Wedding Pro CEO | Building Profitable Wedding Businesses
Dive deep into the wedding industry and learn actionable tips from host Brandee Gaar and guest wedding pro CEOs that will enable you take your wedding business to new heights!
Uncover the proven strategies, insights, and stories of successful wedding professionals who have built thriving businesses in this dynamic and competitive market.
Each week, Brandee Gaar, a seasoned wedding industry expert and CEO of Blush by Brandee Gaar, brings you exclusive interviews with top wedding industry pros!
This weekly podcast is for wedding pros. Here from planners, venue owners, photographers, florists, caterers, djs, and more!!
You will gain valuable knowledge and practical tips on sales, marketing, branding, client management, and the latest trends shaping the wedding industry and the business leaders that create incredible events for a living.
Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, this podcast is your go-to resource for actionable advice and inspiration.
Get ready to elevate your business skills, learn from industry leaders, and discover innovative ideas that will set you apart in the wedding industry.
Become a part of the Wedding Pro CEO community connect with Brandee at brandeegaar.com
You will become motivated to transform your passion into profit, develop incredible processes and create unforgettable experiences for couples on their special day.
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Wedding Pro CEO | Building Profitable Wedding Businesses
311. We Fast Tracked Her Wedding Business Success w/MK Morrissey
You didn’t start your business to stay stuck. If you're ready to finally hit 6 or 7 figures WITHOUT burning out — book a call with our team → https://weddingproceo.com/application
Mary Kate Morrissey shares how she went from solo planner to scaling her Boston-based wedding business, doubling her revenue in just 18 months by learning to lead like a true CEO.
Tune in to hear the real shifts that helped her stop winging it, take control of her numbers, and build a team-run company that actually supports her life.
The (FREE!)ASSUME Sales Training: 2x your wedding bookings in 30 days—step by step. Thousands of wedding pros have already used it to land more clients immediately!
http://weddingproceo.com/freetrainingorg
A favorite book of mine: Profit First by Mike Michalowicz
Another favorite book of mine: Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell
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EPISODE SHOW NOTES BLOG & MORE:
https://weddingproceo.com/fast-tracked-wedding-business-success-mk-morrissey/
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Thank you for tuning in to this episode of the Wedding Pro CEO Podcast. If you find these strategies helpful, make sure to share this episode with your fellow wedding pros. And remember, in the world of weddings, it's all about building genuine relationships and showcasing your best work. Until next time, keep shining, CEOs!
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FREE TRAINING for Wedding Business Owners
Sometimes you listen to a podcast and it feels like the host is speaking directly to you, right? But you think, do they really understand my problems? Do they really understand where I am in business? Because it feels like no one, is doing the same thing that I'm doing and I want to work with them. I want to join their coaching program, but I'm just not sure it will work for me. And CEOI hear you. I've been there before on my own. And on today's show, I am so excited to get to chat with Mary Kate Morrissey. She's one of our students inside of Wedding Pro, CEO, and when she came into the program. She'd been listening to the podcast for probably six months, and it kept resonating with her over and over. She was at a stage in her business where she was actually very successful, but starting to feel like the wheels were about to fall off the bus and really not sure of the next moves that she should make, and building her company and building her team. She finally took a leap to join Wedding Pro, CEO. And in this episode we're gonna hear about how she has more than doubled her revenue in the last 18 months since joining Wedding Pro, CEO. MK is talking all about her journey to starting her business and how she went about that quitting her job and taking the leave to start her business, and then how quickly it grew and the things that were difficult for her as she started to find real success in her business. Things like understanding how much her time was worth, things like how to pay a team, how to pay herself, and how to know if she was profitable or not, and also how to handle the. Fast pace of growth that she was having inside her business. I love doing these student episodes because so many of you are listening and you're just like, I wish that I could just know if someone else has felt the same things that I felt. I know you hear that and things that I say often, but getting to hear these student episodes is a real treat to our listeners. We always get great feedback and saying, I just loved getting to hear the journey that that person took. And so I know that you're gonna love getting to hear exactly how Mary Kate's. Started her business when she decided to join Wedding Pro CEO, and the things that she has had to overcome and the things that she's getting ready to overcome as she continues to scale her business. So let's get into the episode. MK, welcome to the show. We're thrilled that you're here. And really I want to just dig into your story because. Like I said, you've had so much growth over the last couple years and honestly, just in general, your company has scaled so, so quickly, and I absolutely love watching you go through each stage of your business and take it all in. for everybody that's listening that may not know you and obviously know your company, can you tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do and kind of your journey to here so far? So my name's Mary Kate Morrissey. I live in Boston, Massachusetts. And, my company is called MK Your Dream Day. That's where the MK comes from. I can credit my brother who actually came up with that name. so I started my business in 2022. and before that I have been in the events industry since I graduated college in 2018. before this I was in nonprofit events. and that's. Definitely where I developed my interest in, events and planning events. So I started my business in 2022. this was after I had helped a, an old coworker, with their wedding. They knew I loved events and they, were kind of looking for like an extra set of hands and a day of coordinator. and I absolutely. Fell in love with it. her maid of honor got, engaged a few months after her wedding and kind of asked me to do something similar. And that wedding brought about three more new connections, for brides. So was not ever like this lifelong dream to be a wedding planner. I loved events, but. It came about pretty quickly and