How to Select your Super Vendor Team

Business BasicsHow to Select your Super Vendor TeamYou know the old saying, “It takes a village to raise a child”? Well, that’s true for your wedding business, too. Sure, you can try to do it all yourself. But what happens when you’re sick, delayed, or worse, have to cancel entirely. Who takes care of your couples then?Try as you might, it’s not possible to have a profitable, growing wedding business without having the help of others. That’s not saying that you can’t do it. People try and sort of succeed everyday. However, if you don’t have help, advice, and another set of eyes, hands, and ears, then your business isn’t growing as fast or as profitable as you might like. I know because it took a catastrophe in my own life to learn this important lesson.You Never KnowMy husband owns a service company, too. His is a one-man shop. There’s no one to answer to, no one to please other than himself. His business grew quickly, and before he realized it, he was juggling several major-name accounts. It was all good until the day he sneezed. That one sneeze blew a disc in his back, which required surgery and a two-year recovery. He survived, but his business died that week. I vividly remember chasing around to buy a laptop so he could do client work from his hospital bed.However, his biggest clients dumped him, because he had no one to turn the work over to which meant, to them, he was “unreliable.” Is your wedding business that vulnerable? If so, it’s time to think about putting people and structures in place to protect your livelihood—perhaps a “Super Vendor Team.”Who’s On the Team?Your team can be anyone you trust to help you run your wedding business. The typical Super Team probably includes a second planner, a caterer, photographer, videographer, officiant, transportation service, florist, and venue. If you’re a photographer, maybe your team includes a second shooter, assistant, or videographer.When choosing your Super Team, take your time, and think about your choices. This is like getting married. You want someone who’ll be there in good times and bad. If you’ve already got a group of preferred vendors—great! Look at these tips to make sure your team doesn’t have any gaps or redundancies and is running a smoothly as possible.How to Get Your Fabulous Super Vendor TeamPick vendors who share your values, style, and work ethic because they will essentially become you to your clients.<Pick your complement, not your identical twin. You want someone who has strengths that augment your weaknesses.Be on the lookout for a team captain (besides you). That person will be your #1 when you’re on site, so be sure you have great trust and a comfortable working relationship.Be clear about how decisions and conflict will be handled in advance. Have that conversation before inviting someone to the Super Team. I don’t have to tell you how many things can change or go wrong at a wedding.Build a community within your team. Think hard about group dynamics, like which vendors naturally interact (i.e. photographers and videographers or photographers and officiants), and make sure each teammate understands they are responsible for working well together. Good for one means good for all.Ready, Set, Go!Now, it’s time to put pencil to paper. Here are several journal prompts meant to help you think more deeply about how you’d like to shape your team, which, of course, is important to how you build your successful wedding business. Go to a quiet place where you have time and space to imagine and ponder these questions. Studies show that writing down intentions and goals increase the likelihood of success—so write them down!

• What was the best service experience you ever received (i.e. your own wedding planner, a doctor, your accountant, etc), and what made it special? List the qualities that impressed you.
• Which of these qualities are present in your business now, and which would you like to add?
• What are the behaviors and actions that go with those qualities? For example, in your experiences with your hairdresser, does she always seem so happy it makes you happy. What does she do to make you feel that way? Smile? Laugh? Welcome you into her shop? Refrain from gossiping?
• How do you handle conflict? And what types of people push your buttons? If you’re a conflict avoider, you may want to have a collaborator and someone on your team to help with awkward situations.
• What are your strengths as a creative person and a business person (they are different)? What are your weaknesses? What qualities do you need in your teammates to make a strong team?

Last ThoughtsNobody said it better than the Beatles: We get by with a little help from our friends—or our Super Team. Appreciate and respect your team for the professionals they are. If you’ve done your job in selecting top people, you can relax, and let them do their jobs, supporting you and working to grow all of your businesses.Tell me about the makeup of your Super Vendor Team by tweeting @DinaEisenberg. WPMDina Eisenberg, JD, Kisima Enterprises, Inc.,Oakland, Calif.