wedding pros & much more.  HELP SUPPORT OUR SHOW | BECOME A PATREON Help support The Confetti Hour show with a small contribution per month. Your support goes towards the maintenance of the show allowing Renée to continue to bring on reputable professionals to share their journeys & tips to help wedding professionals elevate their services. 

So much has happened in West Indies cricket that you could be forgiven for missing the big news that CWI and WIPA had signed a new Memorandum of Understanding. The agreement lasts until 2027 and heralds in a new partnership designed to solidify commitment to promoting gender pay equity within West Indies cricket. The MOU outlines plans to achieve parity in international and regional match fees, international captain's allowances, international team prize money and regional individual prize money for all West Indies cricketers by 1 October 2027. The MOU also aligns the performance grading criteria for international women's and regional men's contracts with the established standards for international men, ensuring a uniform evaluation process across domestic and international cricket from 1 October 2024. Machel Hewitt broke down the significance of the agreement and what it should mean for West Indies Cricket moving forward. As always with the Caribbean Cricket Podcast we go into a level of depth and analysis on West Indies cricket that you wont hear anywhere else. If you are listening on a podcast channel that allows you to leave a review and rating please do so as it really helps grow the podcast. If you'd like to support the Caribbean Cricket Podcast you can become a patron for as little as £2/$2 a month here - https://www.patreon.com/Caribcricket?... You can also find out more about Caribbean Cricket Podcast here - https://www.caribbeancricketpodcast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Want to Speak at the Big Conferences? Here's What It Really Takes Whether you're an aspiring speaker or just curious about the truth vs. the illusion of success, this episode is for you. If you're feeling the pressure to achieve overnight success in your career, and the thought of never reaching that level is weighing you down, then you are not alone! The constant pursuit of big opportunities and recognition can be overwhelming, especially when you see others achieving it “effortlessly.” It's time to address the myths of overnight success and develop a resilient mindset to seize business opportunities. Debunking the Myths of Overnight Success in Business Success, especially in public speaking, doesn't happen overnight. The journey to achieve it is characterized by countless hours of practice, continuous learning, and resilience. Thus, the idea of instant success, often propagated by social media, is misleading and should be countered with a realistic perspective that acknowledges the time and effort required to excel. My special guest is Meghan Ely OFD Consulting owner Meghan Ely combines in-the-trenches event experience with a love of wedding PR to empower her clients to take their businesses to new heights. The Public Relations Society of America regularly honors her team's publicity efforts, and more recently, Eventex named her one of the most influential Wedding Professionals in the Industry. A long-time industry speaker and writer, she is a WeddingPro educator with The Knot + WeddingWire, as well as a regular contributor to Wedding Planner Magazine, Catersource, and SpecialEvents.com. Meghan is an International Past President of WIPA and a member of the Allied Council for the National Society of Black Wedding and Event Professionals. In this episode, you will learn how to: Master the art of becoming a keynote speaker: Unlock the secrets to landing prestigious speaking opportunities and captivating your audience. Debunk the myths of overnight success in business: Discover the truth behind building a successful speaking career and the real work it takes to achieve it. Navigate the wedding industry speaking circuit: Uncover the strategies for establishing yourself as a sought-after speaker in the wedding industry. Cultivate personal development through public speaking: Harness the power of public speaking to grow personally and professionally and make a lasting impact on your audience. Thrive in high-stakes speaking engagements: Learn how to prepare and excel in high-pressure speaking situations, leaving a lasting impression on your audience. Go grab your coffee or your tea, and let's talk it out.  Connect with Meghan Ely Website Instagram What Renee's Obsessed With This Week

Hacemos un resumen de lo sucedido la semana pasada en la Gira de Golf Profesional Mexicana.Además analizamos la victoria de Abraham Ancer en LIV y la previa de The Players Championship

Happy Woo Wednesday!I feel I've been celebrating Lunar New Year so this is a perfect way to keep the cultural celebration going.Carol from The BLushing Details in the GET A HECK YES house. Her authenticity and genuine connections really sets her apart in a world where many businesses often feel impersonal or too focused on profit. We are both on the WIPA board and she is as real as they get.Hot Topic - Creating a more Cultural and Thematic Weddings for your ideal client. The Blushing Details had years of experience in planning weddings that incorporate different cultures, traditions, or unique themes.The Blushing Details focused on creating an aesthetically opulence and refined wedding for our modern diverse, multicultural, and interracial clients. What sets my company apart is my unique approach to our planning and design process and the realization of it for my clients. By implementing detailed visual elements and systems, we fully bring our clients into the design process from inception to fruition. This can include digital sketching, and vision board. We feel it's helps out couple to be more invented in the overall outcome and experience.Freebie if you mention HECK YESI offer a complimentary 30-minute consultation, a simple guide to support you in leveraging your wedding business. Please visit the "Contact Us" page on my website to schedule a session.Connect with Carolhttps://www.theblushingdetails.com/https://www.instagram.com/theblushingdetails/Connect with Carissa WooGet a $50 biz audit https://carissawoo.thrivecart.com/salesbreakthroughhttps://heckyesmedia.co/

In this episode, we discuss:How customer expectations have evolved, emphasizing the importance of authenticity, heart, and ditching scripted interactionsHow to let your unique light shine through in your marketing effortsInsights on building an authentic brand, growing a successful business, and self-discovery.About Kaleigh: Kaleigh Wiese is a brand strategist, business coach and a fractional hospitality and event CMO. Her goal is to enrich the lives of small businesses by helping them find, embrace & profit from their innate uniqueness.Featured in The Huffington Post, The New York Times, Entrepreneur, Fortune, Martha Stewart Weddings, Grace Ormonde, and has shared trends at RSVP Symposiums, Wedding Pro Workshops, Wedding MBA, CaterSource, WIPA, ILEA, and other niche creative workshops across the world, she does her best work offering transformative one-on-one accountability and marketing help with her audits and fractional CMO services, as well as her group Brand Magic Society.Kaleigh has worked with 1000's of business in the events industry and approaches every opportunity with intuition, problem-solving skills and action-focused solutions based on the needs of the client's location, revenue goals and ideal client. When she's not on the go, you can find her at home in Austin, Texas, experimenting in the kitchen, streaming a book on Audible, or boating with her husband, Michael, and their two rescue pups, Jack & Charlie.Follow Kristin:IG: @meetkristinTwitter: @meetkristinFollow Our DJ Rocks:IG: @ourdjrocksCheck out Our DJ Rocks online at http://ourdjrocks.comFollow Kaleigh:@gokaleighwww.kaleighwiese.com

Writing, and then speaking, wedding vows can be a stressful experience.  What happens if you can't figure out how you feel, or fear speaking in front of an audience.  It is already a high stress day, and now add this to the whole experience.Our guest today is Tanya PushkineTanya Pushkine was born and raised in Brussels, Belgium to an American-born musical conductor and German/Belgian painter. Upon moving to the USA, she was soon accepted to The Juilliard School's Drama Division. Immediately upon graduation, Tanya was selected to play Mozart's wife in Amadeus on Broadway, followed by roles on television, stage, and film in both Europe and the US.After a successful 10-year career, and the birth of two children, Tanya changed paths entirely and joined the corporate world with leading roles at LVMH, Sephora, L'Oréal, Barnes & Noble, Clarins, and Nestle Skin Health. From being a Cultural Director to running Public Relations and Corporate Philanthropy departments for luxury brands, Tanya was fortunate to work closely with Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Naomi Watts, Eva Mendez, John Legend, and many more. As a global communications and brand strategist, she conceived, directed, and produced major initiatives, events, and philanthropic programs.Never letting go of her acting chops, she kept actively using the skills to coach leaders on public speaking and presentations…. until the wedding universe became her calling.Tanya had been helping friends and family with their vows and toasts for years. Her own second wedding prompted her to become a professional wedding "vow whisperer." She made the bold decision to leave the corporate world and make her way essentially creating a new category in the wedding business.Tanya's business, The Vow Whisperer, is a service whereby Tanya coins herself as a producer and creator of epic wedding ceremony experiences. She helps couples write their vows but in their own words. She is not the writer but brings out everything from anecdotes, memories, obstacles, incredible moments, intentions for the future, and much more, and collaboratively willcraft the vows using the person's own words. Additionally, Tanya coaches on public speaking—the delivery of the vows, which includes enunciation, voice projection, making eye contact while reading off a vow book, poise, confidence, body language, and all the tips and tricks to make it a perfect presentation of the most intimate part of a ceremony. Tanya officiates, and offers ceremony planning, as well as coaching family members and friends who want to officiate. She also works with wedding parties on speeches and toasts.Tanya is based in New York City with her husband, has two children, and works globally in several languages. She is currently on the board of the New York Chapter of WIPA.Support the showBehind The Veil Crew:Host: Keith Willard www.keithwillardevents.com www.instagram.com/keithwillard Co- Host: Marci Guttenberg www.anaffairtorememberbymarci.com www.instagram.com/anaffairtorememberbymarci

You feel burned out, overwhelmed, undervalued, and underpaid—and you're drowning in your daily CEO to-do list. So in this episode, I'm keeping it real with a conversation about Burn out + Boundaries with Megan Gilliken of the Planners Vault! In this episode we discuss: Transitioning from various phases in business, including hustle, growth, burnout, and selling a business. Imposter Syndrome and tips for quieting that inner critic. Reevaluating personal and professional priorities using a "soul-sucking list." Identifying and focusing on "Heck Yeses" and "Heck Nos" in life and business. Setting 90-day goals and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. About: Megan Gillikin is a serial entrepreneur, a champion of building connection through authenticity and an international speaker who is dedicated to making life easier for wedding pros at any stage of business. Megan's professional mission is to protect heart-centered, high-achieving entrepreneurs from the woes of bad business decisions and crippling burnout by equipping them with tools, resources and mindset shifts to help them thrive in all areas of life. Megan got her start almost 2 decades ago in the hotel and event industry and ventured into the world of entrepreneurship in an unconventional way back in 2010. Her business superpowers include building and selling a successful multi-six figure business, coaching hundreds of wedding industry entrepreneurs on building profitable businesses within her membership The Planner's Vault, drinking her coffee black, and being able to identify that song playing in the background that no one else can hear. As a professional coach, online community builder, investor in small female-owned businesses, and a recovering people pleaser, Megan is known for sharing her expertise in a relatable, funny and impactful way that has brought success and clarity to thousands of wedding pros across the world through her podcast, Weddings For Real. Megan's also been voted a top-ranked speaker at conferences such as WeddingMBA, NACE, WIPA, and WeddingPro COR. When Megan isn't helping entrepreneurs tap into their own inner genius, you'll find her scribbling big ideas on notebooks, napkins and sticky notes or hanging at home with her husband Jason and three daughters trying to embarrass them with her terrible, yet enthusiastic, dance moves. Follow Kristin: IG: @meetkristin Twitter: @meetkristin Follow Our DJ Rocks: IG: @ourdjrocks Check out Our DJ Rocks online at http://ourdjrocks.com Follow Megan Gillikin: www.theplannersvault.com www.megangillikin.com @weddingsforreal @plannersvault