naturally. So, um, yeah, in 2022, I started my business, and I left my previous job in nonprofits to really focus on this full-time. That is amazing. I love that so much. And it's so interesting, how you can be really great at something and then all of a sudden you're like, I'm gonna open a business. did that feel like a huge leap? For you.'cause I feel like we went from, okay, we had these weddings and you got these weddings from bridesmaids and then COVID happened in between there. So did that, was that part of the reason that you didn't necessarily open your business till 2022 or what kind of took, tell me more about that decision to start a business doing this. Yeah. obviously I know COVID definitely hurt the event industry for a lot of people. however, for me, with where I, with when I started my business, it actually. Helped me grow faster because when I started in 2022, that's really when events were picking up at a very fast pace. weddings that were supposed to happen one, two years prior were now happening. That year, and they needed a coordinator to come in quick and execute quickly. so as, as much as it definitely hurt the industry in years prior with where my timing went, it definitely helped accelerate it a bit. but yeah, I mean it was terrifying to start that. That was not something that I will ever say was a piece of cake and easy. I definitely got judgment for it as well. I mean, I was leaving a very steady, full-time job, to go do something completely on my own. had obviously never started a business before. I had a business minor in college, but, that was all I could really say about starting a business. definitely scary. but now I can absolutely say it was well worth it. Yeah, I mean, looking back you're like, yes, that was definitely the right move, but starting a business can be so scary. I think it's interesting that you waited out COVID a little bit, right? Because I feel like so many businesses popped up in 2020, but especially in Boston. I mean, you guys were closed for a while during COVID, right? Yes. It felt like forever. I'm sure I, I'm in Florida, so we were closed for like a whole six weeks. But it was obviously very challenging. my journey was so similar, and I talk about that a lot on the podcast that I opened my business in oh seven and then there was the great recession in oh eight where it was just like everything was, it was very difficult. It didn't hit the events industry quite like COVID, I don't think anything was quite like COVID. But it accelerated my business so much because businesses that had been open for years, sometimes even a decade, were really having a hard time charging the same pricing and finding the clients and things like that. Whereas I was like, I'm brand new. Like I'm ready to take the business. And I'm sure that it sounds like you experienced something similar. Totally similar. Yeah. and I feel guilty sometimes 'cause I'm like, oh, it's obviously awful for the people that, it was hard for. it, for me it was, I was brand new and I was ready and excited and eager and, yeah, it was definitely helpful for me, with the volume of inquiries we were getting. Yeah. and I get what you're saying because never do we wanna say, oh, COVID was a good thing. But am a glass half full kind of a person anyway, so I'm always like, what, where can we find the silver lining? Where can we find the good in, things that happen? and I think that there was a lot that came out of it where businesses were able to spring up or new industries, or. So many people getting to work from home now. remote working is such a big thing. So I think there was a lot of good that came from it, but, okay. So tell us about that first year.'cause I think anybody listening to this that was in business in 2022 knows it was like. just hold on and enjoy the ride. it was absolute madness, chaos. I think for me, 18 years in business, it was by far the most insane year in business we've ever had. as a new business owner, what was that like? you were saying you were getting tons of inquiries, but also you're learning how to run a business right. Yes. Yes. So like the event part of it and like making timelines and talking with clients like was so great. it was learning how to run a business and like things that I know I was struggling with that year that like now I think back and I'm like. Oh my gosh, we've come a long way. But I, I didn't know how much to pay myself. I didn't know what to charge, at all. and now I look at how I charge, for each package and the reason that number exists. Whereas in 2022 it was like, okay, I think that number looks pretty normal for what my industry charges and sounds about right. And then. It would just magically increase with no logic behind it. so it, it was a lot of unknowns of what, it took to look at the business side of things. I hated looking at numbers. and now I think I tell you guys, I probably look at numbers too much. and I'm like, deep in your budget sheets. Yes, I love it so much. MK is, sending us her budget spreadsheet, her inquiry tracker, she's got it all. And I'm like, I love this because it makes it so much easier for us to dig into spot the problem, spot the problem, spot the problem, you know, what's coming up, what's what's gonna happen. but I think that sounds like how a lot of business owners start, right? It's like you just Start planning and start hoping it works out. You kinda throw a dart at what you should be charging. what I think is interesting though. So walk me through this. So you mentioned that you quit your pretty lucrative full-time job to do this. how did you pay yourself in the beginning? Was it just kinda what was left? Like how did you pay bills and things like that? Or did you have a nest egg stored up? Yeah. a little bit of both. I did take a part-time job while I, in the very beginning, when I left my full-time job, and that. Helped me at least have something, but it was not, I took a pay cut. I absolutely took a pay cut to do this. This was not something that was gonna just triple my salary quickly. and I, I had to really work at it. But, in terms of paying myself from my business account that year, I didn't know how to do that until like the end of the year when I needed to see what I made and was like, oh. What should we do with that? Like it was, I didn't have many expenses. I didn't have the softwares I have today. my expense was me and my time, which is a real expense and we know that. but at the time it didn't feel like I had many.'cause I'm like, oh yeah, it's just me. I do everything. We're good. so I, I did have another job that was at least helping me pay bills. and then eventually we reached a point where I couldn't do that. that was probably. A year and a half later, I think. and now this is definitely all I do. Yeah. Right. It's literally all you do, right? I get that, and I think it's always interesting because. especially when people are starting their business. sounds like you had a pretty charmed entry