Everyone who has ever started in this business probably has said to herself or himself at one time or another. “I love throwing parties. I’ve very creative, detail-minded and I’m good at it. Everyone loves what I do. I bet I can do this for money!”
We bet you've also seen the advertisements about starting a party planning business which say "No Experience Necessary," "No degree required," "Start a Party Planning Business from Home," "No Investment Necessary" and other such claims. To be honest, when our other event professional friends see those claims, we all pretty much laugh and shake our heads. Yeah, right,
So, if you think this book will give you a pat on the back and say, "Sure, anyone can do this. No problem. It's a piece of cake" you're wrong. Yes, if you have what it takes and you're willing to work hard to succeed, you can do it. But it's going to take a bit more than having fun putting together parties for family and friends. Training, experience and some money is required.
In the last two years we have taught dozens of people through our teleseminar series who wanted to break into this business. After about the third session, and periodically throughout the 16-part course, we would ask our students if they thought the business was:
a) As easy as they thought it was going to be.
b) As difficult as they thought it was going to be.
c) More difficult than they thought it was going to be.
The answer always is a resounding C. In fact, the general consensus is that it's much more difficult than they thought. However, none of our students quit because they realized that with the course, they were getting the training they need to succeed. And they also realized that despite many books they had read on the subject, this series was going to be a lot more intense and give them exactly the type of education they need to start their career. No, education isn't a substitute for experience, but with the right education, they would be so much more ahead of the learning curve than someone who never bothered to study. And that education will enable them to get the type of experience they need.
What does it take to do well in this industry?
The fact is, while you obviously need to be creative and detail-minded to succeed as a party, event or wedding planner, doing it professionally requires an additional set of skills as well.
Creativity is probably the smallest part of the job. You also need to be:
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Self-motivated because you’re going to have to keep yourself on track, especially if you work for yourself. | |
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Great at sales and marketing yourself and your business because without those skills, you’re not going to have any jobs to be creative for. It's much more difficult to get someone to pay you to do the type of thing you have always done for free before. Plus now you have to convince not only people who know you, but perfect strangers as well that you're worth what you charge. | |
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Quick on your feet because even if you plan things perfectly something will (not might) go wrong and you have to come up with a viable solution, usually in a matter of minutes, not hours or days | |
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Be willing to work long hours, nights, weekends and holidays. This is not a normal Monday through Friday, 9 to 5 job. Events generally take place at night and on weekends when you’re used to being with family and friends. Of course, the planning of them generally takes place during routine business hours when you need to be available to take care all the event preparation details. So when we say we work round the clock, we're not exaggerating. |
In addition to this, you will need to have great contacts or resources for finding the right vendors and the right services. You will rarely go into your Yellow Pages or local party store to find what you want. So if you're not thoroughly versed in where to find these people and have access to a computer, you're going to be spending a lot of time at the library.
You must also have a flexible schedule which will allow you to attend networking meetings to meet potential clients and a certain amount of money you can invest in your business or career.
If you're planning to jump ahead and start your own business, this course will tell you what you need to know. If you want to start small or work for someone else, this course will also provide what you will need to know to land a job with another event professional.
The reason we have chosen to write this book is that we have received requests for this information more than two thousand times in the last few years. That's right, thousands of people have asked about how to get started. And while there are some good books out there, none were complete enough to really give a potential planner the tools they need. That's why we decided to teach the Getting Started in Event, Party and Wedding Planning Teleseminar Series. We also realized that as convenient as the weekly telephone sessions were for some people, it was inconvenient for others. Therefore, we're creating this book to help you get started with the same information, less the personal one-on-one interaction, that our students enjoy.
It's a great business and we'd love to have you join us. So, if you're still reading, are ambitious, willing to work hard, have what it takes and the commitment to achieve the right type of education for your chosen career, we're here to help you prepare for your dream job.
If you would like to be notified of the release of the Manual, send an e-mail to us and we will add you to the list: [email protected]