Happy Woo Wednesdays!I have my friend Maleka in the Get a HECK YES house. (one of my fave videographers). I know her from WIPA. She is the owner and creator of the Siren & Co Weddings. She is a lover of Disney, a connoisseur of Sugar cookies and big believer that when in doubt buy the shoes!Her Woo factor is I'm a modern twist on a timeless classic. I always tell people this is not your parents wedding video, but I can guarantee you'll rewatch it every yearShe got married this past weekend and she is the most beautiful bride!https://www.instagram.com/coupledwithdisney Check out her and her hubby. OMG, so cute, rrrighttt!!My Hot topic, Being a wedding vendor and becoming a Bride and seeing it from the other side, what I would have done differently1: Stop being nice2: Had a serious talk about budget with my fiancé3: Had a top 5 items list instead of a top 10Connect with Malekawww.thesirenandco.comhttps://www.instagram.com/thesirenandcoConnect with Carissa Woohttps://heckyesmedia.co/https://www.instagram.com/carissawoo

There are so many analytics that you can get for your business, but which ones are going to make a difference for you and your bottom line? To help bring clarity to this I invited my friend Christie Osborne to join me for a conversation about business insights. This isn't about Google Analytics, at least not very much, and you're going to want to hear the business metrics that you really do need to know.Listen to this new episode for an enlightening conversation with a really smart friend.About ChristieChristie Osborne believes you should make money from your marketing. Her Agency, Mountainside Media, specializes in data-driven marketing, advertising, and research. But she's more than just a nerdy analytics gal. Her sessions and workshops help service-based business owners get clear on their marketing numbers. Because once you get clarity around what's actually happening (rather than what you think is happening) you can make strategic decisions in your business... and of course, make more money than you spend on marketing. As a top event industry educator, Christie frequents the national speaker circuit and is a regular contributor to top industry publications, including NACE, WIPA, The Special Event and Catersource. She is also a highly sought-after podcast guest.Christie's pronouns are she/her. IG + FB: @mtnsidemediaco Christie's pronouns are she/her. Find out more about how Christie can help you: https://mountainsidemedia.com/go/alan/  If you have any questions about anything in this, or any of my podcasts, or have a suggestion for a topic or guest, please reach out directly to me at Alan@WeddingBusinessSolutions.com or visit my website Podcast.AlanBerg.comPlease be sure to subscribe to this podcast and leave a review (thanks, it really does make a difference). If you want to get notifications of new episodes and upcoming workshops and webinars, you can sign up at www.ConnectWithAlanBerg.com 

Happy Woo Wednesdays. I have Mark Addington in the Get a Heck Yes house. His passion and smile are contagious and I can literally hear him smile through the phone.In 2019 Mark was elected Director of Education for the local San Francisco Chapter of WIPA, then stepping into the role of International Director of Education for WIPA just two years later. He has helped me with my speaking career and I can't thank him enough.Hot topic: Keep reinventing yourself to keep the passion and avoid burnout.Mark says to schedule time to pause every so often to assess what's working for your business and what you can improve on.Mark Addington fell into the wedding industry as a side hustle while working at a busy San Francisco casting agency. After a few years working on television and movie sets the casting agency moved to L.A. so it was time to make a change and Mark became a permanent fixture in the wedding industry. Fifteen years later Mark decided to leave the safety of a big box DJ company and pursue another creative job working for the illustrious Pixar Entertainment. In 2018, while waiting for his contract to be renewed, Mark established Mark Addington Events LLC, an award-winning wedding & entertainment company. In the last 20 years he has DJ'd and Emceed hundreds of weddings and events not only in the San Francisco Bay Area but all across the U.S. and the Caribbean.Connect with Markhttps://www.facebook.com/markaddingtonevents , https://www.instagram.com/markaddingtonevents/www.markaddingtonevents.comConnect with CarissaBuy my bookhttps://heckyesmedia.co/bookinstagram.com/carissawoo

In this week's episode of The Venue RX podcast, our host sits down with SEO expert Sara Dunn to discuss the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the wedding industry and search engine optimization (SEO). They explore the use of AI tools like ChatGPT for finding wedding venues and generating content. They discuss the benefits and potential dangers of AI, the importance of human expertise in creative jobs, and how professionals can effectively use AI tools to enhance their work. They also touch on the potential for AI to increase efficiency and lower prices for clients. Sara concludes by encouraging business owners to embrace AI tools while maintaining the quality of their work. About Our Guest:  Sara Dunn is a Wedding SEO Specialist for wedding planners, photographers, venues, and other wedding professionals who want their websites to rank higher on Google.  With a knack for making SEO easy to understand, she's created a unique Wedding SEO Framework that simplifies what it takes to get your wedding business in front of your dream clients.  Sara has been featured by Honeybook, Special Events, and NACE. She was named a WeddingPro educator for 2022 and has presented to audiences including WeddingPro, WIPA, Wedding MBA, and Two Bright Lights. Each year, her framework helps over 200,000 searchers find the wedding pros and advice they're looking for. If you're ready to reach rockstar status on Google, Sara's ready to be your geeky best friend that shows you how it's done. FInd Her Here:  Website: https://saradoesseo.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saradoesseo/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaraDoesSEO/  Twitter: https://twitter.com/SaraDoesSEO

Are you using lots of industry jargon and acronyms?If you were an outsider, listening to a conversation between people in your industry, how many acronyms (CPP, WIPA, RFP…) and how much industry jargon (10-tops, GOBO, etc.) are you using? I've seen too many websites and too many wedding and event pros that use language that your couples and clients may not know. And many people won't tell you that they don't know it, so they don't look stupid or uninformed.Listen to this new, 12-minute episode for some ideas on how to simplify your language to make it clearer to your novice consumers.If you have any questions about anything in this, or any of my podcasts, or have a suggestion for a topic or guest, please reach out directly to me at Alan@WeddingBusinessSolutions.com or visit my website Podcast.AlanBerg.comPlease be sure to subscribe to this podcast and leave a review (thanks, it really does make a difference). If you want to get notifications of new episodes and upcoming workshops and webinars, you can sign up at www.ConnectWithAlanBerg.com My new book: “Stop Selling and Help Them Buy Weddings & Events” is out now!It's the book you helped me write, by asking for things that weren't already in my other books. Get your copies today!Paperback:

So you're a thriving private event DJ in the #2 market in the US and you decide to start over in a new market.  What goes into a decision like this? Do you keep your original market location or dump it and go all in on the new one?  What's the way to gain marketshare in a saturated market that has great DJs already?  All of these questions and more are part of my interview with Krieger, the DJ. He's never at a loss for words and has quite the opinions (which I love!). If you've thought about relocating to another market, this episode is for you. I'm on YOUTUBE!  Please subscribe and share. Thanks in advance.Check out my podcast website and my premium podcast content community page.DJs: Are you not using VIBO, the music request and planning app? Let's fix this for you! Go to https://vibodj.com. For my podcast listeners only, enter promo code: DJBRIANB - it gets you $10 off your first month's subscription. DJs: This is applicable whether you are a single op or a mult-op. and boy do I wish this was around a few years ago when I really needed it.  Broc Barton Lifestyle Leadership Coaching is offering a free 1 hour coaching session - this is for my podcast listeners ONLY. Mention BRIAN B when you sign up at https://www.brocbarton.com to claim this amazing offer.DJs: Interested in Heavy Hits Music Pool? Go to https://heavyhits.com/For my podcast listeners only, enter promo code: BRIANB - it gets you a 30 day trial for $5. Try it now.Have a topic you want covered? Drop me a DM at @thetraveldjblend. Has this podcast helped you? Share your thoughts by leaving a review on the Apple Podcast App.

Happy Woo Wednesdays.I med Margaux at a couple of WIPA events and she is a powerhouse planner and educator. She hosts a 2X YEARLY FREE ONLINE SUMMIT FOR WEDDING PROS CALLED WEDDING SUMMIT SERIES. GET ON HER WAITLIST.Today's Topic: Decoding Client Inquiries - What are your potential clients really trying to tell you? Let's read behind the lines. Also, are you tracking where all of your inquiries areMARGAUX FRAISE IS THE OWNER + CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF HARMONY CREATIVE STUDIO, an award-winning boutique wedding firm in Los Angeles, CA. Since moving from retail consulting to events in 2011, her goal has been to design weddings with intention, infusing celebrations with her signature organic and minimal style yet still tailored to each couple.A Stage IV breast cancer survivor, she has a unique perspective on what is truly valuable in love, life and weddings – and brings that viewpoint to help her clients hone in on what matters to them. As a result, her work has been featured in numerous publications, including Style Me Pretty, Brides, and Green Wedding Shoes, among others.What is Margaux's Woo FactorHaving a strong visual aesthetic (minimalism/neutrals) to go along with a calming presence. She hosts aFAVORITE SALES TECHNIQUE: HOW DO YOU GET A HECK YES FROM YOUR DREAM CLIENTS?Having a strong funnel so only ideal clients get throughwww.margauxfraise.com / www.weddingsummitseries.comIdeal Client Workbook + Training: https://bit.ly/mxidealclientConnect with Carissa Woohttps://www.instagram.com/carissawoo/https://heckyesmedia.co/

With over 30 years in the game, Kevin Dennis is no stranger to the wedding biz. He entered the industry when he started Fantasy Sound Event Services right after high school — funny enough, his intentions were to become a legit DJ and meet girls. (No, really.) Whether he was successful is neither here nor there, but one thing that's certain: Fantasy Sound was built to last. Today, his Livermore-based business has evolved into a renowned full-service lighting and entertainment company that serves the wedding & event market in California. Over the years, Kevin's love for the industry would also evolve, inspiring him to become more involved in education, networking, and thought leadership to contribute to the future of the industry. He is a sought-after speaker in the national circuit and a regular contributor to B2B publications, including Catersource and Special Events, and has been featured in Brides, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Travel Channel. Having served in multiple board positions for Silicon Valley NACE, as a trustee on the Foundation of NACE board, and as Director of National Marketing and International President of WIPA for two terms, Kevin has dedicated his career to the growth and development of the wedding pro community. He also founded the Tri-Valley Wedding Professionals networking group, which has grown to a membership of 700+ pros. https://fantasysound.com/, http://weddingiq.com/  Get a free coffee on me! I'm randomly selecting a few reviews and sending them a gift card for coffee. Leave me a review with text, and send me a screenshot on instagram to enter. @livelywedacademy   

This week, Phillip, Brittany, and Meghan cover staying relevant in the wedding industry. Meghan is the owner of OFD consulting, when we recorded she was the WIPA international President, she had about ten days left and she is an amazing industry speaker. Stoked to have had her on hearing her insights!  **Topics discussed:** 1. Origin Story 2. Wedding Industry 3. Relevance In the Industry 4. OFD Consulting   **Links mentioned in this episode:**

In our first podcast of 2023 we welcome Lucy Miller & Clare Slipper from Women in Public Affairs Scotland and talk about forthcoming big developments for that network as well as what's been on their minds when it comes to Scottish politics.