into the market, which, I feel like I did as well, which is such a blessing. but it's still, the question is kinda like. How do you pay your bills? how do you make this work? When do you quit your job? So I think that's really interesting that you went from full-time to part-time. I went cold Turkey, which I'm not necessarily sure that I would recommend to anyway. but I was married, so I had a spouse that had some kind of income coming in. and so I think the journey looks different for everybody, but that's why I wanted to understand. Okay. Wait a second. You just quit your job and hoped you would make enough money. Like how did that work? But I think that's really interesting, MK, because, quitting your full-time job because it is very difficult to build a business with a full-time job. But then switching to a part-time position that would allow you to do both and then eventually making this your full-time job is really interesting. so tell us what that looked like. So, 2022. Would you say, obviously it wasn't full time, but when did, when, I guess, would you say that you crossed your first six figures in business, or what did those first couple years look like? Yeah. definitely not six figures that first year. I did about 20 weddings total, which I remember finishing that year being like, oh my gosh, I've done 20 weddings. That's crazy. And now, like, we look at our calendars and I'm like, ha, that's a funny number. Um, but yes, I'd say the next year was when, I close to doubled how many weddings we did, and as well as. I think tripled, revenue, for 2023. it was, it, I think my story is a lot of fast moving things, Yeah. Yeah. that I always feel like I wanted resources and help to get me through that because I knew it wasn't necessarily a bad thing that was happening, but I knew that if I wanted to keep going and not burn out, I needed. Someone to hold my hand. That's what we say to our, brides and groom when they inquire about full service planning. And I was like, I need someone to hold my hand through what I'm going through. Um, here. Isn't that so funny? I liken what we do here at Wedding Pro CEO to wedding planning so often because I'm like, it's so similar. It's basically, having somebody right there that's telling you don't step in that pothole, don't do that. here's what's next, here's what's coming up, here's what you're about to experience and it's so helpful. So it's so similar to the wedding industry, but let's talk about that for a second. So you basically 2023, triple from. The year before, obviously you're not able to do all of those events, so I'm guessing that you started hiring team members. Yep. Yeah, so 2023 was when I brought on my first two other lead planners. so that, we were doing two, I don't think we ever did more than two or three weddings, in one weekend. But I basically was getting inquiries for the same exact date and I was connecting so well with these couples that like, I was like, we absolutely could help you. Yes. And then I was like. But I can't be in two places at once. Like I, if I could be in two places at once, this is easy. We'll help you with everything. and so that's when I started bringing on lead planners. I have, I'm very fortunate to have a great network of people in Boston that are in Hmm. industry already. whether that was in my nonprofit. Base previously, whether that was in just the hospitality industry. and so I had a lot of people that were very interested in what I did, and wanted to learn how to be a lead planner. So while figuring out how to run a business, I said, okay, let's also. Figure out how to train planners and show them what I'm doing. so yeah, 2023 was when I started training a team as well. a much smaller team. I truly had like myself and two lead planners and I, some of those we didn't even bring assistance to, which is just like, makes me short of breath thinking that we were doing no kidding. with one person now. But, yeah, it was pretty much, that was pretty much the total of it. That's so crazy. Yeah, I know. It's like once you know better and then you look back and you're like, what was I thinking? You know? Um, but it obviously worked and it got you here, which is amazing. Okay, so we're hearing about this exponential growth. So you get to the end of 2023, you've got two team members. You go into 2024, and I'm totally taking a stab at this year, but also I know your story, but I feel like I remember this stage in my business and it feels a little bit like the wheels are about to fall off the bus. Did you, is that kind of how you were feeling? Because I'm like, whoa, like, on one hand we're, people are listening to this and they're like, oh my gosh, that's amazing. I wanna scale that fast. I want that kind of growth. And it's also yes. And. it feels chaotic, right? Yep. Yep. yeah, it's just different problems that I was facing. like I talk about 2022, where my problem was like, I don't know how to price my packages and like what I should charge or how to pay myself, like. During 2024, it was okay. Like I have team members that are really interested in this and I need to make sure I'm focusing not only on our clients here, but like training a team and making sure they feel supported by me and that they understand our processes. that's when I had to start SOPs and like start writing out what we do, which like. Getting what was in my brain out on paper was a journey, like writing out what we do. so yeah, the problems just changed. and the concerns that would come up for me would just. Be different. and then 2024 was when I started listening to this podcast as well. I know that, and I would listen to all the different kind of issues you would bring up, and a lot of them were team focused, which is how I got to you. And I think one reason I kept coming back to this podcast is in my area there aren't a lot of planners that. Have large teams of planners, a lot of them are solo, just them. They do all planning and designing and they take on less weddings. and for me, I was shifting more into a team, and just doing things a little differently. So I didn't have that many people in my area to be like, oh, okay, you do it. similar to I do. I was like. I don't see anyone else doing it like I do. And I would listen to your podcast and be like, okay. But Brandee is so that's where 2024 brought me. Yeah. I love that the podcast was a resource for you in that, and it, it's like. You know where you were when you came into wedding pro CEO is exactly where I. Was when it all felt like the hardest time to run my business. And it's exactly why I started Wedding Pro CEO, because I was like, no one is talking to these people. It's like there's so much education for you know, how to get more leads, how to market yourself, how to price yourself. there's so much education for beginner wedding business owners, and I would say that there's actually, I don't know if it's education as much as like network in a community, but for that. Super high end established