Are you thinking of starting your own wedding planning business? It would be great to be able to start one full-time then quickly earn a living doing it; unfortunately, it’s not always possible. You may need to keep or get a full-time job for the financial or health benefits it offers until your business takes off. This means you must start your business part-time while working a full-time job. Many wedding and event planners started out this way and got the success they needed to have a full-time business so you can too.
If you are thinking of starting a business part-time, here are 4 things you need to know before doing it:
1) You’ll need to be willing to make some sacrifices
You’ll have less personal time. The time you might have previously spent running errands, doing chores, having fun and just relaxing after an eight-hour-a-day job will now be spent marketing your business, meeting with brides and planning weddings. Be sure you are ready to give up your nights and weekends before you start.
2) You’ll need the support of your family and/or friends
Since you’ll be busy with your new business, your family and friends might have to do your errands and chores and do fun things without you. Even if this business sounds doable to you, they might not agree. Discuss this first and make sure your relationships can withstand your time away from them.
3) It’s best to start small
Only take on the amount of business you can handle. You may only have time to plan a couple of weddings a month when you start, and that’s fine. Don’t forget to hire an assistant when you need help.
4) You have to give it time
You may have heard stories about how someone started planning part-time, made lots of money and was able to quit their full-time job in a few months. The reality is you may not make a lot of money in the beginning but don’t let this discourage you. It takes time to build a successful business and if you are doing it part-time, it could take longer than if you were able to make a full-time commitment.
While a bride may know you are not a full-time wedding planner, make it a point to keep information about your full-time job out of your conversations and, of course, respect your employer by not doing any wedding planning on their time.
Also, remember to get all the proper licenses and the insurance you need to run a business. Just because you are doing it part-time doesn’t mean you can cut corners!