Are you using PR to grow your business? Join me for a chat with wedding PR guru Meghan Ely to talk about all things wedding business PR.We're talking about what PR looks like for wedding professionals, how to get your work featured, how to stand out in a competitive industry, and so much more. Think of this episode as your guide to all things PR.OFD Consulting owner, Meghan Ely, CWIP (Certified Wedding Industry Professional), combines in-the-trenches event experience with a love of wedding PR to empower her clients to take their businesses to new heights. Her team's publicity efforts are regularly honored by the Public Relations Society of America, and most recently, Meghan was named the NACE Speaker of the Year.A long-time industry speaker and writer, she is a WeddingPro educator with The Knot + WeddingWire, as well as a regular contributor to Wedding Planner Magazine, Catersource, and SpecialEvents.com. Meghan currently serves as the 2022 International President for WIPA.Whether you know a bit about PR already or you're just getting started, this episode has something for you. I would love to connect on Facebook: www.facebook.com/JenTaylorConsulting & Instagram: www.instagram.com/jentaylorconsulting!Resources Mentioned:Follow @ofdconsulting on Instagram: www.instagram.com/ofdconsulting Follow OFD Consulting on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ofdconsultingVisit Meghan's Website: www.ofdconsulting.com Show notes available at jentaylorconsulting.com/episode33

CHRISTIE OSBORNE OWNS MOUNTAINSIDE MEDIA, a marketing agency that specializes in ads, analytics, and market research. She's a proud data nerd who uses marketing data and research to develop scalable strategies for busy event pros. Simply put, Christie has a passion for turning data into dollars. This is what gets her clients off the marketing hamster wheel and on the path to sustainable marketing success. As a top event industry educator, Christie frequents the national speaker circuit and is a regular contributor to top industry publications, including NACE, WIPA, The Special Event, and Catersource. She is also a highly sought-after podcast guest. @mtnsidemediaco Let's plan out 2023 together in my free training, Plan '23! heyhalima.com/plan23. We will map out your entire 2023 in your business, set some big goals, and come up with a plan to reach those goals! It will be live on Wednesday December 21st at 11 CST with Halima.

On this episode of Dangerous Creatives we are joined by Sara Dunn, a Wedding SEO Specialist for wedding planners, photographers, venues, and other wedding professionals who want their websites to rank higher on Google. With a knack for making SEO easy to understand, she's created a unique SEO Framework that simplifies what it takes to get your business in front of your dream clients. Sara has been featured by WIPA, Special Events, WeddingPro, WeddingMBA and NACE. Kristin and Sara chat through SEO - what it is, some tips on how to implement it into your website to increase your ranking on Google, and dive into blogging (is it dead? NO!) and practical ways you can use blogging to your advantage in your local market. Get her Wedding SEO bootcamp program HERE! Connect with Sara: https://saradoesseo.com/ https://www.instagram.com/saradoesseo/ Connect with Kristin: Instagram Make 30k a Year with Album Sales Mini Course Danger School Online Course Apply for our 1:1 and Group Mastermind Experience for Next Year Credits: Music by @jamielono and @shammydee Produced by @jenmadigancreative https://jenmadigancreative.com

**ENCORE: This podcast was recorded October 30, 2019**DRNY staff attorney, Will Tronsor,  discusses the gig economy and its effects on workers with disabilities.**Resources**How the Gig Economy impacts people with disabilities: https://medium.com/@sheribyrnehaber/how-the-gig-economy-impacts-people-with-disabilities-5950bd4a3668California Governor Sign's law protecting gig economy workers: https://www.npr.org/2019/09/18/762108954/california-governor-signs-law-protecting-gig-economy-workersFifth Circuit Holds that Independent Contractors Can Sue Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act: https://www.winston.com/en/thought-leadership/fifth-circuit-holds-that-independent-contractors-can-sue-under.htmlFlynn v. Distinctive Home Care, Inc., No. 15-50314 (5th Cir. Feb. 1, 2016): http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/15/15-50314-CV0.pdfWork incentives Planning and Assistance: https://www.ssa.gov/work/WIPA.htmlIndependent Living Centers: http://www.acces.nysed.gov/vr/independent-living-centersSupport the show

If you are a new or existing venue owner and want a professional team to operate and mangage your venue business click here! https://www.cseventservices.com In this video, our host Jonathan Aymin sits down with Kevin Dennis - owner of a renowned full-service lighting and entertainment company that serves the wedding & event market in California. Today he discusses how to maximize creative partner relationships as a vendor working at multiple venues. About our Guest: With over 30 years in the game, Kevin Dennis is no stranger to the wedding biz. He entered the industry when he started Fantasy Sound Event Services right after high school — funny enough, his intentions were to become a legit DJ and meet girls. (No, really.) Whether he was successful is neither here nor there, but one thing that's certain: Fantasy Sound was built to last. Today, his Livermore-based business has evolved into a renowned full-service lighting and entertainment company that serves the wedding & event market in California. Over the years, Kevin's love for the industry would also evolve, inspiring him to become more involved in education, networking, and thought leadership to contribute to the future of the industry. He is a sought-after speaker in the national circuit and a regular contributor to B2B publications, including Catersource and Special Events, and has been featured in Brides, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Travel Channel. Having served in multiple board positions for Silicon Valley NACE, as a trustee on the Foundation of NACE board, and as Director of National Marketing and International President of WIPA for two terms, Kevin has dedicated his career to the growth and development of the wedding pro community. He also founded the Tri-Valley Wedding Professionals networking group, which has grown to a membership of 700+ pros. Taking over WeddingIQ was just another step in Kevin's effort to develop a hub of information and opportunities for wedding professionals across the industry, and his visionary way of thinking has a lot in store to bring education to the forefront. Tune into some of Kevin's podcast episodes: The Level Up Co. Bridechilla Bridal Business Bootcamp The Celebrated Life Wedding Bossness Evolve Your Wedding Business Find Him Here: Email: kevin@fantasysound.com Website: https://weddingiq.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeddingIQ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wedding_iq/ https://www.instagram.com/kevinmdennis/ Book Him As A Speaker: http://bit.ly/KevinDennis⠀⠀ Thanks for checking out The Venue RX on Youtube. Where we document and share best practices for owning & operating profitable world class venues! BE A GUEST! If you are interested in being a guest on our show, or you know someone who you would recommend, go to our website and submit a request! We will review your application and get back to you promptly. ► Website http://thevenuerx.com/submit Don't forget to smash that LIKE Button. Remember to SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel and click the BELL ICON to set alerts for all our new weekly videos! CONNECT WITH US & SUPPORT!!! ✩ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thevenuerx/ ✩ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thevenuerx ✩ Website: www.thevenuerx.com ✩ Anchor: https://bit.ly/3gKSshE LISTEN / SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST ✩ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3qW7ntS ✩ Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3gIz7h3Android: https://bit.ly/3njXOTE

This week, Cam sat down and talked with Dana & Courtney, a dynamic sister duo with more than 17 years of experience in the events industry, about navigating the waters of Retaining Rental Employees During a Stressful Season. Dana and Courtney are known for their multiple businesses Anthem House, a Luxury Event Planning Company based in North Carolina, Hustle & Gather, a Consulting, Speaking and Podcasting Firm, and Bushel and Peck, their Floral Design Company. With hands in multiple businesses, these two have experience when it comes to learning how to manage employees, retaining a staff that continues to serve your company and clients, and navigating the tricky waters that come with being an Entrepreneur. Being a small business owner after the universal shutdown in 2020 has definitely created the hustle and bustle of how to keep the needle moving when it comes to navigating your company. Cam, Dana and Courtney talk about how to retain a great staff, learning to create great company culture for you and your employees and how to be transparent with the ins and outs of owning a business. Networking, learning who you are hiring and understanding your employees has shifted how to continue moving forward. Here is a sneak peek of what this episode consists of: [4:52] Retaining Your Staff [11:04] Understanding Your Employees | Creating a Healthy Company Culture [16:12] Hiring For Your Company | Continuing Company Culture [35:20] The Render Co. Leadership Departments | Supporting the Core Team [41:36] Transparency With Your Team [53:42] Community Through Networking Product or Affiliate Links Ep. 121 | Buzzwords All Rental Companies Should Know Enneagram Personality Test Networking Organizations: NACE, WIPA, ILEA Next week we will drop an episode about Minimums and Maximums on Event Orders. Be sure to check it out!