luxury wedding business owner. there's lots of community networking, possibly education as well for them, but it was like this middle part where. You're starting to look like the market leader in your area. You have a team, you have leads flowing consistently, but it's like on the backend, you're just like, this is literally being held together with Popsicle sticks and bubble gum. I don't even know. Like I hope nothing breaks, right? Because it's chaos. And so I feel like that's really where we got to meet you, Mary Kate was in that stage of just like. I am killing it. And also, I don't know what I'm doing here right now. I would love to know a little bit more about, if somebody's listening to this podcast like you were back then, 2024. What do you feel like was really the reason that you felt like, one, I need help, and two, I really feel like this program can help me. what kinda was that journey like? Yeah. so yeah, throughout 2024, I've definitely been listening to your podcast and I think the ones I was like most drawn to were when you were talking about. Managing a team, training a team, and just like having people report to you while also being a wedding planner and running a business. And again, like I just didn't have other. Resources or people in my area doing this. And that's what kind of drew me in. and even like knowing what to pay people and how to incorporate that price into a package price. and those are the types of struggles I was facing that you were talking about on your podcast. which then led me to reaching out to you guys. And I think also it was actually right after. Your summit that year, and I was looking at all these photos and videos from it and I was like, oh, that looks really cool. what is this? Like all these people got together and are struggling, like with things I'm struggling with. So I'm bummed I have FOMO for missing that year. but it's what, it's definitely what got me here. and so yeah, I think I joined in July of 2024. Yeah. after Summit. So that's so interesting too because, and now I, that helps me to understand why you're like, I am not missing Summit. this is my thing and you were so excited about it, 2025. So, I mean it's exactly like you described it, right? Like Summit is one of those things where all of these people get together and you realize you're not alone. In the pain points that you're feeling, the struggles that you're feeling, and you're like, what are you doing about it? How are you fixing it? Like, how does this feel for you? And I think what's really cool about it too, what I've seen with you that's been really fun is that it, it sounds like in your market you don't necessarily have that community because you don't have people that are doing business like you're doing business, but you've found the community through wedding Crow, CEO, because you've connected. So many of our students that are really in the exact same stage of business as you, but they're in different markets, which is kind of fun cause they're not competition either, right? Totally. Yeah. Um, been such a blessing. And even ones actually that are nearby that are sure, like competition, but I, that's such an, I don't even know. Like we we're nearby, but still ideal. Clients are different and now they're friends. They're people that I can talk to and be like, oh, this is like a weird issue I'm dealing with. Have you ever dealt with this? And just getting other people's perspectives from it is so huge. I love that. Yeah. You know, Susan Sutherland is even one of the coaches in our program now, and she was my mentor for so long, and her and I have competing businesses in Orlando. And so I think it's just knowing, you know your people and knowing you know who you can go to, and it's really, for me, it's imperative to have that community of people that you can kind of lean on. Because being a business owner is so lonely sometimes, and you feel like. I can't be the only one that's going through this. Somebody has to have already solved this problem. Right. Um, so I think that's really interesting. Okay. So you came into wedding cross, CEO and you actually came into our accelerator program, though I don't think you were there long, right? Like I think I was there for like literally two days. I got on call with Katy and she was like, you're not in the right one. We need to move you. Yes. Yes. And I think that happens sometimes because it's like, you know, we do have three different programs inside of Wedding Pro CEO, and you know, our accelerator program is really geared towards marketing and sales. And, I remember Katy messaging me, she's like. This girl's not in the right program. Like we need to move her. And by the way, I think she's gonna be a total baddy and I cannot wait to get my hands in her business. And I was like, okay, yeah, let's get her moved. And so, you start an accelerator, but literally for a half second, and then you moved into Inner Circle and really the focus of Inner Circle is exactly what you were going through at the time, which is like, I, I, I really kind of mastered the sales and marketing piece, you know, mastered. We can al always get better at it, but it, that's not the core constraint of your business. The core constraint is like, how do I build out this team? How do I stay profitable? How do I manage a team and manage a client load? What do I do about vacation time? All these things. Right. So tell me a little bit more about that stage of your business and what your experience was like in those first couple months inside of Wedding Pro. Yeah. I came in right about maybe like it was a month after, so you guys were doing budgeting for next year, which was such a concept. I'm like, oh, I'm doing that now for next year when I barely know what's coming in next week. Okay. This is gonna be so funny. Um. just tell everybody so they kinda understand. Inside of Wedding Pro CEO, we do budgets every August and September. So this year we did 'em in September, I think in 24. We did 'em more towards like middle of August. And I'm so passionate about one that you have to have a budget.'cause I don't know how you run anything without a budget, but. I did for years. I get it. We all did it. but also that it needs to be done early because once you get into engagement season and the holidays and all this stuff, it's like all of a sudden it'll be January and you'll be like, Ugh, I dunno what I'm doing. And I don't have a budget. So it is so funny because at the time you join, anybody who joins over the summer is always like, wait a second, we're doing budgets now. Like, Right. yeah. I love that. Okay, so we started with budgets with you. which was very, it was, I feel like I got to learn very quickly what my numbers were. And there were so many things that you or Katy were like, okay, how many like inquiries do you get? And I was like. I don't know, there, there's a lot, a lot coming in. and so it forced me to get some better systems. I mean, I actually didn't even have a CRM when I came to you guys. Like I was manually responding to inquiries. I know, I, I think I knew that. I don't think me and you have actually ever talked about this, it was more Katy, but she had that same reaction where she was like. You're manually responding to each inquiry that comes in. And like, even like contracts, like my clients were hand signing them. I wasn't taking credit card payments. Like I, I was, I was behind the times on a lot of things. So one is. in, I think with your program and after I met Katy, she was like. CRM is the first thing.'cause in my head I was like, oh, that's an added cost. And she was like, look at how much time you're spending doing these things. So it was even little things like that I needed kind of a push on where I was like, no, I can do that. It's cheaper if I just do it. It's quicker or whatever. And I was like, no, we need to get some help here. So that was actually the first thing you guys helped me with was a CRM. That's so funny. yeah, crazy. wanna sit on that for just a second because one, the fact that I did not know this, so if that's telling to anybody that's listening, like our coaching team is so phenomenal at what they do and I love that Katy was able to quickly just be able to be like core constraint. let's fix this before we even fix anything else. And a lot of what we do inside of Wedding Crow, CEO is it's like, fix this first. You could come in and if we just say, here's the 92 things that you need to fix, you're gonna be like crippled by that. You still have to run your business. you obviously came in because you're overwhelmed. So it's like we can't just dump all these things on you. It's like, okay, we need to free up some time of yours, so here's how we're gonna do it. First step CRM, let's get that implemented. That's gonna give you back as much time. Keep your sales going. Then we'll use that time to do something else. So I love that, but I think. I can't wait to voice message Katy after this recording because I'm gonna be like, girl, how did you never tell me that MK did not have a CRM? We have to look back at that. I bet it was recorded. We have to look back at that call because it's probably comical. That is so funny. And, but again, I think it's just so telling. I'm actually glad that you said that because it's so telling. Of our program is that people see me on social media all the time, but it's like our coaches live and breathe this every single day. And there's so much like of this kind of stuff that they can work with our students on, on some of these things that it's like, okay, they're gonna work on that, but while I'm working on your budget with you. Right. So it's like. Right. I can be working on financial stuff and they're helping you get something on the back end straightened out. So it's really, something that I think is unique about Wedding Pro CEO is we, it's not just me and one coach could only do so much. Right? So it's like having that coaching team that's able to fix multiple things at once and help walk you through that, I think is, I, I, I actually, I'm glad that came up, but I, my mouth is just like completely, like I need to catch my jaw, Because I, I guess because now I know so much about your business now, you are such a machine and I'm like, how on earth were you doing this manually? It wasn't good. you are right, But it goes back to that thought process too, that I know so many of our people are listening right now and they're like. it's cheaper if I do it this way, right? it's one less expense and in, in reality it goes back to the fact that it's your time and your time is way more valuable than what you would pay for A CRM. So anyway, lots of learning points there. So you came in, we got the CRM working right, which is huge and we were doing budgets and so kind of walk us through that. yeah. I think when I first joined, like I, I did realize A lot of the issue is like my time is not being spent on things that, like you always say, A CEO should be doing. and that was preventing me from doing what, I was supposed to be doing, like responding to inquiries quickly and actually following up with them and being like, oh, hi. Yep, I remember you. I'm here. like I, I wasn't able to do that because I was manually sending contracts out and collecting check payments. So, um, was wonderful when we came to this century and, um, fix that. and then it just turned into different questions that. I evolved to have. it was about how to know when I need more team members, how many weddings should a team, member have. The point system was like a jaw dropping, learning curve for me. and it helped me feel so much more confident in knowing how long each wedding should take one of my planners and how, how many they can be assigned. Because I was always like, oh, that kind of feels like a lot. I don't know. Maybe let's have me take that one instead. and now I understand like, okay, like this is how many, full or partial service clients this team member can take because this is how many hours it takes. It was just understanding my numbers and understanding that there was some science behind the decisions I was making, whereas previous, previously it was like, hopefully this works and hopefully we're still profitable at the end, but don't really know. so just having some confidence there was nice. The point system is a methodology that I created, I don't know, probably 10 years ago now for my own business. For the exact same reason you just said nk. It was like, I would have, team members that would come and be like, I'm so overwhelmed. I have too many weddings on my plate. and I never understood, how can I know if that's true or if they're just. not having great time management or am I overwhelming them? Am I overpaying them? Am I underpaying them? how do you figure all of that out? And so, um, really working through, mentors outside the industry and then adapting it to our industry and saying, okay, this makes sense. We're not selling widgets, but we do have defined amounts of time in general that our services take. And so really developing that point system. And now, like you said, it's so great because it helps you to be so confident in one, how much can I pay someone and how many events are they gonna be able to do? What's my profitability on this person? And then also really, they come to you and they're like, I'm so overwhelmed. You can look at the number of points that they're managing and say, yeah, we'd either overscheduled you or I think we have a time management problem, and let me help you with that. Which can happen a lot in our industry too. So that's really interesting and I think that's incredibly helpful. I know when you came into the program, you had a revenue bowl, so you didn't necessarily have a budget, but I think we all set goals, right? Whether they're set in, fact or not, I don't know. You know, like sometimes we just throw a dart and we're like, this is my goal for the year. but you had a goal for the year, so I'd love