This week, WIPA's Lucy Miller, Clare Slipper & Kimberley Somerside sign us off for the summer talking about abortion, buffer zones, independence and what they're looking forward to next parliamentary term. You can donate to Walk the Walk here: https://walkthewalk.enthuse.com/donate#!/ and email WIPA Scotland at wipascotland@gmail.com

Do you play on the dark side? On the wild side? Do you live on the edge?   If you're able to play with burnout and use it as a tool to intentionally move forward, it's like playing with the dark arts in order to build a business and life that you love. And on this podcast, we often talk about avoiding burnout altogether.    But in today's episode, we have the opportunity to talk with a business veteran who has been around for over 33 years in business and he talks about intentionally using burnout to help move your business forward and recognizing how to navigate the ups and downs of change.    If you're interested in another perspective on burnout, and how to be able to have the resiliency that someone who's been in business for over 30 years has developed, then my friend, this episode is for you. Let's go!   In this episode, you'll learn:   About intentionally using burnout to help move your business forward How to navigate the ups and downs of change All about “Adversity” Intentional burnout Setting boundaries with yourself and your business The difference between intentional and unintentional burnout   Here's a peek inside the episode:   [7:06] Mantra of the Day —  I am flexible.   [7:41] Instead of being perfect, be growth-oriented and be flexible. be coachable. Be moldable.   [11:26] 33 years in business   [21:17] Mastery of your awareness of self   [17:35] Burn bright   [19:50] Difference between intentional and unintentional burnout   [24:04] Intentional burnout   [37:40] You got to take your lumps sometimes to sow   [39:30] Journal prompt: How are you cultivating your relationships, based on your unique qualities?   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 Guest's Bio:   With over 30 years in the game, Kevin Dennis, CWIP (Certified Wedding Industry Professional) is no stranger to the wedding biz.    He entered the industry when he started Fantasy Sound Event Services right after high school — funny enough, his intentions were to become a legit DJ and meet girls. (No, really.) Whether he was successful is neither here nor there, but one thing that's certain: Fantasy Sound was built to last. Today, his Livermore-based business has evolved into a renowned full-service lighting and entertainment company that serves the wedding & event market in California.   Over the years, Kevin's love for the industry would also evolve, inspiring him to become more involved in education, networking, and thought leadership to contribute to the future of the industry. He is a sought-after speaker in the national circuit and a regular contributor to B2B publications, including Catersource and Special Events, and has been featured in Brides, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Travel Channel.   Having served in multiple board positions for Silicon Valley NACE, as a trustee on the Foundation of NACE board, and as Director of National Marketing and International President of WIPA for two terms, Kevin has dedicated his career to the growth and development of the wedding pro community. He also founded the Tri-Valley Wedding Professionals networking group, which has grown to a membership of 700+ pros.   Taking over WeddingIQ was just another step in Kevin's effort to develop a hub of information and opportunities for wedding professionals across the industry, and his visionary way of thinking has a lot in store to bring education to the forefront.   Where to find more of Kevin:   Email: kevin@fantasysound.com Kevin's Instagram: Kevin Dennis Kevin's Website: Kevin Dennis

In this weeks video, our host Jonathan Aymin sits down with Christie Osborne from Mountainside Media to discuss how to come up with your ideal client avatar, how to get people to interact with your brand outside of an inquiry, and how to make your marketing dollars go further. About Our Guest: Christie Osborne owns Mountainside Media, a marketing agency that specializes in ads, analytics, and market research. She's a proud data nerd who uses marketing data and research to develop scalable strategies for busy event pros. Simply put, Christie has a passion for turning data into dollars. This is what gets her clients off the marketing hamster wheel and on the path to sustainable marketing success. As a top event industry educator, Christie frequents the national speaker circuit and is a regular contributor to top industry publications, including NACE, WIPA, The Special Event, and Catersource. She is also a highly sought-after podcast guest. Find Her Here: Website: https://mountainsidemedia.com Email: christie@mountainsidemedia.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mtnsidemediaco/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mtnsidemediaco/ Thanks for checking out The Venue RX on Youtube. We are a team of content creators bringing you weekly reviews, tutorials, and business coaching videos. For a look at all things motivation, mindset, podcast interviews, and more...this is the place to be! BE A GUEST! If you are interested in being a guest on our show, or you know someone who you would recommend, go to our website and submit a request! We will review your application and get back to you promptly. ► Website http://thevenuerx.com/submit Don't forget to smash that LIKE Button. Remember to SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel and click the BELL ICON to set alerts for all our new weekly videos! CONNECT WITH US & SUPPORT!!! ✩ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thevenuerx/ ✩ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thevenuerx ✩ Website: www.thevenuerx.com ✩ Anchor: https://bit.ly/3gKSshE LISTEN / SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST ✩ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3qW7ntS✩ Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3gIz7h3Android: https://bit.ly/3njXOTE

This week features the WIPA team's interview with Mairi McAllan MSP, Scottish Government Minister for the Environment, Biodiversity and Land Reform, from WIPA's first in-person live event of 2022.

On this week's episode our host Jonathan Aymin sits down with Kaleigh Wiese to discuss all things branding, from how to improve the way clients think about your brand, to helping you consider the big impact small consistent details have on your reputation! About Our Guest: Kaleigh Wiese is an endless creator, visual branding educator, entrepreneur, and public speaker. She has worked her entire career helping creatives find their visual voice. Her focus remains on branding and providing resources + services to help small businesses share their companies uniqueness visually. She also is a longtime event business owner, founding Méldeen in 2008, a luxury event branding and paper goods company focused on designing unique touch-points throughout the event experiences. Through her work, she has been featured in The Huffington Post, The New York Times Enterpreneur, Fortune, Martha Stewart Weddings, Grace Ormonde and has shared trends at Wedding MBA, WIPA, ILEA and other niche creative workshops across the country offering tips for growing your business through visual marketing. In 2020, she launched her fourth year partnership with WeddingPro (formerly The Knot & Wedding Wire) focusing on sharing her message of strategic brand techniques across the country. Find Her Here: Email: hello@kaleighwiese.com Website: www.kaleighwiese.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/gokaleigh Thanks for checking out The Venue RX on Youtube. We are a team of content creators bringing you weekly reviews, tutorials, and business coaching videos. For a look at all things motivation, mindset, podcast interviews, and more...this is the place to be! BE A GUEST! If you are interested in being a guest on our show, or you know someone who you would recommend, go to our website and submit a request! We will review your application and get back to you promptly. ► Website http://thevenuerx.com/submit Don't forget to smash that LIKE Button. Remember to SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel and click the BELL ICON to set alerts for all our new weekly videos! CONNECT WITH US & SUPPORT!!! ✩ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thevenuerx/ ✩ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thevenuerx ✩ Website: www.thevenuerx.com ✩ Anchor: https://bit.ly/3gKS

Happy Woo Wednesdays! I've been hearing about SEO search engine optimization for the last 12 years. Do you really understand it? If you don't understand it fully, you will want to tune in this episdoe. Most photographers over-complicate SEO (image tagging! Alt text! Blogging!) and focus too much on the tiny details. The bigger picture is more important-- what are your clients searching for, and how can you create the most helpful information on that topic? Sara Dunn is a Wedding SEO Specialist for wedding photographers other wedding professionals who want their websites to rank higher on Google. With a knack for making SEO easy to understand, she's created a unique Wedding SEO Framework that simplifies what it takes to get your wedding business in front of your dream clients. She was named a WeddingPro educator for 2022 and has presented to audiences including WeddingPro, WIPA, and Wedding MBA. Connect with Sara https://saradoesseo.com/ https://www.instagram.com/saradoesseo/ Connect with Carissa https://heckyesmedia.co/ https://instagram.com/carissawoo