to kind of know a little bit about that. Yeah, my goal setting then was incredibly different than my goal setting that I do with you guys now and was kind like, eh, maybe that'll work. And I did it kind of on maybe number of weddings, but not really like thinking about how much each of those weddings make or anything like that. so yeah, I had a revenue goal that when I came in July, it seemed high. It was like, I don't know if I'd actually be able to make that. And I think by the time September rolled around was already at that for the year, and ended up adding an additional 75,000 for the 2024 total of what my goal was, um, when I came in. it was a wonderful, situation or problem I guess, to be in. but just now I know I can look at our numbers and understand how to actually make a goal and not just pick a random number that I think might work. so that feels a lot better now. Yeah, because I remember, I actually, this part I do remember, 'cause I was working with you on finances and you, when you came in and you were like, once you started hitting these large numbers, you were like, don't understand how this is happening. Like, and, and what do I do? do I just keep changing my goal and I'm like, I think we need to just completely reevaluate your goal because I don't wanna say it didn't make sense 'cause I think it did make sense Mm-hmm. Had you not joined the program and obviously you had, you have so much drive, MK. Like, you know, ultimately someone's, success or lack of success inside our program or any program is their willingness to adjust, take strategy, implement that kinda stuff. And I will say like, you already had a really amazing business that you're building. I think we were just at able to help you add fuel to that and like really be strategic about how do I do this? Really fast and really well, and what I think was one of the biggest things that I saw you change immediately was, one, the CRM, which helps you to answer leads and follow up with them, way more quickly, which then was driving sales, but it also freed up so much of your time so that you could be like taking more consults, following up, being, doing your marketing and things like that. And so what's interesting is it's like before you came in, you already were getting a significant amount of leads, but once we were able to help you see, not necessarily that your conversion was low, but how much better it could be if you had your attention focused in the right places. That's the fuel that I talk about. It's like you already had a fire burning. It was just a matter of let's pour fuel here and show you exactly how to like, create this huge bonfire, right? So I think the reason you had so much success so quickly was because it was really just about moving where your attention was being spent to the right places. And then all of a sudden it was like, oh my gosh, now what? Like I have all of these bookings, which creates the next challenge, right? Which is kind of what we've been dealing with this year, which is like exciting. and also. I think what's interesting is people think, oh, once I solve this stage in business, I am healed. everything's gonna be good. And I think you, and I even had this conversation recently where I was like, MK, if you didn't, if it didn't create a next set of problems, like you wouldn't be growing. this is the exciting part about it. It's also hard, but each stage creates new challenges. So, can you share a little bit about that? you had this huge growth and this year you had even. Crazy, massive growth from that. will you almost double your revenue from 2024 this year? Which is crazy. It's so crazy to me. I say it's crazy, but also it's, it's really not to me, it's also just like, I remember when I told you at the beginning of the year, I'm like, girl, no. you need to weigh up this goal that you set. And even for next year, we've said the same thing to you, but. It's because you implement so quickly, but what challenges has that stage of growth brought or where we're going to next. Yeah. I think something that's. Always on my mind, with our business is just making sure that our clients feel supported. And in order to do that, like making sure we have enough people to answer them and that my team knows how to support them quickly, that is something that I think is always top of mind. like one of the most important things for our clients is that they hear from us quickly and that they feel supported. so I think that. Became something I was always bringing up here because I felt like I was losing time to manage the team that was taking care of those clients because I was answering all of their questions. I mean, I remember you were, I think it was you asked for an org chart of my team and it was the widest org chart ever because everyone reported to me. and I have a core team of about right now it's about nine people. And then I had an additional seven, like day of assistance and all of them were reporting to me. Which I remember giving you an excuse like, yeah, that just makes sense. They don't have that many questions. It's fine. And you were like, no. so one of the big things you guys helped me with, I think this was earlier this year, maybe end of last year, I don't even remember now, was like making an actual org chart that made more sense. So not all of my planners need to be coming to me, directly. They, there is a step in between that of someone that I have trained, for even longer that now, wants to do that for our planners. that's been a huge help, not having 16 people, report directly to me. Yeah. And I think a lot of us do this, and it again goes back to like why I created Wedding for CEO, because I just don't think that there's enough education for people in this middle stage of business where it's like, it's natural to think, yeah, I just keep hiring and then, tell me if this is how you felt, MK, it's like. At some point you think, I feel like I've almost created a worse situation for myself because now I have a full client load and all of these people that need my support as well. Like all of these staff members who have their own clients and I have to help them, or they're not gonna be able to work with their clients in the way that we're known for. And it almost is like, why did I do this? Like why did I, why do I have all of this? It feels like a eight headed monster. Right, right. Yeah. And I think part of me like. Felt again, the growth was fast. So part of me felt like it was too quickly to have that many layers of an org chart. Like it, it was just a few years of doing a business. Like I can't already have someone that is managing other people on the team that feels too fast and like I would definitely let like emotions and kind of like. That feels wrong, that I already have, an ops director that is taking on different lead planners. it felt in my head like it would be too quick. But then we look at the numbers or we look at what I'm spending my time on. One of the things you always ask is, okay, write out. What you're doing in a day, you're doing in a week. And I would do that and be like, oh my God. that's a lot of time with my employees that I didn't know I was spending. It's quick questions, it's quick slack messages, A quick one-on-one each week. That turned into a lot. No. Like having the numbers and the guidance from your team of like, no, this is time to do this. you are ready. It's not too quick. I feel like one of the things I always brought to you was this feels too quick, feels like I'm doing this too fast and that I'm not there yet. that's like a common thing I bring up to you guys. Yeah, it is a common thing that I hear you say, and I get it. I, Katy went through this too, like Katy scaled very quickly as well. And, and I, but I also think it goes back to what you said earlier in the conversation, which is no one else in my market is doing it like this. And so it does make you feel like maybe I'm doing it wrong. Maybe I shouldn't be doing it like this. And the reality is, I think for far too long, and this is something that we're battling, with Wedding Pro, CEO, every day is, it's like the wedding industry has been fed a lie, which is that you should be burnt out, you should be overwhelmed, you should be, working 80 hour weeks, you should be working every weekend. And the reality is. That's only sustainable for so long. at some point you're gonna burn out and it's just, it's not gonna be something that you wanna do and I don't know, a single soul that I've ever talked to that is like, yeah, I'm gonna start a business and I'm never gonna see my family again, and I'm also gonna only pay myself like$10 a week and it's gonna be awesome. No one said that when you started, but we allow it for so long and so being able to help businesses like yours be able to say, don't believe the lies that are in your head. Like those are lies that you're telling yourself based on the standard we've created. And instead, I want you to become the market leader. I want you to be the one that people look up to and say, I wanna build a business like MK's. And so one of those things that we had to do for you is create that middle layer of management, which sounds crazy. It's like, wait, a middle layer of management, like what is this? But it allowed you to have this operations person who kinda steps in between you and the rest of the team so that they are focused on training the team, making sure that clients are being well taken care of, making sure that, that they're getting back to them attending manner. Or if a client is having a challenge, like, okay, how can they help before it gets to you? That way you can focus your time on marketing, sales, and team development, which is what we talk about all the time. It's like. you cannot focus on 16 people, but if you focus on your one or two executive level, your middle layer of management people, and then they focus on the team now think about how much further your efforts are going and how much further it's building the team. So, I'd love to know a little bit about that. So we did create that for you. I think it was end of last year, beginning of this year. So it's been almost a year. How has that felt this year? Amazing. I also think it brings opportunity for growth within my company, which I didn't think would be something I could offer that quickly. but I want people on my team that want to grow with me and having them, have this opportunity to now manage people, and have planners come alongside them as they're doing their weddings for training. I have someone that's super excited about that. and that gave them a great opportunity while also giving me my time back. it's been awesome. it, it's been fast, I'm not gonna lie like That person managing one person to now managing four people. so it's been quick. and I don't know that I thought it would be that quick, but it's all for good reason. and if I had kept doubting myself that like, no, I can do it. I can do it, I definitely would, would've probably burned out by now that wouldn't have been able to manage all those people for sure. Yeah, I think that's true. And one of the things that I actually think is really fun and I think what we're going through right now with your business, so let's talk about, about how. You're so confident in making some of these decisions. I wanna take it back to the data because you know what we don't do and what I would never want anyone to do is be like, you've got a great cheerleader in your corner, and they're like, you can do it. You know that, that's great for a little bit. But one of the things that we're even going through right now is we're planning out for you next year is really going month by month and looking at your numbers and saying. Can we bring on another full-time person? Can we put another executive member of our team in place? Can we hire what does next year look like? and instead of just saying, you've doubled every year, I'm sure you're gonna double again. Like we're looking at your numbers month by month. We're looking at what's already on the books. We're looking at how much you sold last year, and do we think that we can do that again? What are the marketing efforts that we can put in? So I think that. To me, I feel like that's given you a lot of confidence because you are so great with your numbers now. Like when we say MK, we need these numbers to help you make this decision. You're like, I got you. 24 hours later you're like, here's eight spreadsheets. And I love that about you because it does help us to literally go. Month by month and say, MK, here's where we could have some stumbling blocks. But also, can you see how we get here? this is why we need to pre-plan now this makes sense. The data shows us it's gonna happen. that's how I get excited when I get to look into your numbers. But from your perspective, does that give you more confidence in making those decisions? And how do you feel about numbers now, Oh my gosh, so much better. yeah, I was never looking at numbers month by month, like before I came to you guys. I. I would track what I had for packages and make sure that like I could pay myself and other teams, but not anywhere to the extent of what we do now. and yeah, absolutely helps me feel more confident. and it just keeps me accountable for what. we are on track to do, and when you're managing a team, you, you, you now have to do that. that's not something that. I can just hope for the best on, and it's something I take very seriously, is to make sure that we are accounting for people's salaries and pay that, they are working towards. yeah, definitely helps me feel more confident. and just make sure that, I never wanna be in a place where. Our team feels overwhelmed or that we're taking too many weddings or anything like that. Like the numbers like going back to the numbers helps me realize what we can and can't do. And I think there, there was, there's always a fear in the back of my head like, oh, is it too much? Is it too many? Or