In the Manager Minute Studio today is David Leon, Director of Workforce Programs at the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) along with host of the Manager Minute podcast, Carol Pankow. Find out how the projects David has led are shaping the approach that Virginia is taking in relation to work incentives counseling (benefits planning). What is the overall structure? Why did DARS see it as imperative to develop the capacity for work incentives counseling in Virginia beyond what is provided by the WIPA(Work Incentives Planning and Assistance)? Find out what resources and tools David is recommending and what advice he has for you.   Listen Here   Full Transcript   Important Links Cities for Financial Empowerment https://cfefund.org/projects/   Consumer Financial Protection Bureau "Your Money Your Goals" and Focus on Disability - materials are free and may be        co branded https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/educator-tools/your-money-your-goals/   National Disability Institute https://www.nationaldisabilityinstitute.org/downloads/   FDIC Money Smart  https://www.fdic.gov/resources/consumers/money-smart/index.html   ·       Next Gen Personal Finance https://www.ngpf.org/   You can find out more about VRTAC-QM on the web at: https://www.vrtac-qm.org/   Full Transcript   Work Incentives Counseling---Finding the incentive to engage in work incentives counseling with Virginia DARS!   {Music} Speaker1: Manager Minute brought to you by the VRTAC for Quality Management. Conversations powered by VR, one manager at a time, one minute at a time. Here is your host, Carol Pankow.   Carol: Well, welcome to the Manager Minute. I am so fortunate to have David Leon with me in the studio today. David's the director of workforce programs at the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, or, as you all endearingly refer to it as DarS. So, David, how are things going at DarS?   David: Excellent. Thank you for having me and thank you for asking.   Carol: Well, I was doing a little LinkedIn research about you, and I see you have been with the agency for over 11 years, and you're really known as a powerhouse in the VR community with some super creative work, especially as it relates to the agency's goal of helping those populations that experience both disability and poverty. And I learned that Virginia Diaries was awarded one of the announced Disability Innovation Fund grants, and I would definitely like to hear more about that at a later date. So, I'm gathering that the projects you've led and continue to lead on behalf of DARS with support from your commissioner, Cathy Hayfield, have really helped shape the approach that Virginia is taking in relation to benefits planning. And on a side note, I saw you're also a recent graduate from George Washington University with your master's in VR counseling. I always have to give a plug. My employer, I really admire you for going back to school and accomplishing that.   David: Thank you.   Carol: So today we're going to tackle the topic of benefits planning and learn more about the success of Virginia DARS has experienced. Now, when I asked around about VR best practices, your name kept coming up over and over again. And I know many agencies do kind of a one and done with benefits planning. They get something on the plan, they kind of move on. And my understanding is that your agency has gone far beyond that. So, let's dig in. What is the overall benefits planning structure in your agency?   David: Thank you, Carol. And let me start by saying anything we have been successful at here in Virginia is really based on our commissioner commitment to this work. The agencies buy into the value of this work in a systemic way, along with what we find as best practices from other agencies. I'm very proud of the work we do here in Virginia, and there are many other states with different approaches who we have borrowed pieces of over the years. Basic approach to benefits counseling is around what that looks like as a culture within the agency. To that end, we've done several things that I want to touch on first, and those include an expectation that all counselors go through VCU's intro to benefits course. That is something that all of our placement staff and our VR counselors are expected to go through. Every client who is potentially on benefits is expected to have within their IEP work incentive services. So, from an agency cultural perspective, there are a couple of things that are important there. We want our counselors to know at least a little bit about the subject and hence the reason that they go through the introduction to disability benefits. That's the course offered every month or two through the WIPPA program. That is the very basic six-part session on Intro to SSI, Intro to SSDI benefits. We also want all of our clients to get these services. The other piece that's important in Virginia is we don't refer to this as benefits counseling. We refer to it as work incentive counseling and work incentive services. The reason being we don't want to focus on benefits. We want to focus on work. You get what you focus on, and we want to focus on maximum employment and maximum earned income for our clients. So, another piece that's a little bit unique to Virginia, I think, is that every individual who goes through work incentives, counseling will be shown one example of what their life might look like if they are completely off cash benefits. Whether it's possible or not, we want every one of our clients to think it could be possible one day, and we want to create a document that kind of has a shelf life so that maybe you're not ready today, but maybe next year you get that opportunity after your case closed and you're going to have a report in front of you that might show you, Oh, now that I'm earning this much, it says I should look for these work incentives. So that's a little bit about the structure for within the agency. From a counselor perspective. Within our structure, we also have work incentives, specialist advocates. Those are people trained either through Cornell University or VCU, to provide work incentive services or benefits counseling as the rest of the country knows of it. And those individuals often work for employment networks and have partnership plus relationships. They don't always. But that is a best practice for our agency. And that's so that if somebody does choose to work their way off cash benefits, there's a natural link to an employment network and to continue to receive those services after post closure from the same people who provided them during the case. We also within our structure have a work incentive specialist whose sole job is to provide training for our counselors and those work incentive specialists each month we do state. Specific trainings on our state Medicaid system. Other things related to Virginia, how to use reports for counseling and guidance, and those hours count usually for their continuing education. So that's a really nice thing. It's a way to help make sure the people we have trained to provide services stay current. The other thing our work incentive specialists does is provides quality control. When a newly credentialed practitioner wants to provide services in Virginia, they have to share their first several reports with our work incentive specialists who double checks them, make sure they're correct and they are not allowed to provide the services independently without sending them until the person who works for me says You are good to go and that does something else. Know you think of rapid engagement. It creates a relationship between newly trained benefits practitioners and our staff in charge of quality control, so that when something wonky comes up, they know who to ask and they feel comfortable asking. That's a really key part of our system. The last thing that's unique to Virginia, we have state specific software that all of our work incentive specialists use when they're working, a case where you put in the scenarios earning X amount of dollars and it will do the math for you, along with provide an output of what potential work incentives might apply. And what we require are a couple of things. For a report to be completed and shared with the client and counselor, there has to be a copy of that individual's benefit planning query known as the BPI. The rationale for making sure that's a piece of it is sometimes we learn things that will really be important to the counseling and guidance process. For instance, if someone has a rep payee or an authorized rep, that's an additional conversation with the VR counselor about who might need to be at the table when it comes to talking about work goals. If someone has an overpayment on their benefit planning query, that might be an indication that we need to really hit home on the importance of wage reporting or budgeting, or other aspects related to what that overpayment has done to a case. So those are some reasons for that document. Another thing that's a little bit different about how we do our work world summary and analysis, which is the Virginia version of a benefit summary and analysis. We require the actual use of that individual's IP goal. And again, it's another opportunity to utilize Virginia specific labor market information around what the wages look like at 20 hours a week or full time for the types of jobs they're looking at. Again, everywhere through this process, we are reinforcing that value and goal of employment. The other nice thing about that is by the time someone gets to that work incentive specialist to go through the Work World Report, the individual might suddenly say, well, they want to do something different than is the goal in their plan. It's another point where we can ensure consistency with the client and their counselor. So, all of those are parts of what this first product looks like. The work world summary and analysis. We have a bunch of different services available. All of them are a la carte after that Work World Report and they are designed to be based as needed and outcome based. So, whereas you can go to the WIPA project, and you might be given advice, you might not necessarily be given things in writing, or if you're in the hierarchy at a place where you're going to get a benefit summary and analysis. If you say, I want to know what happens if I go to work 20 hours a week, you're going to get a report that shows that our clients come into a work world report and say, I want to know what happens if I'm going to work 20 hours a week. We say we're going to show you that, but we're going to also show you what it's like to work 25 hours a week using these two work incentives. And we're going to show you what it might look like working 40 hours a week, totally off benefits, because if someone hasn't imagined it, we don't want to artificially limit their potential for work. Some of the other services we offer through our work incentive services assistance with for achieving self support that's paid in two parts, one for submitting it and a second payment. If approved, we can help with impairment related work expenses. Blind work expenses. Student Earned Income Exclusions Subsidies. Medicaid Works. Our state's Medicaid buy in Virginia is a 209 B state, so we pay to help people get 1619 B protection. We will pay to help someone with an overpayment. We will pay to help someone set up an individual development account and able now account. We will pay to help someone get section 301 protection. And then under financial empowerment, we will pay for financial health assessments. We created a pre service called Maximizing Employment Potential through career pathways, we call it Max. And that's really kind of a choose your own adventure about career and money. We're really excited about that. It's still got some kinks to work out, but some of our providers have really created some cool tools there. And then we have a. Couple of services around budgeting skills, using financial empowerment tools. So that's all the different services we have currently. And again, each one, the individual only gets paid when they have proof, they've provided the service or in many of those work incentives, when that work incentive has been applied to the individual's case within Social Security or sometimes within our state social services system.   Carol: Well, I like what you said about you get what you focus on. So obviously starting out by focusing as an agency, you've made it important for your counselor. So that came through really loud and clear by everyone having that exposure to at least that introductory level training through VCU. So that I thought was really cool. And then also ensuring you're incorporating that into the plan that they must do that. I do have a question, though. I wondered about that state specific software, kind of that technology piece, like what did it take to get that all cooking?   David: That was something that existed before I got here. It was developed by folks at VCU and was developed as a policy tool for Social Security Administration. Things moved on. We had the opportunity to move it to be specific to Virginia and move it to the Web. So, we've taken ownership of that and continue to update it each year. And now it is just a Virginia specific tool with our kind of rules and thresholds built in. But it started well before I got here as a policy tool that then was converted to be used in Virginia. There is something similar that is called DB 101. I shouldn't say similar. It's very different because if another state wanted the tool we had, we would just give it to them and say, Hey, maybe help cover part of the development costs for any changes and another state would have to pay to get their specifics put in. But what I really appreciated about it is two or three different work incentive specialists could put the exact same information in in different parts of the state, and the math would be the same. That's cool, and that's really important because that stuff is not always right. And the other thing that's nice about it, I haven't looked at DB 101 in a long time, but last I checked, that tool was more designed as a self-service tool, and a lot of our clients don't know if they get SSI or SSDI. They don't always have a full picture, and I would never want to trust such a complex system to someone who hasn't really been trained to look for potential discrepancies and errors, especially. I guess the other thing oh, I heard from a friend of a friend who said, don't ever work more than this many hours because this thing happened. Right? We all hear the stories, and every situation is different, and you can never know that other situation to really compare it to your own. The other thing I just wanted to add about our approach with our counselors, because we've had some staff also trained to do more than just that basic level. One of the things we are fortunate to have here in Virginia is Wilson Workforce Rehabilitation Center. I believe eight states have comprehensive centers, much like WWRC, we have a staff at WWRC who is trained to provide all of the work incentive services. And that individual is one of the few internal staff who regularly provides these services in a comprehensive way. So, if someone goes to the center for other things, they might get some of these other services there. But we've also at times trained some other staff in these at a higher level, not with the expectation that they actively practice. We wanted people around the state to be able to triage or to know if somebody needed a referral. So strategically, we had trained our autism subject matter expert. We had trained the person who was in charge of PreETSs We had trained the person who was in charge of small business, set up self-employment. So, we had trained some other folks and a few counselors here and there. Again, not with the expectation that they provide services, but those folks who might be in a room with a broad audience and get asked a question and be able to say, Oh, you need this person and understand that based on that question, they needed some extra help. And so, some of those staff and the positions I mentioned have come and gone. But we continue to when the opportunities come up, try to add other internal staff just again to have more people at that next level understanding. And I think right now we have maybe three different VR office managers who are credentialed through Cornell and maybe one who's credentialed through VCU. And we have a district director who has their benefits practitioner credentials.   Carol: That's super strategic. Like you've been super strategic about that. When I think about the PreETS or the small business, all those different areas that has been smart to spread that out commonly. I just think back to my own agency. You have like one person, you know, there's that one person that knows it. They're the keeper, you know, the keeper of the knowledge and the other people. Have a little smuedge. I like what I'm hearing. You know, when you talked about that another state could take the what you've got developed, you know, that software basically they'd have to pay to get it developed with their data and such for their state. So, you guys are open to that?   David: Absolutely. Yeah. We worked on a grant and then get what happened. We were going to do a grant with another state where the grant would have covered it for them. I don't remember what happened, to be honest with that potential project. Maybe in the end we found out we got something else at that time in our ability to do both was and I'm learning with the RSA diff one new grant at a time is plenty.   Carol: Yeah, right. Good advice. So, I'm going to take you back a little minute because obviously you didn't just dive into the middle of this. This came from somewhere. So why did DARS see it as imperative to develop this capacity? And so, I'm not going to use my benefits planning for this work incentive counseling in Virginia, you know, beyond what's provided by the work incentive planning and assistance, those weapons, what's kind of that bigger picture?   David: You know, first, the WIPA projects fantastic. It's a great resource. It's important to remember they've gone from 113 to 107 to 93 to 87. The number of projects continues to go down, meaning the number of individuals that need to be served or could be served by each has gone up at the same level. Funding from when with a began funding has not changed. It's important to know. So, in a state like Virginia, where we have over 300,000 people potentially eligible for services, what we were finding is the clients of our agency were not always getting the services they needed just in time based on where they were at. And sometimes you have clients who are doing self-directed job searches, you have all sorts of folks. Some people could wait, but sometimes people couldn't, and that was creating issues. The other issue in Virginia, we are one of a lucky few states that's called a 209b state, which means Medicaid protection is not automatic. We were helping people get great jobs and some of them were losing their Medicaid prior to the Medicaid expansion and prior to the buy in through no fault of their own. But because they didn't know they had to apply and had a very tiny window to apply to keep their Medicaid. So, when our state had the Medicaid infrastructure grant in the early 2000, developing this program was a piece of it. And originally the folks who went through it were called Work Incentive Specialist Advocates, and they were called Work Incentive Specialist Advocates because of the advocacy piece around making sure those protections would be in place from Department of Social Services and DMS and Medicaid. That's really where this program began. Truth be told, my start was in this field through a local community service board. I started as a job coach and then I went to manage a sheltered work program, and when I was there early 2000, I was really surprised that some of the folks who were in my program that in my mind could be working and, in each case, something had happened related to their benefits that I didn't understand. But when this program was started, I was a provider, and I was in the first cohort to be trained as a work incentive specialist advocate. That was in 2005. The program didn't really do much in terms of what DARS had hoped in those early years. I was using it and I was thrilled that I had access to the person at the time who was the work incentive specialist, and we were able to work through those cases within the sheltered work program I was in where they were. At the very least, I was able to help folks move to enclaves and hourly pay from sub minimum. So that was a really nice thing to watch. So, you're talking to someone who believes in this from every level of how work incentives can help.   