when, but when you are able to go to the numbers, go to how many people you have supporting those clients, it helps you feel way better about the workload and client load that you have. Yeah. And two, once you put that middle layer of management in place, it gets a little bit weird too. I don't know if you felt this yet MK this year, but it's like you don't know every client anymore, and that feels a little wild, right? Yes, I struggle with this Yes, I remember struggling with it. I, I meet every client from the start. So not knowing what like. they booked, or what color palette they ended up going with. there are times where I like really struggle with that and I'm like, oh, I have to go ask that person on my team what they ended up doing.'cause I am invested. but it's an adjustment to not be on every planning call with them. But if I were to do that, my team, they wouldn't trust me. they need to know that I trust them to do these things. And if I was on all those calls with them, they'd be like. What's MK doing? Like why is she on this random florist call? So it's hard, but I hear about everything from my team and I am like on Instagram way too much. My screen time for that is way too high, but like getting tagged in different weddings we do over the weekend, that's one of my favorite parts is to see. It all come to life. So I'm still seeing them, but just not anywhere near as much, as a few years ago. It's a different perspective. I remember going through that and just being like, this feels so weird. I feel like I should know every detail about every wedding. And the reality is you shouldn't and you can't. And as you just continue to scale, trusting your team and training them and knowing that they're flawlessly handling those weddings and then getting the feedback from vendors, that your team is doing great or the reviews, I mean, there's nothing better than that, for a business owner. Okay, so MK. Is it safe to say that from the time you joined Wedding Pro until this year, you've more than doubled your revenue? Right? This, this year is wild to me. what you're projecting to do, it's even double, I think almost double what you actually did last year, right? A little under, but A little under I mean, we have time, but that would be, if I fully doubled it, we'd be in for it for sure. Uh, we can, we can report of challenges. but it close to it. Yeah. Yeah. that's so amazing to me because, you know more than double when you came into the program and almost double what you did last year. And I think. You know, I, I really want to just remind everybody that's listening, no program including Wedding Pro, CEO. We say this on our sales calls. We say this as in as much marketing as possible. It's like, we don't have a magic pill. There's no magic wand. There's no easy way that we're gonna be able to just be like, oh, double your revenue. The reason we talk about it so much is because we have so many success stories from inside the program like MK, who come in. Know they need help and they're willing to implement the strategy, but at the end of the day, all of it is your business. And I think that's why I love having MK on the show and walking through her journey, because what I want you to hear is that she implemented everything and every time it would be like, okay, this opened up a new set of challenges. Here's the solution, here's the strategy, let's work through it. And then she goes and implements. But at the end of the day. If you don't implement, it doesn't work. And MK is so phenomenal at like, take action, take action, take action. And I cannot wait. I really cannot wait MK to celebrate that seven figure mark with you.'cause I feel like that's just like. I know, I know it's a thing for you. I know it's definitely gonna happen for you, maybe a couple years. Obviously I don't think that we're doing that, here in the next year, 18 months, but it's, I can see that trajectory for you, as we, continue to grow your business and you're just such a go-getter in such an action taker, and I appreciate that so much. So I would say for anybody that's listening, that's really in the stage that you were in when you joined Wedding Pro, CEO. Do you kind of have any last words for them? Like if, if they're listening to this podcast like you were back then, what would you say to them about, where they are in their stage of business, or why they should really consider having a coach like Wedding Pro, CEO. Yeah, definitely. I mean, I, I now can't imagine not having a coach. and we just talked about it being similar to bringing a wedding, planner on when you're getting married. I think brides and grooms want their wedding day to go really well, and a full service wedding planner will help them feel confident about that goal. For businesses, I feel like it's, this is my baby, this is the business that I completely started from scratch. Why would I not? Want someone to help me get, make sure that it is going well and that I'm not making too many mistakes along the way. I will make mistakes and those are definitely gonna happen. but. it's something that is so important to me, and now especially having a team, like I wanna make sure not only our clients feel supported, but my team feels supported. So having resources there that make me feel confident in doing that, It gives a lot of peace of mind. Again, comparing it to wedding planning like that is what we wanna give couples is peace of mind. Knowing that every vendor they book is a good idea and that they are staying within their budget. it's so correlated because I come to you guys wanting to make sure, okay, is this next hire gonna make sense for my business or is this change in our packages, the right fit for what we're doing? And just having someone to talk that through is. Is so helpful and peace of mind is a nice thing to have, as an entrepreneur. It definitely is. It definitely is. Okay. MK, where can everybody come say hi and tell you that they heard you on the show and maybe even just cheer you on a little bit as you continue your growth journey? Where can everybody come find you? Yeah, I'd love that. like I said, I'm on Instagram way too much. but that is where we are, and where I personally am. So our Instagram is at MK Your Dream Day. I love it. I love it. And we'll put that in the show notes too. So you guys go over, tell MK how much you loved hearing her story and cheer her on say Hi and her dims. MK. I have loved getting to know a few things about you that I didn't know, um, and, and really just kinda like recapping your journey again, you know, we talk almost daily and I feel like we're in it with you and so it's it's fun to kind of see where you started and where you are now. And I'm just so excited for your growth and really appreciate you sharing on the show for others that are going through the same thing that you were. Um, what that's like. So thank you so much for being here. I appreciate it. Thank you for having me. I loved chatting with you. Yeah.