Carol: Which is why your name keeps coming up. You're kind of the pioneer. You've been doing it for a while.   David: I just got lucky. I got very lucky to understand how it could help people I cared about that were underemployed. I came to the state. We had this program. It wasn't really going anywhere. And the way we had done the training the first time, the training I had was fantastic. It was through a specific organization that wasn't providing it anymore. We had to restart and my former boss, Dr. Joe Ashley, who's a brilliant guy, was like, David, what should we do? How can we restart this? And I was working on the Ticket to Work program, and my thought was, what if we invite people who have been through this or who are willing to go through this that are willing to become employment networks because having those services at the employment network would be a reason for someone to choose to keep their ticket after case closure. And it might provide reasons for them to get other cases that might not come to DARS, he agreed. We used innovation and expansion dollars and partnered with Cornell University at the time to offer several rounds of training. When I got here, we had roughly 40 people who had maintained their credentials and said they were interested. Now we have 110 people today that are active and are currently fully credentialed. That doesn't include the internal staff. And by pairing this with the rest of the Ticket to Work program, I think it helped some of those agencies see the potential, and it definitely slowly helped those that chose to become employment networks create another stream of revenue because we as a VR can think something is important all day long. But if we don't provide tangible benefits for our partners in the community, well, they might support someone going through the training, but are they going to support giving them the time to do the work? Right. So, when I got here, we didn't really spend any money on those services. And now each year we spend between 400 and 500,000 a year in case service dollars on different work incentives. And what I'd say is our cost reimbursement has gone up. Now, I'm not a researcher. I can't say that it's a direct causation that spending this amount has led to this increase in our program income through cost reimbursement. But we have seen a nice increase in that area that looks like it trends along the same lines of our growth in the work incentives. And I will say that when you look at our numbers in terms of our rehab rate, which isn't as important these days with other changes, but it was significantly higher for those individuals that had work incentives services earlier in the process when we were able to hear the people who didn't get it, here are the people that did. It was about a 25-percentage point higher rehab rate for those that had work incentives and that remained constant as we continued to grow it. We don't track that anymore because again, it's not how we're measured these days, but it was a pretty cogent argument for the continued increase and development of these services.   Carol: So, I want to circle back on the money for a minute. So, you talked about using innovation expansion funds to start and then you made investments with your program income to help fund. Have you used any other kind of funds? Is that all been sort of VR money or has there been any other kind of funding that's helped you to kind of scale this up?   David: Interesting you ask again; we are always looking to improve. Right. And there were those promise grants a few years ago. One of the things that came out of that, and I think California did this work, California worked with Cornell University on a course related to youth benefits counseling. We are using pre dollars right now and we are offering the Cornell youth training to all of our current wishes for free. So, something they're not spending $650 on. Right. We're offering them the chance to get this second credential. And we're also offering it to our staff who have completed the introduction to Social Security disability class through VCU. They can't get the certification because they aren't fully credentialed. But again, we are trying to infuse this next level how to talk to families about money for their sons and daughters. So, we are doing that right now. I think people are a little zoomed out. I thought for sure each of these sessions would be 100% full. We're averaging 25 to 30 instead of the 40 I'd hoped. But again, we keep trying things and we keep trying things that incorporate our work incentive specialists around the state, our field staff. What things can we do that will help further align these goals? And then another thing we've tried, but again, on a very small scale, we have a Nadler grant around financial empowerment and able accounts, and it involves some financial coaching. And through that project, I've been able to pay for about five staff to become certified in financial social work again. And we pick people who are with us. Why? Because we're trying to really figure out how the financial empowerment piece fits, because the more I've seen, the more I'm convinced that they go hand in hand.   Carol: I agree. So, what do you hear from your staff? Like you guys have made this an incredible investment in staff. There's all these different levels and I'm sure some folks really like that. More specialization in this area. What does staff think of all this? And be honest.   David: I wonder if they tell me the truth. I mean, Drew, here comes Dave. He's going to talk about Social Security benefits or financial empowerment again. No, I think when people get it, they start to get it more and more. And what excites me is when you hear more nuanced questions like I've heard everything from why isn't this a requirement in your master's in rehab counseling? Like, I've heard all sorts of things about it. And I think what's nice is we now provide at least a one hour training every month. That's specifically for counselors. It's not mandatory, but we get 40 to 50 every month that sign up. We also are willing to go to different offices so regularly we will go to an office and do an hour to an hour and a half presentation and then my staff will stay to do one on one staffing. So, in terms of strategy of building the capacity, I think the way you provide information to the field, even now when we do it virtually, we're about to have a training later this month for a specific office. We're going to set the training from 10 to 1130, and then one of three people from my team will be available for the next two and a half hours. Half hour increments for any of the staff to staff some cases. Right. You just heard it. How do we engage you right now with your caseload to make sure we're answering your questions that might not have been as appropriate for that group discussion?   Carol: You're high energy. So, I'm sure as you bring it across, it's not like, oh, well, we're going to do this work incentives stuff. And here's another thing to do, because then they can see the value to them and in the end to the customer. I mean, that's the ultimate goal. It's getting people where they want to be and having the information so they can make an informed decision about what they're doing.   David: Absolutely. I love it. The other thing we do a lot and I have to do this less and less, which is great. But when we were building it, any time there was a good success story that included benefits counseling, I would write it up and I would turn it in so that our commissioner saw. So, I was trying to support and encourage almost like that growth mindset, form of communication. How can I write about someone's behaviors as a counselor that were doing what I needed them around benefits, counseling as a big positive? We did a lot of that early on. Like if a counselor got to see their name in a weekly report that they didn't write up, it added to their social capital. Right. It was a positive reinforcement.   Carol: And you guys are good at social media, like your commissioner is fabulous. So, I follow Cathy on social media too in Virginia.   David: DARS Cathy is amazing at that. In fact, she has taught me more about that than I believe it. I now I think about that stuff, and I never would have ten years ago.   Carol: So, what resources would you recommend for agencies who would like to expand their capacity to discuss a client's financial situation? I know there's probably some really great tools or something out there that you could help out with.   David: Now we're on to more of the financial empowerment, right? I think there are a few things. And first is, how do you get counselors to feel comfortable talking about finances? Right. We've gone to grad school for this master's and rehab counseling, but maybe we have credit card debt, maybe we've had a bankruptcy, maybe we've had a bill we couldn't pay on time. How do you get counselors to feel okay about that? That's the first thing. And we offer some trainings we've developed here in Virginia around like working with people in poverty as a form of cultural competency that I'm really proud of that work. And again, some of it we took from some great work from Kentucky. We added and grew it through our targeted communities' projects and some other projects and really try to help with a kind of behavioral economics framework for why clients may make some of the decisions they do. But the tools I love the most and that we support the most are twofold. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Your Money, Your Goals Toolkit is phenomenal. All of their materials are free to use. They allow for co-branding. So, for our partners, if they want to use their materials, they can put their own logo on them. So, it adds again, it adds to the perceived value you can go through and pick specifically the tools you need for any given situation. FDIC is money smart. They have money smart for youth, for adults, for various ages. And the money smart curriculum is in line with the standards of learning, at least for the state of Virginia and most states that have a financial education, financial literacy requirement in school. One of the things that makes this work easier, frankly, in Virginia is that a are commissioner gets it or commissioner full on believes in the importance of financial literacy and financial empowerment. In fact, when we talk about the folks who are working their way off cash benefits, we don't necessarily talk about the money. We talk about how many people we helped work their way out of poverty. Right. And that's how she likes to frame it. So, you take your cues from your leader. Commissioner Hayfield firmly supports this work. But the other tools that we really like here in Virginia and have been fortunate to be able to use, we use some tools from next gen personal finance. That is one of the most incredible nonprofits I've ever had the pleasure of getting to work with or meet any of their folks. All of their tools are really geared towards that K through 12 teacher who might be working within the financial literacy or financial education space, maybe those economics teachers in high school, personal finance, but they have developed some amazing tools and we use some of them regularly. And I would be remiss if I didn't also mention the National Disability Institute. We use a lot of their tools, and our financial health assessment actually was developed during our career Pathways for Individuals with Disabilities Grant with the help of the National Disability Institute. So, I think they're still there. But when we were developing this tool, I had lots of experts to run ideas off of, and when we had staff go through the financial social work program, we took that opportunity to revisit our financial health assessment and see if what we learned would change. And sure enough, we rewarded almost all of the questions to be more matter of fact so no one would feel bad about themselves. The way the question was worded, we made them all much more neutral, really. And I think all of those tools have been fantastic. To me, it's what is someone going to feel comfortable using and how is someone going to speak to this work in an authentic voice where they feel comfortable and proficient and there's 20 other tools out there. Most major banks have financial literacy programs you can get from their websites. We are just starting to partner with the State of Virginia Credit Union and we're going to try some other things with them. And then at our center, see, we are about to try a program called Cares for Youth that was established and created by a federal bankruptcy judge. Again, I guess he ran into people declaring bankruptcy more than once and thought that there should be some other help for folks. But we didn't have training in that when I went to high school. Now in Virginia, you don't graduate without a class in personal finance. It would have been very helpful because I can tell you firsthand, I have probably five shirts that have Visa, American Express logos on them with my college mascot. And I definitely had some debt because I thought the shirts were cool and they seemed free at the time.   Carol: I think the free is the is the key word there seemed. Yes. So, yeah. So, you have brought up like a ton of tools. And for our listeners out there, what advice would you give them if they're sitting in an agency where maybe they haven't spent a lot of thought about this? And we know that has happened across the country. People have just had different focuses. There's been different things going on. But for somebody that wants to get started because you guys are well down the road, like, what advice would you get for even kind of getting focused in this area?   David: Someone who works for a VR agency, there are several areas I am particularly interested in effecting change related to this work, so I can talk about those very easily. How many individuals that we successfully place have their jobs potentially put at risk when something that should be a known recurring expense comes back up? But it's more than 20 or $30. Example, someone needs hearing aids. They're hearing aids are not working as well. Their job performance comes down while they go on our waitlist to get new hearing aids. Why isn't the discussion at closure around this is going to be an ongoing medical expense that you might need down the road? How are you going to budget for this now? That's a loaded thing for me to say because everybody's situation is different. But if we don't at least have the conversation, that assumes everybody must always come back for this service over and over and over. And I'm not saying that nobody should ever come back, but we owe it to all of our clients to have the conversations. Another example, there was a study in 2013. It may have changed, but 47% of job applicants included a credit check. How do we help people understand how their financial behaviors affect job propositions and employability? It's a key part in this ever-changing world. We have clients who may need to move for a job. The amount they might pay for a vehicle or rent could change based on that credit report. These are real world things. It's not something I'm just saying these things actually happen. The rate you get for various loans is dependent on those credit scores. You might be taken out of an interview pool because of your credit report, especially for certain industries. So, from being in a place where our job is to get people jobs, financial empowerment can reduce the barriers to employment. I believe that 100%. And if we're not looking at how to make sure we're doing that, we're missing part of the picture. So that's the other example I would make is it's not just durable medical equipment. We have done a lot in the last ten years using technology. We have helped people program into an iPad, videos of their job or scenarios of what to do when certain things come up in a job. That's not a huge expense. But why wouldn't we make sure that that person is in a position to purchase a new one when it can no longer be updated? Because those things do happen and it's a shame to see somebody have to even worry about will they be able to keep their job while going through that paperwork? Not to mention, time is a commodity, and we keep people tethered to the system unnecessarily, which to me robs people of their agency. I think that's really the areas that that's why that's so important to me personally. That doesn't mean we don't help when we can and we shouldn't jump in when we can, but we help more if we prepare someone and avoid those ebbs and flows. There have also been lots of studies related to lost productivity at work when people are worried about their finances.   Carol: Well, you're very profound, David. I have to say, I like that. Keeping people tethered to the system, making that. Comment that really resonates with me very much. So, if folks are listening and they want to get more information about what Virginia is doing, I mean, is there a good way I don't know if there's any information on your website or what's the best way if somebody is going, oh, my gosh, he just blew my mind and he said a million things. What's their best way to maybe get a little more information about what you are doing?   David: I'd be happy to talk to anyone who is interested in this stuff or send them to the people on my team doing the different pieces. One other thing with financial empowerment and what agencies can do. We as an agency are a member of our state's Jumpstart Coalition. It's Jumpstart, but that SE is like a dollar sign. It's a national organization around K through 12 financial education. Be a great way to get some partnerships going for that print space. But another thing that we're really fortunate to have at least one fully functional version. There's a group called the Cities for Financial Empowerment in Roanoke, Virginia, where they provide free financial coaching and help with credit, establishing bank accounts and savings. And we don't have to be the experts. We just have to ask enough questions to know that someone could benefit and help get them connected. So the other thing that's important with all this is much like with the work incentive services, I would never expect all of our staff to become experts in this work, but I would expect them to understand that if you're working with someone who receives supplemental security income or Social Security disability insurance, that you know enough to make sure you're getting them to the person if they're not asking the questions. And those same things exist in many parts of our states and other states where there are free services, quality services for more detailed, in-depth financial coaching and assistance. And the city's program is a wonderful one. I want to say there's 30 or 40 sites around the country. We've also helped a community start a program through getting ahead and the getting by world. And it's through the bridges out of poverty system. And again, really, we just continue to look for programs that might exist. Is there a way to partner and get some of our clients involved?   Carol: Well, David, I appreciate every single thing you said today. I think it was very exciting. I think it will be fun for our listeners to get their minds around this as well and see what we can do to make a dent in really advancing our work in this area across the country. And I appreciate what you're doing there in Virginia, so thanks so much for joining me today. I appreciate it. I hope you have a great day.   David: Thank you very much. I love this stuff. I really appreciate being a part of it.   {Music} Speaker1: Conversations powered by VR, one manager at a time, one minute at a time. Brought to you by the VRTAC for Quality Management. Catch all of our podcast episodes by subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Thanks for listening.  

Do you make decisions based on the applause they will get you? How do you decide what is true for you and for your highest good versus what you think others will like?    In today's episode, we are joined by Megan Gillikin. Megan is a veteran wedding planner from The Planner's Vault and the host of the Weddings for Real Podcast. She's had some amazing business journeys from buying a business before she was ready to becoming a speaker to cultivating an amazing community of entrepreneurs in The Planner's Vault. But all of that was based on a series of key decisions that she made and some that she wished she had made a little bit differently.   Let's deep dive more into choices — how to make the best ones and how to make sure that you are always reaching for your highest good. Let's go!   In this episode, you'll learn:   How to make the best choices How to make sure you are always reaching for your highest good How to find your purpose A look at Simon Sinek's book, Start with Why Aligning my ‘WHY'—protecting my time The value of finding 30 minutes for daily adulting time 3 pro tips for growing your business while having fun on your entrepreneurial journey Recognize or determine your superpower/zone of genius and lean into it. Don't try to be everything to everyone. Don't spread yourself so thinly that you become a watered-down version of yourself Leap before you think you're ready Filter your time and energy into knowing we only have so many hours in a day. Be intentional about what you are saying "yes" and "no" to in business and in life. How to stop making decisions in life, both professionally and personally, based on what others will think or applaud. Here's a peek inside the episode:   [1:52] The Purpose-Driven Life   [5:25] Akashic Record Reading   [7:37] Mantra of the Day   [12:38] Burned out because of how I made decisions and who I made decisions for.   [13:54] Constantly assess the choices you made and if they align with your "why".   [15:15] Protecting my time: Mondays and Fridays - no coaching or client calls.   [15:34] Review week on Friday: what worked and what needs to be adjusted.   [17:15] 30 minutes of daily adulting time - keeps me focused on other things.   [19:57] Always stay aligned with your why and you'll never fall out of alignment.   [25:04] Recognize or determine your superpower/zone of genius and lean into it. Don't try to be everything to everyone. Don't spread yourself so thinly that you become a watered-down version of yourself.   [27:48] Leap before you think you're ready.   [29:46] Insecurity, imposter syndrome, and inner criticism allow you to play the victim.   [32:34] Filter your time and energy into knowing we only have so many hours in a day. Be intentional about what you are saying "yes" and "no" to in business and in life.   [34:25] Stop making decisions in life, both professionally and personally, based on what others will think or applaud.   [38:18] Success is not by what others see on the outside, but by who you are on the inside. Connect with me!   Wise entrepreneurs know it takes money to make money.  But the whats, whens, and whys don't always seem clear for new(ish) entrepreneurs. Where do you start? Download your FREE guide, “The 5 Most Important Investments to Make as a New Entrepreneur to Grow Your 6-Figure Empire” today and start making smart money moves for your business right away. www.flourishmarketing.co/invest   Podcast Instagram: The Flourishing Entrepreneur FM Website: Flourish Marketing | Strategy, Copywriting & Coaching Schedule a Discovery Call: 30-Minute Discovery Call - ALEYA HARRIS Guest's Bio:   Megan Gillikin is a veteran wedding planner, podcast host, and international speaker dedicated to making life easier for her fellow wedding pros. Her love for mentoring blossomed from her tumultuous entrepreneurship journey: In 2010 Megan purchased her planning business, A Southern Soiree and revived the struggling brand into one of North Carolina's most sought-after firms serving a luxury clientele. Between her own experiences and hearing others' stories first-hand as the host of the Weddings For Real podcast, Megan now offers new wedding planners an easier way to grow their businesses through her education and community membership, The Planner's Vault. She has captivated audiences with her warm, personable style as a speaker at events like Wedding MBA, Catersource, WIPA, NACE, and others.  Where to find more of Megan:   Megan's Instagram: Weddings for Real Podcast Education for Wedding Planners NC Wedding Planners   Megan's Website: Wedding Business Consulting The Planner's Vault Check out this affiliate link: Start with Why by Simon Sinek

In today's episode, I chat with Meghan Ely of OFD Consulting. We're talking about how to Give Your Brand a Voice in 2022 with PR. What exactly is Public Relations? How does it differ from Marketing? And why is PR important for creative small business owners? These are all questions we'll tackle on this episode. We'll give you some easy wins so you can learn how to represent yourself & get featured. Meghan also shared with us how to prep your website for Press, plus how to pitch to media outlets. I can't wait for you to listen. Read more at christijohnsoncreative.com/25 Meghan is the owner of OFD Consulting. She combines in-the-trenches event experience with a love of wedding PR to empower her clients to take their businesses to new heights. She is a certified wedding industry professional. And, Meghan was the 2020-21 NACE Speaker of the Year. Meghan represents clients globally and has earned them coverage with the New York Times, Martha Stewart Weddings, The Knot, Refinery 29, Domino, Forbes and Real Simple, and the list goes on. As a long-time industry speaker and writer, she is a WeddingPro educator with The Knot and WeddingWire, as well as a regular contributor to Wedding Planner Magazine, Catersource, and SpecialEvents.com. Currently, Meghan serves as the 2022 International President for WIPA. Follow Meghan: ofdconsulting.com and @ofdconsulting

Calling all wedding pros that want to elevate your brand and business. This episode is all about how to use PR to get a HECK Yes from your dream clients. OFD Consulting owner, Meghan Ely, CWIP (Certified Wedding Industry Professional), combines in-the-trenches event experience with a love of wedding PR to empower her clients to take their businesses to new heights. Her team's publicity efforts are regularly honored by the Public Relations Society of America, and most recently, Meghan was named the 2020-21 NACE Speaker of the Year. A long-time industry speaker and writer, she is a WeddingPro educator with The Knot + WeddingWire, as well as a regular contributor to Wedding Planner Magazine, Catersource and SpecialEvents.com. A longtime supporter of industry associations, Meghan currently serves as the 2021 International President for WIPA. 1) PR is aligned with customer acquisition in a few ways- it can attract discerning couples who will be impressed with the third party credibility. It can also be used as a top of funnel strategy to bring in new clients. 2) PR is tied directly into social proof, which plays a big role in how today's couples (especially Gen Z) relies on social proof to say yes to the right wedding pro. 3) PR can seem overwhelming but the fact is, you yourself are the best person to start representing yourself because you know you best. Now, if someone wants to look into hiring someone, I"m happy to walk listeners through what to look for. Connect with Meghan https://weddingindustryspeakers.com/speaker/meghan-ely/ https://www.instagram.com/ofdconsulting/ If you want to be a professional speaker in the wedding industry, take this course https://weddingindustryspeakers.com/register/the-course/ Connect with Carissa Coaching IG: @carissawoo Photography IG: @carissawoophotography Download a free guide on how to become a lead generating machine HERE Watch my free 20 lead generation masterclass https://carissa-woo.mykajabi.com/registration-page... Thank you to our sponsors Photobooth Supply. Buy the Photo Booth http://photoboothsupplyco.com/carissawoo

Happy Woo Wednesdays! We are struggle with imposter syndrome at every level of business. Megan helps us understand and overcome it. This is such a deep and real conversation. Make sure to check out Megan's podcast for wedding professionals. It's called Wedding For Real. She has 140 episodes. Megan Gillikin is a veteran wedding planner, podcast host and international speaker dedicated to making life easier for her fellow wedding pros. Her love for mentoring blossomed from her tumultuous entrepreneurship journey. Between her own experiences and hearing others' stories first-hand as the host of the Weddings For Real podcast, Megan now offers new wedding planners an easier way to grow their businesses through her education and community membership, The Planner's Vault. She has captivated audiences with her warm, personable style as a speaker at events like Wedding MBA, Catersource, WIPA, NACE and others. You can find Megan online at theplannersvault.com, weddingsforreal.com and asouthernsoiree.com. Topic: Quieting Your Inner Critic/Imposter Syndrome 1) There's no level of achievement in business where you've "made it" and have it all figured out but we often assume that from how others present "success" on social media and in casual conversations. 2) Wasting energy on what others think is energy not put towards growing your business and taking big leaps. 3) There are some actionable tips, some great books, (and some helpful thought redirection) that has helped me in this arena and I'd love to share those. Connect with Megan https://www.instagram.com/weddingsforreal/ If you are a planner check out her membership https://www.instagram.com/plannersvault/ Megan's planning company https://www.instagram.com/asouthernsoiree/ Connect with Carissa Coaching IG: @Carissawoo Photography IG: @carissawoophotography Download a free guide on how to become a lead generating machine HERE Master, the dreaded sales call with Carissa Woo: https://carissawoo.samcart.com/products/7steps Thank you to our sponsors Photobooth Supply. Buy the Photo Booth http://photoboothsupplyco.com/carissawoo

Planning a wedding is not easy task - but what are the things that you can do to make it easier for you and the planner?Planning a wedding is never easy! And that is true for both the client, and the planner. When not able to get across your vision, it can create stress and take up precious planning. And what happens when you get a few months into the process and realize that this is not a good match? Either you aren't getting along with your planner, but also as a planner, not getting along with your client!Megan Gillikin is a veteran wedding planner, podcast host and international speaker dedicated to making life easier for her fellow wedding pros. Her love for mentoring blossomed from her tumultuous entrepreneurship journey: In 2010 Megan purchased her planning business, A Southern Soiree, and revived the struggling brand into one of North Carolina's most sought-after firms serving a luxury clientele. Between her own experiences and hearing others' stories first-hand as the host of the Weddings For Real podcast, Megan now offers new wedding planners an easier way to grow their businesses through her education and community membership, The Planner's Vault. She has captivated audiences with her warm, personable style as a speaker at events like Wedding MBA, Catersource, WIPA, NACE and others. You can find Megan online at theplannersvault.com, weddingsforreal.com and asouthernsoiree.com.Host: Keith Willard - Keith Willard Events - www.keithwillardevents.comCoHost: Marci Guttenberg - An Affair To Remember By MarciChHost: Brooke Logan Stoner - Keith Willard EventsSpecial Guest: Megan GillikinSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/BehindTheVeilShow)

Full Circle Employment: https://fullcircledc.com/home | Twitter: @FCESDC Facebook: @FullCircleDC Amy Wallish is the CEO of Full Circle Employment and a Certified Benefits Counselor. In this video, she explains how one can become a Certified Benefits Counselor. It takes ~ (1) year to do all the work. There are (2) options for the education requirement. Either Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) or Cornell University. Amy provides a very high-level overview of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Planning & Assistance Programs (WIPA). If you're already at least a little familiar with both programs I'm not sure this video will add much. I wanted to give individuals and families a solid foundation. Future videos will be focused entirely on a given program. Ticket to Work is best suited for individuals who are receiving either SSI or SSDI and want to find & keep work. The "tickets" are served by Employment Networks (ENs). There are over 450 ENs across the country. They do not all do the same thing. You will want to interview them to determine if they can fill your need. To find an EN go to https://choosework.ssa.gov/index.html and select "Find Help to Reach a Better Future". You can also register for Social Security's Work Incentive Seminar Events (WISE). Like Ticket to Work, WIPA is funded by Social Security. You will receive free benefits counseling. Or more simply, you will get help understanding what happens to your SSI, SSDI, and/or Medicaid if you start working. In some states, Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) will offer Benefits Counseling. You can start as young as 14, Social Security is very interested in helping Transition Age Youth understand their options. The biggest take-away Amy wanted you - the viewer - to have is this. Knowledge + Education = Financial Security Knowledge - understand your benefits Education - understand the rules and protections As an Amazon Associate, I earn commissions from qualifying purchases. For more information about True North Disability Planning you can find us here: Web: https://truenorthdisabilityplanning.com/ Blog - https://ejorgensenwordpresscom.wordpress.com Podcast (ABC's of Disability Planning) - https://anchor.fm/abcs-disability-planning Waypoints - https://waypoints.substack.com/ Facebook: @TrueNorthDisabilityPlanning Twitter: @NeedsNavigator Resource store (free downloads too) - https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/True-North-Disability-Planning --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/abcs-disability-planning/message

About Megan Gillikin: Megan is a veteran wedding planner, podcast host, and international speaker dedicated to making life easier for her fellow wedding pros. Her love for mentoring blossomed from her tumultuous entrepreneurship journey: In 2010 Megan purchased her planning business, A Southern Soiree and revived the struggling brand into one of North Carolina's most sought-after firms serving a luxury clientele. Between her own experiences and hearing others' stories first-hand as the host of the Weddings For Real podcast, Megan now offers new wedding planners an easier way to grow their businesses through her education and community membership, The Planner's Vault. She has captivated audiences with her warm, personable style as a speaker at events like Wedding MBA, Catersource, WIPA, NACE, and others. You can find Megan online at theplannersvault.com, weddingsforreal.com, and asouthernsoiree.comIn this episode, Jamie, Heather, and Megan discuss:Acquiring a struggling wedding planning business. The differences in making decisions early on in business as opposed to the decisions you make now. Networking, mending, and building professional relationships.Learning to manage your imposter syndrome and feel confident in yourself. Key Takeaways:Embracing and learning from your mistakes and experiences.Quiet the inner critic, don't compare yourself to what others are doing. Take the time to reflect upon your actions and your personality.Find a business coach or accountability friend to help you keep a positive mindset. "I like the scrappy and new and figuring how to grow from that." —  Megan Gillikin Mentioned: Quiet the Inner Critic         You are a Badass Connect with Megan Gillikin:Website: https://www.theplannersvault.com/?r_done=1                http://asouthernsoiree.com/                https://www.theplannersvault.com/    Show: http://www.weddingsforreal.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weddingsforreal/                   https://www.instagram.com/plannersvault/                   https://www.instagram.com/asouthernsoiree/ Connect with The Union Podcast:Website: https://theunionpodcast.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unionpodcast/?hl=enShow: https://theunionpodcast.com/our-podcast/ Connect with Jamie:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdAcY6YGgF-RgGYXTsOENbAWebsite: https://jwcoordination.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jwcoordination/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/JWCoordination/ Connect with Heather:Website: https://theweddinghacker.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/weddinghackerInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/weddinghackerexpoPinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/theweddinghacker/ Show notes by Podcastologist: Kristen BraunAudio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Andrea and I met in one of my favorite cities in all the world...New York City. We were in the city documenting an event for a financial services hotel and she was speaking at a WIPA meeting at the legendary JW Marriott Essex House hotel on Central Park South. I was impressed by her presentation, professionalism and you know what they say, if you can make it in NYC you can make it anywhere. Fast forward just over a year and we are both providing inspiration, motivation and education to our fellow members of the events and hospitality industry as they suffer through the challenging times forced upon us by the pandemic. It only made sense that we chat about her experience, perspective, and business secrets that helped her go from stressed to successful to scalable. Your helpful take-aways from this week's episode include: - The balance between mindfulness and systems and structures in a successful and scalable business. - Andrea's secrets for when it is hard to find harmony amongst the insanity! She is even going to share her H.O.S.T concept with you. - Andrea shares the one common pitfall many if not most entrepreneurs struggle with as they run their businesses. Be sure to visit http://www.Peoplefistthenprofit.com for a ton of great content, free resources and links to the People First Then Profit Community Resources: Website: https://www.andreafreemanconsulting.com/ FB Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/uplevelcollective

Kevin Dennis, past president of WIPA and owner of Fantasy Sound Events, joins Greg to discuss all things marketing.  They talk about how Social Media has become the new “word of mouth” advertising.  Kevin and GT look back over Kevin's career and what trends have come and gone versus what still works in a post Covid era.

Learn all about OFD Consulting owner, Meghan Ely, here